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As a lifelong New Orleans Saints fan, "we'll get 'em next year" has become my theme song.  But unlike in years past, there is actually hope from the future.  The Saints boast one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.  There are some talented players on defense.  We finally got a kicker who can make field goals.  So things are looking up.  But we'll still have to get 'em next year.  Where do we start though? First I'll take a look at what went right this year:

 Celebrations

Drew Brees - He single-handedly kept this New Orleans team competitive, even with losing top offensive players such as Marques Colston, David Patten, & Reggie Bush.  Jeremy Shockey missed training camp/preseason and was never in sync with Brees the entire season, which led to us seeing more Billy Miller in critical situations.  But Brees' performance was one for the ages.  His accuracy and efficency is not rivaled by many, and if the Saints would have made the playoffs, he would have gotten serious consideration for MVP. He made a household name out of.....

Lance Moore - The undrafted free agent who labored on the Saints practice squad became the New Orleans Saints leading receiver this year.  Not the fastest guy on the field, but he runs excellent routes and has excellent hands.  His play is going to cost a WR on the Saints roster a job.  It's very interesting that the Saints spent a first round pick on #4 receiver Robert Meachem (who had flashes of brilliance this season) but their leading receiver wasn't even drafted.  Their leading rusher was also an undrafted free agent, a fellow by the name of....

 Pierre Thomas - If the Saints part ways with Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush is not fully recovered from microfracture surgery, the running game should still be in good hands with Thomas.  He can get the yards between the tackles and is a great receiver out of the backfield.

Jonathan Vilma - He was brought in to shore up the middle of the defense and he did just that. He was great against the run and pass.

Bobby McCray - The Saints leader in sacks was one of the most underrated free-agent signings of the season. He picked up the slack when Grant was lost for the year.

Jason David - The cornerback who got consistently toasted in coverage in 2007 became the toast of the town in 2008, leading the Saints with 5 interceptions.

As far as what went wrong with the 2008 New Orleans Saints season:

 Injuries: Will Smith, Charles Grant, Jamaal Brown, Marques Colston, David Patten, Mike McKenzie, Reggie Bush, Tracy Porter, Sedrick Ellis, Mike Karney - All key players for the Saints all missed significant time with injury.  Not to make an excuse for the Saints performance, but not many teams can compete losing that many key players

Not So Special Teams - There was a game of musical chairs with the placekickers, but the Saints seemed to finally settle on Garret Hartley, who showed great accuracy on his kicks as well as above average power. The Saints also went through three kickers

Secondary - Injuries contributed to the secondary underperforming, but the lack of pass coverage by the safties has to be addressed in the offseason

We'll have to get 'em next year, but where do we go from here? What should we do or try to do? Here are some things I would like to see happen:

1) Re-Sign Deuce McAllister - Pierre Thomas has defined himself as the #1 back in the New Orleans Saints offense, but most successful NFL teams have two good halfbacks.  With Reggie Bush having microfracture surgery, there is no real way to know how effective he will be in 2009.  I think the Saints let Deuce test the market and eventually re-sign him to maybe a one year deal.  He still has a lot of football left in him, and the Saints over the years have made the mistake of cutting ties with players when they still were effective (Sam Mills, Rickey Jackson, and more recently, Darren Howard, and Pro Bowl kicker John Carney)

2) Effectively replace Gary Gibbs - We need to get a coordinator that will effectively utilize the talents of the Saints defense.  There is some talent there that could be amplified in the proper scheme

3) Address the secondary - Mike McKenzie, their top cornerback, has finished the last two seasons on IR with knee problems, and he's not getting any younger.  Tracy Porter was playing great until he went on IR.  It's time that Tom Benson opens up the wallet and pursues either Nnamdi Asomugha or Lito Sheppard, both who will be available this offseason.  There is instability at both safety positions that needs to be addressed. Bullocks, Kaesviharn, and Harper are good run support safeties, but have issues in coverage.  They should reach out to Brian Dawkins, who will be available.

4) Get healthy - You can't help but wonder what would have been if the Saints would have been able to be healthier this season. 

5) Draft defense - They have all the offensive weapons in the world. They need to draft defense. A good young safety and an athletic outside linebacker would upgrade the defense. 

6) Say goodbye to...- David Patten, Jamar Nesbit.  David Patten only played in 5 games this season and with the logjam at receiver, he is the odd man out.  Jamar Nesbit received a 4-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, and when he returned, he could not win back his starting job from rookie Carl Nicks, who was very solid.  He is now a backup and can't be paid starter's money to be a backup.  If they bring him back, it should be at a reduced salary because he offers versatility as a backup because he can play all three offensive line positions.  With Nicks & Jahri Evans,the Saints boast a very impressive young offensive guard tandem.

Where do you think we should go from here fellow members of the Who Dat Nation? Anything else you would like to see happen with the Black  & Gold