Will It Be “Hype” Or Hope For the Saints In 2015?

The Saints Will Make It Back To the Postseason in 2015

Verdict:  Hope

I remember when the postseason was a guaranteed thing for the Saints but the reality check of 2014 has turned that on it’s head.

The crazy thing was that in years past the NFC South was the division to beat…now it looks like it’s just a division to beat.

It was one frustrating point of last year since the Black and Gold should have easily marched to a playoff run considering how weak the division was.

Instead they limped to a 7-9 finish that probably should have been a 6-10 record all things considering.

I mean even the Carolina Panthers who finished 7-8-1 managed to crown themselves the NFC South Champions AND secure the fourth seed in the playoffs where they made it to the divisional round before being ousted by the Seattle Seahawks.

Listening to media reports the Panthers are favorites to be the leader again going into the season and I actually agree.

Their defense proved it could live without defensive end Greg Hardy and as long as players like middle linebacker Luke Kuechly are healthy then that unit is still a bruiser.

Saints fans love to hate on quarterback Cam Newton but he just makes things happen on offense and with targets like wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen it can be even worse for opposing defenses.

I don’t think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a force to be reckoned with but will improve from an embarrassing 2-14 record.

The Atlanta Falcons have always been the arch nemesis for the Saints and even though hardcore Who Dats say they will stink it up again you still can’t take them for granted.

New head coach Dan Quinn has seemed to bring a new energy to Atlanta and after being under the tutelage of Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll he likely picked up some good pointers.

Quinn was also the mastermind behind the Seahawks defense and the fabled Legion Of Boom so I expect that we’ll see shades of that this season as well.

Of course the big opponent the Saints will have on their way to a postseason run will actually be who beat them the most in 2014…themselves.

Lack of communication, leadership, and….well everything caused an implosion that nobody saw coming or even thought would happen during the Payton/Brees era.

If the Saints hope to get back to what they were just a few years ago then the blue-collar attitude that made the team so enduring in the first place needs to return.

So far that seems the case but the proof will be in the pudding as the regular season unfolds.

Next: Look at All These Rumors