Saints Mailbag Answers: Preparing for Life After Drew Brees

Without truly knowing what the future holds at QB, would you like to see the Saints become a team built more like Seattle, i.e., defense-oriented/run heavy? Or are you genuinely happy with an offense-oriented/pass heavy approach, regardless of who's under center? - Cold P.

Let's be serious, a pass-heavy offense only works if you've got an elite quarterback like Drew Brees. And even then it's got its faults. So without knowing what the future holds, I think the best thing for the Saints would be to focus more on defense and make sure to run a balanced offense. While a pass-heavy offense is fun and exciting to watch, it's definitely more risky to run and can be a liability without a good defense to match it. But a good defense and a good running game, on the other hand, can mask and make up for other deficiencies a team might have. It's a much safer bet.

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With Coleman and Jones supposedly making great strides during pajama time, how much do you contribute that to the Saints not really being worried about the tight end position concerning the redzone targets and attacking the middle of the field? - Jack T.

We don't actually know if they're not worried about the tight end position. That's not something they're probably going to admit. They brought in Jermaine Gresham for a free agent visit, so obviously they considered upgrading. I think if you asked Sean Payton this question, he would say the coaches feel comfortable with their current tight ends and that the guys they need are in the building. If Brandon Coleman and/or Seantavius Jones end up making the team, certainly they would be a big help in the red zone.

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Who will be back to return the first kickoff of the season to the Saints in Arizona in Week 1? Saunders? Spiller? Murphy? Player to be named later? - Mobile S.

If I'm throwing out guesses I would say Jalen Saunders. He was one of the few positives from the end of last season. I like the idea of a specialist who can focus strictly on returning kicks. Obviously we haven't see what Marcus Murphy can do yet, so he's a wild card. And I see Spiller returning punts more than anything else.

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What are your movie theater memories from childhood? - Hans D.

Kind of an out-of-the-box question but it's the offseason so why the hell not. I honestly don't remember my first movie in a theater. My most vivid memory from childhood, however, was going to see "Hook" three times. It's still the only time I've ever seen the same movie more than once in a theater and I doubt that will ever change. I do feel the theater experience has changed a lot. I remember getting to shows early and waiting on long lines to buy a ticket in person. And I liked it, believe it or not. Those days are long gone thanks to the internet. Fortunately, they haven't gotten rid of the excessively buttered popcorn.