Two years after turning down an offer to coach the Oakland Raiders, Sean Payton signed with the New Orleans Saints. After working two seasons with the Eagles as their quarterbacks coach, Payton joined the Giants staff in 1999 to do the same. A year later, he was named New York's offensive coordinator and his first year under the new title he helped the Giants win the NFC East and capture a berth in Super Bowl XXXV.

Not only did Payton help quarterback Kerry Collins produce what has arguably been his best year in the league during that 2000 season, but he also brought about a breakout year from Tiki Barber. In the three years prior to Payton's term as offensive coordinator, Barber was used as a change of pace or third down back. Despite his obvious talents, they didn't feel Barber was big enough to carry a heavier load. However in 2000, Barber received what was a career high 213 carries for 1006 yards and 8 touchdowns. He contributed another 719 yards and 1 touchdown on 70 receptions out of the backfield. In the two seasons that followed, both Collins and Barber continued to show a sustained level of success in Payton's system before the coach left in 2003 to join Bill Parcell's staff with the Dallas Cowboys.

During his first season in Dallas, Payton took a combination of QB Quincy Carter, the backfield trio of Troy Hambrick, Richie Anderson and Aveion Cason, and a cast of mediocre receivers to lead the Cowboys to a 10-6 record, and a berth in the playoffs. The next season, following Carter's release for violating the league's drug policy, Payton made due with an ancient Vinny Testaverde running the offense and a worn out Eddie George carrying the load for half the season following a shoulder injury to rookie running back Julius Jones. In 2005, Payton worked with newly signed, Drew Bledsoe, his third quarterback in three years since joining Dallas. Bledsoe went on to throw for over 3600 yards and 23 touchdowns while the combination of Julius Jones and Marion Barber III produced 1531 yards and 10 touchdowns for the ground game. They also combined for 53 receptions and 333 yards out of the backfield.

Payton's track record proves he's the type of offensive mind that can maximize the potential of his surrounding talent. One of his strengths appears to be minimizing costly mistakes and tailoring offensive schemes to the strengths of his personnel. The Saints may have more offensive talent than any team Payton has seen as an NFL coach.

Quarterbacks: Drew Brees; Todd Bouman; Jamie Martin

Instead of considering the use of the number two overall pick in the draft on Leinart, Young or Cutler, the Saints signed quarterback Drew Brees away from the San Diego Chargers after the two parties failed to reach agreement on a new contract. While Brees isn't the gunslinging type of quarterback that Collins or Bledsoe have been throughout their careers, he should fair better than Testaverde in Dallas.

After seeing how involved Payton kept Tiki Barber in the passing game with the Giants, you can expect both Deuce McAllister and rookie Reggie Bush to be more frequent options for Brees on passing downs. They will likely see a fair share of plays designed for them on routes out of the backfield. With two talented receiving options at half back, Brees should have an easy time maintaining his career 62.2 completion percentage. He'll also have a reliable vet in Joe Horn along with the improving Donte' Stallworth.

Assuming it will take longer for the Saints defense to improve than the offense, you can expect Brees to throw the ball 500-550 times this season. This should result in 3400-3600 passing yards and 23-26 touchdowns.

Running Backs: Deuce McAllister; Reggie Bush; Michael Bennett; Aaron Stecker

Deuce McAllister returns to the field following a season that ended in week 5 after tearing his ACL against the Packers. Joining him in the backfield will be the draft's number two overall pick, Reggie Bush. If McAllister can return to the field at, or near 100%, then he will remain the team's lead back heading into the new season. However, after selecting the talented Bush, you can be sure Payton will find a way to have him involved in the team's weekly gameplan.

McAllister has proven to be a back that can carry the ball over 300 times a season, but recovering from a torn ACL is no easy task. It would be wise for the Saints to lighten his load to keep him healthy. With that being the case, you can probably expect McAllister to have somewhere in the range of 240-280 carries this season while Bush receives 150-200 carries. You can also expect anywhere from 60-80 receptions to be split between the two backs.

Wide Receivers: Joe Horn; Donte' Stallworth; Devery Henderson; Nate Pool; Michael Lewis; Mike Haas; Chris Horn; Bethel Johnson

At 34, Joe Horn is nearing the age of retirement, but having seen what the likes of Rod Smith and Jimmy Smith have accomplished in their later years, there's no reason to think Horn isn't capable of another 80 catch, 1000 yard season Slowed by a hamstring injury suffered early in the 2005 season, Horn had a disappointing year. As long as he stays injury-free in 2006, he should still produce as one of the top 15-20 receivers in the league within Payton's system.

Donte' Stallworth, an injury-prone receiver himself, should have a good chance of matching his statistics from a season ago. Coming off a career year, and a season in which he may have been given extra looks due to Horn's injuries, it may be difficult to improve upon last years success. He should still be good for 60-70 receptions and 825-950 yards in 2006.

Tight Ends: Zachary Hilton; Ernie Conwell; Mark Cambell

After filling in for an injured Ernie Conwell midway through the season, Hilton closed out the year with 30 receptions for 360 yards and one touchdown in seven games. With his success last year and Payton's history of getting production out of the tight end position (Jeremy Shockey and Jason Witten), there's good reason to believe Hilton could become an involved member of the Saints passing game this season.

Keep an eye on the Saints tight end situation throughout the preseason to see if Conwell regains the starting spot. If Hilton carries his play over from last season and earns the starting position, he could have 50-60 receptions this year and be a bargain fantasy pick at tight end late in drafts.