METAIRIE, La. -- You can’t miss the signs of a new vibe around New Orleans Saints camp this offseason.
There are two of them -- replica street signs -- planted just off the practice fields on either side of the team’s facility. One points to North Compete Street. The other to South Compete Street.
#CompeteStreet pic.twitter.com/BSOGLqXErT
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 28, 2015"It's a point of emphasis of what you’re looking for," said Saints coach Sean Payton, who also revealed another analogy the staff has used with players this offseason -- to treat every day like the pickup basketball games of their youth when the rule was “Winner stays.”
“You knew if you lost you weren’t going to play the rest of the day, there were five other teams waiting,” Payton said. “That would be an example of just that level of competition, creating that sense of urgency and that desire not to let your teammates down, if you will. That’s just one of a handful of things we put up.”
But those are just some examples of Payton’s classic Bill Parcells-inspired motivational ploys.
The most palpable change in attitude came from simply hearing players and coaches speak following Thursday's OTA practice -- the first that was open to the media this offseason. This team was both humbled and motivated by last year’s uncharacteristic 7-9 collapse and the series of personnel and coaching changes that followed.
Quarterback Drew Brees said Thursday that he certainly feels a difference heading into the start of his 10th offseason with the Saints.
“Well, yeah, when you come off a 7-9 season, you come off a year in which you certainly didn’t reach what you felt like was your potential or what you were striving for, and knowing that there were changes that needed to be made,” Brees said. “And I think many of them have been made, but now it’s time to put it all together. Now it’s time to get out here on the field, create your identity as an offense, as a defense, as a team and then see what that can translate to.”
The Saints have especially been humbled on the defensive side of the ball, where they finished 31st in the NFL in yards allowed last year despite lofty expectations heading into the season.
That wasn’t the case one year ago, when the Saints’ secondary was being widely billed as the best unit east of Seattle, led by prized free-agent safety Jairus Byrd and rising second-year safety Kenny Vaccaro. Other young risers like cornerback Keenan Lewis, defensive linemen Cameron Jordan and Akiem Hicks and outside linebacker Junior Galette were being tabbed as potential Pro Bowlers.
None of it came together on the field, though, as blown assignments, missed tackles and injuries conspired to make them the least efficient defense in the league according to ESPN Stats & Information's efficiency formula.
“It’s been documented, we were slapped in the face pretty good on defense, and that ain’t happening again,” said Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who admitted last year that the defense “drank the Kool-Aid a little bit too much.”
“We took that personal last year,” Ryan said. “Hey, it’s my fault. And we’ll see if it happens again. It ain’t going to.”
Vaccaro said he had such a bad taste in his mouth last year that he couldn’t wait to get back to working out. He appeared to be a bit more bulked up Thursday and said he’s up to about 220 pounds, up from his listed weight of 214.
“I learned it doesn’t exactly matter about talent. You’ve got to mesh together,” said Vaccaro, who said he was excited by some of the changes the Saints have made to the defense this year -- including the additions of veterans like cornerback Brandon Browner, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Anthony Spencer, six defensive draft picks and senior defensive assistant coach Dennis Allen.
But Vaccaro insisted he won’t get caught up in that excitement.
“I don’t get into all the projections, because Jairus was coming in last year and everybody was excited about us and we were this, we were that. So there’s not really any comments on that anymore. We’ve gotta prove it,” Vaccaro said.
At least one of those newcomers has also served as a new source of motivation -- the veteran Browner, who spent the past two years winning Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
Browner, 30, said he has immediately embraced a leadership role, both as a teacher and a motivator. And Vaccaro said Browner’s voice has been heard.
“Just like Browner tells us every day, right when we start feeling like we have a good practice, remember we were 31st last year,” Vaccaro said. “Remember that.”