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We mentioned that the Saints will be inserting more zone coverage into their defense when we told you about linebacker Martez Wilson making the move to defensive end.

If Wilson stays at end, he might have to drop into coverage from time to time. But the secondary is going to be impacted much more by any change in coverage schemes.

“It is a little bit of a transition for cornerbacks Patrick (Robinson) and Jabari (Greer) but they really have done a good job so far fitting into that mode,’’ interim coach Joe Vitt said. “There is a little bit more adjustment wise with motion and formation, but that is why we have OTAs.’’

Vitt said there’s been a league-wide trend of offenses getting more big plays, and said those plays are less prevalent against zone defenses.

“Offensively, last year, we had 124 big plays of runs of 10 yards or more or pass plays of 20 yards or more,’’ Vitt said. “Defensively, we gave up more last year than we ever have at 99. The big plays on offense, we would like to keep that number exactly where it is. We have to get that number on defense down to about 75. Just a little bit more zone defense and not selling the farm is going to give you an opportunity to keep those big (plays) off your back.”

Safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper also will face adjustments. But Vitt said new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is doing a good job of getting his system installed.

“Spags is a hands-on coach,’’ Vitt said. “He loves to teach. He loves to have the whole defense in there so everybody is on the same page. I would categorize him as a player’s coach. He puts a lot of the decision-making on the player in the course of practice and the course of a game. He doesn’t dwell on mistakes. I think he is going to produce a very positive atmosphere around here for us.”

Lots of readers in our NFC South chat were asking about the possibility of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being interested in cornerback Drayton Florence, who was released by the Buffalo Bills on Friday.

General manager Mark Dominik isn’t going to tip his hand on interest in any free agent, but I think it’s at least worth keeping an eye to see if the Bucs do show interest. Bringing in 31-year-old cornerbacks doesn’t exactly fit with what the Bucs are doing these days, so I'd call this a long shot. But I wouldn’t completely rule it out.

Drayton’s a smart and experienced player and his production didn’t slide in Buffalo. He was released simply because the Bills wanted to get younger at the position and they just drafted Stephon Gilmore.

The reason I think there’s at least a chance the Bucs show interest in Florence is because they have some uncertainty at cornerback. Aqib Talib is awaiting trial on an assault charge in Texas and he could face prison time or an NFL suspension. The Bucs also have talked about moving veteran cornerback Ronde Barber to safety. The possibility of that move seemed to diminish when the Bucs drafted safety Mark Barron in the first round, but it still is possible the Bucs could use Barber at safety.

Aside from Talib and Barber, the Bucs have Eric Wright, whom they signed as a free agent. After that, they have guys such as E.J. Biggers, Myron Lewis and Anthony Gaitor, who haven’t shown real strong signs they’re ready to start. The Bucs did draft West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy, but it likely will take some time for him to develop.

If the Bucs decide they need a quick fix -- and, again, that’s not really what they’re all about -- then Florence could be a possibility, if he comes at the right price.

But the Bucs aren’t the only NFC South team that possibly could have interest in Florence. You can scratch the Falcons off the list because they just traded for Asante Samuel. But Carolina and New Orleans could be possibilities. Aside from Chris Gamble, the Panthers aren’t loaded with talent at cornerback.

The Saints, who have shown more willingness to bring in older players than any other NFC South team, are set with Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson as their starters. Johnny Patrick appears likely to step into the nickelback role, but the Saints have brought in older players in front of younger players before. New Orleans doesn’t have a great salary-cap situation, but Florence shouldn’t command a huge salary.

Now, that the NFL draft is over, let’s have some fun. Let’s start looking ahead to next season with team-by-team looks at what I project as the opening day lineups for each of the four NFC South teams.

Let’s start with the New Orleans Saints, who might not have any rookies open the season as starters because they didn’t have a draft pick until the third round. Also, let’s keep in mind that the Saints could be dealing with some suspensions from their bounty program. We won’t speculate on possible suspensions. We’ll just go with the depth chart as I see it now and I’ll throw in comments where there could be competition.

OFFENSE

• QB Drew Brees (assuming his contract situation gets straightened out)
• RB Pierre Thomas (you can also count Darren Sproles as a starter)
• FB Jed Collins
• WR Marques Colston
• WR Devery Henderson (Lance Moore will play as much as the starters)
• TE Jimmy Graham
• LT Jermon Bushrod
• LG Ben Grubbs
• C Brian de la Puente
• RG Jahri Evans
• RT Zach Strief

DEFENSE

• DE Will Smith
• DT Sedrick Ellis
• DT Brodrick Bunkley
• DE Cameron Jordan
• LB Curtis Lofton
• LB Jonathan Vilma (it remains to be seen if Vilma or Lofton will play in the middle)
• LB Scott Shanle
• CB Jabari Greer
• CB Patrick Robinson
• FS Malcolm Jenkins
• SS Roman Harper

SPECIALISTS

• K Garrett Hartley (assuming he wins training camp competition with John Kasay)
• P Thomas Morstead
• PR Darren Sproles
• KR Darren Sproles

Let’s take a look at the top headlines from around the NFC South.

We hadn’t heard much from New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas since he took a frightening hit to the head in the playoff loss to San Francisco. But Thomas talked Thursday night and said he has recovered from the injury. Thomas said he was knocked out as soon as he was hit, but that he remembers everything right before the impact and was aware and alert in the locker room after leaving the game.

Alabama running back Trent Richardson, who many are linking to the Bucs with the No. 5 overall pick, had his pro day Thursday. Richardson was time between 4.45 and 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Speaking of Richardson and the draft, we’ll have our blog network mock draft Monday. I can’t reveal my pick for the Bucs until then, but I will at least tell you Richardson was one of only two guys on my short list for Tampa Bay.

Richardson also said he will have a private workout for the Bucs.

The Saints are scheduled to host free-agent cornerback Kelvin Hayden this weekend. He spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints lost Tracy Porter in free agency, but aren’t in bad shape with veteran Jabari Greer and young players Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick. But it wouldn’t hurt to add a solid and experienced player like Hayden, who isn’t likely to command a high salary.

Tom Sorensen writes that Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon would be a good fit for the Panthers, if he’s available with the No. 9 overall pick in the draft. A lot of people are assuming the Panthers will take a defensive lineman with that pick. That’s possible. But I don’t think anything’s definite. If Blackmon’s available, the Panthers would give him strong consideration. He’d be a nice complement opposite Steve Smith. Plus, I also think there’s another position the Panthers are looking at that could surprise people. That’s linebacker and I think Boston College’s Luke Kuechly is a guy that’s getting a long look.

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Very quietly, the New Orleans Saints have restructured a pair of contracts to free up about $2.3 million in salary-cap room.

According to contract details obtained by ESPN.com, the Saints restructured the contracts of wide receiver Lance Moore and cornerback Patrick Robinson in recent days. The moves put the Saints at $3.285 million under the salary cap, but that’s not counting the new contracts signed by linebacker Curtis Lofton on Saturday night and linebacker Chris Chamberlain on Friday night. Those deals are expected to be turned in to the league Monday.

It’s possible that Lofton’s deal is structured in such a way that the Saints might not have to make any other moves before turning in his contract. The Saints recently signed defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley to a very cap-friendly deal by giving him a low base salary this season, but including a large signing bonus that’s prorated over the life of his contract. Bunkley’s cap figure for this year is $1.6 million. Chamberlain’s total contract and cap figure for this year aren’t likely to be too large because he’s been a backup most of his career.

The Saints dropped Moore’s cap figure for this year from $4.3 million to $2.9 million. Moore didn’t lose any money. His base salary was dropped from $2 million to $825,000, but he made that up by receiving a $1.175 million signing bonus that will be prorated over the life of the contract.

Robinson’s cap figured dropped from $2.9 million to $2.06 million. That was accomplished by turning a $1.267 million roster bonus into a signing bonus that Robinson received up front. Instead of counting the full $1.267 million against this year’s cap, that number now is spread over the three remaining seasons on his contract.

Not all of this morning’s headlines around the NFC South are about the Saints and their bounty program, but most of them are. Let’s take a look.

Jeff Duncan writes that it’s time for Saints owner Tom Benson to step out of the background and start making some important decisions, starting with making sure quarterback Drew Brees signs a long-term contract very soon. I agree totally and wrote something pretty similar the other day. Benson also needs to decide who will replace coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis during their suspensions. Benson’s been a hands-off owner, at least when it comes to football operations. It’s time for that to change. Someone has to seize control of this situation and start the healing process. That’s got to be Benson.

Brian Billick wonders if Payton, who will be suspended for one year, might be gone from the Saints for good. It’s a legitimate question. Billick says Benson could dismiss Payton “for cause."

Josh Johnson, who had been the backup quarterback for Tampa Bay, has signed with the San Francisco 49ers. No big surprise there. The Bucs didn’t want Johnson back and had already signed Dan Orlovsky to take over as Josh Freeman’s backup. Johnson played for San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh when the two were together at the University of San Diego. Johnson will go in as the backup to Alex Smith, who is coming off a solid season, so it’s not like Johnson has a chance to compete for a starting job.

Former New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter has agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos. Porter had a key interception in the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, but gradually became expendable as the Saints drafted Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick in back-to-back years.

Steve Spagnuolo, Pete Carmichael and Aaron Kromer are reportedly the three in-house candidates to fill in for Payton during his one-year suspension. Those are the same three names I speculated on the other day and it didn’t take a great deal of time to come up with that list. It’s pretty obvious those are the three best-qualified candidates on the current staff. Defensive coordinator Spagnuolo has been a head coach before in St. Louis. Offensive coordinator Carmichael is very close to Brees, who carries plenty of clout in the organization. Offensive line coach Kromer is a rising star and his name was tied to several head-coaching openings this offseason.

John Manasso writes that the Falcons stand to benefit from the Saints’ punishments. That’s very true. But, to varying degrees, I think you can say the same of the Panthers and Buccaneers.

Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson said he has a pre-draft interview scheduled with the Falcons. Makes a lot of sense because Jonathan Babineaux is coming off an unproductive season and Peria Jerry has never been able to fully bounce back from the major knee injury he suffered as a rookie.

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, who has been tied to the Buccaneers as a possibility at the No. 5 pick, revealed at his pro day that he will have surgery to repair ligament damage in his wrist on Friday. I don’t think that’s going to hurt Claiborne’s draft stock. I also think he helped his stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds.

Peyton Manning could have some company from the NFC South in Denver.

Cornerback Tracy Porter reportedly will visit with the Broncos on Wednesday, according to AFC West colleague Bill Williamson.

The Denver trip will come after Porter completes a visit with the Tennessee Titans. Porter reportedly already visited the Cincinnati Bengals, and there have been reports saying the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams have shown interest.

Porter, 25, has spent most of the past four seasons as a starter for the New Orleans Saints. But the Saints, who are dealing with a tight salary-cap situation, don’t appear to have a big interest in re-signing Porter.

They’re set with Jabari Greer as one starter, and the Saints have used draft picks on Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick the past two years.

Let's take a look at the top Tuesday morning headlines from around the NFC South.

We mentioned Monday that legendary Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Furman Bisher had died at 93. I knew Bisher only vaguely, having sat in the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting room with him a few times and met him at various Super Bowl gatherings while with one of my mentors, legendary Tampa Tribune columnist and sports editor Tom McEwen, a Bisher contemporary. I read a lot of Bisher columns through the years, but didn’t know the man well. That’s why I strongly suggest you read this heart-felt tribute from his long-time colleague, Jeff Schultz.

Here’s an item that says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t a great fit for Tim Tebow because they don’t need fans screaming for him any time Josh Freeman makes a mistake. Agreed because the Bucs are trying to re-establish Freeman as their quarterback. But there are more reasons why Tebow wouldn’t fit in Tampa Bay and the biggest is he’s not a pure passer. We’ll have a chart later Tuesday that gauges each NFL team as a landing spot and I did the NFC South portion. Let’s just say it’s a real long shot that Tebow ends up anywhere in this division.

The agent for fullback/running back Mike Tolbert said his client signed with Carolina even though San Diego offered a bigger contract to keep him because he wanted to come “home." Charlotte technically isn’t Tolbert’s home, but it’s much closer to that than San Diego. Tolbert grew up in suburban Atlanta and went to college at Coastal Carolina.

Former Carolina tight end Dante Rosario has signed with San Diego. Ironically, Rosario had the biggest catch of his career against the Chargers, a game-winning touchdown in the last second of a 2008 game.

The New Orleans Saints hosted free-agent linebacker Curtis Lofton and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley on Monday. There’s no definitive word on if a contract was offered to either. But the Saints are going to have to trim some cap room if they’re going to sign many more players.

New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter will make a free-agent visit to Tennessee on Wednesday. Porter already has visited the Bengals. It’s highly unlikely he’ll return to the Saints, who used draft picks the past two years on cornerbacks Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick.

We’ve got a few developments involving the New Orleans Saints.

They reportedly now are showing some interest in Atlanta linebacker Curtis Lofton. The Saints already have expressed interest in Seattle’s David Hawthorne and Denver’s Joe Mays. This is a pretty strong indication the Saints are looking to shake up their linebacker situation. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma is coming off knee surgery and has a high cap figure. Lofton is younger than Vilma and the Saints are very familiar with him after playing against him the past four seasons.

But I don’t think the Saints are the only NFC South team keeping an eye on Lofton. The Falcons made an offer to him before free agency started and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at least monitoring Lofton’s situation. There also have been reports the Philadelphia Eagles may have interest in Lofton.

In the case of both the Falcons and the Bucs, I think the teams would be more interested in Lofton if his initial asking price drops.

In other news, New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter is expected to make a free-agent visit to the Cincinnati Bengals, according to two league sources.

Porter also reportedly has drawn interest from the St. Louis Rams.

Porter, 25, has been a starter for the Saints most of the past four seasons and it’s likely the team has some interest in retaining him. But the Saints’ tight salary-cap situation may prohibit that.

If Porter leaves, they have starter Jabari Greer and the team believes Patrick Robinson is ready to be a full-time starter. The team also has high hopes for second-year pro Johnny Patrick.

We’ve touched on the major news already that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to terms with wide receiver Vincent Jackson and have New Orleans guard Carl Nicks coming in for a visit.

But let’s catch up on some smaller news from around the division.

• New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter appears ready to leave the Saints as a free agent. He’s drawing early interest from the St. Louis Rams. The Saints have prepared for Porter’s exit by drafting Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick the past two years.
• The Bucs are interested in David Carr as a backup for Josh Freeman. This makes lots of sense because Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan was Carr’s quarterbacks coach with the Giants and the Bucs seem to want a veteran to pair with Freeman. They also seem prepared to let go of last year’s backup, Josh Johnson, via free agency. But don’t put Carr on the Bucs’ roster just yet. I’ve heard he’s happy in New York and would return to the Giants if all things are equal. In other words, the Bucs probably will have to overpay if they want Carr, which they may. Even if it’s not Carr, look for the Bucs to add a veteran quarterback.
• Although he didn’t have the four accrued seasons to initially qualify for unrestricted free agency, the Saints did not make a tender to linebacker Ramon Humber. Without the tender, Humber becomes a free agent and still could be re-signed for a minimal salary.
• Former Carolina offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, who was not offered a tender, will visit with the Detroit Lions.

The man who made the New Orleans Saints could end up breaking them.

Drew Brees arrived in 2006 as the Saints and the city of New Orleans were still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He brought instant credibility, an explosive brand of offense and sustained success for a franchise that had been hapless through most of its existence. He also played a vital role in rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf South region.

Now, the price tag on all that is coming due. Brees is scheduled to become a free agent on March 13. He and the Saints are negotiating, but reports indicate the two sides remain far apart. That in itself is a little unbelievable because the parameters of this deal are obvious. Brees deserves to be the highest-paid player in NFL history.

He’s coming off a year in which he set the NFL record for passing yards in a season (5,476), and he should get at least as much as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, who average $18 million per year.

I have no doubt that, when all is said and done, Brees will remain with the Saints. If negotiations on a long-term deal continue to fail, the Saints will simply put the franchise tag on their franchise quarterback.

But, either way, this is when we could begin to see the beginning of the end of the Saints as we know them.

They’re not going to be the same team they were last season when they went 13-3. They might not even be the same team they were in 2010 when they went 11-5. And they certainly aren’t going to be the same team they were in the magical 2009 season when they won the Super Bowl.

They’ll have the same quarterback, and that’s a great start. But the economics of his contract mean the Saints aren’t going to have the same quality of players at a lot of other positions. That’s not Brees’ fault, or the team’s fault. It’s simply reality in the modern NFL.

By the time next season rolls around and everything has shaken out, the Saints could be taking several steps back. They’ll still have a high-powered offense because they’ll have Brees, Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham, but that offense might not be quite the machine it’s been the past few seasons. That’s because some parts are going to be gone and they can’t truly be replaced.

On defense, which wasn’t an area of strength to begin with, the Saints have a new coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, who needs new pieces to execute his scheme. He’s not going to be able to get all he needs -- at least not this offseason.

So you’re looking at an offense that probably will be a notch or two below what it’s been in recent seasons. And you’re looking at a defense that’s probably going to be far from dominant.

Gee, that sounds pretty much like the Saints were in 2007 and ’08. They scored a lot of points, but the offense wasn’t quite perfect. The defense was far below perfect. That added up to mediocre seasons that didn’t end in trips to the playoffs.

That could be what the Saints face in 2012.

We haven’t even seen the full fallout yet, but we can start looking ahead and, no matter how you slice it, it’s tough to paint a pretty picture.

Brees isn’t the only big-name free agent the Saints have, but he’s the only one they’re absolutely sure to keep. The same can’t be said for guard Carl Nicks and wide receiver Marques Colston. It definitely can’t be said for receiver Robert Meachem and cornerback Tracy Porter, who aren’t on the Nicks/Colston level have been valuable contributors.

At absolute best, the Saints will be able to sign Brees and then place the franchise tag on either Nicks or Colston. At worst, they use the franchise tag on Brees, while Colston and Nicks both walk.

You don’t replace Nicks. He’s the best guard in the NFL and he may be just hitting his prime. Although the Saints have another very good guard in Jahri Evans, they no longer would have the unquestioned best guard tandem in the NFL.

Without Nicks, Brees would lose his best protector. Any quarterback, even Brees, isn’t quite as good when he’s getting pressured (think back to last season’s stunning loss to St. Louis).

Colston probably isn't on his way to the Hall of Fame, but he’s been Brees’ favorite target since they joined forces in 2006. Colston has had 1,000-yard receiving seasons in five of his six years. He’s a big target who isn't afraid to go over the middle. Take him away and take Meachem away, and the Saints would still have Lance Moore, Devery Henderson and Adrian Arrington. Moore and Henderson are nice, experienced receivers, but they don’t do the things Colston does.

And when you’ve got no cap room to sign free agents and no first-round draft pick, where are you going to get a receiver who does anything close to what Colston does? And where are you going to get a guard who is anywhere near as good as Nicks?

So let’s subtract a few points a game from the Saints’ offense going forward. And we’re only just beginning to talk about a defense that could end up giving up more points than it has in recent seasons.

This defense isn’t loaded with talent and we soon could see subtraction by subtraction. This salary-cap jam almost certainly will force the Saints to let Porter walk. That’s not that big a deal. The Saints have a top-flight corner in Jabari Greer, and it’s pretty apparent they’ve been preparing for Porter’s eventual departure by drafting Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick in recent years.

But the cost of keeping Brees, and maybe Nicks or Colston, means it’s almost certain the Saints are going to have to trim some cap room by releasing some prominent defensive players or at least restructuring their contracts.

Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith are likely the top two targets for that. Although both are aging and Vilma is coming off a knee injury, those two have been New Orleans’ defensive leaders throughout coach Sean Payton’s tenure. Take Vilma away from a group of linebackers that’s ordinary, and you’ve got a group of linebackers that’s less than ordinary. And you're without the next guy in the leadership chain after Brees.

Again, the Saints don’t have the currency (cap room or prime draft picks) to make major upgrades here. Take Smith away from a pass rush that hasn’t even been ordinary, and you’ve got the potential for huge problems.

Unlike predecessor Gregg Williams, whose defensive philosophy was to be opportunistic and create turnovers, Spagnuolo believes in playing more of a shutdown defense, and he likes to generate almost all of his pressure from the front four. With Smith, the Saints have one guy up front who can rush the passer. Without him, they won’t have any.

Good luck trying to find a guy in the middle rounds of the draft or a low-priced free agent who will step right in and give you double-digit sacks. Spagnuolo is a good coach and his hiring set off celebrations in New Orleans. But a coach is only as good as the players around him, and Spagnuolo is probably not going to have a great deal of defensive talent in his first year.

That could be the story of the Saints in 2012.

Keeping their quarterback would at least keep them competitive, but they won't take steps forward if their roster is wiped out and the cap situation keeps them from being rebuilt.

As we wait for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to hire assistant coaches, get blocked from interviewing potential assistants or anything else of note to happen during a very quiet time in the NFC South, let’s look at some more playing-time figures from the 2011 season.

We showed you the numbers on linebackers earlier Tuesday and I’ve been trying to roll out one position group a day since last week. But we’re going to go ahead and go with two in a day. We’re going to show you the playing time for the NFC South cornerbacks.

Lots of people like to criticize Atlanta’s Dunta Robinson. That’s understandable to some degree because Robinson signed a huge free-agent contract prior to the 2010 season, but has produced only three interceptions since joining the Falcons.

But I haven’t seen Robinson giving up a lot of big plays. In fact, I think he’s done a nice job overall in coverage. Apparently, Atlanta’s coaching staff agrees.

Robinson was on the field for 967 of Atlanta’s 996 defensive plays (97.1 percent). That percentage ranked Robinson tops in the NFC South and No. 11 in the NFL. Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan was the NFL’s only cornerback to play 100 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

New Orleans’ Jabari Greer, who I think is easily the division’s best cornerback, was next on the list. Greer was on the field for 93.3 percent of New Orleans’ defensive plays and ranked No. 19 in the NFL.

The other NFC South cornerback of note high on the list was Tampa Bay’s Ronde Barber. His durability never has been a question. Even at age 36, Barber took part in 92.3 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps to rank No. 21 in the league.

Carolina’s Chris Gamble (89.3 percent) was the only other NFC South cornerback to play more than 80 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

Here’s a look at how much playing time some other NFC South cornerbacks had in 2011:

• Captain Munnerlyn, Panthers, 79.8
• Brent Grimes, Falcons, 69.5
• Patrick Robinson, Saints, 69.4
• Aqib Talib, Buccaneers, 65.1
• Tracy Porter, Saints, 64.6
• E.J. Biggers, Buccaneers, 62.9
• Darius Butler, Panthers, 40.1
• Dominique Franks, Falcons, 33.7
• Christopher Owens, Falcons, 30.3
• Elbert Mack, Buccaneers, 27.2

The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms with Steve Spagnuolo as their new defensive coordinator Thursday, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

This is a big victory for the Saints because I’m pretty sure Spagnuolo is the guy Sean Payton had targeted for this job, probably even before previous coordinator Gregg Williams left for St. Louis and a reunion with Jeff Fisher after the Saints lost in the playoffs.

If you want a picture of a Spagnuolo defense, don’t think too much about the St. Louis team he had been the head coach of since 2009.

Think more of the New York Giants, when Spagnoulo was their defensive coordinator in 2007 and ’08. The Giants won the Super Bowl in the 2007 season. Prior to that, Spagnoulo had a long run as an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles, who played in four NFC Championship Games during his tenure. Spagnuolo worked for the Eagles from 1999 through 2006.

In short, his defense -- in theory -- is a lot like we’ve seen out of the Giants this postseason. It relies on a lot of pressure from the front four and not much blitzing. Spagnuolo prefers tall/angular cornerbacks that can play man-to-man coverage and also likes playmakers at safety.

Williams relied much more on the blitz than Spagnuolo typically has and the change in coordinators likely means there will be some changes in the defensive personnel.

Cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson probably can fit the Spagnuolo profile, but Tracy Porter, who can be a free agent, might not. Free safety Malcolm Jenkins has the potential to be a playmaker, but strong safety Roman Harper, who blitzed a lot under Williams, might not be a great fit because he’s not particularly strong in coverage.

Up front, the Saints will have to generate more of a pass rush. Will Smith is the team’s top defensive end, but he’ll turn 31 in July and is not coming off a good season. The Saints may look at Smith’s high cap figure and realize they can free up $6 million by cutting him. Cameron Jordan was a first-round pick in 2011 and showed he can play the run, but isn’t yet a prolific pass rusher. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis can generate some push in the middle, but the Saints likely will have to add at least one strong pass rusher on the front four.

There also could be change at linebacker, but that probably was coming no matter what. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma showed some signs of age last season and outside linebacker Scott Shanle turned 32 in November.

There’s some work to be done on the personnel front. But the Saints got the man they wanted to direct their defense.

For two full seasons now, Drew Brees has been showing up for games with a kid brother in tow.

We’re talking about the New Orleans Saints’ defense. It’s just good enough to go out there and stand on the field while Brees is on the sideline. But it’s not nearly good enough to win games on its own.

Brees and the offense have done the heavy lifting last season and this season, and the Saints have won a lot of games. But, if the Saints are going to get back to being Super Bowl champions like they were in the 2009 season, the little brother is going to have to grow up in a hurry and carry his weight.

Maybe it comes in Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game at San Francisco. Maybe it comes in the NFC Championship Game, or maybe it comes in the Super Bowl.

But, at some point this postseason, the New Orleans defense is going to have to stand on its own two feet if the team is going to win a championship. I’m not saying the Saints need to go out and totally shut down an offense. That’s not the style of defense they used in their championship season, and it’s not what’s in their defensive playbook.

I’m simply saying there will come a point in time when the New Orleans defense has a chance to step up and make a play or two. If it happens, the Saints can win a championship. If it doesn’t, they’ll have another premature exit like last year, when they went to Seattle and couldn’t tackle Marshawn Lynch.

San Francisco’s Frank Gore can run the ball and quarterback Alex Smith has figured out how to be efficient. The 49ers are quickly becoming famous for their defense, a unit that ranked fourth in the NFL this season.

If that San Francisco defense can just slow Brees a little bit, this may be one game where New Orleans’ offense isn’t enough. You can go 13-3 in the regular season with no defense, but you’re bound to need some stops or some turnovers in the postseason.

If the Saints don’t realize that, they’re going to get burned. It seems everybody’s talking about the matchup between Brees and the San Francisco defense. Brees re-wrote the passing record books and the 49ers’ defense gets compared to teams like the 1985 Chicago Bears. Once in a while, there’s even a bit of talk about the San Francisco offense, but there really hasn’t been much said about the New Orleans defense.

That’s something the New Orleans defense has noticed.

“We’re very prideful being professional athletes and we want to make sure that we all give the best possible effort and are getting the best possible results we can get,’’ New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer said. “You want to be seen as the better unit. We realize the challenge that we have against these guys this week. They have a good defense. They have a good offense. They really are a different team than what we saw in the preseason. As a defensive unit, we know that we have a challenge on our hands. As our coach says, the best defense will win the game.”

Greer was referring to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, not head coach Sean Payton, whose mind clearly is focused on the offensive side of the ball.

There used to be an adage in the NFL that defense wins championships. It’s been forgotten in recent years as rules have become friendlier for offenses, but I think you still need a little help from a defense to win a championship.

Is the Saints’ defense good enough to do that?

Well, the numbers aren’t pretty. The Saints were No. 24 in total defense during the regular season. They ranked No. 12 against the run and No. 30 against the pass.

But it’s pretty clear what the Saints need to do defensively. They just need to look back to 2009. That’s the year Williams joined the staff and practices suddenly became a lot more interesting. Williams preached the importance of getting turnovers and any time a ball hit the ground or was up for grabs in practice, the Saints’ defense pounced on it, even if it wasn’t loose until long after the whistle.

The Saints rode that attitude almost as much as they rode Brees that season. They produced 39 turnovers and ranked No. 2 in the league.

But the turnovers have disappeared the past two seasons. The Saints tied for 20^th in the NFL with 25 turnovers in 2010. In 2011, they were No. 31 with just 16 turnovers.

The reasons for the defensive decline are something of a mystery. The Saints have put a lot of currency into their defense in recent years. They drafted defensive end Cameron Jordan in the first round this year. Cornerback Patrick Robinson came in the first round in 2010, safety Malcolm Jenkins in 2009 and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis in 2008.

But the sacks, interceptions and fumble recoveries have all dipped since 2009 and that’s puzzling. Besides all the first-round picks, there is other individual talent on this defense. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma is the unquestioned leader, strong safety Roman Harper is a big-time hitter and defensive end Will Smith has been to the Pro Bowl in the past.

The current San Francisco offense won’t be confused with the high-powered passing attacks teams like the Saints, Packers and Patriots have had such success with. The 49ers rely on Gore and the ground game as the foundation of the offense and Smith and the passing game are asked to make big plays on occasion.

“A team like this is almost a throwback team so to speak,’’ Vilma said. “For them to line up like they do, they are going to punch you in the mouth and do it for 60 minutes. That’s to their credit and they deserve credit for the way they’ve played and the style that they play and it will be a big challenge for us.”

It’s ironic Vilma used the term “throwback.’’ The Saints don’t have to suddenly become a defense that’s going to shut down an offense for an entire game. They just have to get back to something like they were in 2009.

Make a key stop or two. Come up with an interception or recover a fumble.

If the defense can just do a little of that, Brees can take care of the rest.

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Final Power Ranking: 2
Preseason Power Ranking: 5

Biggest surprise: The Saints knew it was significant when they signed Darren Sproles soon after the lockout ended. They had traded Reggie Bush and were looking for someone to replace him. But I don’t think even the Saints realized how much of an upgrade Sproles would be over Bush. Sproles turned out to be the best free-agent signing in the entire NFL and was a big reason the Saints went 13-3 and set all sorts of offensive records. Sproles had been a very nice player in San Diego, where he played the role of speed back, receiver and return man. Sproles took on all those roles in New Orleans. But he was used quite a bit more as a runner than he ever had been by the Chargers. Sproles averaged 6.9 yards per carry and also caught 86 passes for 710 yards and seven touchdowns -- all career highs.

Biggest disappointment: Despite having big-time talent in free safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Jabari Greer and two other good cornerbacks in Tracy Porter and Patrick Robinson, the Saints managed only nine interceptions, which tied them for No. 28 in the NFL. That’s disappointing because the core philosophy of coordinator Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme is to come up with turnovers. That was a key when the Saints won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season. They’ll need to start coming up with some turnovers if they plan on going far this postseason. It would help if the Saints could force some mistakes with a pass rush that was mediocre during the regular season.

Biggest need: More athleticism at linebacker. The Saints got by with their current cast of linebackers this season, but there weren’t any real standouts. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and outside linebacker Scott Shanle are getting older. Jonathan Casillas showed some potential when healthy and rookie Martez Wilson came on a little bit at the end of the regular season. This isn’t a glaring weakness. But the Saints could make their entire defense better if they added a playmaker or two at linebacker.

Team MVP: This is the easiest call ever. Quarterback Drew Brees is the MVP for the Saints. Heck, you can make a very strong case he’s the MVP of the NFL. In fact, I’ll go ahead and make that case right now. Yeah, I know Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers will probably win the league-wide MVP award, largely because his team went 15-1 and the Packers have such a huge national following. But Brees’ numbers were better in many areas. Quite simply, Brees had one of the best years ever by a quarterback. His 5,476 passing yards set a league record. He also threw a career-high 46 touchdown passes and completed a career-best 71.3 percent of his passes. With his contract expiring the minute the Saints are done playing in the postseason, Brees has made his case to become the highest-paid player in NFL history.

On the road to greatness: The Saints obviously liked what they saw out of rookie tight end Jimmy Graham last season. His debut was so promising that the Saints felt comfortable in releasing veteran tight end Jeremy Shockey. But you have to wonder if this was a little like Sproles, where the Saints got even more than they thought they were getting. Graham, who played only one year of college football after playing basketball at the University of Miami, turned in one of the most prolific seasons ever by a tight end. Graham had 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. His athleticism caused all sorts of matchup problems for opposing defenses and this guy hasn’t even hit his full potential yet.