Aftermath Commentary
 

how bout all relevant commentary today about the Brees here-

With the signing of free agent QB Drew Brees yesterday, New Orleans, which has the second pick overall this year, has a whole new set of draft options. New Orleans had been expected to use the pick to select Southern Cal QB Matt Leinart. In fact, the Saints still won’t rule out taking Leinart at that spot, however, given their myriad of needs at other positions taking the former Trojan QB, even with Brees somewhat questionable health status after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery would appear to be a luxury the Saints really can’t afford. As such look for the Saints to use the pick on either North Carolina State DE Mario Williams or perhaps Virginia OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson. The Saints may also very well try and drop down a few spots, although we suspect that the player they really want is NC State’s Williams so they won’t want to move all that far. One thing the Saints may try to do is flip the 2-3 picks with Tennessee or the 2-4 picks with the Jets. Both Tennessee and the Jets are both thought to be intrigued by USC’s Leinart and might be enticed into something of a bidding war for the right to move up to the second pick. Indeed, figure that the Saints musings about still selecting a QB with the #2 pick even with Brees under contract, may be just some of that good ol’ NFL pre-draft smoke. Tennessee, for example, would be far less inclined to move up a spot if they were pretty certain that Leinart was going to slip to them anyway. The Saints, though, would have to be careful about making that deal with the Jets as Tennessee might scoop them and grab Williams for themselves if Leinart wasn’t available.
The draft starts here; Part Deux… The Saints acquisition of Brees may also have put an end to any realistic hopes that Houston had about trading out of the #1 pick. There have been some very quiet rumblings coming out of Houston that the Texans would really prefer to trade down a few spots and take NC State’s Mario Williams rather than use the pick on Southern Cal RB Reggie Bush. As intriguing a talent Bush is, RB is actually one position where the Texans are already reasonably well-fortified. However, with New Orleans now poised to take Williams themselves with the second pick, the Texans will no longer be able move down and still get the former Wolfpack star. Indeed, it says here – and again we are just speculating – that a time may come when the Texans actually seriously consider passing on Bush and taking Williams with the #1 pick outright.
-gbnreport.com

i never did and still don't believe the texans were taking bush.........
look at the sheet n.o. has stirred.....................smitty

there's another thought... if we could peddle old deuce for a 2nd, we could then flip with the texans probably for just a 2nd (400pt diff). Brees with fresh legged Bush in the dome. yikes, that sounds all too possible. how bout to da colts?

exerpts from the SD union tribune today-

New Orleans paid Brees more than he might otherwise command because of that franchise's extraordinary circumstances and eroding credibility. If the Saints are to recover from Hurricane Katrina, and rebuild their fan base in a smaller New Orleans or some other market, Brees represents the kind of rock-solid character who can provide a firm, new foundation.

He is diligent and dedicated, accomplished and ambitious, supremely confident and mightily motivated. If he is not physically ready to play at a high level by September, the Saints are looking at a longer-term timetable. Circumstances compel them to be more patient than the Chargers, and leave them little choice but to pay a premium to attract attractive players.

Having eaten considerable crow on Brees' account, I am reluctant to rule out his swift return to elite status. Faithful readers may recall a campaign in this space last fall aimed at convincing the Chargers to make a lasting commitment to their “franchise� quarterback.

It's still perplexing that the Chargers did not approach Brees about a multiyear contract before Denver's Gerard Warren landed on his shoulder on New Year's Eve. It's plain that Smith has consistently held a higher opinion of Philip Rivers.

I reserve the right to change this opinion at any time.

This week, it looks like Loomis turned into a real football GM. Not only has he done a great thing for the Saints, but he's put the Saints in the driver's seat for the rest of free agency and the draft.

Any more moves we make in FA are going to force 30 other teams to really think about what we're going to do.

Kudos to Loomis.

True BMG. With one single move we have gone from the team that every year is sifting through B-list players in FA, trying to find somebody to fit in. And then when the draft rolls around, we have so many areas of need and we've usually had bad luck (Jonathan Vilma comes to mind) or a bad spot in the draft that we have been forced into taking the "best available player" and not really fulfilling our needs. Now, we are the team with the options. We have the ability to make solid draft selections. It appears that we will be the ones in the driver's seat forcing the other teams to make the difficult decisions. Looks like our only hard decisions come draft day are going to be something like "Brick or Hawk" or "Hodge or Mangold."

I checked in on Mock drafts that have been updated and keeping us at #2. Here's the score-

D'brick 4
Mario-2
Hawk-1

Deuce ain't going nowhere. He just signed a new deal last year, making him pretty much untradeable for now, unless we wanna take a HUGE cap hit.

Besides, I believe Deuce will be back better than ever this season. I think with no Brooks, a more complicated offense that won't allow defenders to key on his every move, and new coaches that will teach good blocking techniques, Deuce is going to have a monster year.

"Besides, I believe Deuce will be back better than ever this season. I think with no Brooks, a more complicated offense that won't allow defenders to key on his every move, and new coaches that will teach good blocking techniques, Deuce is going to have a monster year."

The Deuce, im going to correct you a bit and substitue conmplicated with complete. A more complete offense. A complete offense is the kind of play that works regardless of whether or not the defense knows it. We also have a guy now who is capable of calling effective audibles and not burning a TO two minutes into the first quater.
that said....

do you guys feel the positivity thats flowing on these boards? thats a beautiful thing.

It's amazing, since Brees was signed this board has been hopping! And most of IS positive, I love it!

I've been busy shopping with the board sponsors....

I've been in the dark so long that I feel like I've just walked out of a movie theatre matinee on a bright summer afternoon.

I'm officially on the sunshine bandwagon.

I reserve the right to deny this request. :D

back to brees,

i didn't know and missed it if it was pointed out before but two points from the press conference i thought were good-

carmichael the qb had been at SD and worked with brees already. brees had great comments about him. he probably was a great inside source in evaluating and influencing the decision to go after him. nothing but positive in that.

payton said i want to win now. i liked that a lot. you certainly do not want to be wreckless in signings and moves like when snyder first bought the skins. but 5 year plans are also no longer viable in the nfl (you'll be fired before then). player movement is so furious that you have to go for it and cope with may come. draft well and do not commit too much or too long to free agents. ty law and mcginnest were integral components of NE success but had to move for example.

adding link to brees foundation here-

http://drewbrees.com/

a lotta stuff under Meet Drew

I have a question. I am not an LSU hater but I'm not really a follower either. Although we've heard all this talkk and seen all the footage on Bush...can you guys fill me in on thisw Addai charachter? All I have heard is that he ran a 4.38 in the 40 or something like that which is awesome for a RB. A little help? I ask because rather than take Bush would it be worth the trouble to trade down...get picks and get him later? Or do we nab Bush if available?

Addai is a pretty good back. He's fast, got good vision, and has good power. However, he's not very big, he's not very good at cutting, and he's had some serious injury problems. I wouldn't mind taking him, but it definitely wouldn't be in the 2nd round...

and he'll be gone by #34

what about michael bennett? signing him would be perfect.

here's some more brees info i got off another board...

I lived in his dorm at Purdue - Wiley and saw him all over the place. Trust me, I'm 6'0 and he is exactly my height. Not tall for a QB but tall enough. Wherever you got your information, it's false unless he shrank recently.

I had the pleasure of watching one of the greatest all-around athletes for his entire college career. The guy did things all the time that left you open-jawed because pocket quarterbacks aren't supposed to play that way. I saw him catch and run with his own batted-down passes on about three ocassions (It was funny to hear the announcer say "Brees, pass complete to...Brees"). I saw him simersault over the line at the endzone on three occassions, twice for just a 2-point conversion. Once he took the ball across the goal line spinning on his axis like you were playing Madden and pressing the triangle button. I saw him extend his whole body out to throw blocks for his running back and take head-first hits against linebackers when he had to scramble. He would occassionally hand the ball off to a receiver or RB and run out to catch a 30-yard pass. And that doesn't scratch the surface - he set every passing record in the Big Ten conference, known for its pass defense, without the help of any future NFL receivers or running backs.

In San Diego, he was drafted to the worst team in the NFL and within 3 years helped turn that franchise around.

You guys are getting an every-down player with the most positive attitude you will ever find in an athlete and whose intangibles are immesurable.

WOW! After reading the post above, I'm getting goose bumps. Somebody pinch me... I can't actually be awake.

his toughness made me wanna compare his fumble-itis to brooks.

brooks lost a fumble every 3.7 games

brees? one lost fumble every 11.8 games

If you want to talk about his just pure athleticism, here's a guy who in high school won a state championship IN TEXAS, won the state MVP award, and then went out and beat Andy Roddick in tennis in the state playoffs.