How can this years team handle injuries?
 

Injuries are part of the game and every team has them. But some are more costly than others. Which are more costly?

Well, that depends.

It depends on:

1. How your team is built.
If you're a team that is bulit around the defensive line(like the Panthers) and you lose a couple of your star D-linemen, it would be more costly than losing a CB. Or, if you're a team like the 1999 Rams and you lose a couple of your star receivers, it would hurt much more than losing a DT.

2. Depth
Every team has depth. However, every team does not have QUALITY depth. Whatever positions a team is bulit around should dictate where the QUALITY depth is focused at. If your team is built around the running game, you should try and have a quality backup runningback. If your team is a high octane passing game, you should have quality backup receivers and a good 2nd string QB. You get the picture, right?

Let's apply that logic to the 2004 Sainrts.

But, what are the Saints built around?

1. Runningback - Deuce McAllister
2. Passing game- Aaron Brooks, Joe Horn, Donte' Stallworth, Boo Williams, Jerome Pathon.
3. Defensive line - Darren Howard, Charles Grant, Brian Young, Johnathan Sullivan.

That's the order I have them ranked. Even if you don't agree with the order, I think you'll agree those are the top 3 areas of importance.

Now, lets grade those areas.

1. Runningback -- If Deuce gets injured, the backup is Stecker or Lamar Smith. That's a BIG dropoff in talent. And in my book that's what you try to avoid is a big dropoff in talent. Especailly at the positions that your team is built around.

2. Passing game:
a.) QB Aaron Brooks - For those of you that don't like him, you'd probably be the first ones to begging for him to be back on the field. Maybe we have a Tom Brady sitting on the bench that could lead us to the promised land, but I don't want to have to find out. I mean Lamar Smith or Stecker could rush for 1500 yards, but it ain't likely. Most teams like to carry a veteran QB that they know what they're getting. Our backup QB's are a complete mystery.

b.) Receivers - We're deep at the receiver position and could probably deal with injuries here as well as any team in the league. Of course, we don't want to lose Joe Horn or Stallworth for a prolonged amount of time.

3. Defensive line: Although I'm not sure exacltly what we have with this group, we do know we've got some great DE. If Howard or Grant gets injured we have Will Smith, so we should be fine there. It appears we have some pretty good quality depth a DT, so we appear to be able to handle some injuries there.

So what does all of this mean. Well, it means if Deuce gets injured for a prolonged period of time, our offense takes a BIG blow. We need this guy to stay healty. And we need Brooks to stay healthy so we don't get to find out if we have a Tom Brady sitting on the bench.

It also means that injuries on the defense shouldn't hurt us as bad this year.

Let me also say that we proabably have the best depth on the offensive line as any team in the NFL.

And I don't think injuries in the secondary are going to be a big concern. I know a lot of you don't agree with this, but I just don't see a big dropoff in talent there and I think Keyou or one of the other CB might just surprise some folks. Furthermore, I think a strong pass rush wil hide some weak areas in the secondary.

And we're pretty deep at linebacker too. I think we have some guys there who could step up if need be.

Let's hope we don't have any injuries this year!! But, if we do, we should be in much better shape this year.





[Edited on 8/8/2004 by GumboBC]

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

I agree with you totally, but I do question injuries at LB. I don\'t know if we could sustain any injuries at that position and still be better poor.

I also agree with the CB situation. I think that Craver and Brown will step up this year and that Craft will be alot better than most people think.

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

I agree with you totally, but I do question injuries at LB. I don\'t know if we could sustain any injuries at that position and still be better poor.

I also agree with the CB situation. I think that Craver and Brown will step up this year and that Craft will be alot better than most people think.

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

There\'s really only one injury that will kill us and we all know who that is.
The top 5 most devastating injuries we could suffer in 2004
1. Xxxxx XxXxxxxxxx (I refuse to mention his name.)
2. Wayne Gandy
3. Fred Thomas
4. Darren Howard
5. Tebucky Jones

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

Danno,

You think losing Gandy would set us back as much as losing Brooks? I think we have someone on our team that could be an adequete LT. But, I don\'t see our backup QB\'s taking us to the promised land. Unless you know something I don\'t, I disagree.

The only 2 players I don\'t think we can afford to lose is Deuce or Brooks. Will Smith could probably play for Howard. Fred Thomas would be a pretty big loss, but he\'s not dominant anyway, so I think one of our other CB\'s might can get the job done, but you might be right.

Tebucky I think could be replaced. I think he\'ll have a big year though. So, who knows.

;)

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

I\'m just looking at the drop-off between #1 and the back-up.
Boumann and JT could stop the bleeding with Deuce and the WR\'s we have.
But I\'d probably put Brooks 6th.

I think Stinchcomb or Folau(Riley to LT and Folau to RT) would be a huge drop-off.



I\'m not as worried about Fred Thomas as I am the guy who replaces the guy who replaces Fred Thomas. Ambrose appears to have lost more speed than John Kerry\'s campaign. You\'d be forced to play Brown or Craver as the #3, and it becomes one more injury from...well just look at the Colts game last year and you\'ll get where i\'m coming from.

I think the Will Smith will be a star in this league, but just like every other d-lineman on the planet he\'ll struggle his 1st year if forced to start. I\'ve heard mixed reports about Melvin Williams this year so I don\'t know. He may fill in very nicely when rotated with Smith.

Who would replace Jones if he goes down? Bellamy? Not a chance. Mitchell? Maybe, but he\'s no a true FS. Gleason? Harper? We don\'t really have a solid FS back-up that could keep us from changing our entire defensive philosophy. Jones was the reason Bellamy could play closer to the line.

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

My boy Brooks just can\'t get any respect. I REALLY don\'t think anyone wants to find out how big a \"dropoff\" in talent there would be if Brooks got injured. We can speculate all day long about Bouman or O\'Sullivan, but there\'s no way to know. Odds are they would struggle. Brooks is one of the top 10 QB\'s and there\'s no denying that.

Rookie DE don\'t usually struggle. The good one\'s usually have a pretty big impact.

Gandy is solid but not spectacular. It would be a dropoff in talent. IMO, I think it would be less than at the QB position.

I don\'t think our CB\'s would dropoff that much in talent even if Thomas went down. Don\'t want to find out though.

Tebucky, hmmm.... I just don\'t know. If he plays up to the hype he would be hard to replace. He did do some good things towards the end of the season. I\'m a Tebucky fan, so I\'ll go along with ya here.

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

OK, so who\'s on your top 5 most devastating injury list? Please don\'t mention you know who by name.

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

1. That nameless RB.
2. Aaron Brooks.
3. Joe Horn
4. Gandy
5. Darren Howard.

That was tougher than what I though it would be.

Hey man. I\'m a superstitious guy. You got me worried about mentioning \"you know whose\" name. Damn you Danno. Now I think if I mention his name that he will get hurt.

\"He\" needs a nickname. What though? :mad2:

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

How about
\"That which we do not speak of\"

I saw The Village this week!

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

Unless we lose \"He Who Cannot Be Named\" it is a combination of injuries that could bring this team down. For example if Charles Grant goes down and Will Smith has to play at 80% because of some nagging injury. Or if we lose both Grant and Watson at MLB.
Even a loss of Brooks, Horn or Howard can be overcome if the rest of the starters stays mostly healthy.

How can this years team handle injuries?
 

We\'d be in a lot of trouble if we lost our best DE, our best DT, our best LB, our best Safety, our 2nd best WR, our top TE, our best O-lineman, our best special teams man and our best return man for extended periods of time,
Oh wait, we did, that was last year!