Don Banks says the Saints' defense might be the most improved unit in the league in 2008. He obviously wrote that before the team's loss to the Texans on Saturday night, a game in which the Saints' defense looked exactly like the one that took the field last year. And that's not a compliment.The team's pass defense was ripped apart, with both the front and back four failing to hold up their ends of the bargain. The impression was so accurate that it came right down to the biggest victim, Jason David, who gained the bad kind of notoriety last year for his atrocious play. Though it should be noted that rookie second-rounder Tracy Porter was similarly abused.
There are, of course, the typical caveats -- it's just the preseason, the team was missing starters in defensive tackle Brian Young, corner Mike McKenzie, and safety Josh Bullocks, and it was Porter's first NFL game action after injuring his hamstring earlier in training camp. And yes, those should be considered. But they're not good enough excuses, especially since this isn't a new set of problems. It's the same problems that have plagued the team for the last two years.
The Saints are considered NFC contenders for the second year in a row. If they want to live up to that billing, unlike last year, they're going to have to figure out a way to stop the pass.
