| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Following the 1998 season, Mike Ditka thought the 6-10 Saints were
one Ricky Williams away from the playoffs. He traded seven draft choices to acquire Williams only
to find one player doesn't necessarily make a difference.
The Saints were 3-13 and Ditka is no longer coaching the Saints.
Reversing the strategy of a year ago, new Saints management didn't put all
their eggs in one basket. They brought in eight starters through free agency
and the draft. And they are still on the prowl.
"We're always looking for good players," Saints coach Jim Haslett
said.
|  | | Ricky Williams looks to rebound from a disappointing rookie year. |
So the search continues. On Monday, they traded a third-round choice to the Packers
for promising quarterback Aaron Brooks and blocking tight end Lamont Hall.
On Wednesday, they continued their pursuit of 340-pound defensive tackle
Gilbert Brown.
Saints be praise, they might be the most improved team in football.
That being said, other than the expansion Cleveland Browns, the Saints were
at the bottom of the league's talent pool.
This year, along with the running of Williams, the Saints hope to
attack with a wing and a prayer. The wing is the strong right arm of former
Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Blake. As players say, the guy can wing it.
"With Jeff in there, he'll keep the safeties back so when we are
going to run the ball, we are going to run it well," Williams said.
"Hopefully, when we are third-and-6 and third-and-7, Jeff can complete
those passes and move the chains."
Four different Saints quarterbacks combined for 30 interceptions.
That's five more than the number of offensive touchdowns scored. Face it,
there's more action on Bourbon Street at 5 o'clock in the morning than there was in the Saints end zone at any time last season.
"We needed players who can score some touchdowns," Haslett said.
"Jeff has a big-time arm and he loves to play the game. He's able to throw
deep. (Receiver) Joe Horn loves to block and he loves to go deep. Jake Reed
is a good blocker and a possession type of receiver."
Listening to Haslett put the receivers' blocking ahead of their
pass-catching tips off the strategy of the Saints this year. They will run
the ball. Haslett knows that the offensive line, which is strong at tackle
with Willie Roaf and Kyle Turley, will run-block. That in his mind is a certainty.
The halfback who carried the fortunes on the Saints a year ago is
the most relaxed player in camp. Williams isn't just the focal point of this
team any more. The burden of the offense is now spread among Williams,
Blake, Reed, Horn and tight end Andrew Glover.
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“ |
I think the biggest thing we have to
overcome is getting the guys to believe they can win games. It's getting them to stop
getting down when things go bad. ” |
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— Jim Haslett, Saints head coach |
"A lot of the pressure was taken off me off the field," Williams
said because of the additions. "I can just go out and play football and
have a good time. It's tough when the team is not winning. Now, even the
guys on defense are going to help us score a lot more points this year."
Pro Bowl defensive end Joe Johnson is back from knee surgery.
Run-stopper Norman Hand was added at defensive tackle to play next to the
quick La'Roi Glover. Second-round choice Darren Howard was drafted for his
pass-rush ability.
The Saints also added quickness at linebacker by signing veterans
Charlie Clemons and Darrin Smith.
"We got speed at the linebacker position and we are solid on the
defensive line," Haslett said. "The front seven shouldn't give up many big
plays."
The secondary might. That's the defense's weakest area. In fact, cornerback
Steve Israel, brought in to challenge for a starting job, made the position
weaker when he broke his leg and suffered ligament damage in the Saints' first preseason game July 29 against the New York Jets.
"I think the biggest thing we have to overcome is getting the guys
to believe they can win games," Haslett said. "It's getting them to stop
getting down when things go bad."
At least the Saints bounced back from that injury-riddled preseason
opener in which they lost Israel and tight end Cam Cleeland for the season
and safety Rob Kelly for at least a month with injuries. They practiced well
against the Jaguars. Offensive players were feisty enough to get into a
couple of fights. The defense did an exceptional job disrupting the Jaguars
offense.
"On paper, it looks good in practice," Williams said, "but we will still have to wait and see."
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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