Want to know how I know Pro Football Talk's "Power Rankings" are a joke?

[csx]

I don't see any reason having them at 9 is a joke. They've  been quite good since Brees and Payton got there. Saying they are in the top 3rd of the league is not far fetched.

[2jakefansinva]

Because all preseason polls/rankings are a joke? :unsure:

 

fixed it for ya.

[SOJA]

I honestly don't get this Sean Payton is back nonsense. Saints were 2nd in the league last year in points scored. Their problem was not offense, it was defense. If their defense cannot hold (which will not be that easy considering they are switching schemes) what good will Sean's arrival do?

couple that with them switching to a 3-4 and having 0 legit outside backers for that system

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I don't understand these polls and rankings...

For some teams (like the Panthers), they base the ranking off of last years season...

Then or other teams (like the Saints in this case), they base the rankings off of potential...

To be honest with the additions of Star, Kawaan, Cole, Kugbilla, Klein, Moore, Florence, Blackburn, Barner, Lester, Hixon, Ginn, and the return of Beason, Kalil, and Stewart and the fact that we are getting back to Panthers ground and pound footbalI... I think we have as much potential as anyone if we can catch a few breaks.

[Galvatron]

Isn't "Power Ratings" and joke synonymous?

[Panthercougar68]

I believe we are a team that could be anywhere from 6-10 to 12-4....it just depends on how much this team wants it.

[PiratePanther189]

Saints defense will once again be a disaster. No depth at NT, starting a 3rd rounder is never a good thing, ask us we did it 3 years ago. Cam Jordan is an intruiging prospect, but he's learning a new position. I don't even know who Akiem Hicks is, and he hasn't even played a full season and they expect this poor kid to start in a new defense. So the D-Line is awful. Moving a career 43 DE to 34 OLB like they're doing to Will Smith is risky and hasn't worked many times (see Mario Williams). Then they lose Victor Butler with poor depth, and the only competently experienced LB at all is Lofton, and he's never even played in a 3-4 in the NFL. Their secondary is improved, but still iffy with unprovens in Vaccarro and Lewis. Malcolm Jenkins is a three year starter that hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. Jabari Greer has always been overrated. Nothing impresses me.

[MadHatter]

Saints defense will once again be a disaster. No depth at NT, starting a 3rd rounder is never a good thing, ask us we did it 3 years ago. Cam Jordan is an intruiging prospect, but he's learning a new position. I don't even know who Akiem Hicks is, and he hasn't even played a full season and they expect this poor kid to start in a new defense. So the D-Line is awful. Moving a career 43 DE to 34 OLB like they're doing to Will Smith is risky and hasn't worked many times (see Mario Williams). Then they lose Victor Butler with poor depth, and the only competently experienced LB at all is Lofton, and he's never even played in a 3-4 in the NFL. Their secondary is improved, but still iffy with unprovens in Vaccarro and Lewis. Malcolm Jenkins is a three year starter that hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. Jabari Greer has always been overrated. Nothing impresses me.

 

Agree 100%.

 

Given the switch to a new scheme.....Rob Ryans pitiful stats as a DC....injury to only 3-4 lb they had....

 

They might actually be worse than last year.

[csx]

I don't think they could possibly be worse and they have put up some pretty good seasons with bad defenses. 

[PiratePanther189]

Keep in mind that this is a historically bad defense that caused them to go 7-9 that hasn't been improved nearly enough.

[Razeyfingers]

Dude playing a rookie safety "aint" upgrading poo. I dont give a fug who it is.

[csx]

Keep in mind that this is a historically bad defense that caused them to go 7-9 that hasn't been improved nearly enough.

They had the worst defense in history and had two interim coaches and went 7-9. If they improve the defense at all and have stability in the coaching without the distractions of last year they they can improve on that pretty easily. I would not count them out with Brees.

[PiratePanther189]

They had the worst defense in history and had two interim coaches and went 7-9. If they improve the defense at all and have stability in the coaching without the distractions of last year they they can improve on that pretty easily. I would not count them out with Brees.

 

I'm not counting them out. I know they had a time with the coaching staff but it isn't like those guys were hired off of the street. They were Payton guys and I imagine that they ran practices just as he would. In game decisions are one thing and I can respect that point, but Sean Payton is an offensive guy. He plays a limited role in the devensive scheme (if he's like most coaches in the world), and Spags was a credible defensive coach and had the defense to himself to run. It all came down to talent, in my opinion, which they didn't improve enough of. Pair that with the loss of Victor Butler, their ONE signing that made sense in terms of the 3-4 scheme, and we have a problem New Orleans

 

EDIT: And to the point, they still had one of the best offenses in the league as others have said. It was business as usual on that side of the ball. What made the defense so bad?