I still remember prior to the season suggesting we go get Randy Moss and everyone was against it. Looking back it was dumb not to get him as Colston was our only reliable target. There is a need at receiver period. Should we not address that problem somehow this offseason... it would be a crime against our offense not addressing that weakness.

I bet this board would be a riot if we took a receiver with one of our first day picks.

You know at the end of the game, the team with the most points win.

The Saints do not yet have the reputation required to secure free agents such as Moss. Moss took a pay cut to go to the Pats so that he could win his elusive championship. So I think that point is moot.

The Saints passing offense was in the top three in passing yards, completion percentage, and attempts. Unfortunately they were also #2 in on target drops.

If the passing offense were 26th in the league and the defense were #3, maybe we could have a different conversation. But as it stands, very little needs to be done to the receiving corps or to the offense in general.

I'd be totally ticked off even if the receiver were all world. The defense sucks. It needs to be improved at all costs.

Absolutely. However when you defense cannot stop the explosive play (of which the Saints were #1 in the league), cannot get off the field on third down (ditto), and make insurance salesmen and rookies look like Joe Montana (I guess it's Tom Brady now), then guess what? The other team is the one that ends up with the most points.

The Saints are badly unbalanced at this point. They should only do enough work on the offense to keep it stable. I mean we already have a #1 BPA receiver from last year. The guy got a year to get healthy and to learn the system. Next year Meachum should be that solid #2 receiver. And if not, then the other guys certainly did well enough to keep it stable for another year.

But the defense is horrible. Putrid. Abysmal. An embarrassment. And their current state is what generally destabilizes the offense because the offense feels like it must score a TD each and every time they are on the field.

Of the 8 teams that played this weekend, 6 of them were in the top 10 in scoring defense with 3 in the top 5. Only the Giants are out of the top 15. And they have improved their scoring defense by 9 PPG in the playoffs.

You cannot win championships in this league without solid defense, no matter what kind of offense you have. Offensive juggernauts like the 1999 Rams and the 1989 and 1994 49ers each had top 5 scoring defenses the years that they won the championship.

So when it comes to offense this offseason, my answer is absolutely not. No to receivers, no to backs, no to TE, and no to QBs. Stellar linemen are always considered because they improve the foundation of your team.

The Saints need 6 or 7 new defensive starters. More than half of our starting defensive lineup couldn't get a sniff anywhere else in this league. Our #1 corner is going to lose virtually a complete season next year.

We need standout defensive help and we need it badly. So when you've found me 2 new corners, a stud DT to complement big Hollis, 2 new LBs to go with Fujita, a pair of safeties I can trust, and a nickel guy that can prevent the big play downfield, then and only then can you talk to me about a receiver or any other skill position on offense.

SFIAH

Seeing how we were favorite coming into this season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders... that doesn't make any sense. Prior to the season we had as good as a chance of anyone to make it to the Superbowl.

(about drops...) In bold.

Then you're just fooling yourself. Just because of offense was good, it doesn't mean it can't be better.

Which is understandable given how atrocious our defense is...

I don't disagree at all with what you're saying.

Should isn't good enough... when the likes of a Roy Williams is on the market and could be had for probably a 2nd rounder, you jump on that.

It's going to make our offense that much better and allow our defense to be on the sidelines longer. I hope Meachum can be that guy opposite Colston... but we have no idea what he's capable of. Draft picks are a crap shoot... Roy Williams is not.

Pretty much agree with all of that except that last part. Getting a solid #2 WR is a big concern from my point of view... whether it's via free agency, trade, or draft pick... it is as big as a concern as every defensive position on this team. What would happen if Colston got injured?

But only if our defense improved. It didn't.

Drops were certainly a problem. However the guy we picked to be that complementary #2 receiver wasn't on the field.

I see the receiver issue quite simply: we've already spent a #1 pick on a receiver. Give the guy a chance to be that #2.

I'm not saying that. I'm saying that the offense is quite good enough and that spending resources to make it better isn't going to improve the overall outlook of the team.

Let me flip the question: How much better will our offense be if we get a defense that actually gets them both the ball and the time to do something with it. One of the reasons that the Patriots were putting up 40-burgers this season is that their defense got off the field and gave the offense the ball back.

The offense and defense need to protect one another. The offense is good enough to handle its end of the load. The defense however...

At least we agree on something.

The offense blew its high draft pick wad last year on a receiver. Get that guy ready to play.

Note that I think that Meachum will make an impact in the league. While some questioned the fact that the Saints picked him, most folks agreed that the guy could be a standout wideout in the league. He has Brees to throw him the ball. All he has to do is stay healthy, get some separation and catch it.

We're going to have to give the guy a chance to prove himself. Payton redshirted him this year because he was hurt and the offense was clicking without him. Presumably the offense will click with him too.

As for keeping the ball longer, that wasn't really the problem. Between the defense's inability to get off the field on third down and explosive plays, when they were on the field, often they only got off after a score. There's nothing that the offense can do about that except not to turn the ball over.

Colston was injured during this season. Did the passing attack stop? Brees throws the ball to whichever receiver is out there.

Personally I didn't have a problem with Patton as the #2 receiver. He did the job the vast majority of the time.

Nope. You spend that pick on a defensive starter. Houston's Demico Ryans was a #2 pick a year ago. The guy is a stud a middle linebacker.

If there's a vet that's cheap in free agency like Patton was, then that's fine. But spending a precious draft pick to get yet another receiver? I don't think so.

SFIAH