Question for the Forum: Who was the worst Saints player during your lifetime?

[AsylumGuido]

Originally Posted by Crusader

All y'all are making some good points and I might have been okay with Penning taking time to develop if he was drafted in the 4th round or later. But we spent a first rounde on him that so far seems like a complete waste. He needs to get better quick.

I get where you're coming from, but offensive linemen, as you know, are very hard come by and like it or not things are what they are. You don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water. Penning is by no means the first offensive lineman drafted in the first round in this league that wasn't ready to earn the starting gig day one and I'll guarantee you he won't be the last. I think that's just the nature of the beast. To keep the clichés going, you can't hit a homerun if you don't swing the bat and nobody bats 1.000.

[BakoSaint]

Originally Posted by AsylumGuido

I get where you're coming from, but offensive linemen, as you know, are very hard come by and like it or not things are what they are. You don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water. Penning is by no means the first offensive lineman drafted in the first round in this league that wasn't ready to earn the starting gig day one and I'll guarantee you he won't be the last. I think that's just the nature of the beast. To keep the clichés going, you can't hit a homerun if you don't swing the bat and nobody bats 1.000.

Yeah but so far Penning's performance has not merely been high and outside, its been a pick off to 1st base. Take a swing all you want. It's not that he is not ready to start, its that when asked to fill in as a competent backup he can't hold Landon Young's jock and is like a well lubed turnstile on the field. He is not rookie Ruiz bad, he is rookie Baptiste bad.

Good offensive linemen are hard to come by. Just any offensive lineman are not. Most offensive linemen from Tulane go undrafted every year. Many offensive lineman are cut from every roster at the end of training camp. What Trevor Penning has not shown in 2 years is that he is one of the best 9-10 offensive lineman we could keep on our roster if not for his fully guaranteed contract. At this point it is more likely Landon Young blossoms into a pro bowler than Penning.

Since offensive lineman are so scarce, I do feel we should draft that position in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th rounds. We need a lot more talent. Penning is likely not it. If some dumb team would trade a 3rd or 4th for Penning, which I doubt, we could perhaps find the next Armstead or Evans.