Building a Blueprint for Saints to Embrace the Hate, Dominate in 2012

The best way the New Orleans Saints can turn this wretched offseason into something positive is simply by winning.

And as obvious as needing to win sounds, the Saints have to have even more emphasis on it than ever before. If there's any kind of bright spot to come from Bountygate, it's the opportunity for New Orleans to use that as motivation in practice and on the game field.

To prove the skeptics and cynics alike that the Saints remain a legitimate NFC title contender. Use the newfound hate as fuel to pump the engines so Drew Brees can dice up any defensive scheme he faces.

Ahead, let's break down each phase of the game for New Orleans and see how it can fend off any and every obstacle this season.

Offense

Everything here unsurprisingly revolves around Brees.

Well, the sign of an elite quarterback is when he can enhance the play of any group of receiving targets. Brees does this to a T and has a promising rookie in Nick Toon for 2012. Tight end Jimmy Graham remains the top target and Marques Colston will be reliable again also.

On the ground Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas make for one great tandem to count on. Both combined for 1,165 rushing yards in an extremely pass-heavy offense and 1,135 receiving yards.

There won't be a major need for play-action, because no defense will stack the box to stop the run. With Brees' quick and accurate release, opponents have to emphatically plan to slow the aerial assault.

Few teams will have success when blitzing as well, so expect a bit more on the ground this year to control the game tempo and the clock. The Saints defense still has to prove it can stop opponents consistently, but Brees will assist immensely if he can limit opposing possessions by simply keeping them off the field.

So, as long as a strong balance is fed between these two dual-threat ball-carriers, Brees and Co. will be efficiently explosive and win games through precise play-calling.

Defense

Allowing five yards per carry last season made the Saints one of the league's easiest down-for-down defenses to run against.

To make matters even worse, they only defended 351 rushes in 2011. And to put that in perspective the Seattle Seahawks defended 473 rushes and allowed just 3.8 yards per carry. In short, David Hawthorne was a huge get for the 2012 season.

Recording 115 tackles a year ago, his presence next to Curtis Lofton will easily make up for Jonathan Vilma's absence, And although both are hurt right now according to the Associated Press via ESPN.com, coach Joe Vitt has optimism:

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"We certainly think Curtis [Lofton] is going to be ready for the first game. The diagnosis on David [Hawthorne] is encouraging," assistant head coach Joe Vitt said, noting that Hawthorne kept playing in Friday night's preseason game against Jacksonville even after his injury.

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One player who must take a big step, though, is defensive end Cameron Jordan.

After a nice 2011 campaign, Jordan must develop as a dominating pass-rusher. The pass defense ranked No. 30 and sees corner Tracy Porter in Denver. Therefore, more blitzing and quarterback pressure must occur to help those in coverage.

Man-to-man on the outside—but with inside leverage to prevent anything free over the middle—from corners Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson will allow the safeties to react easier in Covers 1 and 3. The more Roman Harper can play like a linebacker to help with run support and sniff out those little dump screens and checkdowns, the more turnovers will get forced.

Both corners have excellent ball skills, so walling off the outside and letting Malcolm Jenkins patrol the middle behind the linebacker shell takes care of all bases. 

Special Teams

Keep Darren Sproles as the dual-threat return specialist.

For as much as he helps produce offensively, this is where Sproles is at his best. He accounted for 1,383 total return yards last season and has 8,787 career return yards.

The Saints are still going to be that explosive offense from 2011, so maintaining the field position battle is vital. Even on possessions that don't end up as a score, setting the punt up for a change of field position is a significant convenience to the defense.

Sproles on returns will be the most important aspect to the Saints in 2012, because we know the offense can virtually score at will. The defense can't afford to be as susceptible as 2011, though, otherwise 2012 will end in even further disappointment.

Special teams is the best way to limit an opponent's opportunities, so setting up a wall on punts and alleyways on kickoffs allows Sproles to create better field position. Thus, increased odds at winning.

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