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ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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Saints need youth and speed on DScouts Inc.

Outside Linebacker
James Allen and Derrick Rodgers are expected to return, but ideally both have to compete for a starting job. Rodgers, who turns 34 this year, is coming off a season-ending back injury and hasn't made enough big plays when he's been healthy. While Allen is more likely to hold onto his starting job, he frequently gets caught out of position.

Colby Bockwoldt and Levar Fisher, an unrestricted free agent who signed during the offseason, should provide good depth. However, neither is ready to compete for a starting role. Fisher missed all of last year with a knee injury and Bockwoldt, who lacks ideal athletic ability, may never develop into a quality every-down player.

New Orleans needs a linebacker capable of pushing Allen and/or Rodgers, and it should be able to find one in the early rounds of the draft. Texas' Derrick Johnson, Maryland's Shawne Merriman and Virginia's Darryl Blackstock have the speed, agility and burst to develop into the playmaker the Saints currently lack here.

Offensive tackle

StinchcombJon Stinchcomb is expected to step into the starting slot on the right side vacated by Victor Riley, who is an unrestricted free agent. However, Stinchcomb is a better pass blocker than run blocker, so he may be a better fit on the left side, and the departure of Riley has weakened depth.
The Saints should use a first-day pick on a tackle who has the potential to replace Stinchcomb on the right side. This would allow Stinchcomb to move to a backup role, where he should provide excellent depth. Mississippi's Marcus Johnson and Syracuse's Adam Terry are capable of filling this need and both should be available in the second round.

Cornerback
Mike McKenzie and Fakhir Brown are serviceable starters, but neither is a shutdown corner. McKenzie doesn't have the second gear to recover when he gets caught out of position and Brown isn't fast enough to run with premier vertical receivers. Their inability to hold up on islands limits the amount of times defensive coordinator Rick Venturi can blitz.

The good news is there is some depth here, as Jason Craft has re-signed and Fred Thomas is expected to return. Although Ashley Ambrose will likely have to take a pay cut to come back, he could return as well.

New Orleans should add a cornerback who is capable of pushing Craft for the nickel back role this year and has the size, speed and athletic ability to eventually replace Brown on the outside. Maryland's Domonique Foxworth and Howard's Ronald Bartell Jr. are projected first-day picks who have the natural ability to fill this need.

Defensive tackle

SullivanThe hope is that 2003 first-round pick Johnathan Sullivan finally starts realizing his awesome potential and wins the starting job opposite Brian Young. However, he failed to appear in the last eight games of last season, and the Saints need to start preparing for the possibility he continues to struggle.
While Howard Green does a nice job defending the run, he tends to wear down. Ideally, the Saints don't want him to play an every-down role like he did last year. Tony Bryant, who re-signed, is strictly a situational player and 32-year-old Willie Whitehead has had some problems staying healthy.

It's important to note that Young is an undersized one-gap defender who should play opposite a defensive tackle who can draw double teams away from him to be truly effective. As a result, the priority here will be adding a defensive tackle who has the bulk to occupy blockers at the line of scrimmage and enough quickness to develop into a starter.

Safety

SmithDwight Smith should be an upgrade at free safety over Tebucky Jones, who signed with Miami after New Orleans made him a cap casualty. However, strong safety remains a concern. Although Jay Bellamy plays with a mean streak and flashes the ability to deliver the big hit, he is an inconsistent open-field tackler and he has lost a step with age.
Mel Mitchell lacks great cover skills, and he too fails to wrap the ball carrier up far too often. Look for the Saints to add a safety who can push Bellamy for playing time and eventually replace him.

Quarterback
Todd Bouman will likely return to back up Aaron Brooks, but he turns 33 this year and is on the downside of his career. It's unclear if unproven No. 3 Kliff Kingsbury will be ready to assume that role when the time comes. Don't be surprised to see Saints use a middle-round pick on a quarterback.

Running back
An ankle injury slowed Deuce McAllister and played a big part in his numbers dropping last year, but he is among the best in the league when he's healthy. However, the Saints don't have a back on the roster ready to step in should he sustain another injury.

Aaron Stecker and Fred McAfee both lack the size to shoulder a heavy workload. Expect New Orleans to use a second-day pick on a back in an effort to improve the depth here.

Scouts, Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN Insider.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

It would be great if we could get say davis, burnett and maybe another linebacker to really upgrade our linebacking corps early-then get a stout DLineman and decent QB later on.

I think everything hinges on what we get for howard.

[Edited on 4/4/2005 by baronm]

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

Pretty much right on the money. Hard to argue with.
But I\'ll try... ;)

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Outside Linebacker
James Allen and Derrick Rodgers are expected to return, but ideally both have to compete for a starting job.

With who?

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Bockwoldt, who lacks ideal athletic ability, may never develop into a quality every-down player.

He\'s probably our MOST atheletic LB. But yea, he may never develop into a starter. He must get stronger.

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Mike McKenzie and Fakhir Brown are serviceable starters, but neither is a shutdown corner.

neither are 30 other teams CB\'s. Elite? No. But I\'d say they were better than merely servicable. I\'d probably say our CB group is the top unit on Defense after our DE\'s. But I guess if you\'ve got the 2nd worst defense in the history of the NFL its really hard to argue with anything eh?

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It\'s important to note that Young is an undersized one-gap defender who should play opposite a defensive tackle who can draw double teams away from him to be truly effective. As a result, the priority here will be adding a defensive tackle who has the bulk to occupy blockers at the line of scrimmage and enough quickness to develop into a starter.

Danno, is that you?
Isn\'t plagiarism illegal? That bastud!

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Mel Mitchell lacks great cover skills, and he too fails to wrap the ball carrier up far too often.

Well he hasn\'t exactly played SS enough to make this determination.

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Todd Bouman will likely return to back up Aaron Brooks, but he turns 33 this year and is on the downside of his career. It\'s unclear if unproven No. 3 Kliff Kingsbury will be ready to assume that role when the time comes. Don\'t be surprised to see Saints use a middle-round pick on a quarterback.

My new draft crush...QB-David Green UGA. Chris Simms with fire and heart! And without the choking.

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An ankle injury slowed Deuce McAllister and played a big part in his numbers dropping

Hmm, wonder what else played a part? Perhaps the buffet line? :poke:

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Aaron Stecker and Fred McAfee both lack the size to shoulder a heavy workload. Expect New Orleans to use a second-day pick on a back in an effort to improve the depth here.

Which is exactly why we signed Antowain Smith.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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Bockwoldt, who lacks ideal athletic ability, may never develop into a quality every-down player.
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He\'s probably our MOST atheletic LB. But yea, he may never develop into a starter. He must get stronger.

he may not be strongenough to play lb..but is he athletic enough to play Safety? they want to move davis to a safety-why not colby? the 40 times I\'ve seen have him as faster than davis..and he has shown that he can play incoverage-which is a knock on davis.

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My new draft crush...QB-David Green UGA. Chris Simms with fire and heart! And without the choking

I\'m not going to knock you on that-how do you become the all-time winningest QB in NCAA history...and play in the SEC and suck? I think that he will be better than bouman at the least..and could push Brooks at best. He also fits in well to a west coast scheme...short passes, smart plays...good leader...hmmm...

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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I think the knock (and not much of one) was he didn\'t have a cannon. He wasn\'t weak-armed (a la Danny Weurffel) but he was no John Elway either.
But I read (Pasquarelli I think) that he had a great pro-day and surprised scouts with his arm-strength. It was much stronger than most thought.
I think day 1 this guy would be better than JT O\'Sullivan and Jake Delhomme. And we all know those two...
nevermind. I don\'t wanna go there at all.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

I tend to have small problems with scouting reports that say that guys who started last year aren\'t really ready to be starters in the upcoming year....

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

well...in most cases i\'d agree..but allen and colby are definitly question marks...however-you have to wonder if the last four games-where they were inserted showed that they were better than hodge, rogers and ruff.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

I\'m no expert, but from what I saw, the weakest area on the entire team was right up the gut of our defense.

That woud be:

1. DT Brian Young.
2. DT Howard Green
3. MLB Courtney Watson.

Teams often had their way running right up the middle of our defense.

Brian Young, Howard Green and Courtney Watson simply did not get the job done.

While there are other areas that need improvement, I\'m really not that worried about them unitl we can stop the run up the middle.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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I tend to have small problems with scouting reports that say that guys who started last year aren\'t really ready to be starters in the upcoming year....

I think they mean that certain \"starters\" on our team shouldn\'t be starting and wouldn\'t be if they were on any other team in the league.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

the saints seem to agree with you..the thing is they might be looking at sharper as well..(front page)

I do wonder who the two good starters are--watson is one, allen or colby-which is the other?

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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I\'m no expert, but from what I saw, the weakest area on the entire team was right up the gut of our defense.

I seem to recall it was mostly to the outside, with the cut-back run. Both Allen and Grant flew upfield and the RB cut inside of them for huge gains. I don\'t remember nearly as many runs straight up the middle.
As the season wore on Allen and Grant did much better.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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I\'m no expert, but from what I saw, the weakest area on the entire team was right up the gut of our defense.

I certainly agree that the \"cut-back\" run killed us. But, I still contend that teams were able to run right up the gut of our defense.

Over the first 12-games our defense was so bad, it was hard to say one area was that much worse than the others. I think the defense stunk in all areas. Period.

I still believe you stop the run up the middle first and FORCE the runningback to the outside. I\'m not convinced we can do that and I\'m hopeful that\'s where we will upgrade.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

why force them outside and stop the clock or let them run out of bounds?

I thought the OLB was supposed to trap them into the middle so the MLB could pound them?

again I ask the question: the last four games of the season the defense (the linebackers esp. ) played better..that was when allen, watson and colby took over for the vets. so-did that make our corps better?

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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You force the RB to run parallel to the line of scrimmage and it allows the defensive players to pursue the ball-carrier better and more effectively.

And the sideline is the friend of the defense. It\'s like the 12th man.

And killing the clock is to our advantage. It stops the clock and the offense doesn\'t keep the ball as long.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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again I ask the question: the last four games of the season the defense (the linebackers esp. ) played better..that was when allen, watson and colby took over for the vets. so-did that make our corps better?

Yes it did. And here\'s why I think it did.
1. James Allen-All the physicallness you want in a LB, but not the most mental. He finally started getting it, was out of position a lot less and started making plays. Everyone said the SLB was his natural position. I just wish it hadn\'t taken him 12 games to learn it. If he has.

2. Watson-Our best LB. The ROOKIE started playing smarter and ended the season pretty solid. I\'m comfy with him at MLB or at WLB.

3. Bockwoldt-What can you say? The kid looks like a gamer. So what if half of us here can bench 225 more times than he can, he made the plays when he had too. Does anyone remember him running with Vick last year? Imagine what this pup could do if he hits the weights hard this off-season.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

good point-I guess I\'m thinkinga bout basketball..

but my point still remains unanswered: with the insertion of watson, allen and colby the defense played much better-if, and hopefully this doesn\'t happen-but if..those were our starters next year..would our defense be upgraded still? and doesn\'t thier insertion show they were atleast better than what we had?

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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baronm --

I don\'t think it was any fluke our run defense looked MUCH better over the last 4-games.

Much of that improvement was the change in \"scheme\", IMO. It allowed our front 7 a chance to be much more effective. And they simply made more plays.

Not many here want to give the defense their just due for the improvement over the last 4-games. But it was for real. And they deserve some credit.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

PS --

It wasn\'t only the improvent of the young linebackers over the last 4 games. The defensive tackles also played much much better.

It seemed to me that the DTs and DEs played much more disciplined and maintained their gap responsibilities over the last 4 games.

In the first 12-games it seemed to me the DTS were trying to shoot the gaps and often got over powered or simply weren\'t in position to make the play.

There was very little room for RBs over the last 4 games.

I was surprised as hell at what I was watching. I\'m still dumbfounded.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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thanx..

see I think that colby is better at the WLB than thomas davis would be...speculation for sure, but the kid seems like a good football player-and he can gain strength..

the SLB is the position I would improve. either with sharper or with burnett...or with watson.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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I thought the OLB was supposed to trap them into the middle so the MLB could pound them?

Both are right in their own way. You really want DTs that can stuff the middle on their own, and/or get push and disrupt a play. Either way, if the middle is clogged a RB has to either put his head down and run right into the pile, dance (which, unless your last name is Sanders, is a bad thing), or bounce outside.

Once the play is moving outside, you want to keep the runner going east and west, not cutting it upfield. You\'re right that an OLB should never let a RB get outside of him. The thinking isn\'t to keep the clock running, it\'s b/c you want to funnel the RB back in towards the pursuit so that he can be pounded.

ESPN Insider Scouts Inc team needs

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Once the play is moving outside, you want to keep the runner going east and west, not cutting it upfield. You\'re right that an OLB should never let a RB get outside of him.

that\'s what I was thinking of..sorry, got confused..