D_it_up

As some of you may know, I was involved in a mock draft on www.coltfreaks.com representing the Saints. Since the draft has ended, I haven't gone back to the site much. I went back once to thank the moderator for allowing me to participate and that was about it. Just out of curiosity, I went back there tonight to see what was happening in there. Lemme tell ya. That place needs some life breathed into it. There was, however, one post that was made that I'd like to share with you. It really bothered me being a Saints fan, so I just had to reply. I'll share this with y'all as well. Here's what member DLionsFan had to say:

Top 5 Best Drafts:
1.Cincinnati Bengals- Addressed alot of their needs with good players, & Palmer WILL be a special player some day.
2.Detroit Lions-Rogers was a no brainer(they turned down an offer from NE of their 2 #1's & a 2nd rd pick)Boss Bailey was a gift in the 2nd. S Terrance Holt & OT Ben Johnson were good 2nd day picks.
3.Dallas Cowboys- 4 future starters in Newman, Al Johnson, Jason Witten & Bradie James. I hate to admit this cause I still hate the Cowpukes!
4.Jacksonville Jaguars- Solid Draft! Future QB in Leftwich. OG Manuawi in the 3rd, I really like him.
5.Seattle seahawks- Very good draft throughout. Trufant is a steal at 11.
Typical Holmgren Draft.
Also recieving high marks for good Drafts: Tennessee, New England, and with what they had to work with Tampa Bay! Baltimore's Draft was OK but overrated since they gave up a number 1 pick next year. I don't think they are in position to win right now.
Top 5 Worst Drafts:
1.Arizona-self explainatory.
2.Washington
3.New Orleans-What were they smokin'?
4.Chicago-Ditto!
5.Minnesota

Now here is my reply to DLionsFan:

Being a Saints fan, I'll have to step in here on behalf of my team. The Saints knew EXACTLY what they were doing. The Saints have one of the best scouting teams in the NFL. They can really sniff out some talent. Trading their first round picks to Arizona for the man they wanted was a smart move. Jonathan Sullivan was most likely going to be gone when Minnesota selected. That is the guy they coveted right after Dewayne Robertson. Had they kept those two first rounders, then they would have to pay them first round money. Now they only have to pay one first rounder. The ONLY questionable move they made, IMO, was taking Stinchcomb in the 2nd rd. I would've preferred another defenisve player in this spot, but I don't make that call. Switching spots with the Cardinals in the second and also getting a 4th rounder was ingenious. The truly suckered Arizona. Cie Grant is possibly the most intriguing pick of the draft. This guy played cornerback for Ohio St. in 2001 and linebacker last year. He runs a 4.5 40. I think he'll be an awesome special teamer due to his speed, and he'll also be versatile because I think he could adjust eventually to play safety. Melvin Williams was a good choice (even though coming off of injury) at defensive end. He's got good speed on his pass rush and could very well be a good 3rd end for the Saints. There's no way he'll beat out Darren Howard or Charles Grant, but he'll be a more than capable back-up or fill in if one of them gets hurt. The wide receivers drafted in the 6th and 7th rounds were both rated much higher than they went. Talman Gardner was a complete steal. Teams only shyed away from him due to his off-field problems with the law. All he got was a year of probation and a lot of community service. Montrae Holland could've been the biggest steal of them all. He is a madman of an offensive lineman who I believe could start in his rookie season. He was also rated much higher on many people's boards than 4th rd. All in all, I give the Saints a B-grade for their draft, and many "experts" did as well. I've yet to see anyone give them less than a B-minus. Saying they had a bad draft when not knowing all the information about the players and the moitifs behind the moves is pretty naive. And I noticed you didn't add any information about WHY you thought they had a bad draft. Let's see if you have an argument for your comment. I'm DYING to hear it. Or maybe it's just something I'm smoking.

End of Reply

Now I know we as Saints fans weren't exactly "thrilled" with the draft, but c'mon. One of the top 5 worst in the NFL? Not even close. Not only did he not post anything about why he thought the Saints had a bad draft, he didn't about any other team, either. This is why I challenged him to make a reply. If and when he does, I'll make sure to post his argument to see if he can back it up. If there is one thing I learned about this forum here, make sure you can back up your posts with hard cold facts. Whodat! I hope I made you proud! :P