re: Explain to me why the Saints defense will be better this year.

quote:

---

What about the second part of the question?

---

The NFL does not work in a vacuum. By that I mean there is no exact formula that causes one team to definitively beat another team 10000 times out of 10000. For example, St. Louis was not a good team last year, but they tied San Francisco once and beat them the second time. The Giants failed to make the playoffs, yet stomped the 49ers.

The Seahawks appear to be the team to beat this season thanks in part to their defense and the rise of Russell Wilson. But how many times have we seen teams who "win" the off-season come up short and disappoint? Many times. In fact, the Saints have done that several times themselves.

The point I'm trying to make is that it doesn't matter how good a team looks on paper, how good they were last season, or even how good they were last week. In the NFL each game is different and though the players may be the same week to week, there is a human element to each game. This is a variable that will fluctuate for better or worse each week. It's impossible to predict.

This Saints team is not the same on as last year. There are plenty of familiar faces, but also a few new ones. There are young guys and old guys. There are new coaches and new schemes, and perhaps most importantly, new competition and new personalities. Position battles are sure to be had, as opposed to last season where everyone was "anointed". The best players will play.

There's no 100% guarantee that the defense will be better, but it's very likely to be. As for other teams, there's no guarantee that their defense will get better. The 49ers' may get worse, the Seahawks may get worse. There's no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL, it all just depends on the individuals on the field.

There's your smart answer now GTFO.