Reasons Behind Saints Going 5-O With A Backup Quarterback.

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1. Jeff Ireland & Mickey Loomis

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After Superbowl season in 2009, there are many draft pick and free-agent signing misses than hits for the saints. Failure with so many picks and signings lead to three losing seasons from 2014 to 2016. To fix the draft process and college scouting department, Saints GM Mickey Loomis bought in Jeff Ireland to lead the college scouting department. The draft classes starting the 2016 draft under Jeff Ireland include players Sheldon Rankins, Michael Thomas, Vonn Bell, David Onyametta, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Alvin Kamara, Marcus Davenport, Erick Mccoy, and Chauncey Gardner - Johnson. The FA signings and Trades in the same period include Demario Davis, Teddy Bridgewater, Eli Apple, Larry Warford, and AJ Klein. All together counts more than 15 starters on Saints current roster, which won 5-0 after losing Drew Brees. The draft classes, FA, Trades include players beyond the starters on the team - including multiple players who provide bench strength and also key signings for special teams. All together, Jeff Ireland and Mickey Loomis, over the last three-plus years, built a roster that can win under any conditions and not dependent on any single player.

2. Sean Payton

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Sean Payton is a proven offensive genius and Super bowl winning coach. Still, most of his success and glory is based on high flying offenses lead by Drew Brees supported by the rest of the cast. Sean Payton and his coaching staff made such a quick transition to implement an offense and playbook that suited Teddy Bridgewater is one huge reason the saints are 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter. Expanding the playbook each week based on the strength of the new starting Quarterback paid its dividends.

3. Defense

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Even though defense started slow on the first two games, the defense picked it up by the third week to support the new offensive system and quarterback. They played spectacularly back to back for five weeks creating multiple turnovers and generating points from their end.

In the second game, Teddy Bridgewater, as a starter, Saints did not score a touchdown. However, the defense came to the rescue and restricted cowboys to Just 10 Points to seal the game for the Saints. The saints have not won a game like this for over two decades.

4. Offensive Line

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Offensive Line made the transition looked so easy with Teddy Bridgewater hardly getting pressured at most of the times which in turn gave ample time to the QB to make the reads and execute the plays. Teddy was not sacked two out of five games and he was only sacked once by the bears defense. Keeping the pocket clean made things easy to execute the new play book.

5. Teddy! Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!

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NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Irrespective of how good the team or system is, the team will go as far as the QB can take them. Teddy might not have played lights-out like Drew Brees, but he played the winning football. At this point, it is unfair even to call Teddy Bridgewater a backup QB, but saints are lucky to have him as their back up QB for this season. Teddy Bridgewater backing up Drew Brees is one big reason for saints to go 5-0 post Drew Brees Injury.