dizzle88

Shanle - has to be cut, the coaches even know he's a liability and have kept him inactive for the last 4 weeks

Will smith - still makes a couple plays here and there but is getting on and has lost a lot of speed, if we could get someone that's a double of cam Jordan playing opposite him I'd love it, cam is a very good player

Sed Ellis - second coming of warren sapp type player hey? Yeah right

Devery Henderson - love devery for what he's done for us, but who is catching the deep passes now? Joe Morgan is, every time the ball goes deep it's for joe Morgan and he's making plays!

Strief and Bushrod - these two get a section by themselves because they operate as turnstiles on gameday

Jenkins hasn't become the safety I thought he would, and you watch his highlight tape from Ohio state, it's two totally different players, the one from Ohio state was a beast in coverage and layed out anyone who caught the ball, not like that now

I personally like roman Harper and think people forget all the plays he's made for us over the years, he not fantastic in coverage obviously but every year he has got better and he should stay in my opinion

Vilma - old and done

Your bonehead creator picked a fine chapter to omit from your memory bank....let me ask you, does a machine like yourself ever experience fear? - Vegeta, DBZ

alleycat_126

Joe's got skills. I give him that...... But, I would never call a handfull of catches and an amazing deep ball td making plays, plus he was injured before he started with the Saints and during this season for a time as well. Let's see if Morgan can give us a year full of healthy snaps before you send Devery packing!!!! BTW he seemed to dazzle as a return man before his injury why haven't they broken him ( Morgan ) out there since there special teams cant seem to produce good field position. Cadet is not cutting it there.

FinSaint

I'm not sure, but I would think that it has something to do with the fact that they are rather short on receivers while they are stacked at running backs. They probably don't want to risk an injury to Morgan and deplete their receiving corps, because both Sproles and Cadet are able to do the returns and just because of the position they play, they are more accustomed to being hit than Morgan is.

Cadet had some great returns in the preseason, so maybe the problems with the returns has more to do with the blockers than the actual returner?!

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

Danno

All good stuff guys, mostly. Here's my humble take, assuming we keep Spags...

Jenkins - Now that we run mostly zone, he's probably a better fit at CB than he was in Gregg Williams system. I think he a keeper as a versatile CB/FS.

Harper - Was worried he'd be miscast in Spags system which is best suited for Left-Right safeties rather than Strong and Free. He's played better than I thought he would, especially in our big nickle where he plays the LB/SS role. But at that salary? I'd keep him if he restructures or perhaps approach him about a possible trade/restructure.

Strief - I'd keep him as a solid back-up, but definitely keep bringing in competition for his spot.

Bushrod - A servicable LT. Not great but I've seen much much worse in this league. He's also way over-paid so I think we keep him if he resigns at a more cap friendly number and like Strief, keep bringing in players to challenge him.

Ellis - Below average results, above average salary. I think he's a goner.

Shanle - Would be a good back-up at both OLB spots and should be paid accordingly, which is a notch above vet minimum.

Vilma - Father time has reduced him to merely an average LB. His transition to the outside hasn't gone nearly as well as I'd hoped. I think he's a goner.

Smith - Still our best RDE, but I think we can do better. Its time for some Mickey Magic or he's a goner.

Ivory/Ingram/PT - PT is the most expensive, but I think he's worth it. Ingram and Ivory are relatively cheap and I say keep them both and lets see what happens in 2013 under Paytons coaching. I'd certainly listen to trade offers for any of them, but I wouldn't give either away cheap.

Robinson - He's become our best CB. He's still inconsistent but he's a definite keeper.

Henderson - Looks like he's slowed down a bit, and his deep speed is the only reason he's still in this league. I think he's fairly affordable so I say he's a keeper for at least 1 more year. He may not make the team next year if Morgan and Toon look great in preseason camp.

MatthewT

While this is a very good post, the truth is instead of who needs to be cut or traded, it will be more like which players will survive the salary cap purge that is about to happen. Stay tuned...

ChrisXVI

It's funny because I was thinking yesterday about how we really should move Jenkins back to corner because it's just not working out having him play safety. You guys read my mind! I want to see Quddus get a shot starting at safety. I can't put my finger on it, but I think he has some potential.

jeanpierre

Information (r) per Spotrac

2013 New Orleans Saints Free Agent Tracker

2013 Free Agents:

Jermon Bushrod, T, UFA
Rafael Bush, S, UFA
Jonathan Casillas, LB, UFA
Chase Daniel, QB, UFA
Alex Daniels, DT, UFA
Brian De La Puente, C, RFA
Justin Drescher, C, RFA
Sedrick Ellis, DT, UFA
Junior Galette, DE, RFA
Devery Henderson, WR , UFR
Michael Higgins, TE, UFA
Nick Hixon, CB, UFA
Ramon Humber, LB, UFA
Chris Ivory, RB, RFA
Elbert Mack, CB, UFA
Turk McBride, DE, UFA
Eric Olsen, G, RFA
William Robinson, T, UFA
Courtney Roby, WR, UFA
Scott Shanle, LB, UFA

D_it_up

Originally Posted by jeanpierre

Information (r) per Spotrac

2013 New Orleans Saints Free Agent Tracker

Added my thoughts within the quote of the previous post.

jeanpierre

We can't have Drew Brees' level of play at all positions with a salary cap; the guy still shows up and busts his ass, even when he does whiff on plays; but his age and salary demands will get many what they wished for...

His knees are old, specifically, he has a degenerative condition that has been with him since HS; he's still a playmaker, he just has a ceiling on his total number of plays which doesn't justitify his salary hit; a smart guy and knows as painful to face this reality than the knee condition he lives with everyday; I for one want him back with limited snaps and a salary that doesn't embarrass him but allows him to finish as a Saint and allows the team add'l talent...


I want everyone to pay attention to Ellis and learn that when you have a lot of money and don't get what you want (Glenn Dorsey) you should back away rather than compounding your pain with a waste of add'l draft picks and money to try and polish a turd into a gold nugget...

He has played poorly and I think his mental state (and I'm not calling him dumb) is better suited as a Cornerback or a Strong Safety; he has taken bad angles, but don't confuse him with the other guy...

I have been critical of Smith; and he seems to be a contract guy who is smart enough to get his stats in bunches against inferior talent - he's a classic case of paying a tier 2 salary to a defender that has slightly better stats than many, but is very inconsistent as he really no better than the rank and file in the league...

And he probably knows this; but he's still out there, but his groin yet again because he a team player; I want him back as prior to Stinchcomb leaving, he was the best utility lineman in the league...

I don't lay all of this disappointment at Ingram's feet; when you've got a 100 million dollar quarterback, 40 million dollar receiver, a soon to be highest paid TE in Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles - Do you really think we're committed to the run?!?

The Danger here is that Starting Left Tackles, despite our system, are a premium in this league; question is - are we stuck overpaying for Bushrod to protect the investment in Brees?!?

De La Puenta? Are you kidding? You think we can afford anyone else? Besides, whatever liabilities he may have, the guard investment and quick release QB will hide same; and I think he's been pretty solid and he did win the job in training camp last year...

Harper? As an SEC fan and now that Hat with Wind Blows Thru Ears has taken LSU out of it, yet again, I'm pulling for Bama and don't want to upset my Alabama brothers about my disgust in a guy who's not only a slow-footed, over-paid, tired-@$$ excuse of a defensive back, but is also afraid of the ball and tackling...

P Rob? He has definitely improved; but he wasn't a first rounder and he didn't pick himself; but who was complaining about the FO dropping the ball after we had just had Lombardi Gras; this is what happens when you get 'happy'...

Hawthorne? Has a great resume; he can play, but what player will emerge from this forgettable season?!?

Matt Giordano, S (Really want this guy on our squad)
Kenny Phillips, S (Great size, NY just didn't agree with 'em)
Jairus Byrd, S (most expensive of this bunch)

Glenn Dorsey, DE (Get him home, get some gumbo in him, and wouldn't it be ironic that...)
Jaqua Parker, DE (Cleveland's got some good defenders and with that offense, he'll be in great shape)

Andre Smith, T (Talent is there, He's Older, He's from AL, Our Track Record w/OL)
Ryan Clady, T (I know, it was just a thought)

Danario Alexander, WR (This would make the passing game nearly unstoppable with the sheer size...

Rolando McClain, LB (He's a bad man...)

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

mutineer10

Now that our playoff hopes are almost certainly dashed, it would be a fine time to get the young guys some playing time. The salary-cap cock is coming home to roost, and - for good or ill - we're gonna lose a good many of those UFA's.

We've gotta get better in the trenches, but heck knows how we're supposed to do that on the cheap. I wouldn't cry if both starting OT's depart, but - no matter what Halo says - we can't just click over to Craigslist and pick up quality starters.

Jake Long, Ryan Clady & Branden Albert will be FA's next season, but are far outta our price range. The quality 2nd-tier guys come with issues: Sebastian Vollmer (injuries), Sam Baker (injuries), Andre Smith (chili cheese fries with extra bacon), etc.

Things are much the same on the DL side. Elite guys like Dwight Freeney, Osi Umenyiora, and Cliff Avril won't get a sniff from us. Randy Starks and Henry Melton are interesting, but it's doubtful their teams will let them go. Glenn Dorsey is a possibility, if an unexciting one ...

EDIT: Here's a nice little link to some 2013 FA's:

2013 NFL Free Agents