Saints' Backfield Looking Good; On Paper That Is.

With training camp a month away I will look at each team position by position. Remember, this is just what I see that could happen. This does not mean that any team will do any of this at all.

I will start with my home town team, the New Orleans Saints. This team has had to over come so much in the last three years it's hard to judge them to be fair. This year is a make-or-break year for a lot of players. So let's start by looking at the backfield.

Quarterback: At this time the team only has three quarterbacks on the roster. Drew Brees will be hard pressed to improve over what he has done in the past two years, but get ready. Brees has the talent around him to put the team in the playoffs. I would expect him to have around 31 TD's this season. And if Brees goes down the Saints have a player that can come in and take over.

Former All-Pro Mark Brunell will take over as the number two quarterback. He brings leadership and knows what it takes to win. With second year Tyler Palko as the number three quarterback, this group is ready to go. The only drawback is that they still need one more for pre-season. Look for the Saints to get a player that might have been released or signed as a free agent.

The Saints have one of the leagues best backfields on paper; can that translate onto the field? Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush are a good one-two punch. Can they return from injury? Will they help run the ball up the middle? These questions will not be known until the regular season starts. Look for Deuce and Reggie to sit most of training camp. Stecker was resigned but he will have to play more as a kick returner in order to see the field. Pierre Thomas should see more action this year and is willing to go up the middle. He should be outstanding with Deuce and Reggie in the mix. Mike Karney still can open holes and protect the quarterback and should be the fullback in the back field. Kevin Dudley and Chris Barclay will have to show that they can excel on special teams To make the final cut. Look for Dudley to be on the practice list.

Check back tomorrow when I cover recievers and TE.