DT is what we need
 

the important issue of a tight end and safety have been taken care of but to me it seems that the moral of a team will go down if you cant stop the run, or if you cant get pressure on the qb then your cb's and safetys will get picked apart. Im just wondering if you guys are also worried about the DT spot becuase that is the biggest hole to fill, and with hand there i dont think the job will get done. To me the saints have to be focusing on the defense of line. tell me what you guys think

DT is what we need
 

I have questions as to whether or not one will be taken in the 1st round, but have no doubt that we will pick one in the 2nd. Keep in mind that this is one of the deepest drafts we\'ve ever seen at that position, so we could see a starter drafted in the 2nd round, easy.

DT is what we need
 

I agree completely B&B. A DT WILL be drafted at some point. Frankly, I\'d like to see them make a move for Trufant. If Bailey and Henderson are around I don\'t know how you pass on one of those guys. To me, LB is still just as big a need as DT. But, I agree with B&B... I\'d be amazed if a DT isn\'t taken in the draft.

DT is what we need
 

I believe Kenny Smith is ready to start

DT is what we need
 

DT is the biggest need right now in my mind and I would be surprised if they don\'t draft one of the big guys in the first round. Even if they trade up it should be for a DT (and didn\'t I read somewhere that\'s Haslett\'s thinking too?). I\'d be happy with either Joseph or Robertson, Haslett apparently likes Dewayne Robertson a little better - he has been at both of their Pro Days I believe. And I found the half-quote:
\"The New Orleans Saints are yet another team that will be exploring moving up on Draft Day for a shot at Kentucky DT Dewyane Robertson, possibly the hottest name in draft circles right now. Haslett said he would like to come out of round one with a cornerback but Robertson was the one player he would trade up for.\"

However I think it is quite unlikely we will get Robertson as his stock has risen so high in recent weeks that most people don\'t see him last beyond the 7th pick. The teams in the top 6 will be asking a high price for their pick which the Saints probably won\'t (and shouldn\'t) pay.
I don\'t see Bailey still waiting to be picked at #17, but Henderson may still be available. Newman and Trufant will be gone, there\'s no other CB worthy of our picks in the first round. Maybe Henderson and an impact DT (at least 5 are available ...)? Picks #17 and #18 still look very pretty to me and I don\'t really feel the need to move up unless some team in the Top 6 wants to make a dumb-ass trade (for example #17 and Hand for #6 - okay, not gonna happen).

DT is what we need
 

I think there\'s a possibility the Saints could move up the five or so spots they probably need to get Trufant by dealing a first and third... that\'s the only move up I think they should consider. I like the idea of a DT in round one... I just think with Henderson or Bailey around when they pick, you get greater value by picking one of them. I mean, the top OLB or top MLB are worth more, in my mind, than the fourth or fifth DT... especially when you can pick the sixth DT in the second round.

DT is what we need
 

Why not go LB and DT in the first round and CB in the second? You seem to be implying that the Saints HAVE TO draft a CB in the first.
By the way: I think it\'s very unlikely they\'ll trade up for Trufant.
So what if Trufant and Newman are gone? Would you pick the #3 CB over the #5 DT?

DT is what we need
 

Haslett has said that he plans to keep #17 & #18 for cap reasons. You pick too high in the draft and you spend more money. There will still be good talent in the middle of the first round so stick to #17 & #18.
I\'m with whodat on a free agent DT. At least Woolfolk or Weathersby will available and so should Henderson or Bailey.

DT is what we need
 

The Saints don\'t HAVE to have a CB - but the value is better b/c the corner position isn\'t nearly as deep as the DT position. I know what Haslett said about trading up... but I think they would be willing to give up a 1st and 3rd to move up a few spots to get Trufant. Maybe I\'m nuts, but I think that they would do it. Haslett wants a corner who can come in now and play... not a project. If they don\'t move up, then I expect a LB and DT... they might grab a corner, but I bet it will be later. They\'ll go with what they\'ve got this year and look for a corner as the big position they need to fill next season in free agency... probably along with MLB when Ruff doesn\'t pan out... ;)

DT is what we need
 

see to me the DT position is most import becuase i dont care if you have the best corner backs in the league playing on your team, if you dont have a decent DT with the other team running all over you you cant win games. i say we trade up and get the best DT possible no matter what it costs,

DT is what we need
 

I\'ve heard a ton of BS coming from different clubs. Clubs trying to better their position in the draft. Some players that weren\'t initially thought to be as good as others at their position are surrounded by hype, alot of it unfounded. Others, who were thought of as being sure picks are getting negative responses, once again, unfounded rumors. It happens every year. It\'s the chess match we affectionately refer to as \"The NFL Draft\".
Fact is, there are two CB\'s in this draft that will start their first year. There are seven at DT. I\'d say of those seven, five have the potential to make impacts. But, DT is the easiest position to adjust to going from college to NFL ball.
I don\'t really care as much, as long as the first three picks go towards DT, LB, and CB. Whether they take Trufant and Bailey, then take Warren or Long in the 2nd round, or Kennedy, Henderson, and Weathersby/Woolfolk in the 2nd round. I will say this, if they do take a LB and a DT in the 1st, and wait to take a CB in the 2nd, don\'t expect that CB to start unless he has a spectacular camp. He will be another project that will be on the sidelines this coming year. The option to take a CB and LB in the 1st, and a DT in the 2nd, gives us potentially three starters their first year out of college. Or hell, we could take Trufant and Robertson in the 1st, and Hayes/James in the 2nd, and I\'d say Hayes or James could potentially start, in my opinion, we are weak at LB, unless Allen wants to prove me wrong this coming year.

DT is what we need
 

I\'d take 2dts if possible. We need constant pressure, run plays, pass plays any play, pressure.

DT is what we need
 

Again, I agree with B&B. You guys want a DT who can start and play better than Hand or Jackson. Me too. You can find that in the second round. What you cannot find in the second round, in my mind, is a corner who will come in and beat out Carter, Thomas, Ambrose, or Craver. You SHOULD be able to find a CB in the first round that can start at some point in the season.

PS - stopping the run is overrated. I probably just dropped a 1000 points on some of your intelligence meters, but consider... Only one team with a top 10 runningback went to the playoffs last year. The playoff teams from a year ago ON AVERAGE had a runningback ranked 20th or lower, and a Quarterback in the top 10 or 15. Think back to all the Saints losses. How many teams really beat us on the ground? Cinci, but you have to hope that\'s the kind of fluke that will never happen again. Atlanta... but the best two DTs in the draft aren\'t going to stop Vick. The Browns, Vikings, even Detroit beats us in the air.

While I do think that we need to be able to stop the run better, I\'m more concerned with value. Like B&B said, we can find three starters if we take a CB and LB in round one and a DT in round two. I\'m doubtful that statement hold true if you change that order around.

DT is what we need
 

PS - last year we were 19th against the run and 28th against the pass. Pass defense is a bigger concern... especially with our offense. When the team you\'re playing is scoring 30 a game you can\'t exactly afford to run 3 yard off tackles and draws. You have to push the ball down the field and you do that with your passing game. Plus, with the west coast offense being so popular, more and more teams are looking to short dump passes to replace a running game (a la the Oakland Raiders)

DT is what we need
 

you guys make some great points and i think the real disagreement is weather or not you guys have confidence in our current cb\'s and to me i think we really dont have that big of a problem, not only am i worried about stoping the run but also, like whodat pointed out, we are getting beat by the short dump offs then the big play going down the field, and i think we can stop that if we get a dominant pass rush. look at tampa, they had rice and sapp in the quater backs face all day and look how good vick or basically any other qb did. in fact only brooks had success. Basically what im saying is have alot confidence in ambrose, carter, craver, thomas than yall do but absolutly non in our defense of line,

DT is what we need
 

I have \"a little\" confidence in our secondary now after picking up Tebucky. I also have faith in our defensive line....if we\'re talking about the end position. DT? The only person I have confidence in to be a consistent player is Kenny Smith. I think that kid is ready to go. Chase is no more than a 3rd or even 4th guy, and Hand and Jackson can\'t lay off the cajun food. I\'d hate to see one of them had a laceration because gravy would probably pour out instead of blood. J/K. I do think we need a DT in the draft, along with a linebacker, and a corner, but I guess we\'ll all see what happens come next Saturday.

DT is what we need
 

Stopping the run is not overrated. if teams stopped Duece, we would not have won the few game we did. When you can stop the run it helps the dbs focus on pass. DBS are better when the DL is clogging up and putting pressure on things.

I don\'t know if anybody is out there to replace Norman and Grady but there are a few good ones out there to give Norman and Grady a rest without slowing down.

DT is what we need
 

I agree with a stud DT as the biggest priority closely followed by a stud MLB. Last year the poor play of the DB\'s was in part attributed to the QB feeling to comfortable in the pocket. The Saints have some good CB on the team right now and if they get pressure on the QB then those CB\'s play could easily be ugraded. .

I am not on board with the idea of giving up picks this year to grab one of the TWO power CB\'s. Not with 2-3 good second tier CB\'s available in round 2 and the possibility of getting a shut down corner through FA next year.

DT is what we need
 

Excellent forum - you guys know your football.

For what it\'s worth, I\'m worried about trading up - I just don\'t think any -any- talent in this draft is worth 2 middle-round first round picks. Especially when so many hopefuls in the draft go bust. So I hope they take best defensive talent available with 17 and 18. So in my mind, keeping in mind the order people look to be going in this draft, that\'d lead me to believe linebacker and corner in the first, defensive tackle in the second.

DT is what we need
 

I absolutly agree with not trading both 1 rounders becuase of the deep DT pool in the draft, but i would like us to trade a 1st and 3rd or maybe a 1st and 2nd if we know we are going to get a dominating player from the start. the only problem with that is we wont have a high enough pick for a good LB and I want to know why you guys aren\'t confident with with our cb/safety\'s, i know they are getting old, ARe you guys just trying to get somebody new, let me know what you guys think :question:

DT is what we need
 

Jonathon Suvillan or William Joseph should be available with the 17th pick. They are the type of DT we are looking for, so it should be a no-brainer. Of course until this past Monday, I thought having no brains were part of the Saints problems. I am very happy with the Saints moves this off-season. Lets hope Ambrose is still a yop cover corner, Ruff with Allen and Hodge form a special group of LB\'s and that Jones and Mitchell clean all the mistakes.

DT is what we need
 

It depends on several factors. Carter is our #1 CB at the moment, but that could change the minute he picks up a bottle or reinjures himself. I got a good look at him last year, the few games he played, and I will be honest, if he stays clean and healthy, he is fun to watch and showed flashes of brilliance. But those are some big \"if\'s\". Worst case scenario, Carter is out, Ambrose must step up to the #1 spot. Don\'t get me wrong, Ambrose is a good corner, he\'s a GREAT #2, but he\'s only a decent #1. You want a 32 year old, 5-10\" CB who\'s best year was 4 years ago to be covering the likes of Harrison, Price, Johnson, Toomer, and Smith? I don\'t. And if Ambrose moves into the #1 spot, who\'s going to cover the #2? Thomas most likely, Craver if he moves up the depth chart. This is the reason I have a hard-on for drafting one of the top TWO CB\'s.

DT is what we need
 

alright B and B lets say do what you say, which i think is a good idea, where would we come up with the DT, i mean would we have the draft pick and capability of nabbing somebody who can play, because i agree with you on the uncertainty of the cb position , i still feel that our cb are maybe a little above par or par, but our DT position is well under par. I agree with you on the cb position if we still have the chance of getting the DT, but that the problem, if we waste so much on a prize corner , then whats lets for a sure dominating DT

DT is what we need
 

Everyone has jumped on this, \"We must draft a DT in the 1st round!!!!!\" bandwagon. My stock on these boards is going to drop by saying this, but I really don\'t care. We HAVE proven talent at DT right now, it\'s just been a couple of years since we\'ve seen anything from them, and memories tend to wane when they put up a substandard season. Our starters, Jackson and Hand, are both 30 years old. This should be their prime years. Let me remind you of some things that have happened in the past. In 2000, Jackson had 68 tackles, 8 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. The year after he had 69 tackles and 4 sacks. Last year he had 43 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Those 1st two years are some pretty good numbers. What happened last year? Only thing that changed was he was playing in Black and Gold, not Black and Silver. Hand in 2000 had 54 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Then his tackles drop off into the 30\'s during 2001 and 2002. Those numbers suck, you say. Let\'s see how they compare to other DT\'s in the league:
Warren Sapp: 47 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble (damn, Jackson had a better year in 2000, perhaps Tampa should start looking to draft a DT in the 2nd round because I think Sapp is done for)
LaRoi Glover: 50 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles (phew, another player on the downside, thank God we let him go)
Bryant Young: 36 tackles, 2 sacks, 0 forced fumbles (and this guy went to the pro bowl???)
Richard Seymour: 56 tackles, 6 sacks, and 0 forced fumbles (now we\'re talking)
Gary Walker: 52 tackles, 7 sacks, and 1 forced fumble (ditto)
\"But...but...but B&B, tackles, sacks, and forced fumbles aren\'t everything when it comes to the DT position.\" Good point. It\'s nice when they get a tackle or sack, but the main goal for the DT is to be such a force inside that they are double and triple teamed, as to allow the DE to rack up the sack/tackle totals. Hello Hand, year 2000. I\'m not sure if people remember this or not, but that year Hand played like he was angry. We taped every game and watched them a few times to analyze players by position (yeah, we dorked out), and he WAS the dominant force on the inside. I\'ve seen him give three players all at one time, fits. He did it in 2001 as well, just not as often. Against the Rams, I\'ll never forget this, he would consistently grab an OL, one in each hand, and drive them back towards Warner. He never got to Warner, but it flustered Kurt enough to make mistakes.
\"Well, B&B, if their play has degenrated, why do you think this position is not our greatest need???\" Our conditioning program sucked in the past. It allowed the \"lunch bunch\" to become the \"fatass lunch bunch\". Where else are you going to find some of the best food in the world, but New Orleans? They fell victim to this, got out of shape, and their play has suffered for it. Big men gotta eat! But this new guy (the name escapes me) is being compared to a drill sergeant. Can he whip them into shape? God I hope so. But if our conditioning program is not fixed, I fear that we may draft a DT in the 1st, only to have him fall into the same problems that Jackson and Hand have after a couple of years in the Big Easy. Then we\'ll be having these discussions all over again.

DT is what we need
 

Good post B@B, I too think we haven\'t seen the best Jackson and Hand can be. I think it will be hard to get a rookie to play the way these guys are capable of playing. I also think Ambrose will be a big pick up for the Backfield, as I said before, he may have lost a step in speed but he won\'t make mistakes that a rookie will make.
Ok so you ask where is our problem on defense? To me it\'s at the linebacker spot. We had a proven outside linebacker playing inside and at the end of the season we had rookies trying to play when they were not ready. We had our best corner that couldn\'t even play till the middle of the season. Then he comes into a new defense with no time to catch on to how it\'s supposed to play.We had our other CB play several games with a cast on his hand. I know this all sounds trivial to some but when you put it all together it\'s cause for a mess on the defensive side of the ball.
The one person in this years draft I think can have an imediate impact on this team is Boss Bailey. This guy reminds me of some of our old time linebackers like Rickey Jackson. He also brings something else to the table, called Champ Bailey, these guys have always tried to be on the same team. Champ will be a free agent after this year. I\'d love to see these two on the field at the same time for us. If we can pull this off, the year of 2004 can be the big year we all need and want to see for our Saints. I also think our defense will be much better this year with the pickups we\'ve made in the off season this year.
One last thing, I know I said it before but I think it\'s time to look for a QB that can perhaps be the QB of the future just in case something happens to AB. This years QB draft is very strong. If we can still get a good QB in the later rounds, I\'d go for it.

DT is what we need
 

you guys are not giving Ruff enough credit, he\'s no superstar but he has speed and experience, behind a good line he is more than adequete, the only LB worth a first round pick this year is Bailey(please god let him fall to us), Henderson is too slow to play coverage or anything to the outside and with a bad line he falls victim to guards moving downfield to block, there are four guys worthy of us trading up to get: Newman Trufant Robertson Kennedy, one of these four is bound to fall to the 7-9 picks which is where ths saints would move up to if they were going to, best case scenario: we move up get one of those 4, take bailey or top 5 DT (if we got one of the corners) with the other first rounder, if bailey and DT\'s gone trade down and recoup some picks, take best talent rest of the draft, our secondary has been upgraded enough to get us through this season, i just feel that our hole at DT is more important than LB, who wants to spend another whole season to see if Hand and Jackson can pull their heads and whatever other objects out of their asses

DT is what we need
 

I agree with BB, I think Hand and Grady can get in shape and do well this year. We really need a strong secondary. Defidently get Bailey if we can but I strongly doubt he will fall to 17. Otherwise get the best corner and linebacker. We really need depth at corner especially after what happened last year. If carter gets hurt or suspended we will be hurting. Plus I agree that we can find atleast some competition for the DT spot in the second round. Also we can pull Bradie James too, and I like AB (sometimes) but I like the idea of getting a quarterback in the draft, lots of good ones that will go late.

DT is what we need
 

First of all i dont think we need a quarter back, Aaron Brooks to me is a provin leader, and Bouman is as good as some of the starters, watch during the preseason , hell show you some things,

now to B and B, i agree with you on Hands capability and i have never doubted grady\'s but this is what im thinking about

(A) We draft a DT that can make a difference because our corner backs i believe are alright and then we address the linebacker issue, this puts us as a sure contender. Our corner backs are old but have experience, our D-line is pretty good and we good good younge Line backers with a pair of dominating safety, (I think mel Mitchel is going to be so good

(B) We do what you say and draft top corner back, address the line backer issue, and pick up a late DT. now if hand plays to his potential the saints with the safety and corner back and line backers will be rocking, but what if Hand does not produce and has another dud season, to me that is such a vital position, our team suffered so much with not stoping the run and giving pressure, (partly becuase our corners gave up the big play) But am i giving the DT position to much importance :question:

DT is what we need
 

PS - i also feel that an NFL player should have the dicipline to control his weight, I mean if your job is to run around knockpeople down and chase down some of the fastest guy on the planet, its just common sense you dont pork up to 500 pounds, i dont really know the hole story with the strengh and conditioning but a player should know what his playing weigh is, or alcohol level in certian cases :P

DT is what we need
 

oh yea i agree with Lord of Entropy, some of you guys know your stuff and are pretty convincing, i thought i knew alot but some of you guys are putting me to shame. Just glad to know im not the only Die Heart out there

DT is what we need
 

You\'re talking about a best case scenario, that reinforces your case. I can come up with all kinds of scenarios all day long, but let\'s look at facts.

DE- Grant and Howard. Howard has proven his worth in the past. Time for Grant to step up, start every game, and prove why he was selected in the 1st round. Could be as good as Howard, but I doubt it. What he will accomplish is, the better he gets, the better Howard will be. Look for the Saints to draft a DE mid to late rounds, as we have no depth at this position.
DT- Hand and Jackson. Both have proven they can be effective in the past. With the addition of a drill seargant in strength and conditioning, this could remedy the poor play by these two from the past couple of years. We have depth with Chase and Smith. If Smith, who has only played for only 2 years, feels as if he can step up and challenge one of the starting positions, then we\'re even better at this position. Depending on what occurs in the draft, will determine whether Hand is cut outright or has his contract restructured.
LB- Allen, Ruff/Smith, Hodge- This is the year for Hodge to either play up to his potential or pack his bags. Allen is well thought of by the team, so I have nothing at this moment, as I haven\'t seen him play too often. Don\'t get me started on Ruff/Smith.
CB- As of right now, our starters are Carter and Ambrose. If you think about it, this whole teams fate will fall on Carter, especially if they do not select a CB in the 1st round. There is not another player that will have a greater effect on our success on defense. If he stays clean and healthy, I believe he will put together a highlight film in one year and lead this team through the playoffs. If he drinks and gets suspended, or re-injures himself, or his play begins to suffer due to his age, then we might be scrambling to fill his spot. Ambrose- why we let you go a few years back is beyond me. The great thing about Ambrose is he is consistent- never any controversy, he goes to work and does his job. He\'s always going to give you 45-55 tackles a year with a handful of interceptions. He knows the adjustments he must make to cover different recievers in the league. And he\'s got a good work ethic. Depth at CB is Craver (who could develop into a Ambrose clone, but that\'s it, and that\'s not good enough to be your shutdown corner) and Fred Thomas, who is an over-achiever, and who flies around the ball. Despite being an over-achiever, it is still not enough to make you good enough for the #2 position.
S Enough talk about TJ has been done on this board to fill a book. Mitchell, I\'ve always liked, and am excited that this will be his year to step up and start for this team. With Knight gone, he is our heavy hitter. Depth- Bellamy.
This is total of what I know. Do I know whether or not Chase and Hand will re-live their glory days? No more than I know whether or not Carter will stay clean and healthy. But reviewing what I know, and unless some new info is out there that I don\'t know about, I\'ll stick to my guns on CB and LB being the primary focus of this draft, over any other position. But with this draft being so weak at LB, we may not have the opportunity until the 2nd round.

PS- You\'d think that an NFL player could control his weight, but sometimes it doesn\'t happen, especially in a city that has the GREATEST food on earth. Oh, and pray that we DON\'T draft Kennedy this year- you think Hand has a problem with eating, Kennedy could balloon to 400lbs, he\'s done it in the past.

DT is what we need
 

Good posts B&B. And I\'m not just saying that because of the cool tag that you have at the end if your posts.
We all know that this defense full of maybe\'s. I think that the most promising maybe of the three (cb\'s, dt\'s, lb\'s) is cb. But the Saints are not very deep in that position. The lb\'s are a big question. And there are so many good dt\'s to choose from in this draft that they can wait. It just seems to make the most sense to take a cb and lb in the first round and get a dt in the second. Of course that would depend on what players are available to us by #17. If we keep the current picks of 17 and 18 we wont get Boss. I\'m pretty sure that the Rams will get him.
I am confident that this team will be better than last year. But ALL of the teams in the NFC South have made good decisions in free agency to become better.
The Saints may be better on offense now with their new tight end. The special teams may be even better this year if they implement TJ. I just hope that Venturi becomes an artist with this defense and makes something special out of it. If not, Haslett should do what Fassel did last year to try and correct it by making the decisions on plays himself. That would tell us a few things:1.That he\'s willing to drive the car when Venturi is falling asleep at the wheel. Assuming total responsibility of the defense would show people that he\'s willing to either fail or correct the straying vehicle. His character would be on the line. So would his job. 2. To show the players that it\'s time to step up by leadership. Would players become upset? Maybe. Would they stop trying as a result of this? Probably not. They\'ve got alot of people watching them. Other teams, other players, families.. They know that future money is a consideration that\'s based on their behavior (if they wouldn\'t do it simply for their pride.)
All of this is just maybe\'s. Maybe they\'ll have the best defense of all time on the field this season. I hope so.

DT is what we need
 

I will say this....we should have some decent defensive speed out there this year. Last year we lacked that in the secondary until Dale Carter returned. Bellamy and Knight were not quick back there and neither was Ken Irvin. We will field Mitchell and Jones who both upgrade the secondary speed as will a healthy Dale Carter. If we get another young corner it will help as well. If Allen starts, he is quicker than Darrin Smith on the outside. Here\'s hoping we can draft either Henderson or Bailey to add some promise if not only depth to an unproven linebacker group.

DT is what we need
 

DT is what we need
 

Did you draw a blank, lilbutch? :P