billybignuts

Name: Jim
Handle: NWARKSaints-Fan
From: Arkansas
Email address: morsejj@hotmail.com

Mike first and foremost you do a wonderful job of covering the Saints and I look forward to your insights on the team. My question is two fold...

Do you feel that this is probably the best team the Saints have ever fielded? And, what are your thoughts regarding the special feeling in the Air about this team's ability to be a serious contender?

Thanks for your time and God Bless you and your family. Jim.



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From: Mike Detillier
To: Jim
Date: 7/1/03

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the nice words..
No question this special teams unit, ( Carney, M.Berger, Michael Lewis and a tremendous coverage unit) are the best this team has ever had and the best in the league, as far as I am concernced. To boot, this team has a super special teams coach in Al Everest.

If QB. Aaron Brook is healthy, this could well be the best offense this team has ever had also. RB. Deuce McAlister is already one of the premier players in this league and the Saints WR unit is one of the best overall in the league. Joe Horn is a Pro-Bowler and I have a strong feeling that Donte' Stallworth will emerge as one of the league's top big-play receivers, if he stays healthy. This guy is on the verge of a break-out year, mark it down..

The TE. position is upgraded also with the addition of Ernie Conwell, who is a heck of a player and maybe he can also light a fire under David Sloan .

The offensive line is good, not great on the edges, like when they had William Roaf and Kyle Turley, but those two guards, LeCharles Bentley ( a Pro-Bowler) and Kendyl Jacox, ( a very good offensive guard, in his own right) are top-flight.

The return of Jerry Fontenot is positive and he is still a very solid and heady player. I don't think that Wayne Gandy is a better player than Kyle Turley, but he is a more positive influence on this group than Kyle was and still a good pass protector.
The battle will be at right tackle in-between Spencer Folau and very talented, but very erratic Victor Riley..

This defensive unit would not rank with any of the N.O. Saints best units. Too many question marks and a ton of young players that have yet to show a lot of consistency, make this unit one to not put in the category of the best this team has had.
All in all, this team has a great amount of talent and unlike many other analysts I really believe this team will be very good and challenge for the NFC South title.

Tampa Bay is still the team to beat, but "strange" things happen to the champs. Check out what happened to New England Baltimore after they won the big prize..
Many people in this league, I am talking about personnel and general manager-type people feel the Saints could really be a tough team, if Jim Haslett can find some playmakers on defense.

The key will be just how quickly Haslett can get this defensive unit to play as a good unit, not a great unit, but a good unit.

Jim, let me say this and I really mean this, that coaching in this league makes the difference late in a season. Jon Gruden deserves great credit for convincing his defensive squad that if they stayed together through a tough stretch on offense early on, he could coach and develop that offense late in the year.

Gruden did just that. He coached that team to a title..

That offense was not great, but they made plays when they had to late and won it all.

In 2001, Bill Belichick had a very good defensive squad, but when QB. Drew Bledsoe went down to an injury, he had to convince that team that a very inexperienced QB. could lead them to the top. Tom Brady, did just that. Bill Belichick could have had all hell break loose when Bledsoe got hurt and was not returned to the starting lineup and they got no production out of WR. Terry Glenn, but it made that squad stronger. He deserves credit for that.

In both cases those coaches and staffs pulled them into a Super Bowl title, by coaching them and maximizing the talent on hand. Jim Haslett and his staff must do that sort of coaching job in 2003. That is the big question mark, especially finishing up strong in 2003.
Take Care.



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