Where will the Saints defense rank in 2019? (1 Viewer)

I expect TOP 5, top 5 in the last couple of years have had less talent than us and made it, we just need to make the plays we should be making and we could be deadly good
 
They will finish somewhere between Top 3-7

1) DA is evolving into a top D-Coordinator
2) As others have mentioned, we have a top defensive coaching staff who have 2 complete years to gell and fine-tune communication
3) Defensive Team Character - as the Saints offense slowed down in the 2nd half of the season, the Saints defense kept us in games with stops or turnovers when the game was on the line, over and over. They now have justified swagger and confidence
4) Being a contract year and a 2nd year on a team with top coaches and supporting players, Eli A will take the next step. We may have the top 2 starting CBs in the league
5) It's the 3rd year for many of our young stars, a couple got caught in the Sophomore slump. Latt started off real badly for his level of talent and smarts. He turned it around in the 2nd half of the season and it could be said that Latt won the Eagles playoff game with his 2 interceptions. Marcus Willams has All-Pro level talent. He took a step back much of last year. The coaches had him playing many more positions in his 2nd year, often near the LOS, so much different than Y1 where he was deep and the last line of defense, so there was also a learning curve. He will reach near All-pro level this year.
6) PJ came into his own last year
7) Oh yeah, and there's this all-pro slot CB returning in Patrick Robinson
8) This is the best LB corp we've had since the Dome patrol who will only get better as Demario takes the lead for Year 2 with the Saints, Anzalone who has All-pro level talent grows in his 3rd year.
9) The D-line will be even better. We have Mansters in the middle who can stop the run on their own, reducing the need for LB and safety help freeing them up for more turnovers and disruptive plays.
10) The biggest single factor will be the explosive growth of Marcus Davenport with a full year of pro coaching and conditioning. He is a freak of nature with high football IQ, learning sponge of a mind, a very mean streak on the field, tough as nails and soon to be classified with Von Miller as the best disruptive DE/LB in the league paired with a Top 3 DE in Cam.

This will be a Top 5 defense in 2019. Sit back and enjoy!
 
I think the overall yardage ranking might get slightly worse this year, but if it does, it will be because of the tougher schedule and the likely improvement of both Carolina's and Tampa's offenses from last year.

Newton's shoulder notwithstanding - if it is degenerative as I suspect from their drafting a QB this year, they could be worse. But otherwise having your starting QB all season will almost always help, even in his case.

Meanwhile Arians is a good offensive coach and should make them better to some extent.

I tend to not be as worried by this, DA will make good adjustments and the unit will put us in position to win, regardless of total yardage. And if they are really rolling by playoff time as Flash suggests, I'm good with that too.

What tougher schedule? That was a a total gauntlet we went through last year. The only reason maybe it didn't seem as tough to you is because we best most of the teams. You realize we played:

Eagles (Super Bowl Champs)

Rams (our bug a boo lately)

Vikings (year before were just as good as we were)

Redskins when they were 4-1

Ravens, who prior to last year, we could never beat

Cowboys, who we struggle with sometimes

Steelers, who we usually beat but still post a great record every year.

All of that was on top of our usual NFC south gauntlet.
 
What tougher schedule? That was a a total gauntlet we went through last year. The only reason maybe it didn't seem as tough to you is because we best most of the teams. You realize we played:

Eagles (Super Bowl Champs)

Rams (our bug a boo lately)

Vikings (year before were just as good as we were)

Redskins when they were 4-1

Ravens, who prior to last year, we could never beat

Cowboys, who we struggle with sometimes

Steelers, who we usually beat but still post a great record every year.

All of that was on top of our usual NFC south gauntlet.
I'm not underestimating what this team overcame in the schedule last year. But mathematically we face the #2 toughest schedule in the league, and that's where my statement comes from.

Don't miss the overall point I'm making about teams improving in our division as well, it's about context.
 
Middle of the pack. They have lots of talent, but I don't think Dennis Allen is that great of a coach.
 
I think with Dennis Allen, we can expect a pretty vanilla defense to open the season, and watch it get progressively more dynamic with scheme/blitzes as the season evolves. Just as he is really good at in-game adjustments, I think he also adjusts as the season goes. Players have mentioned that they have to earn the right to get certain plays called. I will not lose my crap this year if the defense doesn't look stellar the first game or two.

I am mentally preparing myself for a bad start and a great finish. Seems to be the pattern.
 
The Saints' D finished 14th overall last season.

They signed players to replace Rankins and Onyemata (hopefully) for as long as they will be out. The secondary should be better with Eli Apple here for all of the offseason, Gardner-Johnson able to play multiple positions, and Patrick Robinson coming off injury. Linebacking should be better if for no other reason than having played together for an entire season last year.

I will be disappointed if they are not at least slightly better in 2019.

This is how I see it too. Considering the pieces we've added and the fact that the young guys have another season in DA's system under their belts, I think it's reasonable to assume they'll finish around 12-15. If Davenport takes the next step and the pass rush improves, we could be talking about a top 10 unit. But the Saints defense is so hard to predict. Here's how they've finished in terms of total defense the past several years:

2018 - 14th
2017 - 17th
2016 - 27th
2015 - 31st
2014 - 31st
2013 - 4th
2012 - 32nd
2011 - 24th
2010 - 4th
 
I'll take the safe route and go #15. If the run defense remains top 5 and the pass defense improves, we could easily be top 10 or possibly even 5, but the pass defense was so inconsistent last year, so I have no idea what we'll get.
 

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