3 New Orleans Saints improvements needed to win again

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Jun 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton watches over his team during the final day of minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

3: Build an Identity

I have said this before and I will continue to say it, the New Orleans Saints defense and its team will never improve until the develop an identity. The two times the Saints (as a team) have known exactly who they were, they were phenomenal.

In 2009 they were an efficient, balanced, and equal opportunity offense that thrived off of the turnovers created by their hyperaggresive defense. In 2011, they were a death star offense that simply obliterated everything in its path and they couldn’t care less how their defense performed. It’s arguable that if it wasn’t for one early game cheap shot that they would have even blown out the San Francisco 49ers in that divisional playoff game (they still torched them even with the turnovers).

As a fan, I would love to experience something like either of those seasons again. The only way the New Orleans Saints can return to prominence is to develop an identity. They need one on the defensive side of the ball more than anything, but they may also need to shift who they are offensively as Brees ages and the weapons change. As long as Sean Payton is there, they will always have a good to great offense, but the Saints need to start planning for the long-term and building a foundation that can not only allow them to take advantage of Brees’ last few years, but also can lead into the future.

The Saints have a LOT more talent on both sides of the ball than people think, and it’s young talent too. However, only a few of those players have fully blossomed. I truly believe that what this team needs more than anything else right now is to build an identity for themselves, get their ‘swagger’ back, and only then can they contend again.

And that right there is the goal ladies and gentlemen. The Saints employ the greatest offensive mind in football, and one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks of ALL TIME. The expectation is for them to win. After all, that’s all that will be remembered. We want them to win, they want to win, and if they can trust in each other, become competent on BOTH sides of the ball, and build an identity that is their own….then the rest of the league should be very afraid.