Hope Springs Eternal for Saints Fans

It is nearly the end of February. The NFL season is over, the heart shaped candy is being sold at a Box-Store-Near-You at 50% off and baseball spring training has begun.

Instead of dwelling on the Super Bowl being won by a team the Saints waxed in December by 25 points, I am optimistic about the potential of the upcoming year. Yes, there is hope in Who Dat Nation.

Given his track record, Spagnuolo has a great chance of improving the Saints' defensive production. At the very least, he can attract good free agents and motivate some of the talented guys on our roster who are poised for more success (would the real Sedrick Ellis please stand up?).

Injuries are part of the game, but even with the inevitable Lance Moore, and running back injuries that we know will happen, the Saints offense runs like a machine. Might they lose Robert Meachem to free agency? Maybe, but Adrian Arrington, Joe Morgan and under-appreciated free agent/late round rookie X should be able to pick up the slack given the nature of this offense. I am especially excited about Morgan given his preseason performance last year. If he stays healthy, I believe he can be a contributor in the Courtney Roby role.

You may rightfully point out that the Saints don’t have a first round pick this year. True, the draft situation is not ideal, but hopefully Mickey Loomis can work some of his scouting magic and make a savvy choice in the second round. I personally like Bobby Wagner, a linebacker out of Utah State, but there’s a reason Loomis gets paid the big bucks to make personnel decisions and I do not..

Heck, maybe there will be room left in the piggy bank after dealing with Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Carl Nicks to convince Mario Williams to move east on I-10.

Okay, that might be a bit unrealistic (Williams will likely sign a mega-deal with a 3-4 team). But still, the Saints have plenty of reasons to look forward to next year. In the meantime, the draft is only a month and a half away.

Feel free to dream big Saints fans: the future is still bright.