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New Orleans Saints: The 2012 Defense Broke a Record and the Bank
March 18, 2013
The 2012 New Orleans Saints defense set the NFL record for most yards allowed in a single season—and broke the bank in the process
The Saints defense allowed 7,042 yards in 2012—shattering the Baltimore Colts' 31-year-old record of 6,793 yards.
Head coach Sean Payton and newly hired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan have already been hard at work to improve the Saints defense. New Orleans signed cornerback Keenan Lewis to a five-year, $25 million deal. Analysts praised the signing, including SI.com, which gave it an "A" grade.
However, it's unlikely Ryan plans to stop with just one good signing. Expect the Saints to deal out a little more cash to bring in a few more players to fit Ryan's new 3-4 scheme. Fortunately, the Saints have some flexibility with the salary cap due to Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma taking pay cuts.
Yet if the Saints could afford to use the pay cuts of Smith and Vilma to sign a player to an average of $5 million per year, just how much were Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, and the other starters on the worst defense in NFL history getting paid?
| 2012 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS DEPTH CHART: DEFENSE | ||
| Position | Player | Average Salary |
| DT | Brodrick Bunkley | $5 million |
| DT | Sedrick Ellis | $6.7 million |
| DE | Will Smith | $10.2 million |
| DE | Cameron Jordan | $1.9 million |
| OLB | David Hawthorne | $3.8 million |
| MLB | Curtis Lofton | $5.5 million |
| OLB | Jonathan Vilma | $7.1 million |
| CB | Jabari Greer | $5.3 million |
| CB | Patrick Robinson | $1.9 million |
| S | Roman Harper | $6.3 million |
| S | Malcolm Jenkins | $3.8 million |
| Total = | $57.5 million | |
The 2012 Saints' starting 11 players on defense were making a total average salary of $57.5 million per year. Whether $57.5 million is a reasonable price depends on the product purchased. The table below shows the New Orleans Saints' defensive statistics for 2012.
| 2012 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS DEFENSIVE STATS | ||
| Category | Statistic | NFL Rank |
| Total Yards Allowed in 2012 | 7,042 | No. 32 |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 28.4 | No. 31 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 292.6 | No. 31 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 147.6 | No. 32 |
As per the information in the table above, New Orleans paid approximately $57.5 million for the worst defense in the NFL. Compare that to the 2012 Seattle Seahawks, whose defensive stats are in the table below.
| 2012 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS DEFENSIVE STATS | ||
| Category | Statistic | NFL Rank |
| Total Yards Allowed in 2012 | 4,899 | No. 4 |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 15.3 | No. 1 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 203.1 | No. 6 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 103.1 | No. 10 |
As is indicated in the table above, Seattle had one of the best defenses in the league in 2012. But how much did it pay for its defense's performance?
| 2012 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS DEPTH CHART: DEFENSE | ||
| Position | Player | Average Salary |
| DT | Brandon Mebane | $5 million |
| DT | Alan Branch | $3.5 million |
| DE | Red Bryant | $7 million |
| DE | Chris Clemons | $7.3 million |
| OLB | Leroy Hill | $1.6 million |
| MLB | Bobby Wagner | $1.1 million |
| OLB | K.J. Wright | $630k |
| CB | Richard Sherman | $560k |
| CB | Brandon Browner | $430k |
| S | Kam Chancellor | $500k |
| S | Earl Thomas | $4.2 million |
| Total = | $31.8 million | |
As shown above, Seattle's starting 11 players on defense had a total average salary of $31.8 million.
So here's a side-by-side comparison of the Saints and Seahawks defenses in 2012.
| New Orleans Saints | Seattle Seahawks | |
| $57.5 million | Total Average Salaries | $31.8 million |
| 7,042 | Total Yards Allowed | 4,899 |
| 28.4 | Points Allowed Per Game | 15.3 |
| 292.6 | Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 203.1 |
| 147.6 | Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 103.1 |
Essentially, the Seattle Seahawks paid an average of $25.7 million less than the New Orleans Saints in 2012 for a much better defensive unit.
But hindsight is 20/20.
Fortunately for Rob Ryan, he's got nowhere to go but up.
All contract information was provided by spotrac.com.