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5 Things the New Orleans Saints Must Do in 2016

By John Sarianides

Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and head coach Sean Payton celebrate after a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and head coach Sean Payton celebrate after a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Orleans Saints have gone 7-9 in back-to back-seasons and they haven’t made the playoffs since 2013.

Head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees are the face of New Orleans Saints football. That’s why it’s not a surprise that both are back in New Orleans despite tumors of their departure at the end of last season.

Related Story: New Orleans Saints: How Confident Are You?

Brees is ageless and while seeing a slight decline in his numbers last season, he’s still a top 10 quarterback in the league.

The Saints have retooled their personnel offensively. Gone are mainstays like Marques Colston and Jahri Evans. They have been replaced as key pieces by free agent tight end Coby Fleener and rookie wide receiver Mike Thomas. Both are expected to make an immediate difference this season.

The Saints have plenty of firepower on offense but it’s their defense that’s the issue. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen needs to get this unit turned around otherwise it’ll be another long season in New Orleans.

Here five things the Saints need to do well in 2016.

1. The Defense Must Be Better: This unit is awful. Allen has his work cut out for him despite the additions of veteran linebacker James Laurinaitis and rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. The Saints still don’t have enough talent to be a defense that can consistently stop other teams it they’ll be better. At the his point, if the Saints were middle of the pack defensively, it would be a major improvement.

2. Drew Brees Must Be Drew Brees: The veteran signal-caller is starting to slow down from a production standpoint. If the Saints want to contend in the NFC South, Brees needs to regain his form of previous seasons or else the Saints will struggle to win seven games again.

Aug 11, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) dives for a touchdown in the second quarter during a preseason NFL game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 11, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) dives for a touchdown in the second quarter during a preseason NFL game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /

3. More Balance On Offense: The Saints have the pieces on offense to be one of the most balanced offenses in the league. The run game is sound with Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller, while Brees has plenty of weapons at his disposal in the passing game. With Sean Payton calling plays, the Saints should once again be one of the most potent offenses in the league.

4. Stop the Run: New Orleans was putrid against the run last season. The Saints finished 31st in the league against the run, giving up over 129.4 yards per game on the ground. That’s terrible. The first order of business defensively needs to be stopping the run. If the Saints don’t get better in this area, they’ll struggle again defensively this season.

5. Find a Pass Rush: The Saints need to find a way to get to the quarterback more often. New Orleans finished last season with 31 sacks. That’s not good enough. They need to get more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks . Rankins should help but that won’t be enough. The Saints will need to blitz more.

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