METAIRIE, La. ? Drew Brees stood on the home sideline, his day long since finished during Sunday afternoon's 48-27 win over the Giants and couldn't help but think back to the most recent offseason and training camp for the Saints.
He wasn't alone.
"Darren Sharper and I talked about it on the sideline late in the fourth quarter," Brees said. "Going up against each other in the preseason, minicamps and OTA's (organized team activities) - that made us better as an offense and I feel like it made them better as a defense."
For those who attended the Saints' training camp practices this past August, it was evident the defense was a step up from units of the past.
You could tell Brees was getting visibly upset trying to pick apart a secondary that wasn't giving up much in the back end.
You could tell the running backs and offensive line were continually trying to find ways during goal line drills to punch the ball through into the end zone.
And you could see the frustration building with the offensive skill players who were constantly under attack from a defense that was always trying to pluck the ball away from their hands.
But you could also see a defense that was, at times, getting gouged by a pinpoint passing attack and a bullish running attack.
"So often during the course of the offseason and in training camp, you're not getting ready for a specific opponent so you have to practice against each other," Saints Head Coach Sean Payton said. "In order to get the most out of those drills, you hope that the competitive nature of both sides of the ball is high and you hope that the competition is created by players that want to get better."
Thus far, the bread is in the pudding, so to speak. The numbers by both units are better.
The offense is putting up 30 more yards per game and is controlling the ball with a stout run offense that ranks fourth in the NFL. A season ago, the Saints finished 28th in the league in rushing.
And though Brees is throwing for 41 fewer yards per game, no one is complaining. With the Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Heath Evans carrying the bulk of the ground load, averaging 159.6 yards per game, the offense is chewing up nearly 34 minutes of clock per game. That's good for fifth in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the offense isn't the only group that got something out of tough summer workouts. The defense had to go up against the NFL's top offense.
It certainly has paid off.
The Saints' defense, a year after finishing 23rd in yards allowed 26th in points allowed per game, is a top 15 unit.
New Orleans is giving up 301.2 yards per game this season, down 38 yards from a year ago. After allowing teams to gain 117.8 yards per game rushing, the Saints give up only 83.4 yards per game on the ground in 2009.
"Going against our offense in practice, it just makes both sides better," Sharper said. "You've got the top offense in the league going against one of the better defenses. You don't get that too often on game day."
And as any coach will tell you, practice makes perfect. So, with that in mind, Payton still has the offense go against the defense for a period or two during practice still.
So far, so good.
"It's no joke," Brees said. "There's a lot of pride to be taken in helping each other, feeding off each other."?
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