Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

I'm not crazy about his asking price, but I guess if that's what it takes to put us over the top, then hell, do it.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

I bet we wont know what is really going on until friday.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

I'm curious missile, have you ever seen a "running QB"? Do you remember how Vick used to run all over us? I seem to remember Vince Young doing the same thing. Would that have happened with a better LB corps? I think not.

Also curious, how many cb's cover rb's, fb's, or te's? Dump passes, and screens KILLED us in how many games this season? Opportunities opened up down the field, because our safeties were having to come up to help our linebackers, which also caused many big plays.

The year we went to the championship game, all of these same things rang true.

It seems to me, all you are worried about is long passing plays. Last time I checked, there are running plays, screens, dumps. Alot of things that happen, where the CB has no play on the ball at all. It takes more than one player to fix a team, thus the term team. And I will stand by my belief, that WITHOUT great players up front, even the best CBs are going to get burned. Hmmmm, does anyone know where Denver was ranked, in pass defense last season? Champ Bailey plays for them right?

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Pressure on the QB, either with the front four and the other seven playing a zone, or dogging with LB's or blitzing with DB's, the rest of the secondary will have to play man on man. Can your pressure beat the QB with the pass? Either way, without the pressure, even a mediocre QB looks great against this defense (and I say that defensively, because this D stinks rotten eggs).

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Dude is also being courted by the Bucs, and they are 44 million under the cap. I would not get into a bidding war, he is already priced high enough.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

I guess Friday will be like Christmas Morning. We'll be very Happy or really sad.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

i dont see why everyone is gettin worked up about samuel blowin up our cap... the contract is sure to be back loaded... if he gets 6 years n 60 million, 20 guaranteed. he will only count about 6 - 7 mill this year, still leavin us with around 14-15 million to work with.. thats still more then half the teams in the league

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

At the end of the 07 season, nfl.com power rankings had the Broncos at no. 22, and the Saints at 24. Both teams finished with 7-9 records. Only major difference was that the Broncos have Bailey on one side, and Dre Bly on the other. NINE pro bowl appearances between the two of them, and a hardcore reputation, for being two of the best "shutdown" cbs in the league. I read two articles, where the now FIRED defensive coordinator, said that the problem was, THAT THEY WERE NOT GETTING ENOUGH PRESSURE UP FRONT, for the CBs to be able to work effectively.

Now, will someone please explain to me, how that's possible, if lockdown CBs, are supposed to give the front seven "more time" to get to the QB?

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

well, if your CBs are playing it extremely well they can give the front 7 a little more time to get at the quarterback, but honestly you really want your front 7 to be on fire before you go investing in 100 million dollar CBs. luckily, we have the makings of a really good front 7.

charles grant and will smith are top DEs, regardless of how well they played last season. we should fix DT problems in the draft, hopefully. already looks like we're working on the LB problem and we're sure to draft atleast one.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

one player will not make a difference but it is a start. At least the quick drop back passes will have more than one read. Thats gives the DL some extra time to get the pressure on the QB. It is a start. Upgrading LBs will also help. It frees up the DL from some of its run reads and allows them to pin back their ears a litttle bit more. The safty play needs to improve also. Way to many hits after 5 yards. It all goes hand in hand. Its a start.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

one player will not make a difference but it is a start. At least the quick drop back passes will have more than one read. Thats gives the DL some extra time to get the pressure on the QB. It is a start. Upgrading LBs will also help. It frees up the DL from some of its run reads and allows them to pin back their ears a litttle bit more. The safty play needs to improve also. Way to many hits after 5 yards. It all goes hand in hand. Its a start.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Just a rumor but according to this blog ...
- Asante Samuel has been offered a deal with the Eagles for 5 years/$55 million.
FanBlog: Texans: 2008 Free Agent Tracking Chart (and lastest updates)

Which may be moot since I understand that he's seeking a 10 year / 10 Million type deal...

Anyway just getting my spoon in the pot.

Also they are reporting that Briggs is signing with San Fran.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

One player will not make a difference, but having someone in the secondary with actual ball skills and the ability to read and diagnose a route would be something that no Saints fan can say that we ever had. Adding him would certainly ease a lot of the pressure of HAVING to draft a Cb in round 1, and since rookie CB's dont generally make an impact, we wouldnt be helping ourselves for this year by relying on a rookie to stabilize our secondary. Adding Samuel and still drafting a CB in round 1 or 2 makes this team better for the long haul...now and later. Then we turn our attention to finding a LB and a DT and our defense will make a quantum leap in effeciency.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Good post bobaganoosh. I have said for a while that we should get a corner in free agency that can play right away. Draft a LB or DT in the first round that can have a positive impact in the first season

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

I am glad you agree...that would be the best way to get maximum improvement THIS YEAR and also for the future as well. You usually have to wait a year or two for CB's to get comfortable. Especially given the fact that this year all of us are in love with CB's from small schools. Their transition to the NFL may take even longer.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

i.e. Usama young. Not saying he isn't going to be good, but the jump from Toledo or wherever he came from to the NFL is a big jump.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Getting Samuel definitely frees us up to do whatever we want in the draft, which is a very good thing. I'm still a little leery about him -- he gets burned a ton, system guy, blah blah blah -- but the fact remains he's still heads and shoulders above any other corner the Saints have ever had. I guess the thing that's most exciting is the fact that the front office doesn't seem to mind opening up the checkbook these days. Maybe they actually want to see some decent product on the field.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

If the Saints land Assante Samuel, I say show Jason David where the Armstrong International Airport is.

Oh, don't forget about the 'soon-to-be-former Saintkiller' Alge Crumpler and Johnathan Vilma.

Add Lance Briggs @ LB and a solid DT opposite Hollis Thomas.

Kicker? PLEASE DON'T TAKE THE PARCELLS ROUTE!!!!

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/2941/hulkaho7.jpg

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

The Saints have to keep Jason David around for one more year...for financial purposes. And who knows, if he is defending as a nickle or dime CB, he cant be that terrible. As long as we dont line him up on the outside and ask him to defend someone on a fly route, we should be ok.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Wanna put money where ya' typin' is? :)

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Ha ha true boba, I think he could fit as a nickel back. The only thing I'm worried about is whether or not Usama will progress enough to take over the other corner position. Last year he got beaten consistently when he was in. I'm not quite ready to hand it over to him yet.

And to address NarhwalHunter's comments, I wasn't aware that Samuel was criticized for being burnt all the time. I am pretty sure that he's one of the top 3 corners in the league and has totaled a ridiculous amount of interceptions. I don't know, maybe you're right, but I'm pretty sure the guy's a stud.

On a side note, not one of the reports I've seen from ESPN link Samuel to the Saints. Any reason why?

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Samuel getting burnt is just from my own personal observations, but it's one of those things that no one in sports talks about, same as Champ Bailey gets burned quite a bit more than his clippings would have you believe. No one talks about it because they make crazy amounts of picks. That's not to say Samuel will be terrible, but I'm not expecting him to descend into the Superdome from a golden chariot and cure every woe in the defensive backfield. Jason David is still back there, after all.

I thought David's contract was mostly front loaded? Shouldn't we be able to dump him off in a canal somewhere?

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Pieces, all pieces to the one big puzzle. With a CB like Samuel, David might look ten times better, (which is a stretch I know). The alternative? Thomas was Mr. Toasty before David. Is he still on the roster?

My point, all along, was that a CB, a MLB, and DT, are the three components that are absolutely imperative, to the revival of this defense. The most important positions, in all three levels of defense IMO. Strong play from each of these positions, can also provide leadership for the rest of the players in each level. And honestly, by the games I seen this past season, leadership on defense is something they need desperately.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

nothing against asante, but how's he going to read a defense without payton telling him what play the other team is running?
but really, if the saints are gonna dish out that kinda money, i'd rather see em bring in briggs..............jmo

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

All CB's get beat...i watched the game a few years back when Chad Johnson lit up Champ for close to 200 yards...they all get beat. Its about being steady and consistent, having a knowledge of your position, and the ability to read and react...and most importantly, making the big play when the opportunity presents itself...Samuel has proven that he can do all of that.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Missile, believe it or not, we are in the same book here, just not the same page. I agree that CB is the most important aspect of the defense, that needs addressing, but LB, and DT also need to be seriously upgraded, to defend against the ground game. I still have nightmares of when Willy Parker lit us up for over 200 yards on the ground in 06, and our defense wasn't "that bad" that year. You could almost call our defense the "Catch 22". If we play well against the run, they kill us with the pass, and vice versa.

If we are going to be completely honest, all of us, besides DE, can anyone name a position on defense, that couldn't use a major upgrade? I certainly cannot. As I have said, and I'm sticking to it, this ENTIRE offseason needs to address defense ONLY. From FA, to the draft. From pick one, to pick 7. Defense, defense, defense... Whew! That was a mouthful.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Boba, I totally agree with you. The league doesn't make it any easier on these guys, by changing the freakin touch rules every season either. With as many penalties, as they can call on CBs nowadays, the term "shutdown" corner, is almost comical.

I sincerely hope that we sign Samuel. I have watched him play, and think that he would be a great pickup. I just wish we could get a hard hitting safety as well. That Atari Bigsby up in Green Bay, is a freakin man killer. I would LOVE to have someone like him on the Saints roster.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

this I found on PFW.com


Feb. 27, 2008


We hear the agent of CB Asante Samuel is trying to pull the Bucs into the sweepstakes to sign his client when free agency begins Feb. 29, but it would be a surprise if Tampa had much serious interest in Samuel's services. Alonzo Shavers, Samuel's agent, told the Tampa Tribune that "Tampa is a situation that makes sense. Tampa Bay is definitely worth considering. It was an organization that was in the Super Bowl not too long ago. It is an organization Asante wants to play for." The Bucs figure to be an aggressive player in free agency, with more than $30 million in estimated cap space, but it's far more likely funds will be spent on free-agent playmakers at wide receiver and tight end. Samuel is said to be eyeing a contract that would be pay him $10 million per year. He would be a definite upgrade over CB Phillip Buchanon, and a starting tandem of Samuel and Ronde Barber would give Tampa a star-studded secondary. Yet, in the end, we hear the Saints and Eagles are more likely to shell out the necessary cash for the Pro Bowler.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

The rumor mill from our local espn radio station says the deal is for 10 years 100 million & 24 million dollar signing bonus. Sounds way out of line to me.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Samuel is a smart man. He's pegging each team against one another to drive up his market value... he's going to be a very rich man.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Wow. As much as I'd love to get Samuel, at this point (price), I'm glad we're out of the negotiations.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

What do you mean. Do u think its out of the question now. I thought we were very interested. All these different rumors are confusing me. LOL

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

It sounds like the Eagles are going to sign him to a ridiculous deal and that the Bucs are in play as well. You never know, though.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

The Saints are not out of the equation....it just isnt as likely today as it was yesterday.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

SAMUEL SET TO JOIN THE FLOCK

Various media reports, collected and referenced by our good friends at SportingNews.com, indicate that cornerback Asante Samuel will indeed sign a contract with the Eagles on Friday.

It's reportedly a five-year, $47.2 million deal. To the casual fan, that's short of the $10 million per year average from the eight-year, $80 million deal signed last year by Nate Clements of the 49ers. As everyone in PFT Planet knows, the Clements deal is actually seven years and $64 million, making it worth a hair over $9 million per year.

Samuel's deal carries an average of nearly $9.5 million. They could have added a phony final year that would have pushed the average to $10 million per year or more, and we respect both sides for doing what looks to be a "real" deal.

Also, there's a certain irony regarding the five-year duration of the contract. Typically, the Eagles like to lock players up for looooong periods of time. As it now stands, Samuel's deal will expire before the contracts signed by some of the young players who cashed in early.

Re: Asante to Saints a "done deal"
 

Reportedly the Eagles will sign him for 5 years $47.2 million. We should have made a play for him. Once again, we sit on the sidelines waiting for a starting CB to fall into our laps.