During the recent camps, coaches said Mitchell appeared to be at about ninety percent of what he was before the injury last season. Allow me to back away from the glass as I have not yet fallen blindly into the line that these players will make the secondary better than last year even with an improved pass rush.
Special Teams
One move of note in the kicking game was coach Haslett's decision to allow backup quarterback Todd Bouman be the holder on field goals and extra points, replacing punter Mitch Berger. This move is noteworthy because of the missed field goal by kicker John Carney in a game against the Panthers that would have won the game instead of allowing it to go into overtime, where the Saints eventually lost.
A more commonly remembered blunder by the kicking game was the missed extra point in a game against Jacksonville that came after the miracle "River City Relay" play that would've sent the game into overtime. It came to light after this miss that earlier in the season, specifically after the Carolina loss, Carney had gone to coach Haslett and asked for a change of holders because he did not like the way Berger was handling it. The coach replied, "Deal with it." Well, it seems that seven months and another missed tripped to the playoffs the coach is the one who is "dealing with it."
The return game should return to the form that sent Lewis to the pro bowl in 2002 with he, Stecker, and rookie Devery Henderson all getting their opportunities to handle these duties.
Coaches
Much to the chagrin of many, Haslett remained the head coach of the Saints despite another sub-par season. This may be Haslett's last chance to take this team to another winning season and the playoffs. Even that, though, may not be enough to save his job without a victory accompanying a playoff visit. The team has underachieved far too long under the stewardship of coach Haslett.
A change in the staff was made though with the return of defensive line coach John Pease. This is his second stint with the Saints, his first being under the Jim Mora regime, which saw the Saints with one of the most dominant defenses and defensive lines of the time. His last coaching job was in Jacksonville under head coach Tom Coughlin.
All in all, the Saints have another tough year ahead of them in a very tough and competitive division. Expectations are high as they have already been ranked a top-0 team in some pre-season publications and articles. No one questions the offensive talent they have, but many question if coach Haslett is the right man to bring its potential to fruition on the field.
With questions also surrounding the linebackers and secondary, Haslett and his staff have to hope the web they are spinning in the off-season about having all the tools they need doesn't ensnare them during the regular season. Their fate is directly tied to the performance of the players they have selected to take the field, and the assumption that they are better than players they could have chosen to pursue. If these players do not live up to the high expectations and hopes placed upon them by Haslett and his staff, they may all need to wear brown paper bags on their way out of town.
On a final note, the issue of payment to owner Tom Benson by the state has been settled and the payment was made on time. Benson is now saying he looks forward to pursuing a deal that will keep the Saints in New Orleans for a very long time to come, but at the same time is saying he will not change the existing deal. Benson is spinning to the state that he prefers to stay here and will look at proposals to renovate the Superdome to increase revenue, but if the deal snags and nothing is consummated by the time the next payment is due, look for the main reason to be the state's unwillingness to fund a new stadium comparable to ones built in recent years for numerous other NFL franchises.