Mickles: Saints roster spots up for grabs

By SHELDON MICKLES
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 23, 2006


With two exhibition games down and two more to go, mercifully, it’s time to take a look at how the New Orleans Saints roster is beginning to shape up.

Of course, some positions have been extremely difficult to get a handle on with a new coach, an entirely new staff and lots of new players during the first three weeks of training camp. Injuries have also been a factor.

In addition, Sean Payton has rotated players in and out with the first and second teams at will throughout the three-week camp just to get a look at how each of them fit in.

He did so again in Monday night’s game with the Dallas Cowboys, starting veteran Jay Bellamy at free safety, second-round draft pick Roman Harper at strong safety and Jay Foreman at middle linebacker in place of Josh Bullocks, Omar Stoutmire and Alfred Fincher, respectively.

The first mandatory roster cut comes Tuesday when the Saints have to trim their 84-man squad to 75 players by 3 p.m. That means at least nine moves have to be made before getting down to the NFL regular-season limit of 53 by Sept. 2.

Trying to predict who’ll be on that final roster is tricky (and the 30-7 loss to the Cowboys didn’t help), considering maybe as many as four or five spots could go to players who might be on someone else’s roster at this moment. Sitting in the second claiming spot to make waiver claims will come in handy when players are discarded.

In the meantime, here is one person’s guess at what the final roster might look like â€â€� not counting injuries and any late additions, of course.

WIDE RECEIVER (6): Joe Horn, Donté Stallworth, Devery Henderson, Chris Horn, Jamal Jones, Marques Colston.

After the top three, this one is really tough to figure out because of the competition this spring and summer for maybe two or three spots. It could just as easily include Mike Hass or Lance Moore, two players who have also been impressive in camp.

TIGHT END (3): Mark Campbell, Ernie Conwell, Zach Hilton.

Campbell and Conwell earn the top two spots because of their blocking skills. Hilton, who many thought would challenge for a starting spot, apparently is still struggling with his blocking.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Jammal Brown, Jamar Nesbit, Jeff Faine, Jahri Evans, Jon Stinchcomb, Jonathan Goodwin, Montrae Holland, Jermane Mayberry, Zach Strief.

The problem here is that there are too many guards, and two of them â€â€� Holland and Mayberry â€â€� have missed a lot of practice time because of nagging injuries. That just may muddle things here.

RUNNING BACK (5): Deuce McAllister, Mike Karney, Reggie Bush, Aaron Stecker, Fred McAfee.

The only real question here is if Payton keeps the 38-year-old McAfee, who can still play special teams at a high level, and use up a roster spot that could go elsewhere or to youngster Jamaal Branch.

QUARTERBACK (3): Drew Brees, Jamie Martin, Adrian McPherson.

McPherson should make the team if he can get back on the field after his run-in with the Tennessee Titans mascot. If his bruised knee doesn’t respond, Todd Bouman may get to stick around.

DEFENSIVE LINE (8): Charles Grant, Brian Young, Hollis Thomas, Will Smith, Tony Bryant, Rob Ninkovich, Rodney Leisle, Willie Whitehead.

This is definitely a spot where the waiver wire will be scrutinized. Whitehead continues to struggle with nagging injuries and Leisle has been out for two weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Saints look around for some help.

LINEBACKER (7): Scott Fujita, Jay Foreman, Colby Bockwoldt, Alfred Fincher, Nate Wayne, Tommy Polley, Terrence Melton.

Like the interior of the defensive line, this is an unsettled position. Fujita appears to be entrenched as the starter on the strongside, but the weakside and middle spots â€â€� and some backups â€â€� need to shake out in the next week or so.

DEFENSIVE BACK (9): Mike McKenzie, Fred Thomas, Josh Bullocks, Omar Stoutmire, Jay Bellamy, Jason Craft, Roman Harper, Bryan Scott, Steve Gleason.

This area is top-heavy with safeties, especially with Gleason included in the bunch. Like McAfee, Gleason is a special teams standout who likely won’t earn a roster spot based on his play at safety. If that’s the case, he could lose out to one of four rookie cornerbacks.

SPECIALISTS (3): John Carney (kicker), Mitch Berger (punter), Kevin Houser (deep snapper).

The only question here is if Berger can return in time from a groin injury that has kept him from punting in training camp. If he can’t return, rookie free agent Steve Weatherford could get the nod for at least the first few weeks of the season â€â€� which would take a roster spot away from another position.