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Our current roster of receivers is listed below. Unless we make a trade or pick up a free agent prior to opening day, the list below is who we will choose from to play with this year. Who do you think will make the final 53 man roster?


Name Height Weight Age Exp. College


Joe Horn 6'1" 206 32 9 Itawamba J.C.

Donte' Stallworth 6'0" 197 23 3 Tennessee

Jerome Pathon 6'0" 182 28 7 Washington

Devery Henderson 5'11" 191 22 R L.S.U.

Michael Lewis 5'8" 165 32 4 None

Talman Gardner 6'1" 205 24 2 Florida State

Derrick Lewis 6'2" 185 28 2 San Diego State

Germaine Crowell 6'3" 222 27 6 Virginia

Phil McGeoghan 6'2" 224 24 3 Maine

Nathan Black 6'0" 190 25 2 Northwestern State

Kerwin Cook 6'1" 185 24 1 Tulane

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Of the players listed, I can tell you a few who definitely WON\'T be on the final roster. Cook, Black, Mcgeoghan. For my opinion on who are riding the fence, Derrick and Michael Lewis, Talman Gardner, and Germaine Crowell. Jerome Pathon may be in that list as well. My definites to make the roster are Horn and Stallworth. Secondary choices are Henderson and Pathon. The fifth receiver on the roster will be Germaine Crowell. If they keep 6, Talman Gardner or Michael Lewis. I have a feeling Michael may be out the door, though.

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The top 6 will make the roster

Joe Horn 6\'1\" 206
Donte\' Stallworth 6\'0\" 197
Jerome Pathon 6\'0\"
Devery Henderson 5\'11\"
Michael Lewis 5\'8\"
Talman Gardner 6\'1\" 205

If we keep 7 or get rid of Gardner, I think Crowell will make the roster. Derrick Lewis will never get off our Practice Squad.

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Thanks for the reply rAge but don\'t underestimate the potential of Derrick Lewis. Actually he already made it off of the practice squad as he was on the 53 man roster and activated to the game day 45 a few times last year, cut and resigned to the practice squad and so on. His NFLE experience and performances there will not go unoticed. I\'m not saying he will make the final cut this year but he will have a fighting chance.

If he doesn\'t make the cut they should sign him to sing the national anthem at all home games. The PA system in the dome normally makes everyone sound terrible and impossible to hear, however, last year Derrick Lewis blasted it out as well as anyone I have ever heard sing it on any stage. That alone should fire up his peers.

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Is he out of Jail yet ???? :P

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WR\'s over 30 no longer have potential in my book. Derrick Lewis is over 30. He could make a lot of rosters in the NFL, but we are loaded at WR and there is just no room.

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rAGE............read my original post. Derrick Lewis is not over 30. He is 28 years old. By your book Joe Horn (age 32) and Michael Lewis (age 32) no longer have potential. Have you ever heard of the two guys out in Oakland, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice?

I\'m not big on the word potential anyway. Ability seems more important.

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The key part of this post is the last line. Rice, Brown, Horn...they no longer have potential because they are already as good as they can get. They still have the ability to be very good WR\'s, but they no longer have \'potential\' to get much better.

And yeah, Derrick Lewis is 28 (29 a few weeks into the season). If he were to use his potential, it would have to be this year and I just don\'t see him getting a roster spot.

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joe horn didnt really come on the scene till he turned 29 or 30 so i dont see Y D Lewis couldnt do it

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POTENTIAL

Adjective

1. possible but not yet realized: with a possibility or likelihood of occuring, or of doing or becoming something in the future.


Noun

2. capacity to develop: the capacity OR ABILITY FOR FUTURE developement or ACHIEVEMENT.

If the dictionary is correct then age is irrelevant if a person has the ABILITY FOR FUTURE ACHEIVEMENT because by its own definition that person would still have POTENTIAL.

Just because some coach once defined the word potential relating it to a player as \" someone who has the ability but has not done it yet\" doesn\'t mean he understands the full meaning of the word potential.

[Edited on 28/4/2004 by SaintNik]

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Horn - Solid WR, some flash left
Stallworth - People are still drooling over the WR he could be
Henderson - Haz must justify the pick, if Henderson isn\'t playing, it\'ll look very bad
Also, he can return kicks.
Crowell - This is provisional on his recovery from earlier injuries. Regardless, this guy is a possesion receiver at worst.
Gardner - Up and comer. (Pathon will go here if Crowell is only able to play in a
possesion role.)
M. Lewis - This club is all too proud of finding this guy. He\'s gone after this season,
because he is now totally overrated and has become a pu--y.

I like Pathon, but he did not play that well last year, and I\'m still harboring a suspicion that there is a trade coming involving one of our WRs and our extra 2nd round pick for next year.


[Edited on 28/4/2004 by JKool]

[Edited on 28/4/2004 by JKool]

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Here is the way I look at it, Horn only has 2-3 years left of high-level play. Receivers rarely produce beyond what a typical #3 receiver does after 32. 32 seems to be the age where receivers \"hit the wall\". Horn is 32 right now.

If I was GM, I would look into trading Horn to a desperate team like the Ravens for draft picks either this year or next year. Our receiving core would still be good without Horn. You may laugh, but think about it. Henderson and Stallworth are two of the fastest receivers in the league. Pathon is a good possesion receiver.

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On Fox 8 Sports Sunday last night they were wrapping up the second week of coaching sessions practices and featured Germaine Crowell. Haz and Co. have been high on him for several years now. They wanted to sign him as a free agent before he got hurt. They tried to after he first got hurt but he failed his physical. He was out of football last year recovering his knee. This is a guy that three years ago had over a 1000 yards and was an alternate to the pro bowl. He has a big body and has good hands. He said he is on a mission to prove he belongs. He has been aware that this staff has had interest in him for several years and believes in his ability. He and AB played together at Virginia. At the end of the segment they qouted Haslett as saying that he expects Crowell to be the #3 receiver this year.

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Good post SaintNik.

I think that Pathon is the odd man out; he would still be of good value in a trade for a CB...

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I think the best plan for the long term, as well as 2004 would be to listen to every offer for Horn or Pathon. If we don\'t like any of the offers we keep both and have an incredible WR corps.

I\'d like to see us keep Gardner around a few years to see if he develops. He has the size strength and speed the NFL loves at the position. He\'d be picked up 5 seconds after we released him.

If anyone thinks we should cut this kid because of a few drops in his rookie year, they probably aren\'t on anyone\'s shortlist for a GM job.

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Yeah people are underestimating Crowell... I think he is a stud and will be a factor this year.

Joe Horn 6\'1\" 206 32 9 Itawamba J.C.

Donte\' Stallworth 6\'0\" 197 23 3 Tennessee

Jerome Pathon 6\'0\" 182 28 7 Washington

Devery Henderson 5\'11\" 191 22 R L.S.U.

Talman Gardner 6\'1\" 205 24 2 Florida State

Derrick Lewis 6\'2\" 185 28 2 San Diego State

Germaine Crowell 6\'3\" 222 27 6 Virginia

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Excerpts from Mike Detilliers 06/13/2004 collumn regarding the WR group:

On Talman Gardner
He has looked good in the mini-camp period, but again he hasn\'t been hit and to me the pre-season will be critical for him to make this club with Joe Horn, Donte\' Stallworth, Devery Henderson and Michael Lewis locks to make this club, if healthy.

No question he is the most physical WR. they have and he does have big-play ability. Like some of the other young players he has shown a tendency to not focus totally on his craft and he must show that he can do this consistently. He has developed into a better route runner and he seems more focused out on the field. Now with all that said, he must show he can catch the ball well in traffic in game situations. Gardner has excellent speed and because he is so strong he is tough to bring down in the openfield. He is also a very elusive openfield runner.

He will be in the battle with Jerome Pathon, Germane Crowell and Derrick Lewis for the final two spots since Jim Haslett has made it known that he will keep 6 WR\'s on the roster.
He has looked good in the mini-camp period, but again he hasn\'t been hit and to me the pre-season will be critical for him to make this club with Joe Horn, Donte\' Stallworth, Devery Henderson and Michael Lewis locks to make this club, if healthy.

He will be in the battle with Jerome Pathon, Germane Crowell and Derrick Lewis for the final two spots since Jim Haslett has made it known that he will keep 6 WR\'s on the roster.

He is still a work in progress, but Gardner has the skills you crave in a young wide-out. The pre-season will be critical for him if he is to make this 53-man squad or be possibly slated for developmental. Just a hunch, but I have a feeling he is going to be on the final 53-man squad.

On Devery Henderson
I do not see Devery Henderson as a possible starter this season. Devery has great speed and big-play ability, but he is a work in progress as a receiver. He is not a very sure-handed end, ( he likes to catch the ball up against his body) and he has to learn how to be a better route-runner. What I think you will see from Henderson is a tendency to drop some easy catches and then make a great grab and score from 80 yards.

Hopefully as the season goes along Henderson will grasp the NFL and develop more confidence in catching the ball clean. Late in the year he could really be a threat to make a big play or two for the Saints because of his great foot speed. Henderson is a talented project, but expect some rough times early on. He could push for a starting spot in Year 2, but not this season. In many respects he reminds me a lot of Laveranues Coles when he came out of Florida State.

On Donte\' Stallworth
believe the hype that Donte\' Stallworth is a huge key on offense. Teams have a lot of respect for his deep-play ability and when he is in the lineup they don\'t gang-up on the line of scrimmage as much to stop Deuce McAllister. Donte\' has the \"potential\" and that means he hasn\'t done it yet, but he has the talent to be a Pro-Bowl performer.

Stallworth has to prove to everyone on the field he can stay healthy. I have never been able to figure out that much about a player when he is running around in shorts. I hear some guys talk about what they see in mini-camp workouts, etc., etc., but they are not getting hit and there is no real pressure on them. It all counts out on the real field of play.
I really can\'t answer your question on if I am sold on Stallworth as being a top player on a full time basis, because he has not proved to anyone he can stay injury-free. My hope is that he can stay injury-free because he does being a heck of a lot to the table.

I will make this prediction. If Stallworth stays healthy for at least 12 games, Deuce McAllister has another injury-free season and the D-line comes together quickly and can improve their run-defense, the Saints will make the playoffs.

Link: http://www.saintsreport.com/cgi-bin/...&id=1087176263
________________________________________________________________________________

Mike has Joe Horn, Donte\' Stallworth, Devery Henderson, and MICHAEL LEWIS as locks. Many here on this board and others have not been so certain of M. Lewis even making the club much less being a lock to do so. Also of interest is him grouping Jerome Pathon as being in the hunt with Derek Lewis, Talman Gardner, and Germaine Crowell for one of the two remaining roster spots. Could it be that Pathon (and his salary) gets moved in a trade?

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Hendersons problems catching the ball may be more troublesome than I first believed. I had hoped he may take over as the primary return man, but if he is a risk factor, Michael Lewis may keep that job.
There are two things that really take the fun out of watching games if the team I support does them: Not being able to stop anyone from running over them in the fourth quarter and a returner who fumbles the ball with noone remotely near him.

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Miceal Lewis is as good as gone. If Devery Henderson is not reliable for Kickoffs & Punt return they will hand the job to Aaron Stecker.

Jerome Pathon is as good as gone. The guy will be paid more than Deuce and other starters to return this year. I believe Germaine Crowell was sign in case we are not able to trade him, however w/the emergence of Derrick Lewis it will be a battle for #3

Black, Cook, & McGeoghan are unknown so they will have to be real impressive just to make practice squad.

1. Joe Horn
2.Donte Stallworth
3.Derrick Lewis
4.Devery Henderson
5.Germaine Crowell
6.Talman Gardner

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My thoughts...

1. Horn
2. Stallworth
3. Crowell
4. Henderson
5. Gardner
6. D Lewis

Out - Pathon and M Lewis. Pathon is a victim of circumstance. I just don\'t see a reason to keep a guy who, as the third and sometimes first or second receiver on our team, can\'t record more than about 40 catches for 400 yards. We have guys who can do that now who have a LOT more potential than he does.

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I don\'t really have any clue who we\'ll start where, but I can make some educated guesses. I\'m going to assume that we all agree that Horn and Stallworth, barring injury, will be sloted at the first and second receiver position. But I will make a few predictions from there.
If I was the head coach, Horn would be out on the field as much as possible. If there was some way to strap an oxygen tank to his back, he would still be playing. Stallworth, not as much.
Horn excels in some many different aspects, it\'s hard to justify taking him off the field. He\'s got the speed for the long routes, he\'s very precise in his route running, which is great for short routes. He\'s second only to Crowell in height, he makes incredible catches, and he has great leaping ability- easy to hang one up in the corner of the endzone. Now, on the other side you have Stallworth, who I in no way doubt this kid\'s ability, is a potentially great receiver, but...in redzone situations, when you want to be considered among the elite offenses in the league, wouldn\'t you rather have a guy that\'s 6\'4\", and when healthy, is one of the better receivers in the league? Keyword- healthy, I haven\'t seen anything in the news about how\'s he\'s progressing, only that article about his and Ab\'s chemistry. I think if you want to try and spread the offense, you should keep Pathon. Gardner and Henderson, no not ready. Sorry folks, yeah I said it, he\'s not ready. Henderson\'s going to learn alot this year, but he\'s not going to be our 3rd, not this year. And Pathon\'s one of those that you know if he dropped one early, he\'s going to make up for it- it\'s called consistency, you know what you\'re going to get. Pathon and Crowell rotate the 3rd. And with that, we would keep Henderson around on special teams, where he can excel easier- it\'s called \"building confidence that will carry over when\'s he\'s ready\" I think this is my second ramble of the year, and I bid you, a goodnight.

P.S. Yeah, the way my luck is going, I\'ll be a fountain of crow, concerning the Henderson comments. In one end and out the other.

[Edited on 15/6/2004 by BlackandBlue]

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Good points about Henderson. I think he needs time on special teams this year. Give him lots of play there and let him come in on four wide sets sometimes.

Personally, I\'m gonna be pulling for Crowell this season. I\'d like to see him revitalize his career in NO. He\'s only 27 or 28... a little younger than Horn was when we got him, right?

Agree totally on Horn\'s place on this team. He should never come off the field. Can\'t stand all the trade rumors swirling around him this offseason.

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