And the big bust will be......
 

Since we all picked our dark horse, who will be the big bust on our team? Starter, projected starter, or draft choice.

My big bust of 2004:
Jonathan Sullivan
This is simply a gut feeling that this guy doesn't have the mental toughness to play in this league. Not just because of size issues, but the mind match of Norman Hand or Grady Jackson. Simply can't take his commitment to the next level. I predict a season of flashes of brilliance from this guy followed by multiple games of disappearing. By the late games of the season I can see us lining up with Young and Liesle at DT simply hoping their work ethic and hustle gets the job done.

And the big bust will be......
 

Big Bust? Bust is a strong word. Big Bust is an even stronger statement.

I can\'t go out on that limb, lummOx.

But, if you want talk about who\'s going to have a disappointing season, then OK.

But, first let\'s address your comments on Sullivan \'cause I strongly disagree and I understand that\'s it\'s just a gut feeling of yours.

I won\'t bring up any stats of first year DT or how it takes a 2 or 3 years to really know how a DT will turn out. I\'ll stick to your questioning of his mental toughness and desire.

While there\'s no way to really know Sullivan\'s desire or commitment for the game, there is some evidence to make a good argument.

Negatives:

1. Sullivan Reports to camp out of shape.
This clearly shows that he\'s not commited enough. No player that is really serious about being the best he can be would come in over-weight.

That\'s really the only negative I can think of at this point.

Postives:

1. Sullivan told the coaches that he WOULD be in great shape by the time camp started and he\'s almost at his ideal playing weight now. Sure, he shouldn\'t have this problem but he\'s doing the right thing now.

2. John Pease is working Sullivan very hard in the practice sessions. How does Sullivan respond? He asks Pease for extra reps. Sounds like the guy has a desire to do the right things.

I\'d have to say Sullivan has some maturity issues. But, the guy came out as a jr. and it happens with young guys. I have my normal doubts about Sullivan, but with John Pease here, my confidence is way up for this guy and I think we\'ll see big things from him this year.


Now, for my disappointing player for this season:

Courtney Watson.

I say this because of all the hype surronding him. I think folks are buying into the \"hype\" coming from the coaches. I don\'t think he\'ll make much of an impact at all and I don\'t look for him to start at any point during the 2004 season.

Sorry for the long post. Just had to get it off my chest. ;)

And the big bust will be......
 

I don\'t know if Courtney Watson will be who disappoints, but the smart money is on the linebacker position producing a disappointment. That said, as long as that disappointment is offset by someone stepping up in their place, all should be well.

Furthermore, the biggest bust should be the Dome\'s walls and roof as the Saints march towards their first Super Bowl title.

And the big bust will be......
 

The most disappointing player of this coming season. Let\'s see, picking such a player would require picking someone who will make the roster and someone who will play enough to be disappointing (i.e. not make it to expectations)... hhhmmmmm...

I say Cie Grant.

All I hear is how great he\'s gonna be. He was injured most of last season, and I haven\'t seen him do anything. I think that even if he is good, he\'ll be a disappointment - since so many think he is the shiznit for MLB or OLB.

And the big bust will be......
 

How about Stallworth as the biggest disappointment.
I know he has worked on correcting the issues that caused him to miss much of the last two seasons.
Sounds a lot like what we heard last year.
With all the hype he will have to have a monster year not to disappoint.
It might be unfair but so is being a Saint fan.

And the big bust will be......
 

The Biggest Disappointment

\"Jon Stinchcomb\"

It still burn my a$$ that management pick this guy over Rashean Mathis

Rashean Mathis \"shutdown corner\" starter
Jon Stinchcomb back up reserve

And the big bust will be......
 

Did Rashean\'s momma pay you to write that? :P

And the big bust will be......
 

I have no problem being negative when it\'s called for, Gator. I just can\'t force myself to go bashing for the sake of bashing.

But wacth how I can bash when it\'s called for:

Tebucky sucked at tackling last year.
The linebackers sucked last year.
The defensive line sucked last year.
Our receivers dropped way too many balls last year.
Brooks fumbled the ball way too much last year and cost us some games.
Our kicker cost us a game by missing an extra point.
Jim Haslett was an average coach last year that was reflected in the Saints 8-8 record.
Same for Venturi and McCarthy.

That\'s the truth as I know it, my man. ;)

But, what good does it do to go around bashing just for the sake of bashing? I\'m a Saints fan, Gator. Why would I wanted to bash my team when it\'s not called for? Get back to me on that, will ya? ;)



[Edited on 25/6/2004 by GumboBC]

And the big bust will be......
 

My Bust for 2004 is Deuce McAllister.
He doesn\'t really work out much and usually that translates into injuries. I can see him getting banged up (again) and disappearing down the stretch (again).
Everyone complains about CB, if Thomas goes down we\'ll have Ambrose and Brown at CB.
Well if Deuce goes down we\'ll have Lamar Smith and Aaron Stecker.

I don\'t want to sound negative but the worst thing that could happen to this team is losing McAllister.

I get a bad feeling about Deuce this year. The one player we couldn\'t lose last year was Howard. We lost him 12 minutes into the season.

And the big bust will be......
 

Will Smith.
Not unlike Sullivan he will have a hard time adjusting to life in the NFL. Not just are your opponents quicker and stronger, everything else speeds up as well: Traing sessions and schemes he\'s required to learn.
Rather than lifting some of the burden off Grant\'s and Howard\'s shoulders he will be used almost exclusively as a pass rusher - and even that with mixed results.

However, Howard will go to the Pro-Bowl and Grant will have a good year as well to make up for it. ;)

And the big bust will be......
 

That is the single scariest thing I have read in months. :o

Scary, but very, very true. Should we be angry that the FO didn\'t tag a young guy during the last couple of rounds of the draft or FA?

Scary, Danno. Why you gotta ruin a brother\'s weekend like that? :P

And the big bust will be......
 

Fred Thomas....I\'m hoping I\'m dead wrong about this, but he\'s got to start declining somewhere. Plus, he just signed a new contract which usually spells that a guy is going to have a down year. I wouldn\'t be surprised if Craft and Brown elevate their play enough to make Thomas the nickleback this season.

And the big bust will be......
 

Sam Gash .........

Gash will all but disappear in blocking duties for Mc Allister and at some point in the season will be released or benched for a roookie .

[Edited on 25/6/2004 by saintz08]

And the big bust will be......
 

Are we even sure Gash will make the team?

And the big bust will be......
 

Here\'s my vote... The entire offensive backfield (except for Duece if he stays healthy). This is an area I have had issues with for the past couple of years. Sam Gash is apparently injured; the rookie may be really good, but who knows yet? I\'ve thought that there were decent backup-type running backs at the end of the draft the past two years. Stecker is a special teamer. Lamar Smith is getting old. Ronney Jenkins is..... who the hell is Ronney Jenkins? Tavian Banks couldn\'t make the roster last year.

Here are some of the RBs we passed up in the last 2 rounds of the last 3 drafts. They might not have been all pros, but they might become (and in some cases already are) good backups. Some may be total busts, but what else do you normally get out of the last round of the draft - worth a shot.

Chester Taylor - Toledo
James Mungro - Syracuse
Adrian Peterson - Georgia Southern
Avon Coburne - West Virginia
Ahmad Galloway - Alabama
Earnest Graham - Florida
Jarrett Payton - Miami
Quincy Wilson - West Virginia
Derrick Knight - Boston College
Ran Carthon - Florida
Jason Geathers - Miami (also played receiver, can you say \"catch out of the backfield\")


[Edited on 25/6/2004 by turbo_dog]

And the big bust will be......
 

Seems like I may have made the wrong choice in picking Courtney Watson. It\'d be great if Waton lives up to this:

[Edited on 25/6/2004 by GumboBC]

And the big bust will be......
 

Ok, this isn\'t a player but I think the biggest bust will be McCarthy as OC. We have the weapons and the talent but I just don\'t see him getting it done. He\'s not the best at adjusting on the fly, so if another team gets us out of our game plan early he will struggle as usual. That can throw a whole team off. That guy hasn\'t shown me much since he\'s been here.

And the big bust will be......
 

Boo Williams is one possibility. Everyone is penciling this guy in as a Pro Bowler b/c he had 5 good games last season. Hey, I think he can be a Pro Bowler and will be good, but he may also flop like every other TE before him since Hoby Brenner.


Grant is another possibility as are Sullivan, Young... pretty much the whole defense. HA HA! ;)

And the big bust will be......
 

Boo Williams? H*** no! Freddy Thomas? H*** no. Even though I think he may struggle a little covering the opponents number one receivers (Price, Galloway, Smith).

I think Sullivan is going to be the biggest bust. This guy was drafter number 6 overall and only had 1 sack! Not only did he just have one sack the run defense was terrible. Sullivan shouldn\'t be held responsible by himselft but he had a lot to do with it because he\'s on the frontline and the Saints traded up to get him (which I thought was a stupid move because they had back to back picks). Sullivan better step up or he\'s going to be the big bust again. I don\'t see how Courtney Watson can be a bust when we don\'t have a middle linebacker anyway and he was drafted in the second round. Any contribution from him would be great. We\'re hearing good things so hopefully he\'ll do well.

And the big bust will be......
 

ESPN Insider: Saints Middle Linebacker Battle

New Orleans Saints\' middle linebacker

Orlando Ruff vs. Darrin Smith vs. Cie Grant vs. Courtney Watson

Ruff, who started nine games last year, plays with a non-stop motor and shows good strength at the point of attack, but he doesn\'t have great range or athletic ability.

While Smith, who started seven games last year, has the instincts and speed to cover backs out of the backfield, he doesn\'t have prototypical size and doesn\'t play with a wide base.

Grant is a former outside linebacker who uses his ability to read plays quickly, and his upfield burst and ability to slip blocks in space mask his lack of ideal size. However, he missed nine games with a knee injury last year and there is some concern about his ability to stay healthy over a 16-game season.

Watson has the ball skills to make some big plays in coverage, he can anchor against the run and is disciplined, but he doesn\'t have great range and he is untested.

Projected winner:
This is a wide-open battle right now and Watson has impressed the coaches with some strong mini-camps, but expect Ruff to be the starter when New Orleans plays Seattle in the season opener. Ruff is the most experienced of the four and is stout against the run. That said, Watson should eventually push Ruff for playing time and Grant should see plenty of time in the nickel as well as dime packages. The versatile Smith will probably move to the outside, where he is also capable of providing good depth.

And the big bust will be......
 

Doesn\'t have great range?
Are they for real?
He was about 0.05 seconds slower than Vilma wasn\'t he?
He blistered the combine for a 240lb LB.

BTW: Isn\'t every Rookie untested?

And the big bust will be......
 

Yes, but they aren\'t comparing rookies. They\'re comparing linebackers you clueless boob!!! LMAO. :P

Take your medicine Danno. ;)

And the big bust will be......
 

Can a coach be a bust? If so .....I would say Haslett

And the big bust will be......
 

According to a magazine i bought \"Sporting News 335 scouting report Pro Football Draft\" page 8 Notre Dame\'s Courtney Watson was the fastest linebacker, clocking a 4.53. The only other linebackers who ran faster than 4.6 were Auburn\'s Dontarrious Thomas, Washington\'s Marquis Cooper and oklahoma\'s Teddy Lehman. \"THIS WAS AT THE COMBINE\"

page 73.
Courtney Watson, Notre Dame
6-0 7/8 242

NFL Comparison Ed Hartwell, Raven

Strengths: Plays with good leverage against the run. Has the base and lower-body strength to take on blocks near the center of the line of scrimmage. Does a nice job of filling and disengaging from blocks. Show solid hands and can shed blockers. Has great awareness and instincts. Takes solid angles to the ballcarrier. Is disciplined and won\'t bite on many play fakes. Has good ball skills in coverage when he is in position.

Weakness: Does not have great athletic ability. Does not have fluid hips and will struggle in some man-to-man coverage matchups. Will need to be protected in zone coverage. Does not have ideal top-end speed to turn and run with faster running backs man-to-man. Lacks great burst and speed as a blitzer.

Bottom line: Watson doesn\'t have elite skills, but he continues to improve and could develop into a starter if placed in the right system to protect him from man-to-man coverage situations.



[Edited on 27/6/2004 by ami2kind4words]

And the big bust will be......
 

Aaron Brooks, it\'s always Aaron Brooks.

If you guys are talking about draft busts, I\'d have to go with Cie Grant.

And the big bust will be......
 

As far as draft busts would go I owuld say it is a toss up between Cie Grant and Stinkycomb. But the coaching staff will be the biggest bust this year.