Into the Fire: 3 Reasons Why the Saints Will Win It All

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Take care of business or turn yourself around. It is as simple as that for the New Orleans Saints this season. Anything less than winning the whole damn thing will not suffice when you have a roster as stacked as the Saints. Sean Payton knows it and so do all of you Who Dats. “Prove them right” is the mantra and it is the perfect mantra because not only do you and I expect the Saints to win the Super Bowl this season, so does everyone within the organization. This is the year to T.C.B. or T.Y.A. for guys like Brees, Payton, and Cam Jordan. The puzzle is seemingly complete. Now they must do the work.

I believe the Saints will do the work and do it well this season which is why I am picking them to win the Super Bowl. While there are some question marks surrounding this team, just like there is every NFL team, the amount of positives far out measure the negatives; on paper at least. Unlike some other contenders, the Saints are not a soap opera drama nor do they have true weaknesses on the depth chart. This is a stacked roster that is unified and ready to take care of business. Here are the three reasons why the Saints will win the whole damn thing.

Reasons number one is leadership. The Saints are led by three guys who are as motivated as any three leaders in the NFL. Sean Payton has a lot to prove as a head coach. He is not at the same level as some of his elite contemporaries, but he still has the time and ability to move up a few spots in the pecking order. He wouldn’t be as heralded as Belichick, but Payton can and will surpass the likes of Tomlin, Carroll, and McCarthy with another ring. Payton’s winning percentage isn’t as good as those other coaches, but his ability to go ALL IN during a season like this is his strength. Payton plays well with a good hand and with on-the-field leadership from Drew Brees and Cam Jordan, he does not have to worry about his players holding themselves accountable. Brees and Jordan not only lead by example, but they are vocal leaders who are respected by their teammates. It is rare to have that on both sides of the ball on one team.

Reason number two is a fast start. The Saints have not won a Week 1 game since 2013, but this season they will win in Week 1 because it is a very favorable matchup against a flawed opponent in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On paper, the Saints have favorable matchups in each of their first six games. Tampa followed by Cleveland, Atlanta, the Giants, Washington, and Baltimore is a much easier slate than the Saints have had in September/October over the last few years. If the Saints start fast they will have home field in the playoffs and if they have home field in the playoffs then things like losing to teams you should beat (see the Vikings game last season) are not as likely to happen.

Reason number three why the Saints will win the Super Bowl is the speed they now have on defense. It is finally up to snuff when it comes to modern day NFL standards. Team speed is essential in today’s NFL. Bulky hole plugging linebackers and big fat loads in the A-Gap are no longer as important as having multiple players in your front 7 who can run down backs and receivers. A secondary needs to have healthy legs and football smarts. The Saints have all of that with young studs like Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Davenport. Demario Davis and Alex Anzalone are perfect mixtures of speed and muscle at linebacker. You do not need elite players at every position to be successful as a team on defense in today’s offense-bias NFL, you just need to be able to go fast and this season the Saints can go fast.

With leadership, a fast start, and fast players on defense the Saints have what it takes to bring a second Lombardi to New Orleans. In fact, I know they will because this is the kind of team that was built over the course of multiple years for this very moment. All the Saints have to do is take care of business and they will prove me right.

– Alan Michael