"First, my glass-is-half-empty view on the New Orleans Saints' offseason: They're facing the scariest free-agent period in franchise history. Although the Saints have thrived despite losing some valuable players in recent years, they've never lost one as important to the team as Drew Brees, Carl Nicks or Marques Colston. These guys are different. They're the elite of the elite, and they can't be easily replaced.

Now, my glass-is-half-full prediction: I think the Saints will keep all three of them.

It won't be easy. Although it's practically guaranteed that Brees will stay, the Saints might have to use their franchise tag on him. And Nicks and Colston certainly will attract a long line of bidders in the open market. By the time they all sign deals, their combined contracts will roughly equal the Gross National Product of a small country.

However, after seeing the way Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis has managed the salary cap over the years and seeing how much the Saints value their home-grown talent, I expect them to make it work.

The Saints have excelled at managing their roster, just as they've excelled on the field during this golden era of the franchise."