Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

What's going to be funny is that Payton will say, "We're happy with our draft and we got the players that we were targeting". I say bull****!

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Looking for some as I type but all I can find is Elmers. Doesn't seem to have the desired effect though. Maybe I need to make a Farish Street run. Never mind. I know y'all don't know what Farish Street is.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

No, but I have a pretty good imagination. LOL

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Graham = Gates.......Brees is happy.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Let's just say that you don't want to go there unarmed.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Our division is a run happy one. Common sense says that we need to be able to stop the run. No DT= treadmarks on our defense.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Bunch of negative nancies ITT.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Better be some really good glue...lol

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Yeah but we do have six tight ends now and that = ...... um ....... I don't know what that equals. I need to start drinking.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Uhhh - WHat about DT, DE or LB??

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

HEY, YOUR NOT ALLOWED TO TALK! YOUR NAME IS MORNINGWOOD, AND YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF PENNINGTON MAKING OUT WITH HIS LINEMAN. YOU SCARE ME! I BET YOU PARTY ON THE WRONG END OF BOURBON ST. LOL J/K

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

No, we don't have 6 TE's. There are two on the current roster (Tory Humphrey and Tyler Lorenzen) besides Shockey and Thomas. Dinkins, Campbell, and Miller are all free agents who are likely not going to be re-signed. I would take this project with tremendous upside over Lorenzen and Humphrey. He fills a need.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Graham is bigger than gates, faster than gates, better vert than gates. Gates is definitely the better player, but you cannot say that graham does not have the tools to be a great TE in the league

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Still, we have two or three or four. Our offense was not bad last year, just number 1 in the NFL. Our needs are all on defense. I say linebacker, other people say tackle, whatever. You will hear this a lot .... "you know you're a Saints fan when you have the ball and a 21 point lead at the two minute warning and you're praying for one more first down". That's true because our defense has some holes in it. And we pick an offensive lineman and a tight end with our 2nd and 3rd??!! I'm confused. (which I admit is nothing unusual)

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

We seem to be drafting a bit "cocky" as if we do not need any help since we are the Super Bowl Champions. We have drafted 3 players that are backups. Robinson is a nickel at best. Brown is our 4th OT and Graham is our 3rd TE at best. Both Brown and Graham are developmental type players who need work and Robinson is a boom or bust guy with consistency issues. It is almost as if we forgot that we need more pressure on the QB and need to stop the run.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I agree that there were bigger needs. Not so sure about linebacker, because it seems like they are going to stay in-house to replace Fujita. (I still want to see what Stanley Arnoux can do). Probably the biggest need is DT, and that wasn't addressed, but the off-season isn't over yet, either. The draft isn't the end of the world if we don't get those players. We didn't draft two of the players I was looking at in the 3rd round (one because the Jags took him, and the other is still available). However, I do see the reasoning behind each pick. Robinson because of injury concerns from last season, Brown because the status of Jammal Brown is up in the air, and Graham because of the tremendous upside and physical ability this kid has in an area that could be upgraded. I think a lot of us are just disappointed because the Saints didn't draft, not only what we thought were needs, but highly recognizable names. I guess that is what we can expect with drafting last every round.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I would say, we have an excellent nickel now. Better than Jenkins or Gay in man to man coverage. Brown will be a starter sooner rather than later. He is better than every OT on our roster except Stinch and Brown. This Graham kid is a freak and will be a stud in time. I like the picks. Plus we have three more picks left. Keep the faith.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I'm right there with you.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I'm not familiar with names, I just know what we lost and know we have to replace what we lost. ok, let's assume we already have someone to step up into Fujita's spot, even though I haven't heard a reasonable name that's currently on the roster. Doesn't that guy need a back-up? We just don't need another tight end unless we're collecting them.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I definitely don't think we were drafting cocky. From the way I see it, they went BPA with the top players on their board. It's not like we over drafted any of these guys where we picked. It was clear last year when either Greer or Porter went down, our secondary struggled to replace their production. Robinson who is considered a shutdown type corner, is insurance. The snaps Jenkins got a corner last year did not look good... maybe as many have said throughout the season, he is a better fit at safety. Should Sharper not return, we kill two birds with one stone.

As for Brown, he was projected to go as early as late first and we were able to land him at the end of the second round. That's tremendous value. Remember Jammal Brown has yet to sign his 1 year tender so we have no idea what's going to happen with him. Others have pointed out that there are also a couple guys that are on 1 year deals. Drew Brees is the most important piece to this team... you could never blame the Saints for drafting lineman to make sure Brees stays on his feet.

As far as Graham is concerned, well... sure we all think there were better picks out there but at the end of the day, we don't know jack squat. We have an outstanding job the past couple of years of getting very good production out of our mid round picks. I'm sure Payton incompany did a lot of homework on this guy and felt he was the best player for us at the pick. A key to maintaining our offensive production is to not let the league catch up with us. Adding Graham gives opposing defenses even more to think about... as if they didn't have enough to worry about already.

Now moving along to not improving our pass rush and not addressing our LB situation, we have. Alex Brown, who still has gas left in the tank, will be here for the next two years. The draft isn't over yet and like I said before, we do a great job of evaluating talent... we should be able to find some more help tomorrow at end. Also remember we have two guys that were out last year coming back... one who is a LB. Our staff are also high on what Casillas and Dunbar can do.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Fujita will be replaced by Dunbar or Arnoux. One will back up the other. The fact is teams pass to play catch up on us so much that LB is not as important as DB's for us. You can't have a star at every position. I wouldn't mind seeing another DT on the roster. We have Hargrove, Big Sed, Clancy, and Ayodele. Maybe we draft Al Woods/Cam Thomas type to compete for spot.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Both Dunbar and Arnoux are middle linebackers. Neither have the tools to play outside.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

How about Troy Evans or Marvin Mitchell? My point is we don't need a superstar at every position to have a solid d.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Excellent evaluation, papz. I agree with everything in this post.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Now while Arnoux was a middle linebacker in college, Dunbar is not a middle linebacker. You might have Dunbar and Mitchell confused.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Wrong about Arnoux:

COLLEGE CAREER – A three-year starter at Wake Forest, Arnoux opened 42 of 51 games for the Demon Deacons at middle linebacker and is considered by scouts versatile enough to also play on the outside in the NFL. He was extremely productive throughout his college career, annually ranking among the team leaders in tackles. He posted 245 stops, five sacks, three interceptions, four fumble recoveries and six deflected passes while at Wake Forest. Arnoux started 39 of his final 40 collegiate contests and averaged seven tackles a game as a senior.

Wrong about Dunbar:

NFL CAREER – The lone undrafted rookie free agent to start the season on the club’s active roster in 2008, Dunbar has proven his worth with his inspired play on special teams, where he has recorded 28 special teams tackles in two seasons. He has also started five games at strongside linebacker during his tenure with the Saints, recording 23 tackles and three passes defensed

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Troy Evans is currently 32 years old, not exactly the OLB of the future and Mitchell, like Dunbar and Arnoux, is an inside linebacker. They anen't interchangable.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

oh yeah?
Arnoux: "Shorter than scouts would like and a bit round in the middle. … Lacks the instincts and quick first step preferred at the "Mike" 'backer position. … Takes a moment to recognize the action and is slow to flow toward the ball. … Lacks the straight-line speed to beat backs to the flanks and is a liability in coverage. … Lacks the lateral agility to consistently get around blockers in tight quarters, thus relying on his pop to disengage. … Needs an open lane to close when rushing the quarterback."

and Dunbar: "Has good closing speed, but lacks the lateral range or blazing speed to play on the outside "

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Yes, some very eccentric draft choices - but then again if Payton and the Saints scouts thought like every other team and followed public consensus, we wouldn't be picking 32nd.

Let's see how we finish the draft and UFA's. I'm sure we'll swing a trade or two of some sort before the end of summer - just may not be the ones we'd expect.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

So your claiming Arnoux is a middle linebacker by posting a scouting report saying he can't play middle linebacker? You understand "Mike" means middle right?

Dunbar has already played outside when Fujita went down last year.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Oh, yeah. Dunbar has not played a single down at middle linebacker since he's been in the NFL. Every snap he's been in on defense has been on the outside, so you are wrong about him.

Arnoux hasn't seen the field, so neither one of us can honestly evaluate whether he can or can't play the outside. Scouting reports are always conflicting, because it depends on who the scout that is evaluating the player. So, since that is the case, we are both wrong until we see where he is put on the field.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I was wondering that myself. Big contradiction there.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

i like it, at first i was like "?" But after hearing his interview on wwl. I like it, plus just watching a few videos on him. This dude could make it

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

You guys are way off on Jimmy Graham. He's going to be a good player for us. I wanted him but there's no way I take him ahead of Everson Griffen and Cam Thomas. There's no way I would have passed on Kindle in the first.

Looks like Brown and Sharper could be on the move.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I guess I'm a douchebag but I don't like the pick. It's a project pick at a position that may need attention but certainly not before almost anything defense. And on top of that, 2 of 3 picks went to offense. The #1 rated offense really for about 4 years now.

I know that QB's love a good TE but a project in the third seems goofy.

I do believe, however, that a benefit of this pick is that he is a TE from the U of Miami like Shockey so Shockey will most likely teach him everything he knows and will probably be very encouraging to the kid.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I seem to have a flashback to last year's comments by us when we drafted guys who prompted us to make these very same kinds of comments. They did prove invaluable picks as the season went on. I think this is a continuation of this trend. And we'll be thanking SP and Loomis during this season for TWO DAT!

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Agreed and unless we already had JB traded for an OLB or DT we didn't need to draft an OT in the 2nd either.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

I've watched Jimmy Graham play this past season. Trust me, he is a beast. Big Physical TE and with pretty good hands. With a little mentoring from Shockely and others he will be a great TE.

Re: TE Jimmy Graham
 

Thats what I keep reading everwhere. People that have seen him play a lot think he has the upside of a Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates. He COULD be a superstar if he develops as anticipated.

I love this pick, but he won't pay huge dividends until 2011 and beyond.