Danno

Out of curiosity…
Would any of you like to see Wade Phillips signed on as a defensive coordinator?
He did a pretty good job with an undersized Falcon team.
I'm sure he won't be retained by Junior.
Or has he worn out his welcome in the big easy?

BillyC

That thought had crossed my mind too Danno. YES, I would take Phillips in a heartbeat. He likes to play the 3-4 and I\'ve been a big fan of the 3-4 since the dome patrol days. Of course, you\'ve got to have the players to run that defense.

BlackandBlue

I don\'t think the defense could handle the number of changes it would take to go to the 3-4, especially after all the changes that were made last year. I like the 3-4 defense, but it would put us back at least another year.

BillyC

I want to run the defense that the Patriots run. What\'s that defense called? I\'m looking forward to seeing what Bellichick has in store for Peyton. That\'s gonna be a classic match-up.

Danno

Didn\'t Phillips switch back to a 4-3 in Atlanta?
I thought he was good at both styles.

D_it_up

I, as well, am a huge fan of the 3-4 defensive scheme. We would need to first off make sure that we have a DT that can play the nose effectively. Jonathan Sullivan is a possiblility, but Kenny Smith is a bit undersized for the position. Grant and Howard would be monsters on the end, though. The Saints would definitely have to have an upgrade at linebacker. Derrick Rodgers, I believe, would flourish in a 3-4, because he\'s got great speed to rush the passer. If we can get a nice draft or free agent middle linebacker (pray for Al Wilson here), then they could put him and Cie Grant or Orlando Ruff in the middle. Ruff strictly for the run, and Cie could utilize his speed for occasional pass rush and defending the tight end or receivers comine across the middle. The other linebacking spot would be a huge question mark. To beat a dead horse some more, Sedrick Hodge hasn\'t lived up to expectations, so the free agent/draft pick scenario could come into play here as well. With a shutdown corner added to the mix and the right coaching of a 3-4 scheme, I believe New Orleans has the speed to cause havoc on the passing game, as well as be able to stop the run next year.

People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Danno

Ya know if Howard doesn\'t re-sign, the Saints will be forced to sign another DE. With them already looking at a nose type DT, it would make sense to switch now, assuming we can\'t re-sign Howard. We\'re planning on a few new faces at LB also.

Didn\'t Haz run the 3-4 his whole DC career in Pittsburgh also?
That also might explain why his linebackers playing the 4-3 look clueless.

I heard the main reson we didn\'t run the 3-4 was that Howard is a perfect 4-3 type DE and would be wasted in the 3-4 style, and we didn\'t have a true NT on the roster.

Hmmm, sounds like an interesting idea. It would also give this staff another excuse for defensive failures as the new 3-4 unit GELS and Haz gets yet another mulligan!!!

BillyC

I\'d like to see us run BOTH. According to Haslett, it doesn\'t take very long to learn the 3-4. I believe the Patriots run both defenses at times....????

saintfan

According to this article he\'s already being considered as the Raiders HC...

http://www.ajc.com/falcons/content/s...4/12notes.html

BillyC

saintfan --

What is your opinion on the Saints coaches. What kind of job do you feel they did this year and how do you think they will do next year. I\'d just like to hear an unbiased opinion. I\'d also like to hear from Danno, LummOx, BlankandBlue, and any other unbiased person.