NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Hot Start: Even after signing Drew Brees and getting gifted the most exciting player to come out of the draft in Reggie Bush last season, the Saints weren’t expected to do much in the NFC South. Carolina is always praised for their talent, while Atlanta and Tampa Bay had young stars they were building around. Well, the Saints didn’t only win the South, but absolutely ran away with the thing. After a surreal year in 2005, the Saints got right to winning in 2006. 4 straight ATS wins to start the season, 9 wins in their first 13 games, and a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Yeah, I’d say the Saints stepped it up a notch in 2006. They started 9-4 ATS 9-4 SU and hit the over in 6 of their first 9 contests. And last year was Sean Payton’s first year as a head coach. How bright is the future in New Orleans?
Over or Under: As I said, the Saints started out 6-3 O/U, but they had to win 5 straight to do so, as they started off 1-3 O/U. The Saints had 5 straight O games, then 5 of their next 6 were U games, and finally finished with 3 O games from Week 17 to their playoff loss in Chicago. The Saints were streaky in 2006, but overall they finished pretty even. 4-4 O/U at home and on the road. Over the last 4 seasons, the Saints are 32-34 O/U.
Against the Spread: The Saints were 10-6 ATS during the regular season, but failed to cover the spread once in either of their two playoff games. The Hurricane Katrina season threw a brick in the Saints ATS window, as they finished 5-10-1 ATS that season. That was the only season since 2002 that the Saints finished under .500 ATS. The Saints were only 3-5 ATS at home last season, while they were 7-1 ATS on the road. 2003 and 2004 show much of the same, as the Saints were 5-3 and 6-2 ATS respectively, in those two years. Ignoring 2005’s numbers, the Saints are 18-6 ATS away from New Orleans. Over the last 4 seasons, the Saints are 32-33-2 ATS, but that ’05 season really brings them down.
Straight Up: For the first time in 6 years the Saints found themselves in the playoffs. A 10-6 regular season record gave the Saints the NFC South, and a bye in the wild card round. They finished with double digit wins for the first time since 2000. During the last 4 seasons, the Saints have compiled a 30-36 record. New Orleans started out with 9 wins in their first 13 games under Sean Payton, and a playoff appearance just one year after finishing 3-13. That’s one of the biggest turnarounds in league history. If you take away their season during the year of Hurricane Katrina, in which they basically played on the road all season long, the Saints have a decent 27-23 record in ’03, ’04, and ’06. Aside from 2005, the Saints haven’t lost double digit games since 1999.
Repeat?: Can we expect the same kind of surprise that 2006 brought? Obviously not; the Saints are a proven commodity, and nobody will be sleeping on the team that finished runner up in the NFC. However, offensive explosiveness, a better understanding of the team’s schemes, and a slew of talented weapons – the Saints definitely have those. Can they follow up a 10-6 ATS and SU record with another year of winning wagers? We’ll have to wait and see.
