FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

What happened to beefing up the D??? We were ranked number 1 on offense, 25th on D. We can't count on as many INTs as we had last season. A lot of those happened in the first half of the season with Sharper being the guy who made them. He may not even be with the team at this point and if he is there is no promise he can repeat the 2009 season.

I could deal with Robinson the DB, but our OL is solid with or without Jamal. (I'd rather keep Jamal) Charles Brown won't be an impact player his first year, so why not wait and draft an OL in the later rounds, since it will take time to develop him anyway?

And a TE that has played only ONE year of Football, and had 17 catches? I mean we have Shockey, Thomas who was just as much a play-maker as Shockey, and Miller should be healthy this season.

I know some will say it's dumb to question a SB winning staff, but I think we missed a great opportunity in the first 3 rounds to really get some play makers on D.

As of now, we may have addressed the DE depth with the 2 we signed in FA...but what about getting gashed up the middle by power running teams? What about adding speed to our LB corps that's already a lil slow? Arnoux is ONE guy - who hasn't played a down and for all we know could be injury prone.

BY no means do I think we can't win the SOUTH or the ship is sinking, i'm just saying we lost out on a great chance to beef up our D with all the talent that was in the first 3 rounds. There is still talent left, but man we let some top guys at needed positions go. My response so far ..... o_0?

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Not quite sure yet, the FO may know something we don't. But if they don't have plans you are right.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I'm also curious what Gregg Williams thinks of the picks.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

The FO is preparing for being able to protect Brees.
We win with offense in the SP era.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I agree. Look at the division - ATL, CAR and TPA (to a lesser extent), and all have running backs who pretty much shredded us on the ground last season.

This year, we also play late-season away games in cold weather -- Cincinnati and Baltimore in December. Cinci won the AFC north last year. How? By playing old school Chuck Knox Steeler football -- RUNNING the ball. I Don't follow Balt much, but I remember seeing some of a playoff game, they had a horse in the backfield.

That's 8 games - half the season right there - against strong running teams.

SF drafted to improve their O line, and until they sort out a quarterback, all they HAVE is a running game, and still ended up 8-8.

Vikings had us figured out in the Championship game and are going to stuff the ball down our throats, as long as they can keep from fumbling it away.

Dallas has two backs that can run the ball too, Barber and the other guy.

I can swallow my tounge and see the point in drafting Robinson, but not Brown and Graham (not in the 2nd & 3rd rounds anyway). There are GAPING holes in the Defensive line (pun intended) that need to be addressed first, before we go picking up project players.

But that's just my $0.02.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I'm sure he had a say when it came to drafting Robinson for his defense. I also heard Williams mention somewhere that he's not a big fan of tweeners... so guys like Kindle wouldn't have been a good choice for his scheme.
What are these gaping holes along the defensive line? Right now we have Brown and Smith at DE and our promising young Ellis at DT. If there is a gaping hole, it's next to him... and that still can be addressed with our other picks and/or free agency.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

what the @#%^&*()(*&^%$#@@$%^&*()()__(*&^%$@@!!

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

It's a good thing we don't need rooks to start.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I'll agree that it can seem like we didn't address the issues, and perhaps we should have gone with a DT in the third.

However, when you look at Charles Brown, he was FAR too good to pass up at that position. Almost everybody had him graded as a first round player.

I also think it's important to note that taking an offensive tackle is almost always a good pick. Might not be sexy, but you have to have depth on the OL. Great pick in my opinion.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Two positions I think need addressing more than anything is the DT spot next to Ellis and OLB. Besides that I think we are fine. I could see us trading to fill those spots. Alex Brown I think will be good at DE.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Yup. EXACTLY my concern when I was looking at our schedule before the draft.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I'm just worried that we're not going to have enough weapons for our Defense this season and our opponets are going to eat that up.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Exactly. Every time we got run over, it mostly came from the middle. Ellis only played in 10 games last season, and I seem to recall some of those 6 missed games were due to injury. What did we have to back him up? Not much. 4 of the games Ellis missed? ATL (Turner 151 yards) CAR ( Williams 149) TPA (119) and STL (Jackson 131). Our LBs were having to make way too many tackles in those games.

I understand that Brown was a good value at #64, and he'll probably be playing the last 4-5 years of Drew's career, and after that with our next QB. But unless they let Greg Williams teach him to line up and tackle the guy running at the defense with the ball, he's not helping to solve a problem.

I just hope there's another Colston-type sleeper masquerading as a DT in the 4-7 rounds who nobody talks about but turns out to be a phenomenal player on the D line.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Be patient y'all. They are taking BPA and their 3 picks so far have been the #34 (Brown), #37 (Robinson) and #64 (Graham) overall rated players in this draft class per NFLDraftScout. They could not believe these players were still on the board when they went to pick tonight and had to take them.

It's only a matter of time before they address the most apparent "need" left on defense at the DT (NT) position. There are still 3 picks left for the Saints tomorrow, as well as the potential for trades involving Jammal Brown and perhaps even Lance Moore to add even more picks to the equation and then undrafted free agency after the draft ends. Not to mention the next round of free agency after teams release all their extras to make room for draft picks.

There is no real "need" at OLB with the youth of Casillas (undrafted), Dunbar (undrafted) and Arnoux (last year's draft pick at LB) waiting in the wings to replace the hole left by Fujita.

They just signed Alex Brown and Jimmy Wilkerson to replace Grant, so there is absolutely no "need" right now at end.

Some of y'all really need to get a grip and relax a little bit! There is still plenty of time to address shoring up the defense in the proper way without calling for heads to roll in the front office or anything like that...

Geez!

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

JIMMY GRAHAM TE, 6-6, 260
College: Miami (Fla.)

04/15/2010 - TOP RATED NFL DRAFT SCOUT TIGHT ENDS: Jimmy Graham, Miami (Fla.), 6-6, 260, 2: Many think Graham could be the next Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates??? a basketball player-turned-NFL star. Before last year, Graham had not played football since the ninth grade, just before he became better known as a basketball player in high school and at Miami. But last summer Graham decided to return to what he called his first love, and former Hurricanes quarterback Bernie Kosar helped by throwing him passes three days a week. Graham joined the football team in August and scored a touchdown on his first catch, though he had plenty of awkward moments and dropped passes before he began to look like an outstanding pro prospect. He still has a lot to learn as a blocker and route runner, but his size and eye-popping athletic ability are undeniable. He finished his only college football season with 17 catches for 213 yards, but he scored on five of those receptions. - Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange, NFLDraftScout.com/CBS Sports/USA TODAY

Player Analysis: Great kid with good attitude. He was very good at the Combine, very focused during the drills. In my mind, a good pick in the mid-late third round. He has the body, the speed, the hand to play in the NFL. One or two years as a TE2 could be enough to develop him into a great one...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Dude you been here three yrs and 13 post....man whats up with that?...and you want to tell us to chill?...I will vent till i frikin pass out..lol...come back in three yrs and scold me..

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

2010 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:
Jimmy Graham, TE, Miami

For three years Jimmy Graham spent his collegiate career playing basketball at Miami. For his senior season he opted to return to football and try out playing some tight end. The Hurricanes could have used another big body on the hardwood, but Graham's future is in football and he proved that during his one year of playing collegiate football. In ten games, Graham caught 17 passes for 213 yards and five touchdowns.

At 6-6 and 260 pounds, Graham has the size to be a great threat in the red zone. The fact that five of his 17 catches went for a touchdown proves that the Hurricanes were using him in that way. His lack of experience is obviously a concern, but the history of power forwards playing tight end is a long one and most NFL teams will not hesitate to take him just because he only played one year in college. This is a smart player who has all the physical tools to succeed.

Graham had a successful NFL Combine and was one of the faster and more athletic tight ends in Indianapolis. While there are certainly two types of tight ends these days (and Graham has a lot of work to do before he can become a solid blocker), he will be a great vertical threat for any team who is still searching for a tight end that can stretch the field. If Graham falls past round three, it will be a surprise.

Last Updated Mar-01-2010 by Joel Welser

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Go ahead and judge me by how little I post in here. I don't care. I probably know more about football than you will ever pretend to know anyway. Just because I don't have 13,889 posts, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. Think about it...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Mickey is that you?

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

The Saints FO picked a #37 ranked player at #32, a #34 ranked player at #64 and a #67 ranked player at #95. Do you really think that any of you could have done any better than that? I doubt it!

They are trying to build a dynasty and picking in the draft based on the level of talent on your board when you pick (rather than reaching to fill needs with every pick), which is exactly how the great teams like the Steelers and Patriots built their dynasties.

Sit back, watch and learn how it is done from Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis, the next great dynasty builders in the NFL!

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Somehow I doubt that Loomis has a Sir Saint tattoo on his left shoulder...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Oh ok ..Mick...we just wait for that trade thats coming..

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

P.S. I now have 19 posts!

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

But it would be sweet if he had ;-)

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Wow ,,i misjudged you...oh and im just pissed ..it has nothin to do with you getting 19 post...just that we didnt draft DT ..when we have the number one ranked offense and we cant seem to stop the run..Does that seem right to you ..you know being you know more than me ..i want your opinion...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I think the FO and GW must be a lot higher on the young LBs we have than what we think. It might be the case where its not wieved as a need but as a strenght. Casillas is very promising and Arnoux might be the better LB drafted from that school last year.

We "need" a DT but the guys we have aren't scrubs. We just need depth and youth.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Relax and enjoy getting to know the latest Saints. Last year people didn't understand why we did not address the RB position. Some people questioned whether we had done enough to address the DB's with the addition of what they saw as a career backup (Greer) and a old guy who had lost a step (Sharper).

Ironically, they would also have the opportunity to question Payton's decisions on the rest/play question after we earned a bye and HFA.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I truly believe they will draft a DT(NT type) probably next up at #130 (or possibly sooner if a trade goes through before then).

These two players who would be perfect fits for Gregg Williams' schemes on defense with the Saints this year are ranked in the top 20 defensive linemen (including DE's, DT's and LB's) by fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/2010/top-nfl-prospects-for-2010 and are still on the board as we speak:

Cam Thomas, DT, North Carolina - 6'3 - 330
Al Woods, DT, LSU - 6'4 - 317

I would also expect for GW to want to add a speedy OLB through this draft at some point (which is where a trade deal for Brown could come in very handy if they can work out an early-to-mid 4th rounder this year, coupled with a 3rd or possibly even a 2nd rounder next year with some needy team) soon too.

These two OLB's are still available and are ranked in the top 20 D-linemen from that same list:

Ricky Sapp, LB, Clemson - 6'4 - 240
Thaddeus Gibson, LB, Ohio State - 6'2 - 240

Other speedy and aggressive OLB options include:

Norwood, Eric OLB South Carolina
Watson, Dekoda OLB Florida State

Don't rule out the Saints moving around in the 4th or 5th (through trades) rounds to target a couple of these type of guys in this draft later on today!

Maybe the last day of this draft will prove to be the most exciting for us as Saints fans after all...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I have to sleep sometime. It's 3:45 AM now...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Thats all good ,,but i doubt we take any of them based on what we have done so far...we seem to be content..so i see a trade ..

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

edited- gonna move this to thread it belongs in...

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

True, our division opponents got a lot of yards on the ground against us.

And lost 4 out of 6 games anyway. One of the wins we just kind of took the 2nd half off, and the other we didn't play our starters at all. Then we won the Super Bowl.

Oh noes! How will we ever win with our division teams running at us? For the answer to this question, go back and watch last year's games.

Also, is it written in stone that there is no way our run defense can improve outside of the first 3 rounds of the draft? Is that it? No players we can trade for, no gems our great personnel department can get from late rounds or undrafted FAs? No, it's okay, I'm just scaring you. We can indeed improve the run defense without using a high draft pick for it. So, there are still options.

So... We have upgraded at offensive line, and upgraded the secondary, and can still upgrade the run D, all on a team that just won the Super Bowl with the aforementioned run vulnerabilities. This is not "The Sky is falling" time yet. Really. It's not. No "oh noes".

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I remember sitting here on B&G in 2003 draft day live chatting,the draft we took Stinchcomb and saying all of these same things. We were all cursing and calling him names. It very rarely seems we pick who we think would fill our needs. It is frustrating but I feel there are behind the scenes moves happening. I have no real qualms with Robinson, although he wouldn't have been my choice. I do not think you can really go wrong with a good OL, even if it is a year down the road. And Graham seems to be a hell of an athlete, but certainly a project player.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

All three of these picks have future written all over them. The first pick was pretty easy. We all seen how bad it got when the secondary got banged up and had to miss time. This was a needed pick, and no telling if Sharper comes back or not. I was a bit puzzled by the second round pick, until I realized by next year at this time there could be a major need at LT position. The third was pretty easy, Shockey had a hard time staying on the field, and could possibly be at the end of his career. Getting a talented prospect on board and giving him a year or two of breaking in is not a bad idea at the TE position.

I do get the Saints really need to get better at LB and DT, but there is no way the team can fill every hole at once. I am pretty sure they will be able to find another DT and LB to compliment either through the draft today, or via trade/free agent pickup.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I can argue the upside and future abilities of Brown and Graham. But, to ignore the gaping holes that exist now at LB and DT on the 25th ranked defense in the NFL for what essentially is a 5th string OT and a 3rd sting TE on the best offense in the NFL doesn't make sense.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Don't forget that Patrick Robinson was GDub's pick. We're still expecting to resign Sharper so that beefs up the secondary. I was listening to one theory that teams are passing more so if you can shut down the pass and have a great offense (like our's) you can outscore anyone. While this is not a new theory it seems to be a very logical explanation for the 2 offensive picks so far. Graham is going to be a beast and Charlie Brown will back up Bushrod. I just think we need to trade Jamal for Haynesworth and get it over with.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

I hit it on the Al Woods pick in round 4, but missed completely on the speedy OLB pick in this year's draft.

It seems like the Saints think pretty highly of the roster members they already have in house with Casillas, Dunbar and Arnoux along with the UDFA's they are bringing in next weekend.

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

Sir Saint looks pretty good as a tattoo, doesn't he CheramieIII?

Re: FO Blew a Great Opportunity. (My Opinion Only)
 

did i hear that odalious thomas got cut?