Saints sign Polley and Foreman!

spkb25 · 06-03-2006, 02:32 PM

good to see we signed polley. it is nice to see us have competition at all the positions. should make guys play harder.

SaintsfaninVA · 06-03-2006, 02:59 PM

i was hoping we would get polley all along. now if we can get a decent corner i might soil myself.

TheDeuce · 06-04-2006, 12:13 AM

First of all I just want to go ahead and say that signing Polley is an amazing thing. The following is from a Len Pasquarelli article about a week ago:

His detractors claim Tommy Polley is too soft, but we've always liked the five-year veteran and former second-round draft choice, and can't figure out why he isn't signed. Polley has started, at various points of his career, at all three linebacker spots and has been fairly productive. The critics say he's a "drag-down" tackler and makes a lot of stops three yards upfield, but he's still posted 100 more tackles in four of his five seasons in the league, including a team-best 134 tackles for Baltimore last season.

Awesome. He can play all three positions. That gives us two guys (Polley and Simmons) who can play ILB, and still leave us with enough solid players to fill the outside LB spots. This means our starting LB corps could be Fujita, Simmons, and Polley. That's a humongous upgrade over last year. Then, with Grant, Smith, Hollis Thomas, and Brian Young up front, and McKenzie, Dwight, and Bullocks in the secondary, we have a pretty solid defense. Plus you add Bush and Brees to the offense, WOW. I'm pumped.

Here's Polley's scouting report:

Is disruptive, plays sideline-to-sideline and has a lot of big play potential. Shows great closing speed and is relentless in pursuit. Also has the speed and quickness to shoot interior gaps as a blitzer. Shows good ball skills and is a little bit of a playmaker. However, Polley has durability and consistency concerns. Polley will also have to improve his consistency and leverage at the point of attack. He plays too high in the phone booth and he lets blockers get into his body. He's lanky and plays more like a rush end at times. Does not show a consistent ability to stack at the point of attack and has some trouble disengaging once locked on.

Good speed and athletic ability. I'm not really sure why they say he has such durability concerns if he's posted 100+ tackles in four of his five seasons...

Here's one for Foreman:

He is a solid player that was playing well prior to his injury. He is a player that relies more on his quickness than strength to make plays within their scheme. Shows solid initial quickness and reacts well at the snap. He shows the quickness to beat blockers to spots on the field. He is an active player in pursuit and takes solid angles to the ball. Has the short area quickness to match up with backs coming out of the backfield. He is alert and aware in coverage. He will attack the LOS when asked to blitz, but he is not adept to avoiding blockers and can get washed in-line. He will get out of position running around blocks. He is a player that needs to be protected up front so he can stay free and run to the ball.

At the worst, a solid backup. Could be a good player though.

Overall, I am very happy with these signings. It gives us good depth at LB, and should give us the final piece to our starting LBs. Polley could be a good one along with Simmons and Fujita.

JimBone · 06-04-2006, 02:29 AM

The one thing that scares me though is that we dont have anyone eating up blockers up front to help out our LB's...but we will see how good Gibbs' system really is.

saintswhodi · 06-04-2006, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by JimBone

The one thing that scares me though is that we dont have anyone eating up blockers up front to help out our LB's...but we will see how good Gibbs' system really is.

Scares you and me both. But in years past, we had no space eaters AND no LBs. But even last year we finished middle of the pack in D, with the offense leading the league in turnovers and no spaceeaters, and sub-par LBs. So we should be even more improved by the addition of MUCH better LBs, and an offense that hopefully won't see nearly as many turnovers, even without any true space eaters.

gandhi1007 · 06-04-2006, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by saintswhodi

Originally Posted by JimBone

The one thing that scares me though is that we dont have anyone eating up blockers up front to help out our LB's...but we will see how good Gibbs' system really is.

Scares you and me both. But in years past, we had no space eaters AND no LBs. But even last year we finished middle of the pack in D, with the offense leading the league in turnovers and no spaceeaters, and sub-par LBs. So we should be even more improved by the addition of MUCH better LBs, and an offense that hopefully won't see nearly as many turnovers, even without any true space eaters.

Sully & Thomas will eat up space......on our cap room. They will also eat up just about any meal prepared for them.

saintsrule · 06-04-2006, 11:36 PM

You see, they are getting players, to try to make the team better. Just let them do it. They know how to make the team better.

frankeefrank · 06-06-2006, 12:56 AM

Polley + Foreman + Simmons + Bockwaldt = Flexibility...
I like it.
Throw in Finch, Fujita, and Rabe...
Not bad.
Anyone smell a "Will Smith can now roam" article coming soon?

frankeefrank · 06-06-2006, 12:58 AM

Add-in...
The Broncos employ a system where guys (DL) try to eat up blockers, and let their backers roam. Pittsburgh too.
Not saying we're close to those teams, but if you think about it...
Sending more blitzers than the line can protect is the key to a blitz. We can now keep backers fresh and keep them coming.
The rush will solve our secondary issues.

neugey · 06-06-2006, 11:41 AM

I'm really stoked about these moves. Finally some quality depth at LB. These guys have both been starters in the NFL for 4-5 years, they are proven commodities. Hopefully the FO was able to sign them at a reasonable price. We might even have enough depth for a 3-4 defense now! I think Polley is a lock to nail down a starting spot - remember he was coached by Lovie Smith in St Louis. Jay Foreman is a popular player up here in the midwest, because he's son of Vikings great RB Chuck Foreman, grew up in Minneapolis and had some good seasons at Nebraska. Our LB's are starting to actually look like a proficient, skilled group now.

06-04-2006, 12:13 AM	#23
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928	First of all I just want to go ahead and say that signing Polley is an amazing thing. The following is from a Len Pasquarelli article about a week ago: His detractors claim Tommy Polley is too soft, but we've always liked the five-year veteran and former second-round draft choice, and can't figure out why he isn't signed. Polley has started, at various points of his career, at all three linebacker spots and has been fairly productive. The critics say he's a "drag-down" tackler and makes a lot of stops three yards upfield, but he's still posted 100 more tackles in four of his five seasons in the league, including a team-best 134 tackles for Baltimore last season. Awesome. He can play all three positions. That gives us two guys (Polley and Simmons) who can play ILB, and still leave us with enough solid players to fill the outside LB spots. This means our starting LB corps could be Fujita, Simmons, and Polley. That's a humongous upgrade over last year. Then, with Grant, Smith, Hollis Thomas, and Brian Young up front, and McKenzie, Dwight, and Bullocks in the secondary, we have a pretty solid defense. Plus you add Bush and Brees to the offense, WOW. I'm pumped. Here's Polley's scouting report: Is disruptive, plays sideline-to-sideline and has a lot of big play potential. Shows great closing speed and is relentless in pursuit. Also has the speed and quickness to shoot interior gaps as a blitzer. Shows good ball skills and is a little bit of a playmaker. However, Polley has durability and consistency concerns. Polley will also have to improve his consistency and leverage at the point of attack. He plays too high in the phone booth and he lets blockers get into his body. He's lanky and plays more like a rush end at times. Does not show a consistent ability to stack at the point of attack and has some trouble disengaging once locked on. Good speed and athletic ability. I'm not really sure why they say he has such durability concerns if he's posted 100+ tackles in four of his five seasons... Here's one for Foreman: He is a solid player that was playing well prior to his injury. He is a player that relies more on his quickness than strength to make plays within their scheme. Shows solid initial quickness and reacts well at the snap. He shows the quickness to beat blockers to spots on the field. He is an active player in pursuit and takes solid angles to the ball. Has the short area quickness to match up with backs coming out of the backfield. He is alert and aware in coverage. He will attack the LOS when asked to blitz, but he is not adept to avoiding blockers and can get washed in-line. He will get out of position running around blocks. He is a player that needs to be protected up front so he can stay free and run to the ball. At the worst, a solid backup. Could be a good player though. Overall, I am very happy with these signings. It gives us good depth at LB, and should give us the final piece to our starting LBs. Polley could be a good one along with Simmons and Fujita.
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928

06-04-2006, 02:17 PM	#25
saintswhodi 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 6,941	Originally Posted by JimBone The one thing that scares me though is that we dont have anyone eating up blockers up front to help out our LB's...but we will see how good Gibbs' system really is. Scares you and me both. But in years past, we had no space eaters AND no LBs. But even last year we finished middle of the pack in D, with the offense leading the league in turnovers and no spaceeaters, and sub-par LBs. So we should be even more improved by the addition of MUCH better LBs, and an offense that hopefully won't see nearly as many turnovers, even without any true space eaters.

06-04-2006, 02:22 PM	#26
gandhi1007 Part Time Pimp Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,967	Originally Posted by saintswhodi Originally Posted by JimBone The one thing that scares me though is that we dont have anyone eating up blockers up front to help out our LB's...but we will see how good Gibbs' system really is. Scares you and me both. But in years past, we had no space eaters AND no LBs. But even last year we finished middle of the pack in D, with the offense leading the league in turnovers and no spaceeaters, and sub-par LBs. So we should be even more improved by the addition of MUCH better LBs, and an offense that hopefully won't see nearly as many turnovers, even without any true space eaters. Sully & Thomas will eat up space......on our cap room. They will also eat up just about any meal prepared for them.

06-04-2006, 11:36 PM	#27
saintsrule 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 657	You see, they are getting players, to try to make the team better. Just let them do it. They know how to make the team better.
saintsrule 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 657

06-06-2006, 12:56 AM	#28
frankeefrank 500th Post Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 775	Polley + Foreman + Simmons + Bockwaldt = Flexibility... I like it. Throw in Finch, Fujita, and Rabe... Not bad. Anyone smell a "Will Smith can now roam" article coming soon?
frankeefrank 500th Post Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 775

06-03-2006, 02:32 PM	#21
spkb25 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 13,057	good to see we signed polley. it is nice to see us have competition at all the positions. should make guys play harder.

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06-03-2006, 02:59 PM	#22
SaintsfaninVA Eskimo Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia Posts: 36	i was hoping we would get polley all along. now if we can get a decent corner i might soil myself.

06-04-2006, 02:29 AM	#24
JimBone 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Thibodaux, La Posts: 614	The one thing that scares me though is that we dont have anyone eating up blockers up front to help out our LB's...but we will see how good Gibbs' system really is.

06-06-2006, 12:58 AM	#29
frankeefrank 500th Post Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 775	Add-in... The Broncos employ a system where guys (DL) try to eat up blockers, and let their backers roam. Pittsburgh too. Not saying we're close to those teams, but if you think about it... Sending more blitzers than the line can protect is the key to a blitz. We can now keep backers fresh and keep them coming. The rush will solve our secondary issues.
frankeefrank 500th Post Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 775

06-06-2006, 11:41 AM	#30
neugey Hu Dat! Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,591 Blog Entries: 13	I'm really stoked about these moves. Finally some quality depth at LB. These guys have both been starters in the NFL for 4-5 years, they are proven commodities. Hopefully the FO was able to sign them at a reasonable price. We might even have enough depth for a 3-4 defense now! I think Polley is a lock to nail down a starting spot - remember he was coached by Lovie Smith in St Louis. Jay Foreman is a popular player up here in the midwest, because he's son of Vikings great RB Chuck Foreman, grew up in Minneapolis and had some good seasons at Nebraska. Our LB's are starting to actually look like a proficient, skilled group now.