Aug 5, 2012; Canton, OH, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive line lines up against New Orleans Saints offensive line during the first quarter of a preseason game at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

When you think of offense, especially in terms of fantasy football, the offensive line never shows much in the stats sheet. In fact, most times you will only see them in that column when it comes to something negative, like how many false starts, or how many holding penalties were committed. The ‘beef’ up front is what enables everything else to happen through pass & run protection. They are responsible for so much, but don’t get a lot of credit where it’s due. In this lengthy breakdown, we’ll look specifically at the Saints offensive linemen.

Given all of the woes of the 2012 Saints, mainly on defense, the offensive line did a very good job. They finished the season tied for 3rd (and we mean a good ranking) in Sacks allowed, an honor shared with Bucs, giving up 26 total. Only the Giants (20) & Broncos (21) beat them out in that respective category. Fittingly, they also ranked 3rd in QB Hits Allowed with 59, finishing again behind the Broncos (46) & Giants (53). That may seem like a lot to you, but you may ask for comparison sake, which offensive line allowed the most in 2012? The answer: Philadelphia Eagles (118). Pro Football Focus ranked the Saints offensive line 6th overall at the conclusion of the season (8th Pass Blocking, 7th Run Blocking, 4th in Penalties), and drew attention to the recently departed Jermon Bushrod as being the ‘deadweight’ of the line.

Let’s start with the middle man, the Center position. Brian de la Puente, who just turned 28 this month, was re-signed on April 9th, much to the delight of any fans who knows of him & his abilities. He enters his 3rd season as a Saint, and it could not be more important. He has started the past 28 games at Center for the New Orleans Saints after spending his first few seasons bouncing from various ball clubs. Who Dat Dish’s own Chris Rolling recently put out an article that talked about de la Puente being one of the most underrated players of the NFL. I definitely concur. Pro Football Focus graded him the #2 best center for 2012. We only hope he doesn’t go anywhere this offseason, and given the Saints woes to losing offensive linemen, we have to put our faith in Loomis to get this done before Free Agency. Chemistry with Drew is so important, and this could turn out to be his best season yet.

Elliott Mealer, an undrafted 23-year old rookie out of Michigan, is currently listed as de la Puente’s backup. Don’t look for a ton of things from him, but if he’s going to learn anything from anyone, would you have it any other way than being from de la Puente?

November 4, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle (82) is unable to catch a pass in the end zone while defended by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis (23) during the third quarter of an NFL game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In the team’s first week of organized team activities, Keenan Lewis started with the first team and made a case for a starting position at defensive back. If veteran Jabari Greer doesn’t step up in training camp, he’ll lose his starting job.

Last season, fans were livid with a Saints pass defense that allowed nearly 300 yards passing per game last  year. The names to blame? Defensive backs Patrick Robinson and Jabari Greer.

Greer and Robinson both stand at 5-foot-11 and both struggled mightily last year in pass coverage. They both managed to get three interceptions last year, but Robinson posted 18 passes defended to Greer’s 13 passes defended.

Greer is 31 years old, losing a couple of steps in terms of his speed, and coming off a season where the entire defense is being scrutinized. The Saints acquired Keenan Lewis in the off-season as well and he definitely has the ability to take away one of those top corner spots.

Lewis is four years younger and about 20 pounds heavier than Greer. That’s important against strong receivers in the NFC South like Atlanta’s Roddy White and Carolina’s Steve Smith. He wasn’t a starter in Pittsburgh but that didn’t stop him from defending 23 passes last year for the Steelers.

He isn’t significantly taller than Greer but displays better leaping ability to attack the ball while it is in the air than Greer did last year. Every inch helps against NFC South receivers like Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Tampa Bay’s Vincent Jackson.

In the first day of OTA’s, Lewis started with the first team and displayed his ability to break up passes and even came away with an interception. While head coach Sean Payton will be the first to tell you not to put any stock in Lewis starting with the first team, you’d be crazy to think that Lewis’ performance didn’t catch his eye.

It’s still May and nobody (outside of quarterback Drew Brees) has won their position yet. After this first OTA session however, the stock for Keenan Lewis is on the rise.

July 27, 2012; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Roman Harper (41) during training camp at the team

It’s been a long time coming, but it appears New Orleans Saints veteran safety Roman Harper has finally restructured his massive contract that has been weighing down the team this offseason.

The news shouldn’t come as a surprise with Harper set to see less playing time than usual thanks to the addition of rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

There are no details surrounding the transaction yet, but the report comes from NFL.com’s official transaction page.

NOLA.com’s Larry Holder has the details of Harper’s old agreement:

Harper was set to make $5.25 million in base salary this season while holding a $7.1 million cap number. Already $2.6 million of Harper’s base salary is guaranteed this season as the contract stipulation was triggered on the third day of the league year in March. He’s also slated to make a $6 million base in 2014 and would carry a $7.9 million cap figure next season.

It’s an important move for the franchise and one everyone saw coming. The Saints were flirting with being over the cap after signing rookies. Depending on how much cash the team just freed up, the front office will now have some injury insurance money and potentially enough to pursue another free agent.

A league source has confirmed #Saints‘ Roman Harper signed a restructured deal yesterday.

— Larry Holder (@LarryHolder) May 24, 2013

The details aren’t official yet, but when they are, be sure to check back with us as we’ll have them posted as soon as we learn them.

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