Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Worth a look?
Sammie Lee Hill, DT, Lions. Age: 26.
Sammie Lee Hill could start for some teams, as he does a decent job of pressuring the quarterback. He just hasn't had much of a chance in Detroit because he's been behind Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Corey Williams on the depth chart.

Jason Jones, DT, Seahawks. Age: 27.
Jason Jones is a quality interior pass-rusher who was lost late in the year to a knee injury.


Randy Starks, DT, Dolphins. Age: 29.
Randy Starks is a talented interior pass-rusher. He struggled a bit down the stretch, but that could have been the result of personal issues he dealt with late in the year.


Roy Miller, DT, Buccaneers. Age: 26.
Roy Miller doesn't offer anything as a pass-rusher, but he's a primary reason why the Buccaneers had one of the league's top run defenses in 2012.


Arthur Jones (RFA), DE/DT, Ravens. Age: 27.
Arthur Jones broke into the starting lineup in the middle of the season and performed well, stopping the run effectively and getting to the quarterback on occasion.



Mike DeVito, DE/DT, Jets. Age: 29.
Mike DeVito has been a key run-defender in New York's three-man front.

Steve McLendon (RFA), NT, Steelers. Age: 27.
Steve McClendon looks like a solid replacement for Casey Hampton. He performed well in the playoffs against the Broncos in January 2012, and that carried over into this season when he saw the field briefly.



Ropati Pitoitua (RFA), DE/DT, Chiefs. Age: 28.
Ropati Pitoitua has served as a solid rotational defensive lineman for the Chiefs. He's solid in run support and tallied two sacks in a game against the Chargers.

Terrance Knighton, NT, Jaguars. Age: 27.
It's rare to see a 330-pound nose tackle struggle in run support, but that's why Terrance Knighton was benched in favor of C.J. Mosley back in October. He still played an ample amount though.


Alan Branch, DT, Seahawks. Age: 28.
Alan Branch is sort of a jack-of-all-trades defensive tackle. He has no glaring weaknesses and is at his best when stopping the run.

Ricky Jean-Francois, DE/DT, 49ers. Age: 26.
Ricky Jean-Francois handled himself well when inserted into the lineup in the wake of Justin Smith's injury. He's not much of a pass-rusher, but he contained the run well.

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Connor Barwin, DE/OLB, Texans. Age: 26.
Connor Barwin is coming off a very disappointing 2012 campaign. After registering 11.5 sacks in 2011, he managed just three this past season. He's talented, so there's a good chance this was just a fluky year.

Thomas Howard, OLB, Bengals. Age: 30.
Thomas Howard missed all but one game in 2012 with a torn ACL. It was impressive that Cincinnati's defense still played well despite missing such a solid linebacker.

Manny Lawson, OLB, Bengals. Age: 29.
The Bengals asked Manny Lawson to rush the passer and stop the run, and he did that very well. He's not good in coverage, however.




Glover Quin, S, Texans. Age: 27.
A converted cornerback, Glover Quin has starred in his new safety role over the past couple of years. He was particularly sound in 2012, so he deserves a nice contract.

Danario Alexander (RFA), WR, Chargers. Age: 25.
Danario Alexander exploded after signing with the Chargers in the middle of the season, catching 36 balls for 624 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. He has tons of potential, but he is also a big risk because of his extensive injury history.

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Conner Barwin I like and is affordable. I also like Glover Quin, but might be out of the price range.

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

To me Terrance Knighton seems like a good choice, because he could be had on the cheap and he's still only 26 years old, so he can potentially come from an injury quicker than some of the older guys.

He has pretty much the size needed from a 3-4 NT - could be a little taller - so if all the other things about him square off... he would be my choice at the moment.

Also, he would be a good (cheap) choice who'd allow the Saints to test, for example, if Hicks could be their NT going forward, without any added pressure of taking away snaps from a highly paid FA.


I guess this means that Dorsey's homecoming isn't going to happen as he really doesn't have a natural position in the 3-4 defense...?

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Excellent observation, let me give you my personal thoughts on Sammie Hill, after a season of focusing on that defensive line to debunk the "Ndamukong Suh double-teamed on every play" myth.

Rotated in/out, he's frequently paired with Nick Fairly and was very effective this season, IMO, much more than the season before. He drew frequent double teams, and at one point in the season, I started to think teams were more focused on blocking Hill than Suh. Seriously. You can argue he benefits from playing next to Fairley & Suh, but I honestly think it may be the other way around.

He's the kind of player New Orleans could coach up to his full potential & has no character or drug/alchohol/driving issues.

Sign him, :mrgreen:.

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

And you're basing that on the stellar work Bill Johnson has done developing D-linemen in the past...? Case & point Mr. Ellis?!

:clown:

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Oh, forgot about that, :lol: ... I'm still kinda' new at whole 'following the Saints' thing, :mrgreen:. I was thinking more along the lines of Spags & Payton's influence on him as opposed to Cunningham/Schwartz.

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Well, scratch the Spags reference in my previous posts ...

http://blackandgold.com/saints/54940...-released.html

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

:-D


BTW, why aren't the Lions firing Schwartz already?!

Re: 2013 Saints - Free Agency Targets
 

Because that wouldn't be holding to the status quo of mediocrity they've committed to maintaining during the SuperBowl era. They even gave him an extension, :(. I can't take it anymore, they're killing me.