Saints camp report: Sometimes, there's a need to get defensive

Editor's note: Clark Judge, Pete Prisco and Mike Freeman are traveling to every NFL training camp and filing daily reports and analysis.

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METARIE, La.-- Sedrick Ellis and Jonathan Vilma are two of the newest members of the New Orleans Saints defense, the first the top draft pick from the college ranks, the second a veteran trade acquisition from the New York Jets.

Both came to the Saints with the same preconceived thoughts: Good offense, so-so defense -- mainly because that's what they had heard.

"I always thought it was the offense that was here winning games for the team," Ellis said.

Said Vilma: "I heard it."

Is the perception wrong? Under coach Sean Payton, the Saints are known as an offensive team. He is the best play-caller in the NFL and he has a quarterback on the field who is an extension of himself in Drew Brees. That leads to a sharp passing game, an enjoyable offensive team to watch and put points on the board.

The Saints threw 652 passes last season, the most in the NFL. Yes, even more than the New England Patriots. Payton loves to throw the football, but that's too much for his standards.

"You look up after a game and we've thrown it 51 times," Payton said. "That's too many."

There were reasons. The running game wasn't as good once Deuce McAllister went out in the third game with a season-ending knee injury. Then there's the poor defense, which can force any offense to play from behind and play through the air.

The Saints finished 7-9 last season with an offense that was ranked fourth overall, and a drag-down defense that ranked 26th. The offense averaged 361.2 yards per game, while the defense gave up 348.1 yards a game. The offense scored 23.7 points a game, 12th best in the league, while the defense gave up 25.2 points a game.

"I think we've improved on defense," Payton said. "To what degree, we'll see. I think you have to win with defense. I've talked to our team about an identity. When you see the teams each year in the final games. At some point, it's been with defense. We can be no different."

Opposing offenses had 54 pass plays of 20-yards or more in 2007. That's way too many. Much of that came from a lack of a pass rush. The Saints had 32 sacks last season, which was 19th in the league. That led to big plays in the passing game and embarrassing moments for the secondary.

Who can forget corner Jason David's scorching in the opener against the Indianapolis Colts? The Colts receivers abused their former teammate.

Reggie Bush needs a bounce-back season. (Getty Images)

New Orleans finished 30th in pass defense, giving up 245.3 yards per game. That's why the Saints games were fun to watch on both sides of the ball.

This year's defense, thanks to a makeover by the front office, will be more athletic, faster, deeper and stronger. That will help the pass rush.

If the defense can move up to the mid-teens in the rankings, the Saints just might be playing in their first Super Bowl. The offense will be good again with Brees and the passing attacking adding another weapon in Jeremy Shockey, so it's the defense that will determine this team's fate.

"That stuff about the defense is so last year," defensive end Bobby McCray said. "We can't be worried about that. We're going to show people that we're not the same Saints defense." McCray is another of the key pieces the team has added to the defense in the offseason. Here's a look at four of them:

•  Ellis. The Saints traded up in the first round of the April draft to get him. They moved from 10th in the round up to seventh to land him. Ellis is a 6-1, 310-pound power player from USC who can get pressure inside. He is expected to start at the under tackle, and so far he's impressed. "He's learning on the run as a rookie, but he's going to contribute a lot," Payton said. Ellis missed the start of camp in a holdout but has come on strong the past week. "I think I'm holding my own," Ellis said. "But I still have a lot to learn. Not playing to my full potential yet because I'm still learning."

•  Vilma. The Saints traded a fourth-round pick to get him from the Jets to take over in the middle of their defense. Vilma wanted out of New York because the Jets went to a 3-4 defense and he was miscast as an inside backer. Now back in the middle, he is competing with Mark Simoneau for the starting spot. Vilma is coming off knee surgery, and he's been limited some in camp, but when he's all the way back he should be the starter. His speed will help the defense in a lot of ways.

•  McCray. The fifth-year player comes over as an unrestricted free agent to help the nickel pass rush. With Charles Grant and Will Smith set to start at the end spots, McCray will be a backup who comes on the field in passing situations, with Grant sliding inside to tackle. The Saints watched as the New York Giants won the Super Bowl with a great group of pass rushers, which is why McCray is such a key signing. McCray had 10 sacks two seasons ago in Jacksonville, but fell off last season to only three. The Saints think he's more the player who had 10 than the one who dropped off.

•  CB Randall Gay. The Saints signed him as a free agent from New England and you should see Payton's face light up when he talks about him. "The ball kind of finds him," Payton said. "Each day he comes up with an interception or a fumble. He gets to the football." Gay is expected to start at one corner with Mike McKenzie at the other, although McKenzie is coming back from injury and hasn't played in a game yet. The team is also high on rookie corner Tracy Porter, their second-round pick.

In their work with the Texans last week, the Saints looked faster on defense than in year's past. The pass rush from the ends seemed to bother the Texans' tackles. If that can continue into the regular season, the talk of New Orleans won't be the offense or Brees or Reggie Bush or Shockey. It will be the defense.

As much as I love offense, and really do enjoy watching the Saints' passing game, if that defense doesn't improve 10 spots in the rankings it won't matter. They'll just be a pretty regular-season team -- no more.

"We will hold up our end," McCray promised.

If they do, they just might be making more than one road trip to Tampa this season, the second one coming in February for the Super Bowl.