One of the most vocal counselors at this year’s Manning Passing Academy, held this past weekend in Thibodaux, La., was former NFL head coach and current Monday Night Football commentator Jon Gruden. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head man was not shy is his praise for his old division rival Saints, despite New Orleans' disappointing early exit from the 2010 playoffs.

"You don't put those kind of numbers together without a system and players," Gruden said. “It’s a combination of the two. Lets be honest: those guys are terrific players ...They have a pro bowl quarterback, a great system and they’ve been together for awhile. That's one of the reasons why you see 30 points a game.”

As for the Black and Gold’s disappointing flameout against Seattle, Gruden chalked it up simple and unavoidable bad luck of injuries.

“I think they had some injury issues,” Gruden said. “I think at the running back position certainly it hurt them. They won a lot of games last year ... I still think they are one of the top four or five teams in football without a doubt. But I do think they’ve got to come off the bye, make a couple of tough decisions with their roster and hit the ground running. If they do that they’ll be right back in contention.”

Gruden knows how inconsistency in the backfield can cripple a team. In 2009, his Buccaneers squad finished 31st in the league in rushing touchdowns, managing just five, en route to a 3-13 record. Gruden was fired after the season.

"I''m watching the film, and they’ve got Ladell Betts playing one game and [Chris] Ivory playing another game” Gruden said. “He’s from Tiffin College. I went to Dayton, I know where Tiffin College is. He's starting for the New Orleans Saints as a rookie, and he did a terrific job. Then he got hurt. Then I see Julius Jones playing. I didn’t see much of Reggie [Bush] or Pierre [Thomas] last year. That’s five backs that I’ve named, and this is a team that uses their backs: two at a time, multiple formations.”

While many pundits saw the selection of Alabama running back Mark Ingram as potentially spelling the end for Reggie Bush’s time in New Orleans, Gruden believes that the Saints could use a stable of four backs in in 2011.

“Pierre [Thomas] and Reggie [Bush] had a lot to do with the Super Bowl trophy, I think, and to get [Mark] Ingram, hopefully Pierre and Reggie back and then you add [Chris] Ivory, that’s a nucleolus of four backs that not a lot of people can match,” Gruden said.

With Thomas versatility as a pass catcher out of the backfield and Bush’s unique skill set continuing to confuse defensive coordinators, Gruden sees an opportunity for Ingram to flourish between the tackles.

“I love the pick,” Gruden said. “He’s my kind of back. He’s a finisher, a punishing back who can close out games. I think you need a guy that when you have the ball and the lead inside four minutes who can run the clock when that’s the only enemy. I think Ingram is that kind of guy.”

Gruden was also particularly effusive in his praise for the Saints second-year tight end Jimmy Graham, whose emergence last season likely precipitated the release of the veteran Jeremy Shockey.

“What’s not to like?” Gruden said of Graham. “That guy, in the red zone, is not only a weapon but I think he really established himself as a force, given what he can do in different alignments. I saw [Sean] Peyton line him up as a receiver, bring him out the backfield, and really create some difficult matchups. I think that had a lot to do with the Saints demise this year, when they got he and [safety Malcolm] Jenkins hurt against Seattle. Not having those two guys really hurt them in that playoff game.”

Despite these encouraging words, Gruden stopped short of predicting another Super Bowl run due in part to the uncertainty of the restrictions of a potential new collective bargaining agreement.

“Let’s see what happens," Gruden said. "We've got this lockout going and I don’t know what the heck the lockout means. I don’t know who their unrestricted free agents are, who they’re going to sign or haven’t signed or want to sign. It’s a mystery to me. I do know they signed Shawn Rodgers to bulk them up inside. I like what they’ve done with their secondary, they’ve added some good players back there. I think the young kid out of Florida State [Patrick Robinson] will be better as a second year player. So we will see, but you really have to take a look at what this lockout, not only has done to some of the teams that have been idle for four months, but what are we going to do with free agency? What are we going to do with our UFAs? What's our roster going to be like and how quickly are we going to be able to come together?"

He did, however, dismiss the notion that a so-called 'Super Bowl hangover' contributed to New Orleans’ disappointing loss. After winning Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002, Gruden’s Tampa Bay team posted 7-9 record the following season.

“It’s just hard to win the Super Bowl," he said. "There are a lot of teams in the league that have never even been to the Super Bowl. There are a lot of teams that have never won the Super Bowl. It’s hard to get there and it’s hard to win it. I think when you win it your natural inclination and though process is to say hey, we’re going to repeat, we’re going to three-peat, we’re going to win four in a row. You forget how hard it is.”

For Saints news on Twitter, follow @Saints_Live.

Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.

-- NICK PERUFFO
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com