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Saints RB
Ricky Williams
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For some reason, I’m writing the good old "The Saints will win this
season" column again. I’ve done it before. More than once, in fact.
I guess I believe in the theory that if you write something enough times, eventually
you’ll have to be right. It’s a similar theory to the one that says, if you
throw enough "stuff" against the wall, some of it will stick.
Well, this season the Saints are going to be more than just "stuff." Yes,
they’ve had the stuffing knocked out of them year after year. They’re coming off
one of the worst seasons in franchise history (which is saying something for one of the
worst franchises in history). It was a tremendous letdown, considering Saints fans —
all 361 of them — were so excited about the arrival of their savior, Ricky Williams.
Of course, the team had no quarterback. Its best defensive player missed the entire
regular season after shredding a knee during training camp. And the head coach, Mike
Ditka, had become a lampoonish cartoon character.
Well, the whole house has been cleaned. Out with the old, in with the new. A brand-new
era is on the verge of dawning in New Orleans.
New general manager Randy Mueller left the Seahawks to take over the football side of
the operation. He wasted little time in beginning the makeover of the Saints. He hired Jim
Haslett to take over as head coach. Haslett, a former NFL player, is said to be a lot like
Steelers head coach Bill Cowher — fiery, emotional and passionate. Haslett will
relate well to his players, a skill Ditka lost many years ago.
On the first day of the free-agent signing period, Jeff Blake was signed to fill the
most important position on the field — quarterback.
Joining Blake as first-time Saints are WRs Jake Reed and Joe Horn. The new receivers
should mesh nicely with Blake, who is best-known for throwing those high-arching deep
balls. Both Reed and Horn have the speed to get downfield and the ability to outjump
corners to make the catch.
And don’t forget that Keith Poole, who averaged 19 yards per catch last year, will
be back. Throw in Cam Cleeland and new face Andrew Glover at the TE position, and you have
pretty formidable receiving corps.
However, it wouldn’t matter if the Saints had Jerry Rice (in his prime), Keyshawn
Johnson and Peter Warrick on the roster if the team isn’t able to run the ball. Enter
Ricky Williams.
Now, I was sure Williams would make a big splash as a rookie. And in reality, he did.
But it wasn’t a positive splash. Williams proved to be a moody son of a gun last
season. He became more known for his weirdness than his rushing. His nagging injuries
played a part in his disappointing debut, but his attitude was also a big factor.
Williams hasn’t exactly been a saint in the offseason. There were some highly
questionable comments made in a national publication that caused quite a stir. Williams
has apologized for his actions. Regardless of whether it was a sincere apology — and
I suspect it wasn’t — Williams will be getting some strong advice from the new
regime on how to conduct himself. Most important, though, I believe Williams is going to
show why he was so coveted when he came out of Texas in 1999. Saints fans will finally get
to see Williams power through holes and into the open field. The kid has too much talent
to fail, and now he has a passing attack to give him help.
Blocking for Williams and Blake is one of the more unheralded lines in the NFL. Three
of the five starters — OTs William Roaf and Kyle Turley, and OG Chris Naeole —
were high first-round draft picks.
On paper, this offense should be vastly improved. Last season the Saints scored just
260 points, third-worst in the NFL. If the Saints don’t add 100 points to that total
— that’s about one more touchdown per game — I’d be surprised.
On the other side of the ball, the Saints will be getting back Joe Johnson, who missed
1999 with a ruptured patellar tendon. When healthy, he is one of the league’s elite
defensive ends. He will be joined by the Saints’ top draft pick this year, DE Darren
Howard, who has been given the DLE job to lose. Saints coaches predict Howard, a
second-round pick, will turn out to be the steal of the draft. Throw in standout DT
La’Roi Glover and free-agent signee Norman Hand, and this could be one of the best
front-four units in football.
I like the addition of LB Charlie Clemons to the fold, but the LB corps as a whole may
be a bit suspect. And the secondary, well, that could be this team’s downfall. You
may not be able to run successfully on the Saints, but even with the outstanding pass rush
they should have, you will be able to pass on this team.
That may make closing the gap on a pass-happy team like the Rams a long shot. I’m
not suggesting that the Saints are ready to make that kind of leap. But there will be
improvement. They play in the NFC West, which, aside from the Rams, doesn’t boast a
lot of scary opponents.
The Saints’ place in the standings when the regular season ends may not reflect
the steps this team will take in 2000. Last season two first-year head coaches, Dick
Jauron of the Bears and Brian Billick of the Ravens, helped improve their new teams. They
popped the transmission into drive on teams that had been stuck in reverse for years. It
looks as though both of those teams are going to be much better off in Year Two of the new
regimes. I fully expect that Haslett will do the same for this franchise.
Let’s hope, for the sake of Saints fans — all 361 of them — that some of
this stuff finally sticks. |
