Jonathon Vilma and Sedrick Ellis will lead New Orleans Saints in 2008

The 2007 season saw the Saints play the way everyone expected them to play, before the 2006 season.

To make a return to the playoffs, New Orleans found out that it needed some major upgrades on the defensive side of the ball.

And a front office known for getting things wrong actually got this offseason right.

While the Jeremy Shockey trade will make an already potent offense even tougher to defend, the moves that will have the most impact are those made on the defensive side of the ball.

The Saints needed help at all three levels on defense.

Drafting Sedrick Ellis significantly upgraded the Saints defensive front.

Ellis was a close second in the draft’s defensive tackle ranks to Glenn Dorsey, who some considered to be the best player in the draft.

During the week of the Senior Bowl, Sedrick was virtually unblockable.

All of a sudden, a front four of Ellis, Hollis Thomas, Charles Grant, and Will Smith is one of the best in football.

The same can be said at the linebacker spot.

The last two seasons, the Saints linebacking corps was made up of former Dallas Cowboy back-ups.

Since letting Mark Fields go to Carolina, the Saints were trying to get by using cheap, cast-off linebackers.

The trade for Jonathon Vilma has immediately bolsters the front seven.

A return to the 4-3 will be beneficial for Vilma, who struggled when Eric Mangini brought his 3-4 to New York.

People have quickly forgotten that, playing in a 4-3, Vilma was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2004 and was voted to the Pro Bowl in his second season. In 2005, Vilma recorded 187 tackles.

Joining Vilma and Ellis on the Saints defense are Randall Gay and Aaron Glenn in the defensive backfield.

With the additions to the defense, as well as plugging Jeremy Shockey into an offensive machine, the Saints are poised to make a deep playoff run.