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The media relations department for the Saints just sent out a very thorough press release with almost everything you could possibly want to know about Saturday’s game with Arizona. I’m working my way through the release and it’s probably going to take several hours.

But one thing that really jumped out me early on was how good the Saints have been at avoiding sacks since Drew Brees and Sean Payton arrived in 2006. Here are a couple of charts that back that up:

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

What's the strongest part of the NFC South? It just might be the offensive lines.

I'd rate all four of them above average, and in Carolina, Atlanta and Tampa Bay that showed up in the running games last year and should do the same this year. New Orleans also has the talent on the offensive line to have a good running game, if the Saints can get some consistency out of their running backs.

But the area where NFC South offensive lines shine most is in pass protection. I know we talked about this at the end of last season, but it's worth revisiting. The Saints were third in the league when it came to protecting Drew Brees, who also had a lot to do with the limited sacks because of his quick release.

Atlanta and Carolina ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the number of sacks allowed and Tampa Bay was right in the middle of the pack.

Here's a look at each NFL team and how many sacks it allowed last year:

San Francisco: 55
Detroit: 52
Cincinnati: 51
Pittsburgh: 49
New England: 48
St. Louis: 45
Minnesota: 43
Jacksonville: 42
Oakland: 39
Buffalo: 38
Washington: 38
Kansas City: 37
Seattle: 36
Green Bay: 34
Baltimore: 33
Houston: 32
Tampa Bay: 32
Dallas: 31
N.Y. Jets: 30
Chicago: 29
Arizona: 28
N.Y. Giants: 28
Miami: 26
San Diego: 25
Cleveland: 24
Philadelphia: 23
Carolina: 20
Atlanta: 17
Indianapolis: 14
New Orleans: 13
Denver: 12
Tennessee: 12

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Carolina's offensive line got lots of attention this season as running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart ran wild. That was justified, but it may have hidden how good Carolina's pass blocking has been. The team set a record by allowing a franchise-low 20 sacks throughout the season, and only one lineman was charged with allowing more than three sacks.

Rookie right tackle Jeff Otah surrendered a team-high five sacks, according to STATS. Left tackle Jordan Gross allowed three. Left guard Travelle Wharton allowed 2.5. Right guard Keydrick Vincent and top backup Geoff Hangartner each allowed two sacks. Center Ryan Kalil did not allow a sack. Jeremy Bridges and Frank Omiyale each got significant playing time and didn't allow a sack. The rest of the sacks allowed were charged to running backs and tight ends.

Gross was among the league leaders with seven false-start penalties, but the rest of the line fared pretty well in this category. Otah was called for five false starts. Vincent was flagged three times and Kalil twice. Omiyale had one false start. Wharton, Hangartner and Bridges weren't called for any false starts.