Payton: We’re not the same old Saints

SaintFanInATLHELL · 01-02-2008, 02:11 AM

Unfortunately Payton makes a statement in this piece that belies the title:

Payton said he’d like to bring add some young players to the defense, but “I’m not talking about wholesale changes.”

The defense needs to be completely blown up and rebuilt. So if you're not talking about wholesale changes, then you are in fact limiting yourself to mediocrity.

Last year the offense was completely rebuilt. Brees, Bush, Colston, Faine were all brought in. Stinchcomb hit the field, and Evans was drafted and installed on the offensive line. A complete rebuild of talent and scheme. 32+ games later, the offense is considered one of the best in the league.

The defense needs the same extreme makeover. Bring in a couple of big time talented free agents, the equivalent of Brees on the defense. Draft a impact defensive player in the #10 spot. Someone who is ready to hit the field and be an impact player in this league. A linebacker like Willis last draft or Hawk the draft before. Change the defensive game plan to something that works. Change the coaches. Blow it up and start over.

But I fear that with Payton's statement above it isn't going to happen. And that's sad to see because without a solid talented defense to back up the masterpiece of an offense that we've put together, the Saints will forever be a .500 team that will never reach the promised land.

SFIAH

hagan714 · 01-02-2008, 04:35 AM

agree more with:

Payton said he’d like to bring add some young players to the defense, but “I’m not talking about wholesale changes.”

We gutted alot of the defense already. I like the backups we have as starters right now to go back to being our backups. They are almost all new faces. So now we need to invest money and picks on the defense to get the starters in place. Do not loose the players that now the system and understand it that will provide depth on the team. That would be stupid. youth is needed big time.

SaintFanInATLHELL · 01-02-2008, 06:17 AM

Originally Posted by hagan714

agree more with:

Payton said he’d like to bring add some young players to the defense, but “I’m not talking about wholesale changes.”

And as I said previously, I have a big problem with this. This means that Payton does not believe that there's something fundamentally wrong with the defense. Therefore he, and presumably Loomis, will not make the hard decisions necessary to make it better.

We gutted alot of the defense already. I like the backups we have as starters right now to go back to being our backups.

I'm fine with that. Currently there are only 5 starters on our defense:

Grant, Smith, Fujita, MacKenzie (when healthy), and Thomas (when in condition)

So that means we have 6 backups/FA that we need to replace. Note that the entire secondary is on this list since MacKenzie is injured and may not be healthy until late into next season.

This isn't a tweak. This is a major overhaul.

They are almost all new faces. So now we need to invest money and picks on the defense to get the starters in place. Do not loose the players that now the system and understand it that will provide depth on the team. That would be stupid. youth is needed big time.

But this is what I mean when I say we have to blow up the whole thing. We need 11 players out on defense that have the talent, coaching, smarts, and desire to be an elite defense in this league. More than half of our defensive starters from last season fail in more than one of these areas.

They need to be replaced. And not just youth either because while young players may have the talent and desire, it does take time to learn how to play in this league.

We need big time, Pro Bowl caliber free agents, not just the run of the mill guys that the Saints have been picking up over the last couple of years. At minimum one at each level: defensive tackle, MLB, and CB. Coupled with the 5 guys we have already, and backing up with drafted talent, we can turn this defense into one that can propel the Saints into that elite level of team.

SFIAH

bobad · 01-02-2008, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by SaintFanInATLHELL

Unfortunately Payton makes a statement in this piece that belies the title:

The defense needs to be completely blown up and rebuilt. So if you're not talking about wholesale changes, then you are in fact limiting yourself to mediocrity.

SFIAH

Naaaaaah. We just need 3-4 play makers on defense.

Just think if Jason David was 1/2 as good as we thought. It would have made a huge difference in our season.

Admittedly, it's HARD to find 3 or 4 defensive play makers in the NFL. We need help at CB, LB, S, and DL, and that won't be easy to find. But we need to stir the pot as best we can.

01-02-2008, 02:11 AM	#1
SaintFanInATLHELL The Professor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Lithonia, GA Posts: 2,783	Re: Payton: We’re not the same old Saints Unfortunately Payton makes a statement in this piece that belies the title: Payton said he’d like to bring add some young players to the defense, but “I’m not talking about wholesale changes.” The defense needs to be completely blown up and rebuilt. So if you're not talking about wholesale changes, then you are in fact limiting yourself to mediocrity. Last year the offense was completely rebuilt. Brees, Bush, Colston, Faine were all brought in. Stinchcomb hit the field, and Evans was drafted and installed on the offensive line. A complete rebuild of talent and scheme. 32+ games later, the offense is considered one of the best in the league. The defense needs the same extreme makeover. Bring in a couple of big time talented free agents, the equivalent of Brees on the defense. Draft a impact defensive player in the #10 spot. Someone who is ready to hit the field and be an impact player in this league. A linebacker like Willis last draft or Hawk the draft before. Change the defensive game plan to something that works. Change the coaches. Blow it up and start over. But I fear that with Payton's statement above it isn't going to happen. And that's sad to see because without a solid talented defense to back up the masterpiece of an offense that we've put together, the Saints will forever be a .500 team that will never reach the promised land. SFIAH
	Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good.

01-02-2008, 04:35 AM	#2
hagan714 LB Mentallity Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,870 Blog Entries: 68	Re: Payton: We’re not the same old Saints agree more with: Payton said he’d like to bring add some young players to the defense, but “I’m not talking about wholesale changes.” We gutted alot of the defense already. I like the backups we have as starters right now to go back to being our backups. They are almost all new faces. So now we need to invest money and picks on the defense to get the starters in place. Do not loose the players that now the system and understand it that will provide depth on the team. That would be stupid. youth is needed big time.
	"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

01-02-2008, 06:17 AM	#3
SaintFanInATLHELL The Professor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Lithonia, GA Posts: 2,783	Re: Payton: We’re not the same old Saints Originally Posted by hagan714 agree more with: Payton said he’d like to bring add some young players to the defense, but “I’m not talking about wholesale changes.” And as I said previously, I have a big problem with this. This means that Payton does not believe that there's something fundamentally wrong with the defense. Therefore he, and presumably Loomis, will not make the hard decisions necessary to make it better. We gutted alot of the defense already. I like the backups we have as starters right now to go back to being our backups. I'm fine with that. Currently there are only 5 starters on our defense: Grant, Smith, Fujita, MacKenzie (when healthy), and Thomas (when in condition) So that means we have 6 backups/FA that we need to replace. Note that the entire secondary is on this list since MacKenzie is injured and may not be healthy until late into next season. This isn't a tweak. This is a major overhaul. They are almost all new faces. So now we need to invest money and picks on the defense to get the starters in place. Do not loose the players that now the system and understand it that will provide depth on the team. That would be stupid. youth is needed big time. But this is what I mean when I say we have to blow up the whole thing. We need 11 players out on defense that have the talent, coaching, smarts, and desire to be an elite defense in this league. More than half of our defensive starters from last season fail in more than one of these areas. They need to be replaced. And not just youth either because while young players may have the talent and desire, it does take time to learn how to play in this league. We need big time, Pro Bowl caliber free agents, not just the run of the mill guys that the Saints have been picking up over the last couple of years. At minimum one at each level: defensive tackle, MLB, and CB. Coupled with the 5 guys we have already, and backing up with drafted talent, we can turn this defense into one that can propel the Saints into that elite level of team. SFIAH
	Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good.

01-02-2008, 07:53 AM	#4
bobad 100th Post Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 247	Re: Payton: We’re not the same old Saints Originally Posted by SaintFanInATLHELL Unfortunately Payton makes a statement in this piece that belies the title: The defense needs to be completely blown up and rebuilt. So if you're not talking about wholesale changes, then you are in fact limiting yourself to mediocrity. SFIAH Naaaaaah. We just need 3-4 play makers on defense. Just think if Jason David was 1/2 as good as we thought. It would have made a huge difference in our season. Admittedly, it's HARD to find 3 or 4 defensive play makers in the NFL. We need help at CB, LB, S, and DL, and that won't be easy to find. But we need to stir the pot as best we can.
bobad 100th Post Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 247