The New Orleans Saints long year of purgatory is finally over. After they were torn asunder in the 2012 NFL season over BountyGate and all the attendant suspensions, the Saints can start fresh for this year. They do so with a crying need to stop the number of big plays opponents are making.
The New Orleans Saints rolled into last year’s playoffs as an offensive juggernaut and had they not inexplicably led San Francisco’s Alex Smith beat them on late drives not once but twice in divisional round it’s very fair to think New Orleans would have beaten the Giants at home for the NFC Championship and then beaten New England in the Super Bowl. Instead, the defense fell apart. Then it all came apart in the offseason, as the fallout from Bountygate came down hard. Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the season, and interim coach Joe Vitti is suspended for the first six games. Key defensive players in end Wil Smith and linebacker Jonathan Vilma will miss a good chunk of the season. TheSportsNotebook previews the Saints as they try and pick up the pieces…