Should the Saints be in a 3-4 defense - this would be where current personnel would likely line up reflecting current free agents not on the roster...

LDE Cam Jordan, Junior Galette
NT Brodrick Bunkley, Akiem Hicks
RDE Will Smith, Tom Johnson

MIKE Curtis Lofton, Ramon Humber
SAM David Hawthorne, Will Herring
WILL Jonathan Vilma, Jonathan Casillas, Chris Chamberlain
JACK Martez Wilson

LCB Jabari Greer, Elbert Mack
SS Roman Harper, Rafael Bush
FS Malcolm Jenkins, Isa Abdul-Quddus, Jerico Nelson
RCB Patrick Robinson, Johnny Patrick

As you can see there are many issues - the most obvious is at LB...

Vilma departed the Jets because he couldn't play in a 3-4; that, along with his cap number would definitely make him a cap casualty; Casillas has shown an inability to shed blockers, stand ground, or make plays so he'd be gone...

Hawthorn and Herring would be fine at the SAM; but Herring's Cap Number would would require he start at the WILL Backer...

Lofton and Humber at the MIKE; actually, I think Lofton would do well in the MIKE position...

While Martez Wilson needs to see the field, there's no depth behind him should he go down and moving Galette to OLB would be a disaster as he would have been drafted for that position if he had this quickness/speed...

Which leads to the DE position where Will Smith would not make a good 3-4 DE because his inability to hold the point of attack and occupy multiple blockers as the DL in a 3-4 must do to allow the attacking LB to make tackles, plays...

So, at the least, we'd need another DE, three more LB; and that's before we fix a dysfunctional secondary...

Disclosure - Now, I like the 3-4 and I loved to see Wilson at the JACK position; but this is what drives me crazy about the Saints Personnel department; if you can't max him on film to command a good compensation in a trade, and you're not going to play him, then WTF are you drafting players like this?!?

And this is why I'm so critical of Loomis and how he should already be improving the personnel department of this team that has really let this franchise down...

omg the annual 34 vs 43 off season debate has begun for 2013

i went back and look at 2011 season and as rookie he did seem lost at times in coverage but what rookie is not? not like he was 1st round pick

i still say if this experiment at de is to continue he needs to be a stand up de.

BUT i still see enough promise in him to use him at LB once and while in a game and drill him in practice in his pass coverage skills. Have him cover Graham and Sproles in practice. that should help.

he can play a 34 but i still believe he can adapt to a 43 with coaching and give the saints something they need. SPEED and SIZE at LB.

Dude is a 3 to 4 year project in my book. In the mean time i want to see his special team play improve big time. well the whole unit needs to.

Plus now that Vit is done with his HC duties i am looking for him to take Wilson back into the fold at LB. Wilson has experience at DE and that will help him play LB. He has a better idea of how to react to what the DE is doing. well i hope he did learn something

Sum it up i still see enough hope in him to keep him around for another year or two

Wow...Finally...

Coach Payton shows why he's the best...he plays to the strengths of his guys and doesn't try to force a system that isn't there...

So, the question remains then: why did they (SP at the forefront) hire Spags in the first place if his system was so wrong for the players the Saints had/have?!

Was Spags himself another square peg the organization tried to force into a round hole - not letting him play to his strengths, but forcing him to adapt to the situation and become something he is not?!