Artilce-Team needs
 

New Orleans Saints

Team Needs: DE, LB, OT. The first priority is to sign QB Drew Brees to a long-term deal in the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning neighborhood or, if necessary, put the franchise tag on him. They will also look to find a way to bring back All-Pro guard Carl Nicks and Marques Colston, one of Brees' favorite targets. That covers the league's top-ranked offense. The problems are on defense, where the Saints lack a dominant edge rusher. New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo relies on pressure from the front four, so if Houston doesn't franchise Mario Williams, the Saints could take a run at him (the Cards' Calais Campbell and Colts' Robert Mathis may also be on their radar). Or they'll have to look to later rounds in the draft for DE help, since their first round pick was traded last year in the move up to get Mark Ingram.


Read more: Every NFL*team's path to success in the offseason - Jeff Diamond - SI.com

Speedy edge rusher please

Me likey!!!

Guess the board know what to do, now Loomies need to make it happen!

Saw that ... Robert Mathis could be an interesting FA pick up.

He's not a good fit for their new 3-4, and may wanna go to a contender who runs a 4-3, features the front 4, and desperately needs pass rushers.

Hmmm, I wonder which teams might fit that description?

If we go after a DE I would rather have Avril, we need DT's more than DE's', I agree about the lb.'s. I don't worry to much about the O Payton always comes thru.

Maybe move Cam Jordan to DT.

Could work, but he would need to bulk up in order to be effective as a DT.

I'd love to get Mathis but I'm sure he will demand to much money for the Saints to look at, why is OT that big of a need?

possible, but I'm thinking Spags gets him to perform at DE. He's very young and will get to see a scheme that doesn't take a chemist to figure out. I think he will impress this year, Junior also.

Spags will find a way to get the most out of Junyah and Tez, both these guys have speed and I could see both having success under a simplified defensive scheme

Disagree. He's a perfect LDE prospect.

One day we might get back to the "dome patrol" status. But I'm afraid that it will be to late, in complementing this offense.
Yr in and yr out since Payton has been here, we haven't drafted that stud on the D side. Now I'm not saying we haven't tried. It just hasn't worked out yet.
Is it because of talent, or the coaching? Lets hope it's the coaching and our new DC can whip that side of the ball up.

Kepp Jordan where he is. He did really well at the end of the year, had his first sack, a bunch of batted balls and generally does a good job in the run D. Junior is looking better and better. What i hope is that Spags can get Will SMith to perform up to the level he is capable of.

Well I think Smith and Ellis and Rogers need to go. Use that money to get other free agents. Neither of these guys have played to potential and justifed the salaries. Franklin used to be dominate in S.F. not sure what happened with him but this is the type we should be looking for. Only taliking D-line here.

Also we need a free agent safety who has the nose and can catch the ball then try to get a backup from the draft and let the others fight it out. Greer, Porter and Jenkins need to stay but I would use these as corners. Vilma needs to go he is past his prime. I see someone maybe even two offensive players being traded to make this happen. I see Ingram as one of these (then maybe Meachem)though far fetched for many. We are going to have to do some deals to address our defensive needs and I think to do that we are going to have to give something up other teams want.

Why trade Ingram? Makes absolutely no sense!

I don't want to trade Ingram either, he still has a lot of miles left on him, I do hope he don't get the injury bug to often.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/12...ld_pot.jpg.jpg

What are you smoking on?


You want the Saints to draft a safety who can interrupt passes and then you want to move Jenkins - who has that exact ability, but was hampered by GW's schemes - back to being a corner?! I'm sorry, but I don't see the logic in that.

Also, Isa Abdul-Quddus will probably be a really good safety in a couple of years, and with his ability to deliver bone-crunching hits - going back to his college days - he'll probably replace Harper as the SS in the future. There really hasn't been a lot of talk about him, but I have a feeling he'll be a player we will all love in a couple of seasons.

Greer will be the #1 CB followed by Robinson as the #2, and Patrick will fill in as the #3. I don't think the Saints will resign Porter, because he'll ask for more than what is sensible for the Saints to pay a #3 CB - and yes: Robinson is better than Porter! If he is willing to give the Saints a discount, then I can see him returning, but I don't think that will happen. He is still remembered for his 2009 playoff picks, and there are a lot of teams that will want to show him the money based on that reputation alone - he will be over-payed by someone.

Ingram traded... you have to be kidding! No team will trade away their 1st round pick of the past season out of a whim, and even if they were willing to do it, they wouldn't find a deal to make it worth while. Meachem is out of the question for being traded, because he is an UFA and, therefore, cannot be traded by the Saints.

And on a more general note, people need to stop stating that Rogers and Franklin need to be cut. Both of those players only signed a 1-year deal and, therefore, won't automatically be back with the Saints unless they re-sign with the Saints. There is no money or cap relief to be lost or gained by the release of these players!

Smith is a good player, not worth the deal he has now, but definitely worth keeping around with a new restructured deal. Ellis will be on a contract year, and with the money the Saints would save on cutting him (~$4M), it might be difficult to find as adequate of a replacement from the FA market. I say let him play out his contract under Spags and he might end up surprising all of us - if not, he'll be an UFA in 2013 and off the books.

I know many of us would like to see a complete overhaul of the Saints' defense with the disappointing way the season ended, but I don't see that happening and more so I don't think there is a need for it. The core of the defensive players is good - not great but good enough - and with a couple of additions and with better schemes to work with they can be really effective next season under Spags.

I gave this a "like" only because "love" is not an option.

Its like I wrote the damn thing myself.

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000...ll_xlarge.jpeg


"It's a copycat league and this is a copycat board. ;-)

I just don't see any team that would copycat our defense. Ellis, Smith and Vilma have had plenty of chances to step up and play well and haven't. It's time to let go of the what could have been and get players in here that can. They served their purpose to a point, when they were on their game it was great, now their not and I'm not one to let them off the hook when they make that much money and don't deliver results, this D has to get better, cut them, trade them, whatever. We can find players to produce better with that money.

Can't smoke anymore but I wish I could. I think drastic changes have to be made not going to be able to do it in the draft either. I would trade Igram for M. Williams or another top defensive lineman with a few years left. This is just a hunch not sure it will be Ingram but I think someone will go for sure. If you think we can make this defense work with what we have now we will continue to have the same result next year. So I am in agreement with H-65. I do not think Smith or Ellis will be the bait for a trade for a top replacement they would stay with what they have.

How are you going to trade Ingram for Mario Williams who is an UFA??

Nevermind the fact that even if the Texans still had him under contract they would never make that trade nor would the Saints even offer it to them.


In today's NFL which is so strictly regulated by the salary cap space each team has to work with, along with player contracts which often have variable amounts of guaranteed money as a part to them, it is no longer possible to make drastic overhauls to a team roster in one single off-season. Therefore, it is only logical that they keep the core intact - which is not that bad mind you - and try to improve in the key areas the coaches diagnose as the most important and most easily improvable with few additions from both the FA pool and from the draft.

Today's franchises are built and maintained to some extent through the draft and only few teams are able to bring in large numbers of veteran FAs on a continuous cycle and still remain successful - New England and Bill Belichick being one of the only ones to successfully do that year after year, but even they have their core group of players and are very active during the drafts.

Good question. We could use some depth but that's it. We may be in the market for a guard though.

Defensive Tackles Two of them!

I agree 100% with that, it all starts in the middle.