Compare the 2009 and 2022 Saints Rosters (1 Viewer)

There's no comparison. The 2009 team was markedly superior.

On offense, the 2009 team was better at every position group--and the gap at quarterback and tight end is huge. Regarding the running-back position, Thomas, Bush and Bell combined for 2,486 yards, including 1,837 yards rushing and 649 yards on 90 pass receptions. And Thomas averaged 5.4 yards per rush and Reggie 5.6 yards per rush.

On defense, the 2022 team is certainly better in the defensive line; the linebackers are a push; and the defensive backs are arguably a push, though I think the 2009 grouping was a tad better.

And finally the 2009 team had Sean Payton as head coach rather than Dennis Allen.

Folks, I do think that the 2022 team will be better than the current projections in Las Vegas. But there are reasons our win-loss number in a 17-game season is in the 8 or 8.5 range. Before the 2009 season, serious people were seriously optimistic that we could be a Super Bowl team.

Our SB odds for 2009 were 35-1 (ask me how I remember :hihi:)

A lot of stars aligned in 2009, and a lot of players had to have career years for it to all come together (Devery, Porter, Hargrove, Hartley, Sharper all come to mind)

This comparison is really just for fun though. There's obviously no papering over the differences at head coach and QB. But there are a few parallels. As mentioned by others, 2021 was a lot like 2008 with a bunch of tough luck games determined by bad kickers. I would add that 2016 was a lot like that too, which was right before we rattled off 4 straight big years. Really wish we could see what Payton would do with this roster, but gotta let bygones be bygones.
 
I will take your word on the Super Bowl odds in 2009. Our 2007 and 2008 seasons were very average. But in the summer of 2009, there was a buzz locally that the 2009 Saints could be very special--I have Jim Henderson specifically in mind.
 
i agree with almost all of your assessments except Davis and Vilma are not a push to me. Vilma was more elite…Got the defense into the right call and was very good against both the run and the pass. Davis is a leader too, but Vilma changed the whole dynamic of the defense.
 
I will take your word on the Super Bowl odds in 2009. Our 2007 and 2008 seasons were very average. But in the summer of 2009, there was a buzz locally that the 2009 Saints could be very special--I have Jim Henderson specifically in mind.
Yea, I got 18-1 odds to win the NFC the day after we signed Gregg Williams, which I guess would have been early spring. It was 35-1 Super Bowl odds but that didn't seem like as good of a deal since the Colts/Pats were the clear top teams at that point.

Looking back, we signed Sharper and Greer after that which turned out to be huge, but probably didn't move the needle much in Vegas.

Then the first team was absolutely smoking everyone in the preseason in a way we had never seen before. So there were reasons to believe it could be a really good team.

As for 2008, we were 7-9 but had a huge point differential, with some blowouts over good teams, and ridiculous last second losses to bad teams. It was a really well stocked team with a couple big holes in special teams and the secondary, which were addressed perfectly in the offseason.
 
Anytime you end up the Super Bowl champ and 31 other teams don’t, your “team” was complete and played complimentary football at the highest level.

We can always compare position by position, but that fails to acknowledge scheme and fit.

The 2009 “team” will always remain special.
 

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