FinSaint

I thought that Jenkins had a very good 2010 season after Sharper was hurt and unable to start the season, and it was clear that the Saints were really hampered by Jenkins being injured and missing the final Seahawks game.

2011 was an off season for him, but that can be said for the whole secondary unit in general. I think that he has the talent to be top tier FS and I'm looking for him to have a bounce back year with the new coaching staff.

If Harper is suspended for a lengthy period, they might even consider moving away from the FS/SS format - at least temporarily - and fielding a cover-2 safety configuration with at least the other OLB adapting to a more SS like role. Chamberlain could fit this mold and even Herring (if he is still around) since they seem athletic enough to pull it off.

This might solidify the secondary with two deep(er) safeties and with the added tackling monsters to the LB corps, the run defense might not need the safety support that was necessary in the past - or at least GW thought so.

And I'm not talking about adapting a Tampa-2, but a configuration of a left and a right safety, who would both play more of a FS than a SS role.

I'm not sure what the Flajole/Curtis tandem prefers, but it might be an alternative if Harper is not available, because it might best suit the Jenkins/A-Q pair, since that would be what the Saints would have to go with. Furthermore, this year's draft has a very weak and narrow safety class, and beyond the top 3 prospects there aren't any starters to be picked, maybe a low round depth/ST contributor.

"I'm not bashing people, I'm bashing their opinions because in my opinion their opinion is wrong" - Danno

Danno

Blitzing 11 billion times per season and not getting to the QB leaves CB's and safeties vulnerable.

The two best safeties in the NFL would have gotten beat like a drum last year on this team.

NuNu318

Also... when GW did have them in coverage they were always like 7-10yds off of their man which would baffle me all the time. Like seriously you'd rather let them catch the ball and get off the line clean? Its like GW was saying "ok if we go to cover instead of blitz...just let them catch the ball and get yards just make sure you bring them down before they get to the endzone...then we'll hope our goal line D will hold up."

There were many times where I was watchin them on defense and I knew exactly where the soft spot in the D was because (most of the time Porter or Robinson) were like 10 yds off their man and I'm screaming at the TV for them to Press their man because once they let them get off the line clean they caught the ball and had ran 5-20yds already because when they tried to come up and make the play they couldn't wrap up or took a bad angle. Its common knowledge that if you press you can jam the reciever up and throw them off their route....I hardly ever saw that happen

biloxi-indian

From Fin: "This might solidify the secondary with two deep(er) safeties and with the added tackling monsters to the LB corps, the run defense might not need the safety support that was necessary in the past - or at least GW thought so."

IMHO, this quote is SPOT on!

iceshack149

I like the Safetys on the Saints. A lot. I think that the Jenkins/Harper pairing, assuming they both play most or all of the season, is one of the best tandems in the NFL. Quddus and Amaya had some promising plays last year as well.

Hopefully, we'll see some pressure without much blitzing. Last years young-uns and this years FA crop really have me excited.

W. Kovacs

You beat me to it, Danno. I think both safeties have much better years in 2012...

ScottF

Yep. Impossible to judge talent when everyone is running around chaotically, but we're still not getting pressure

hagan714

lets see how the spags defense works out with this group. definitly more traditional defense thats for sure.

stone hands harper is just that

jenkins should do fine.

Danno

So far we've spent all our defensive free-agent money on the front seven.

We haven't spent a dime on any DB's.

I think the staff recognizes where the main problems are.

NuNu318

S Tanard Jackson just released by the Bucs. Now he did get released because he failed his physical. He is still recovering from shoulder surgery and his agent says he should be healed by the end of the offseason. Does anyone think he's worth taking a flyer on at least for depth purposes?