McCown signs with Lions....This gives me an idea.
 

In a move that likely augurs the imminent departure of starting quarterback Joey Harrington after four disappointing seasons, ESPN.com has learned that the Detroit Lions on Thursday signed unrestricted free agent Josh McCown, who had played his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2371034

You've all heard the blackandgold.net cliche' "if we can get him for cheap", but you're about to hear it again. I wouldn't mind seeing the Saints go after Harrington, but ONLY if he's cut and he would take a significant salary cut from what he was making with the Lions. If the Saints do not draft a QB in the draft, and Brees is definitely going to be our franchise QB, then Harrington would be a nice addition. He's got starting NFL experience and Peyton may be able to get his head straight after that horrific start to his career in Detroit. Comments? Opinions? ******* or Gripes? What do y'all think?

RE: McCown signs with Lions....This gives me an idea.
 

Signing Harrington would signify to the entire league we're NOT drafting Leinart & the pick is open. It may or may not be helpful. Personally I think the team will keep Bouman & chalk up his play to the misserable season the team already was having.

RE: McCown signs with Lions....This gives me an idea.
 

Bouman sucks........ alot.......

Gag, Bouman sucks! The Saints would have a better chance with my left N*t as the backup QB. CUT HIM SOON! Harrington would be a good addition, though it definitaly says we won't draft a qb, unless payton and company aren't going to give AMAC a chance.

Great point BJSim. That would show everybody in the league our hand.

However....
Bouman is asbolutely awful. He just hands down should not be a quarterback in the NFL. He's never done anything, at least not with this team that makes me think he should be making millions of dollars.

Duece, I agree with everyone else's assessment of Bouman, but there will be QB's available in the second round of FA after the draft. Hold on to Bouman until atleast then.

Sim, I completely agree with you there. I say we stay pat on the backup QB situation for now. Hold our hand close to our chest because there are way too many backup quality QBs available for hte entire offseason. Guys like Collins, maybe Ramsey, and others.

Deuce, and possibly even Harrington. I don't think he'll get snapped up. Think of all the QBs on the open market right now:

Collins, Brooks, Feurotte, Ramsey, Harrington, Greise, Fiedler, Wright, Banks, Blake, Detmer...

The list JUST keeps getting longer. There is NO NEED to rush into signing a backup QB or cutting Bouman.

That's true about the available QB situation, but I would have cut Bouman the second after I cut Brooks...

D_it, but then you show your hand, that we're going to be looking for a new #2 QB. You don't cut your #2 guy until you've gotten a new #2. Or hell, after the first round of roster cuts in August if you've got the cap room to hold him.

The only thing they'd be showing is that they won't be drafting a QB......There are a few other positions left in the high part of the round that would keep the other teams guessing.

.....AND it can be a great bargaining tool for us to use that pick to trade down if necessary to teams that are looking to move up for a QB....Who would make the sweeter deal? That works to our advantage.

brees has sold me, i believe he will start the first game. still the injury demands an IF. i think a veteran along the lines of frerotte or banks would be a wise addition. everyone knows they are there for insurance only. even if we did select leinart i think it would be the right move. i think brees contract was structured in such a way to still facilitate the selection of leinart if desired. still, you wouldn't want to throw him to the lions (or whoever it will be) in game one of the season. the design would be to be under brees' tutelage/mentoring. if brees doesn't live up to expectations, you have the annointed replacement ready to roll in a year or two. much like it was in SD in fact. if brees didn't get that injury SD would have been peddling rivers now. all that to say i don't think any veteran acquisition shows any hand. 3 qbs would be fine. again like SD in 2004- brees, rivers, and flutie. i ain't for picking now either.

as far as harrington, i think he will wanna go where there is some opportunity to compete for a starting job no matter what his pay is. and he is still young enough that someone will give him a shot- like the raiders or vikings.

bouman? i dunno how this guy stuck around so long. he must hold that clipboard fantasically. he'll be 34 this year. he threw more passes in those last 3 games than he did in his previous 8 years in the league! the minimum nfl salary is what $477k. let's say it averaged 250k for the 8 years before that. he got more, but if it was just that, then bouman has earned 2.5+ million for throwing 230 passes. over 1K per pass. ROFLMAO! this is killing me as i think of it. he has gotten be thinking it was nice while it lasted. i hope he invested well.

Kelley, did you read the article I posted earlier today about Brees' recovery. He sounds like the hard-working tough-minded QB that we've been missing for so long.

oh yeah, i am sold on him having all the intangibles that have been missing at QB here for longer than i want to remember.

..before you crucify Boumann, remember that he hardly threw a pass in practice with anyone other than the scout team for 3 years until he got thrown into the debacle that were the 2005 Saints.

not crucifixtion but maybe a light flogging. he is what he is, a professional clipboard and kick holder. i'm just laughing that to earn maybe $3 million in the last 9 years for just being a practice guy never having to take real game hits ain't too bad, maybe better than kicking. the point of keeping a veteran backup for several years is that he will be game ready when and if the opportunity arises. sure the team was dreadful but he contributed his fair share to the disaster when he the team was given to him. plus, he has looked awful even in his preseason appearances. no good riddance to him like Smiley, more of a chuckle remembering him as another of Haslett's wrong turns.