The Saints appear deep at running back for the 2008 season but every one of the backs comes with question marks.  Reggie Bush had his season cut short due to injury last season and he appeared to take a step back from his solid rookie season.  Bush needs to get tougher on inside runs or he will never become a complete back.  He is however a great receiver out of the backfield and he’s solid on sweeps.  Bush played in 12 games (10 starts) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 157 times for 581 yards (3.7 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 73 passes for 417 yards (5.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs last season.  Look for Bush to have a decent season as long as Deuce McAllister and/or Pierre Thomas give him some help in the inside running game.  Bush has now played in 28 games (18 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 312 times for 1,146 yards (3.7 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He has also caught 161 passes for 1,159 yards (7.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his NFL career.

Deuce McAllister has been the main back for the Saints during his career when he’s healthy which isn’t often.  Last year, McAllister played in 3 games (all starts) for the Saints and he carried the ball 24 times for 92 yards (3.8 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 15 yards (3.8 avg).  McAllister is a very important part of the Saints’ offense as they really need him to balance the running game of the Saints.  McAllister has now played in 84 games (70 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,322 times for 5,678 yards (4.3 ypc) with 44 TD runs.  He has also caught 216 passes for 1,592 yards (7.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

Undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas was quite a find late in the season for the Saints.  Thomas played in 12 games (1 start) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 52 times for 252 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 17 passes for 151 yards (8.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Thomas to have a bigger role in the offense to try to keep Bush & McAllister healthy all season long.

Aaron Stecker is a limited player due to his size but he did help out the Saints when they suffered a lot of injuries to backs last year.  Stecker played in 16 games (6 starts) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 115 times for 448 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 36 passes for 211 yards (5.9 avg) last season.  Don’t look for Stecker to get as much action as he did last season or the Saints will be in big trouble.  Stecker has now played in 114 games (16 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 373 times for 1,468 yards (3.9 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He has also caught 152 passes for 1,089 yards (7.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Chris Barclay got his first NFL action last season for the Titans & Saints but he didn’t get to show much.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) last season and he carried the ball 1 time for 3 yards.  He also caught 2 passes for 13 yards (6.5 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

Drew Brees was in a funk like the rest of the Saints early last season but he caught fire in the 2nd half.  If he can be consistent this whole year the Saints should make a return trip to the playoffs because the division appears vulnerable and the Saints appear to have repaired the defense.  Brees doesn’t have the biggest arm in the league and he is not very mobile but, he is very effective at play action and his short passes are very crisp.  Brees started all 16 games for the Saints last season and he completed 440 of 652 passes (67.5%) for 4,423 yards with 28 TD passes and 18 interceptions (89.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 23 times for 52 yards (2.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Look for Drew Brees to have another Pro Bowl type season if he can stay healthy all year.  Brees has now played in 91 games (90 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,921 of 3,015 passes (63.7%) for 21,189 yards with 134 TD passes and 82 interceptions (87.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 200 times for 450 yards (2.3 ypc) with 5 TD runs.

The Saints have brought in 37-year old lefty Mark Brunell to battle Tyler Palko for the backup job.  If Brunell has anything left he will easily beat out Palko.  Brunell was in the Redskins’ Dog House last season as he was the #3 QB there and he didn’t play at all.  That means he should be well rested.  Brunell has enough arm to probably be effective in the Saints’ offense but he can’t really move well anymore despite being a good runner early in his career.  Brunell has now played in 157 games (150 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 2,738 of 4,594 passes (59.6%) for 31,826 yards with 182 TD passes and 106 interceptions (84.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 509 times for 2,433 yards (4.8 ypc) with 15 TD runs.

Tyler Palko will get a shot to beat out Mark Brunell but we won’t likely win the job.  Palko has a weak arm but he is very effective at running the ball and buying time in the pocket to throw.  He has not appeared in a NFL game yet in his career and if he does this year the Saints will be in trouble.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

Adrian Arrington reminds me of a lot of overrated Michigan receivers as they tend to be slow but physical.  Arrington is 6′2″, 185 but he only runs a 4.6 40.  He can make the acrobatic catch look easy and the easy catch look impossible.  Arrington played in 34 games (18 starts) at Michigan and he caught 109 passes for 1,438 yards (13.2 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  He will be lucky to make the Saints’ roster.

The Saints are trying to rid themselves of the nightmare that was Olindo Mare last season.  Mehlhaff has a strong left leg as he can often split the goal posts on kickoffs.  He is a very good athlete for a kicker although that likely won’t come into play often.  He played in 51 games at Wisconsin and he connected on 50 of 65 FGs (76.9%) and 145 of 148 extra points.  He will be battling Martin Gramatica for the starting job and he should be able to beat him out.

Carl Nicks is a massive man at 6′4″, 343 pounds but he would be best served getting a little bit lighter to help him with his foot speed.  Nicks has the potential to start down the road for the Saints as long as he takes to the coaching.  He was only a 1 year starter in college so he has a lot to learn.  Nicks played in 27 games (13 starts) at Nebraska.  Nicks’ best skill for this season will be on special teams as he is very adept at blocking kicks.