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CB Keenan Lewis dubs New Orleans Saints secondary ‘NOPD’

By Andrew Schuster

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New Orleans Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis, an active user of Instagram, took to the picture sharing social network to give his secondary a new nickname Friday morning.

The New Orleans Police Department has been protecting and serving the Crescent City since being established in 1796.  But now it’s time for another force to came save the day by safeguarding the Saints from opposing offenses in 2015.

That’s right, the New Orleans Saints’ pass defense, or “NOPD”, as Lewis calls it, is looking quite intriguing these days.  Aside from Lewis, that black and gold secondary was downright awful in 2014.  Before the season began, the name “no-fly zone” was given to the unit.  However, that restricted air space was constantly violated.

After acquiring an elite safety in Jairus Byrd, he missed the final 12 games of the season with a torn meniscus.  Kenny Vaccaro suffered a fractured foot at the end of 2013, which seemed to linger a season ago along with a partially torn hamstring he apparently played through.  They’re now back at full health.

Keenan Lewis will be playing alongside the big, physical Brandon Browner, who the Saints acquired in free agency, forming a very dangerous duo in the Big Easy.

The team also has high hopes for former CFL star and New Orleans native Delvin Breaux, once a top college prospect before a devastating high-school injury.  The club also acquired a new corner in Kyle Wilson, the league’s No. 1 slot man two years ago with the New York Jets.

Of course, we’ll be looking for some production out of rookies P.J. Williams and Damian Swann, while Stanley Jean-Baptiste looks to finally see the field after very limited time and a rocky start to his career.  Corners Brian Dixon and Terrence Frederick will also be involved in what will likely be a heated battle for final roster spots.

The team will likely be mixing schemes up again, hopefully getting production out of backup safeties Rafael Bush, Pierre Warren and Vinnie Sunseri – my projected locks for the final roster.  But Jamarca Sanford and Kenny Phillips shouldn’t be counted out just yet either.

So whether you want to call this unit the “No-Fly Zone” or the “NOPD”, it’s hard to deny that on paper, this secondary is stacked to the brim with promising talent.  However, only time will tell if the production on the field will match up to the names on the back of the jerseys.

Next: Most intriguing positional battles for the Saints

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