New Orleans Saints: 5 Reasons the Saints Can Win the NFC South

There's no denying how deep the NFC South is and winning the division is going to take one strong performance after another each and every Sunday; but the New Orleans Saints can and will win the NFC South.

This is not exactly the same team that won the championship two years ago, but most of the key parts are still there.

The Saints had the most productive offseason of any team in the NFL and really bonded during the offseason workouts organized by Drew Brees.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons are going to be tough to beat, but the Saints will be the last team standing when it comes to the NFC South and here are five reasons why.

1. Drew Brees Is Still One of the League’s Elite Quarterbacks

Sports fans are the best fans in the world, but so many fall victim to short-term memory loss—this really grinds my gears.

Drew Brees solidified himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league in 2009, but due to last season, he isn’t receiving the same credit he deserves.

I’ve had multiple converstations with different fans, and some don’t even have Brees as a top five quarterback, which is absolutely insane to me. Sure Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Mike Vick should be among the elite (as well as Phillip Rivers), but Brees deserves to be at least behind Rodgers.

Last year, Brees experienced what can be considered a relative down-year and still managed to finish second in the NFL with touchdowns (33), first in the NFL in completion percentage (68 percent) and third in the league in passing yards (4,620).

Brees is still one of the best at quarterback in the league, and he’s quite possibly the most competitive player I’ve seen in a Saint uniform. Expect Brees to play lights out this year, and add to what has already been an impressive career.

2. Revamped Run Game

If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you would know how highly I think of rookie running back Mark Ingram. Add Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory in rotation and this unit could be the best running back combination in the league.

Thomas is one of the best screen backs in the league, Ivory runs just as hard as any back in the league and Ingram has a special ability to finish off runs with both his speed and power.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Saints also added Darren Sproles to the fold to replace Reggie Bush's role in their offense. Expect head coach Sean Payton to have some fun designing plays around Sproles the same way he did with Bush.

In a long and grinding NFL season, it’s always great to have multiple running backs, and this will surely be an advantage for the Saints.

3. Gregg Williams and the Defense Are Refocused

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said he can usually put losses behind him, but he has been quoted as saying that he’s had trouble putting the Seattle Seahawks game behind him.

This is a good sign for Saints fans, as Williams is doing everything he can to make sure this defense returns to Super Bowl-form.

Will Smith looked fantastic in the first preseason game against the 49ers, and the pass rush looked much better. I know the Saints took a step backwards in their preseason game against the Houston Texans, but expect them to make proper adjustments and play sound football the rest of the preseason.

If the Saints can stay healthy in the secondary (which really was their downfall last year), they’ll be just fine.

4. New Additions

I already mentioned Sproles as a new addition for the Saints, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Saints' offseason.

The Saints added veterans Olin Kreutz, Shaun Rodgers and Aubrayo Franklin to the team, and they should all make immediate impacts. Franklin suffered a minor MCL injury against the Houston Texans but is very likely to be ready for Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.

Further, the Saints had a very successful draft as they were able to grab Ingram, Cam Jordan, Martez Wilson and Johnny Patrick.

Expect Williams to have a lot of fun scheming around Wilson and Jordan on defense, and Patrick is a ball-hawking defensive back who should see playing time.

5. Sean Payton Is Still the Man

As long as the Saints are under the leadership of Sean Payton, everything should be just fine. Payton is one of the best coaches in the league and is a fantastic play-caller for the offense.

When the Saints went for the two-point conversion last year against the Seahawks, Payton called for a draw play to Heath Evans with 1:30 left in the game to bring the score within three. When Seattle was able to stop it, fans were immediately questioning Payton.

I said it then and I’ll say it now: that was a good call by Payton. With the Saints' absence of running backs at the time, a run by Evans is the last thing one would expect. It just so happens the Seahawks stopped it, but had they not, fans would have praised Payton for such brilliance and courage.

Payton and Brees work well together and their relationship is built on trust. I believe Payton and Brees still have the magic and they'll lead the Saints to another NFC South championship.