I wouldn't have a problem with them giving Nicks the same contract as Evans + 1M to cover the inflation like he stated that he wanted - if the contract was end loaded it wouldn't matter because the cap is going to rise in two years and Nicks' contract would raise the contracts for other guards around the league hurting other teams as well.

Tag isn't lost until the start of FA. Then it is lost.

I like where we are right now this off season. I mean who is to say who we lose... this 'the sky is falling' attitude is just what it is. Give it a rest and watch what happens. Stop speculating already.

For every player we lose the Saints some how usually gets an equal or better player to replace them with. So sit back and enjoy the spectator sport... spectators!

If only we had that view-only message board...

Exactly my thoughts as well. And I do remember after Spygate, that was when Bellichick ran up the score on a bunch of teams, with Brady throwing bombs and running the hurry-up offense when the Patriots were up 42-7 in the 4th, pedal to the metal all the way....Bellichick was mad and sending the league a message. If this gets him mad enough, I would really look forward to seeing Payton doing some of that next year, instead of that gentlemanly running the ball and "taking a knee on the 20" thing that he does at the end of games.

And still people complain that the Saints kept running up the score all through last season whenever they had the chance to do so. Even Yasinkas said as much in the NFC South blog and called it arrogance.

???

I think Payton was accused of piling on as recently as this year. It was this "allowing Drew to go for the record" that put Brees in the mindset that he should be "king of the mountain".

I don't think it is as monumental as people are making it to be when you consider that you had 3 or 4 QB's go over 5K last year and another just a few yards short. It is obvious that things have been changed to allow QB's to rack up more yardage and make the game more exciting...now Drew is trying to take advantage of that fact.

Success breeds new problems/challenges to deal with. We are not used to this yet, as the Giants and Patriots are. Consider this as Loomis' time to prove if he really as good as touted. Time will tell, of course. Tagging Brees may have been the best strategy to keep as many of our quality players as possible.

Haters gonna hate, right? May force the D shake-ups we have all been calling for.

Future of the franchise:

Re-sign Nicks and Colston. Restructure Smith (done), Ellis, and Vilma. Porter, Meachem, Dunbar, Franklin, and Rogers can't be retained.

Draft:
Round 2: DE/LB Whitney Mercilus
Round 3: LB Mychal Kendricks
Round 4: DL Jared Crick
Round 5: C Philip Blake
Round 6: DT Derek Wolfe
Round 6: G Desmond Wynn
Round 7: T Donald Stephenson

UD: LB Adrien Cole
UD: CB Ron Brooks
UD: WR Greg Childs

If we don't lose some of our picks.

Saw this on another site, its hysterical

Saints 2012 mock draft

7th - G Desmond Wynn