Finally got a great LB..Danny Clark

hagan714 · 09-07-2006, 05:42 AM

I love it. I am sitting here wondering what this debate would be like if it was Edwards not Clark we signed. Granted Donnie Edwards is probly historically a better LB, but Clark is 4 years younger and he still has 4 yrs of history to go before you can compair the two. Plus it did not cost us a first day draft pick or a player. I call it draw so far, based on this. I say thumbs up.

Okay now the defense in Okland was run on a lot, but look at the division. Denver, KC, San Diego and the Raiders. This division runs over every one. But believe me, he is happy not to be tackling LT, LJ, or facing the Denver ground machine twice a year. Heck the knock on both LB was all the tackles are down field. But in that division that is common. It has been common here in New Orleans too. But it was the Safties doing the tackling.

I think it is a big plus that we went with a LB with 100+ tackles from that division. Our division does not have the running attacks he faced there. We are pass happy by their definition. Clark will have to get use to more of a short passing attack to defend. Give him chance to gets the sytem down he is playing in and those of the division rivals.

So back to the "Great" debate. Ask me after this year. Right now I am happy with good. Do not listen to ESPN (ET) hype and such. Listen to the fans. They all say we got a solid LB and a good person. He is going to be missed in Oakland.

Is all I can say till I see the contract.

stedog22 · 09-07-2006, 08:35 AM

Maybe this doesn't mean much but i'll chiime in with a different perspective on this.....Danny Clark and Kirk Morrison were tied rating wise on Madden 07 at 87 overall. Take that to the bank!

TheDeuce · 09-07-2006, 08:59 AM

Nobody needs to listen to euph, he's senile or something. No one single player could come in and make this team any good. Peyton Manning couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. Ray Lewis in his prime couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. There are too many holes on this squad, holes that will require multiple new/better players to fill them. Brees is a very good quarterback. Great? Maybe not. But he's definitely top 10 in my mind. Peyton Manning is great. I think he is a huge improvement over the crap that we've had for the last 6 years. Is Danny Clark great? Absolutely not. But is he a good linebacker? Yeah, I think so. I think any guy who can rack up over 100 tackles for two consecutive seasons on a really bad defense should be considered good. Perhaps more importantly, do I think that he is an upgrade over our past linebackers? Absolutely. With the loss of Anthony Simmons (who I thought would have solidified our LB corps as being not crappy), signing a guy like Clark is HUGE. We can now line him up with Fujita and Polley/Foreman/somebody else and have a legit LB corps. Payton and the rest of the staff have done a good job of taking an objective look at this roster and deciding what's best for this team, and then acting on that decision. He's added some good players (Brees, Bush, Clark, Fujita, Faine) that should make this team better. With the exception of Bush, in whom the jury is still out until he finishes a full NFL season, none of the players we've gotten are great, but they're all good, and they all make this team better. If Payton continues acquiring solid players like this, I believe we have a core of players (Deuce, Brees, Bush, Joe Horn, Will Smith, Bullocks, Charles Grant) that we can build a playoff team around. Just right now, this team is so bad at spots like the corners, the defensive tackles, one linebacking spot, depth on the OLine, and kicking that it's going to take a little time; but I like the direction this team is moving in, and adding Clark is just another reason to be optimistic.

shackney · 09-07-2006, 10:01 AM

Again...you can debate who is good and who is great, but bring the stats...He has a lot of tackles! He has started a lot more games than most of our guys. Someone said that great means "he will come in and turn our team around"....Are you nuts?... Swilling, Mills, Jackson, Johnson all went to the Pro-Bowl the same year...THEY WERE GREAT! They didn't turn their team around? Barry Sanders didn't turn his team around! Was he great (If you said NO, get the hell out of here right now!) A lot of you think this is an individual sport and it is made up of 11 starters in three phases of the game! Teams are great like the Patriots were great a few years ago...Few stars, a ton of role players. This cat has better stats than big name LB's! He has experience. He will do his part ...He is great. Even if you disagree...He is better than anyone posting on this site at MLB....He is a better pick up than Edwards because Edwards is close to being on the tail end of his career!

TheDeuce · 09-07-2006, 10:17 AM

When was the last time anybody saw a highlight from a Saints LB? I was just wondering

shackney · 09-07-2006, 10:36 AM

I think Mark Fields was the last solid LB we had, but he wasn't like Swilling level or anything! It's been a while!

Euphoria · 09-07-2006, 12:22 PM

you can rack up a ton of tackeles chasing someone down 7 yards down the field... that still doesn't make you great.

GoldRush26 · 09-07-2006, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by TheDeuce

Nobody needs to listen to euph, he's senile or something. No one single player could come in and make this team any good. Peyton Manning couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. Ray Lewis in his prime couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. There are too many holes on this squad, holes that will require multiple new/better players to fill them. Brees is a very good quarterback. Great? Maybe not. But he's definitely top 10 in my mind. Peyton Manning is great. I think he is a huge improvement over the crap that we've had for the last 6 years. Is Danny Clark great? Absolutely not. But is he a good linebacker? Yeah, I think so. I think any guy who can rack up over 100 tackles for two consecutive seasons on a really bad defense should be considered good. Perhaps more importantly, do I think that he is an upgrade over our past linebackers? Absolutely. With the loss of Anthony Simmons (who I thought would have solidified our LB corps as being not crappy), signing a guy like Clark is HUGE. We can now line him up with Fujita and Polley/Foreman/somebody else and have a legit LB corps. Payton and the rest of the staff have done a good job of taking an objective look at this roster and deciding what's best for this team, and then acting on that decision. He's added some good players (Brees, Bush, Clark, Fujita, Faine) that should make this team better. With the exception of Bush, in whom the jury is still out until he finishes a full NFL season, none of the players we've gotten are great, but they're all good, and they all make this team better. If Payton continues acquiring solid players like this, I believe we have a core of players (Deuce, Brees, Bush, Joe Horn, Will Smith, Bullocks, Charles Grant) that we can build a playoff team around. Just right now, this team is so bad at spots like the corners, the defensive tackles, one linebacking spot, depth on the OLine, and kicking that it's going to take a little time; but I like the direction this team is moving in, and adding Clark is just another reason to be optimistic.

Best post so far....proof that there is a balance between the "Danny Clark is great" fans and the "we won't win a game this season" fans. While it hasn't been officially announced, we are in a rebuilding process. It's a work in progress, and this team won't be competitive this year most likely. I don't think we'll be 2-14 like people are saying, but I'm seeing 6-10. Anything better than that would be overachieving. I think our offseason can be even better than this past one, due to stars like Brees and Reggie being here. Free agents would want to play with these guys a lot more than people like Brooks and Stallworth. Like TheDuece said, if we can have one more good offseason, then we may be in position to do some things next year.

papz · 09-07-2006, 05:04 PM

The reason why Clark was let go by Oakland was because he's weak against the pass. They had to insert Morrison in on 3rd downs. Morrison is the more "complete" player with the better upside. I'm not knocking Clark... I like the fact he's solid against the run and is a pretty good linebacker. But, he's far from great.

Lifer · 09-07-2006, 05:26 PM

Nobody picks up "great" players at this time of year. So what? He is a proven starter on two NFL teams. Far better than naythng else we have at this point. He will make the Saints better. That's a good thing.

also....I saw that Atlanta cut Chad Lavalais. Would sure love to see the Saints pick him up if he's still availalbe. Anyone know?

09-07-2006, 08:35 AM	#22
stedog22 Rookie Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 17	Maybe this doesn't mean much but i'll chiime in with a different perspective on this.....Danny Clark and Kirk Morrison were tied rating wise on Madden 07 at 87 overall. Take that to the bank!
stedog22 Rookie Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 17

09-07-2006, 08:59 AM	#23
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928	Nobody needs to listen to euph, he's senile or something. No one single player could come in and make this team any good. Peyton Manning couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. Ray Lewis in his prime couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. There are too many holes on this squad, holes that will require multiple new/better players to fill them. Brees is a very good quarterback. Great? Maybe not. But he's definitely top 10 in my mind. Peyton Manning is great. I think he is a huge improvement over the crap that we've had for the last 6 years. Is Danny Clark great? Absolutely not. But is he a good linebacker? Yeah, I think so. I think any guy who can rack up over 100 tackles for two consecutive seasons on a really bad defense should be considered good. Perhaps more importantly, do I think that he is an upgrade over our past linebackers? Absolutely. With the loss of Anthony Simmons (who I thought would have solidified our LB corps as being not crappy), signing a guy like Clark is HUGE. We can now line him up with Fujita and Polley/Foreman/somebody else and have a legit LB corps. Payton and the rest of the staff have done a good job of taking an objective look at this roster and deciding what's best for this team, and then acting on that decision. He's added some good players (Brees, Bush, Clark, Fujita, Faine) that should make this team better. With the exception of Bush, in whom the jury is still out until he finishes a full NFL season, none of the players we've gotten are great, but they're all good, and they all make this team better. If Payton continues acquiring solid players like this, I believe we have a core of players (Deuce, Brees, Bush, Joe Horn, Will Smith, Bullocks, Charles Grant) that we can build a playoff team around. Just right now, this team is so bad at spots like the corners, the defensive tackles, one linebacking spot, depth on the OLine, and kicking that it's going to take a little time; but I like the direction this team is moving in, and adding Clark is just another reason to be optimistic.
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928

09-07-2006, 10:17 AM	#25
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928	When was the last time anybody saw a highlight from a Saints LB? I was just wondering
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928

09-07-2006, 01:30 PM	#28
GoldRush26 500th Post Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 594	Originally Posted by TheDeuce Nobody needs to listen to euph, he's senile or something. No one single player could come in and make this team any good. Peyton Manning couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. Ray Lewis in his prime couldn't come in here and turn this team into a playoff team. There are too many holes on this squad, holes that will require multiple new/better players to fill them. Brees is a very good quarterback. Great? Maybe not. But he's definitely top 10 in my mind. Peyton Manning is great. I think he is a huge improvement over the crap that we've had for the last 6 years. Is Danny Clark great? Absolutely not. But is he a good linebacker? Yeah, I think so. I think any guy who can rack up over 100 tackles for two consecutive seasons on a really bad defense should be considered good. Perhaps more importantly, do I think that he is an upgrade over our past linebackers? Absolutely. With the loss of Anthony Simmons (who I thought would have solidified our LB corps as being not crappy), signing a guy like Clark is HUGE. We can now line him up with Fujita and Polley/Foreman/somebody else and have a legit LB corps. Payton and the rest of the staff have done a good job of taking an objective look at this roster and deciding what's best for this team, and then acting on that decision. He's added some good players (Brees, Bush, Clark, Fujita, Faine) that should make this team better. With the exception of Bush, in whom the jury is still out until he finishes a full NFL season, none of the players we've gotten are great, but they're all good, and they all make this team better. If Payton continues acquiring solid players like this, I believe we have a core of players (Deuce, Brees, Bush, Joe Horn, Will Smith, Bullocks, Charles Grant) that we can build a playoff team around. Just right now, this team is so bad at spots like the corners, the defensive tackles, one linebacking spot, depth on the OLine, and kicking that it's going to take a little time; but I like the direction this team is moving in, and adding Clark is just another reason to be optimistic. Best post so far....proof that there is a balance between the "Danny Clark is great" fans and the "we won't win a game this season" fans. While it hasn't been officially announced, we are in a rebuilding process. It's a work in progress, and this team won't be competitive this year most likely. I don't think we'll be 2-14 like people are saying, but I'm seeing 6-10. Anything better than that would be overachieving. I think our offseason can be even better than this past one, due to stars like Brees and Reggie being here. Free agents would want to play with these guys a lot more than people like Brooks and Stallworth. Like TheDuece said, if we can have one more good offseason, then we may be in position to do some things next year.
GoldRush26 500th Post Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 594

09-07-2006, 05:26 PM	#30
Lifer Registered Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 69	Nobody picks up "great" players at this time of year. So what? He is a proven starter on two NFL teams. Far better than naythng else we have at this point. He will make the Saints better. That's a good thing. also....I saw that Atlanta cut Chad Lavalais. Would sure love to see the Saints pick him up if he's still availalbe. Anyone know?
Lifer Registered Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 69

09-07-2006, 05:42 AM	#21
hagan714 LB Mentallity Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,870 Blog Entries: 68	I love it. I am sitting here wondering what this debate would be like if it was Edwards not Clark we signed. Granted Donnie Edwards is probly historically a better LB, but Clark is 4 years younger and he still has 4 yrs of history to go before you can compair the two. Plus it did not cost us a first day draft pick or a player. I call it draw so far, based on this. I say thumbs up. Okay now the defense in Okland was run on a lot, but look at the division. Denver, KC, San Diego and the Raiders. This division runs over every one. But believe me, he is happy not to be tackling LT, LJ, or facing the Denver ground machine twice a year. Heck the knock on both LB was all the tackles are down field. But in that division that is common. It has been common here in New Orleans too. But it was the Safties doing the tackling. I think it is a big plus that we went with a LB with 100+ tackles from that division. Our division does not have the running attacks he faced there. We are pass happy by their definition. Clark will have to get use to more of a short passing attack to defend. Give him chance to gets the sytem down he is playing in and those of the division rivals. So back to the "Great" debate. Ask me after this year. Right now I am happy with good. Do not listen to ESPN (ET) hype and such. Listen to the fans. They all say we got a solid LB and a good person. He is going to be missed in Oakland. Is all I can say till I see the contract.

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09-07-2006, 10:01 AM	#24
shackney 100th Post Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: toledo Posts: 219	Again...you can debate who is good and who is great, but bring the stats...He has a lot of tackles! He has started a lot more games than most of our guys. Someone said that great means "he will come in and turn our team around"....Are you nuts?... Swilling, Mills, Jackson, Johnson all went to the Pro-Bowl the same year...THEY WERE GREAT! They didn't turn their team around? Barry Sanders didn't turn his team around! Was he great (If you said NO, get the hell out of here right now!) A lot of you think this is an individual sport and it is made up of 11 starters in three phases of the game! Teams are great like the Patriots were great a few years ago...Few stars, a ton of role players. This cat has better stats than big name LB's! He has experience. He will do his part ...He is great. Even if you disagree...He is better than anyone posting on this site at MLB....He is a better pick up than Edwards because Edwards is close to being on the tail end of his career!

09-07-2006, 10:36 AM	#26
shackney 100th Post Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: toledo Posts: 219	I think Mark Fields was the last solid LB we had, but he wasn't like Swilling level or anything! It's been a while!

09-07-2006, 12:22 PM	#27
Euphoria 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 7,601 Blog Entries: 5	you can rack up a ton of tackeles chasing someone down 7 yards down the field... that still doesn't make you great.

09-07-2006, 05:04 PM	#29
papz Problem? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New Orleans Posts: 11,753	The reason why Clark was let go by Oakland was because he's weak against the pass. They had to insert Morrison in on 3rd downs. Morrison is the more "complete" player with the better upside. I'm not knocking Clark... I like the fact he's solid against the run and is a pretty good linebacker. But, he's far from great.