Glamore Position in Flux for 2007

TE
Eric Johnson - 28
John Owens - 27
Billy Miller - 30
Ronnie Ghent - 27
Mark Campbell - 31 (IR)

I actually like the group as a unit. Like the defensive unit some youth would be nice. Johnson has teased us with his abilities at TE and we have yet seen him do half the things he can do.

Draft watch

Darius Hill*, Ball State, 6-6, 233, 4.67, Ball State in the 4th

WR
Marques Colston - 24
David Patton - 33
Lance Moore - 25
Devery Henderson - 25
Terrance Copper - 25
Robert Meachem - 23


This is a unit still trying to find an identity. A solid veteran WR would set the unit perfectly. Patton is an addition I liked from square one but he is 33 and his influence will not be here long enough. If the rumor. that refuses to die, is true I would have to think the saints office would consider making a move for Larry Fitzgerald. It would cost a high pick but it would yield a player that would be around for years and finally settle the WR corp for years to come. Fitz at the #1, Colston at #2, Meachem at #3, and play around with roster from that point on. I know big bucks on the offense but as a west coast team I do not see way around it. But I would like to settle it once and for all and move on. I know a wet dream but you get the idea. Henderson is in a contract year and if he takes a pay cut may stay. But he must hold on to the ball first before we can even talk about that. There will be players with speed and better hands out there in FA next year that can and probably should replace him. Moore and Coppper are just pieces and neither seems to be able to step up and beat the other out for the #3. This will probably be a coaches favorite wins out type of deal.

Free agents to watch:

Andre' Davis UFA Houston Texans
Brandon Stokley UFA Denver Broncos
Bernard Berrian UFA Chicago Bears
Rashied Davis RFA Chicago Bears

Sorry not a #1 in the group. Davis definitely peeks interest but will get some big bucks after this year. I think one of them could end up here and some old faces may go.

Draft watch

Todd Blythe 6-5, 211, 4.53, Iowa St.

I am only going to put one name here. Who knows what the saints will do. But this kid is good. Blythe has scary good hands, and is such a big WR that he is sure to have a Joe Jurevicius-like impact at the next level.

RB
Duce McCallister 28 (IR)
Reggie Bush 22
Pierre Thomas 22
Aron Stecker 31

Duce maybe done. This is his third knee operation and Stecker maybe gone next year, he too is in a contract year. Will we be targeting their replacement? This is the biggest blow to the team this year. Look for the Saints to do....I have no idea what they will do, This probably makes trading the #1 pick or any other pick in the draft more complicated. We have gone from the strongest position on the Team to one that has the biggest question mark surrounding it. How can you replace Duce? Well you can't to be totally honest. This will be interesting to see what the FO does with this. Reggie is already getting banged up as his replacement and Stecker has been the steady veteran he always has been. The wild card as we all know is Thomas. Is he Stecker replacement or can he take over a bigger role in the Saints backfield? Keep an eye on his development. This more than any other position could have the greatest effect on the Saints during the off season. Who knows. We have gone from the warm fuzzies to questions at RB all within 6 weeks.

Free agents to watch:

Michael Turner UFA San Diego Chargers
Jamal Lewis, UFA, Cleveland Browns
Fred Taylor, UFA, Jacksonville Jaguars
Julius Jones, UFA, Dallas Cowboys
Derrick Ward UFA New York Giants
Justin Fargas UFA Oakland Raiders

You have age with a couple, healing rate is a factor to the RB position that all FO take into count and then you got inexperience with all the hype. Then there is the recent rumor out of Oakland that Dominck Rhodes maybe cut. If Rhodes does get cut he might be the best short term answer. Playing for Indi I am sure he can pick up the offense. Then again there is the substance abuse issue and we all know how Sean is. Minnesota maybe cutting or trading a RB also. There always seems to be enough FA RB on the scrape heap to piece something together. But is there a long term answer here? So as usual RB questions in the NFL always seem to have more than a few possibilities out there.

In the draft keep an eye on

Tashard Choice, 6-1, 205, 4.48, Georgia Tech 2nd
Chris Johnson, 5-11, 200, 4.20, East Carolina 2nd (yes 4.20)
Cory Boyd, 6-1, 214, 4.48, South Carolina 3rd

In the draft there are some interesting prospects at the top, as usual but in the second and third there are some really interesting players to roll the dice with. I just listed a few. Who I am really interested in and still debating on at this point. But Chris Johnson at 5-11 and 200 pounds is a little bit more than bowling ball with that 4.20 speed. I will be waiting for his pro day and combine numbers. I have not seen that much of him yet. But I am going to search his games out that for sure. God only knows if E. Carolina has a line or Hands or .....? A lot of question about this one.

QB
Drew Brees 28
Jamie Martin 33

I know we are settled into Drew for next 3 years but in year 3 he will be 31. So it would be nice to have something in place. For at least a solid #2. I have no clue about Palko. He is definitely 2 to 3, maybe 4, years down the road type of project. Sean has done wonders with QBs so I am not going to guess which way he will go. If you can save Terry Collins you can save any body. I still can not second the man and I can stop typing. So I like this part.

Free agents to watch:

None really to talk about.

In the draft keep an eye on

Erik Ainge, 6-6, 220, 4.82, Tennessee 2nd/3rd
Matt Flynn, 6-2, 215, 4.52, LSU 3rd
Joe Flacco, 6-6, 230, 4.86, Delaware 7th

K
Olindo Mare - 34

Well so far we know we should have waited on this guy to get cut and not waste a 6th round pick on him. I did not like it from the beginning but I understood the need for a strong leg. Our special teams coverage was..well they sucked last year. So with that in mind I understand the move but know we have a kicker as the dolphins knew is a 50-50 man from anywhere on the field. Clutch was never assigned to him as a nick name by any stretch of the imagination. Ok 50-50 is a bit harsh. So once again we might end up with two kickers by the end of the season on the team. The wise old timers of the site, know all to well what a good special teams can do for you. They can make a really bad club look almost half descent. So where do we go from here? Got me. I really like the the leg strength and pinning the the other team back deep. But we all know what is going to happen when the game is on the line and he comes on the field to kick anything over 35 yards. The nachos and beer you had during the game will be on the floor before he even lines up. I am Reborn again since this move was made. I suggest the rest of you do the same. Pray for him to start kicking straight and treat him with kit gloves he seems emotional. LOL

FA Watch

Josh Brown UFA Seattle Seahawks
Jason Elam UFA Denver Broncos
David Akers UFA Philadelphia Eagles

Ok Brown jumps out at you but I think he will be signed if they have not already done so. After that you have the old timers to pick from.

Draft Watch

Art Carmody 5-8, 165 Louiville

Thats about it. He is the most consitant K coming out that I know of at this time.

P
Steve Weatherford - 24

Love this kid. He seems to get better each year. Just work on the coffin corner kicks PLEASE. For those who do not know what that is, kicking it inside the 10. Lost art in the NFL. I can remember when it was inside the 5. So that is what i go by as good. Inside the 5. If he can get that part down he may just retire a Saint. That will be key when the offense is clicking. Because we do not have a kicker that can make 40 to 50 yarders with a percentage. Sean can not live with going for it on 4th down in this part of the field. It will bite us in the butt one day. So thats were Steve needs to get his game better and become a defensive weapon pining them deep, I mean really deep when we turn the ball over.

So we have big issues that we hope can be solved internal.
Yes I watch way to much football. Thank god for the guy who invented PIP.