Falcons get Hartwell
 

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Let\'s hope he is a FA Bust and a product of the system!

P.S :mad:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

I wish this guy was a product of the system, but he\'s not. I remember him coming out of college and he\'s a solid player. Yes, that system turned a good player into a very good player, but still he\'ll be very solid for ATL.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

I think that\'s the problem.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

asleepatthewheel.com reported previously that the New Orleans front office was unimpressed by this year\'s crop of available free agent linebackers. This was confirmed today when Atlanta signed runstuffing inside linebacker Hartwell to a deal easily within the Saints budget after trading Darren Howard. New Orleans did make a free agent splash in linebackers by signing the former second round pick Levar Fisher. He compares similarly to current Saint Cie Grant. There is some speculation the team might be consulting a creole voodoo specialist to perform experimental graft surgery to hopefully get two workable legs from them together.

[Edited on 21/3/2005 by LKelley67]

Falcons get Hartwell
 

IMO, Hartwell would have been a great pickup for the Saints. He\'s certainly more proven than some highly rated college prospect.

But, like all free-agents ... Hartwell could pick which team he wanted to play for. He chose the Falcons. So be it!

From what I\'ve seen - the Saints are definately interested in upgrading the linebacker position. Only time will tell how the team handles the situation. I can\'t bash the Saints for something that isn\'t over yet. It\'s hard to be patient some times and it\'s even harder when this area has been suspect for quite some time. Still -- I\'ll wait and see before passing judgement.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

:killtard:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Sorry Gumbo, on this one, I am definitely passing judgment. We didn\'t even make an offer to Hartwell, at least it was never reported we did. And he never visited. If they wanna upgrade LBs, who would have been better? A rookie LB? I\'d take my chances with a rookie receiver but not a rookie LB. They usually aren\'t strong enough and you always have to hear the next year they will be better thing, except for maybe a Derrick Johnson. Sure there are several \"possibilities\" in the draft, but Hartwell was just about a sure thing. SO basically it came down to Pierce turning us down cold, and then the FO basically sticking their heads in the sand for fear another LB may do the same and cause them embarrassment.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Whodi I know that is a problem. ATL already had a very good defense. Now throw him in the mix with Brooking and the newly aquired Reese and they might be an even better D. :(

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Too true. Too true. How do you make a pretty decent off-season for the Saints look ordinary? Watch a division rival sign a big name free agent at a position we needed for money we could have afforded. :casstet:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Hey, I wanted Hartwell. And I\'m not going to make excuses for a 32nd ranked defense that needed to add some players.

But, have any of you personally spoken to Hartwell? Was he willing to play in New Orleans? Would it have taken more money for Hartwell to play in New Orleans?

Did the Saints already know that Hartwell didn\'t want to play in New Orleans and maybe that\'s why they showed no interest?

Why didn\'t Pierce visit New Orleans?

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Yeah, it is starting to look bad. ATL\'s defense has improved dramatically this offseason. The Bucs and the Panther\'s defenses are also not too shabby. Apparantly, we think we\'re just going to out gun them with our new smash-mouth running game oriented offense... sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. :mad:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Couldn\'t agree more Kool. And Carolina has gotten help on the o-line and in the secondary, two of their biggest weaknesses. Glad they lost Muhammed, and glad we got Smith from Tampa, but a player like Hartwell would have been a coup for us this off-season.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

We hear ya Gumbo, but we ain\'t buying it. Haslett himself said none of the LB prospects out there in FA impressed him, does that sound like we went after Hartwell? Come off it for once dude. This was a crucial signing we made no effort for, now we get to see how good he coulda been for us twice a year.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Ed Hartwell or Ray Lewis...
How good would watson be with lewis on his side?
Just b/c guys are free agents doesn\'t always mean they are upgrades.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

You\'re stretching it, saintwhodi. Haslett NEVER said he wasn\'t interested in ANY LB in free agency.

We already know that Haslett and co. wanted Pierce. And they still want Dat.

Facts are facts, whodi. Am I wrong?

Falcons get Hartwell
 

by the way Ricky Williams had a good year in 2002 too.
Perspective.

Hartwell will be cut after the 2006 season.
he\'s too expensive

[Edited on 21/3/2005 by frankeefrank]

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Maybe he\'s a product of the system, and he\'ll be a cap-busting flop.
Maybe its true that a slowish 3-4 ILB isn\'t a good fit for a 4-3.
Maybe its true that most high-dollar free-agents aren\'t worth the money.

I don\'t know, but my gut tells me this is really bad news for us. REALLY REALLY BAD :mad:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Um, Haslett made that statement after they already lost Pierce. :o Might wanna check your timeframe Gumbo my man.

Also MikeD, the guy you bashed, was the one who mentioned that about Pierce. I asked Jarrod Breaux and he said he never heard anything about us having gone after Pierce. :o :o

[Edited on 21/3/2005 by saintswhodi]

[Edited on 21/3/2005 by saintswhodi]

Falcons get Hartwell
 

If you say so, whodi. But that still doesn\'t change the FACT that the Saints\' are trying to get MLB Dat Nygen.

You make it sound like Haslett and co. are content with who they have now.

And that\'s strectching it way too far, whodi. Let\'s just stick to the facts and not let frustration get the best of us.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Maybe that\'s the only place you read it, whodi. But it was also reported by other media sources. Like NOLA.com.

Again, let\'s stick to the facts. ;)

[Edited on 21/3/2005 by GumboBC]

Falcons get Hartwell
 

How do you know they are trying to get Dat? How far is THAT stretching it? You are stretching it just as far as anyone. Also, if they are trying to get Dat in a TRADE, that would not be through FREE AGENCY, which we are talking about. Stick to this discussion please and where Haslett said he is not interested in any FA LBs, which Hartwell WAS. andDat is most obviously NOT.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Yeah, okay. But several media sources reported that the Saints tried to acquire FREE AGENT Pierce. That alone makes you WRONG. Flat out WRONG.

Second, does it matter whether we get a LB through FA or a trade?

Falcons get Hartwell
 

What is several sources? You listed 2, and one of them you bashed so really one. I mentioned Jarrod Breaux whom I asked directly and he said he heard nothing about that. So how am I wrong at all? Nice try. :P

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Okay, Jerrod Breaux is now your new source of info. That\'s great. Don\'t post anything unless you check with Mr. Breaux in the future.
:cool:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

hahahaha. Comical and true Gumbo. So you point to a news source as your fountain of information, then when someone else does the same, they are being foolish. Double standard much? Thanks for the laugh dude cause you can\'t be being serious with a double standard Stevie Wonder could see. ;)

Falcons get Hartwell
 

that\'s right frankee. hartwell probably isn\'t as sharp as james allen. any size or experience over watson and bockwoldt is probably just media hype. levar fisher is a much safer decision.

saintlyrumors.com reports New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis was overheard on the phone while tanning by the pool in Maui. He was talking to an agent about getting not one but two linebackers. One, Jude Waddy who played for San Diego last season. Waddy, a seven year veteran out of William & Mary has had nine knee surgeries and two vertebrae fused but is known to have good locker room presence. He seemed most interested in Lionel \"Big Hoss\" Jones. He was a high school teammate of Johnathan Sullivan in Griffin, Georgia that never played college ball. In 2003 he played two games for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL as linebacker. He was released due to team reductions in food budget. In 2004 he played four games for the Eufaula Possums of the Southern Alabama Buffet Association. He revolutionized SABA play by being the only lineman in a 1-4-6 formation. Loomis said, \"the kid has a world of potential and he knows how to stuff a hole.\"

Falcons get Hartwell
 

I must admit that I am not overly fmiliar with Hartwell\'s work, but he would have been a good signing from a perception standpoint. I know that some of his initial salary demands were a bit high, but the Falcon\'s don\'t have alot of cap room and they made it work.

The one thing that is encouraging is the Ray Lewis factor coupled with their defensive scheme. Lewis would logically free up your other linebackers and jack up their market value. Let\'s hope that is the case, cuz I can\'t live in this town through another Falcons playoff run.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

I know it sounds like I\'m lickin my wounds, but the big knock by scouts on Hartwell (other than sub-par sideline to sideline speed) is that he\'s horrible in pass coverage.

Maybe thats an area our TE\'s/WR\'s can exploit.

Falcons get Hartwell
 

i can\'t hepp it danno... i bet he can cover ernie conwell :roll:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

I should have seen that one coming.
;)
I guess it also means he\'d have no trouble covering Deuce either. ;)

Falcons get Hartwell
 

What TEs and WRs? We signed the latest in a seemingly never ending line of TE busts this offseason to join the ranks of Conwell, Williams, Sloan, Cleeland... Hoby Brenner was our last good TE.

WRs? We cut Pathon. Ask people on this board and Joe Horn is going to run his mouth talking trash about NO until he dies of a heart attack some time before the draft. Who else is there?

Falcons get Hartwell
 

Wow, thats a nuclear pessimism bomb.

I guess if we sign \'em, they\'re gonna suck. Its an inevitable fact of life as a Saint. :casstet:

Falcons get Hartwell
 

There\'s still hope...just think Peerless Price. Highly regarded, but doo doo w/o Moulds...