Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Biloxi who is that in your avatar

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

A friend of mine sent me the picture.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

OK...first of all, none of those three were top 10 picks. Secondly, the Bears didnt draft Griese, they signed him as a free agent to be a backup. Orton, a 4th round pick, was not drafted to be the franchise QB. Grossman was a late first rounder, but he wasnt drafted that high to be a backup. You can only play one at a time and teams dont draft QB's in the top 10 to be a backup. Later round picks and free agents make up most of the leagues backups. It is extremely rare to find a guy that was drafted by someone in the top 10 and he is only a backup with the same team. It just doesnt happen.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Mayock's top ten as of yesterday

1) Matt Ryan, QB
2) Sedrick Ellis, DT
3) Chris Long, DE
4) Glenn Dorsey, DT
5) Vernon Gholston, DE
6) Jake Long, OT
7) Ryan Clady, OT
8) Keith Rivers, LB
9) Philip Merling, DE
10) Leodis McKelvin, CB

We know Mayock likes to break the mold on his judgements (and I respect that) but this is as high as I have seen Clady, Merling and McKelvin.

Yesterday he said he can see both Gholston and Chis Long as linebackers in a 3-4 formation. I agree with Gholston (I think he can play LB in a 4-3 even) but not sure on Long. According to him, Merling is the best run stopper of the defensive ends.

He says McFadden is not a top 20 pick. Hmm...

http://www.saintsreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61062

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

so are you going to tell me that the list of his top 10 is how the top 10 picks are going to unfold? There is no way that McFadden will fall to us. Once he falls past 4, you will see teams trying to move up to take him. He will be gone long before our slot comes up and that is not even something i am going to debate.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Boba, who is our front runners?

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

I didn't tell you anything of the sort. What I did do was provide a link to an opposing perspective (not mine) to yours. It is regrettable you cannot accept a opposing viewpoint (not mine) from someone who does this for a living!

BTW; go back and read again. I said "IF" and it was a big "IF"!

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

To be fair, here is another mock that has McFadden going 6th to the Jets.

SI.com - Writers - Don Banks: Dolphins' Parcells a wild card in latest mock draft - Thursday February 14, 2008 12:37PM

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Not again! I'd give up a second for a defensive back with the same talent level as Williams. Or a LB. Or a DT.

But i'll only give up that second for a proven productive defensive player.

Now that's something I can agree with.

SFIAH

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

I can accept an opposing viewpoint...and i will admit my mistake was forgetting that you used the term "Big if". I will say this...it is extremely farfetched and it would be something that no one anticipates. I will also say this, if he does slide down to the bottom part of the top 10, it will be because some "previously unknown issues" come up and that will of course cause his stock to plummet. But if the draft was held tomorrow, i would bet that he is a sure fire top 5 pick. But you are right, alot of things can happen between now and the draft but if that is indeed the case, there will be reasons for it which would also cause the Saints to pass on him much like the rest of the teams did.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Right now, the guy the saints would take over anybody is Ellis. he is the top guy on their board. I think they like Rivers too..but the saints are the team that was hurt the most with Laurinitis and Malcolm Jenkins returning to school.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

If Saints history tells us anything, especially under General Manager Mickey Loomis' tenure, the team will be reluctant to open up the pocketbook to pay the huge asking price for either Pro Bowler.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

At 10 both of them will probably be off the board'. QBs will tumble in the draft. They have not look that good to go in the top 10. Defense is dominate in those picks this year. Then what will we do? Go with a small school CB and pay him big bucs, hoping he can handle the steep learning curve in the NFL. I am not that thrilled with taking that risk.
So what is left
#1 WR, #2 LB, #2 OT? Trade down if it pans out this way and then reach on a player or two at a lower salary.
I am sold on either one Ellis or Rivers at 10 now. The rest can be had lower. Though Malcolm Kelly, Oklahoma would look good in B&G. But he is our #1 trade bait right now. Buffallo will take him at 11. so we have an out if both are of the board. Let some one else take the risk on a small school CB at 10. There are plenty of others to choice from. DT are pretty deep this year. round 2 and 3 will have there fair share of good prospects too.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Not to get off point, but does ANYONE ELSE find Biloxi-Indian's avatar...well, disturbing?

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Certainly not my intent to create a disturbance with a picture. Now lets get back to Saints football!

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Ellis is stout. Here is his 2007 stats....

CAREER: He has 28.5 tackles for a loss and 17.5 sacks in his career.

2007: Ellis, a 2-time All-American first teamer, started for his third season at nose tackle as a senior in 2007 and was as dominant as ever. Overall in 2007 while starting all 13 games, he has 58 tackles, including 12.5 for losses of 75 yards (with 8.5 sacks for minus 67 yards), plus 7 deflections, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble. He was 1 of 15 semifinalists for the 2007 Bednarik Award and 1 of 8 semifinalists for the 2007 Lott Trophy. He was named to the 2007 AP (unanimous), Football Coaches, Football Writers, Walter Camp, The Sporting News, ESPN.com, SI.com, Collegefootballnews.com and Pro Football Weekly All-American first teams and Phil Steele's All-American second team. He was named the 2007 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (USC's fifth such selection) and Pac-10 Morris Trophy winner (for the second year in a row), he was a unanimous choice on the 2007 All-Pac-10 first team and he made the ESPN.com All-Pac-10 first team, Collegefootballnews.com All-Pac-10 first team (he was its Pac-10 Player of the Year), Rivals.com All-Pac-10 first team and Phil Steele's All-Pac-10 first team. He was USC's Co-MVP and also won USC's Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year Award and Co-Lifter of the Year Award. He was a Senior Bowl invitee.

He had 4 tackles (including 1 for a loss) and 2 deflections versus Idaho, then 5 tackles, including a sack, and 2 deflections at Nebraska. He had a tackle (0.5 for a loss) against Washington State, 4 stops at Washington and then had 3 sacks among his 6 tackles versus Stanford. He had 2 tackles, recovered a fumble (to set up a USC field goal) and had a deflection against Arizona, 5 stops (1.5 sacks) at Notre Dame and 12 tackles, including 2 for a loss (with a sack), at Oregon. He had 3 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss (with a sack), and a deflection against Oregon State, 6 tackles at California, 4 stops (2 for a loss, with a sack) at Arizona State and 4 tackles and a fumble recovery against UCLA. He had 2 tackles and a deflection against Illinois.

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

Its a sad feeling isn't it? Every year with all of the cap space and never a peep about the team being interested in any of the big name players. We have to settle for the Simmon's & David's of the league. Wait maybe the Saints would be interested in 69 yr old LB Zach Thomas? He's a big name or maybe another 3rd tier linebacker like Simoneaux?

Re: Free agent bits and pieces......
 

As long as Benson is selling tickets, he is cool.

Other owners tell their GM's to go out and sign Playmakers.
I doubt Benson even knows his own Playmakers.x(