Depth Chart Locks
 

So as I was running today and letting my mind wander around all sorts of trivia, I started thinking who in my opinion is a lock for a #1 position on our depth chart. It seems logical that this is the next line of conversation post-draft and pre-season as well! Here's my thoughts:

Offence

QB - Brees (Lock)
RB - The Committee (Lock) - Basically whoever hits the Depth Chart out of Ingram, Thomas and Sproles (probably PT) is irrelevant as they will all see their share of snaps, thus they go in as 'The Committee'
FB - Collins (Lock)
WR1 - Colston (Lock)
WR2 - Moore (Lock)
TE - Graham (Lock)
LT - ???
LG - Grubbs (Lock)
C - De La Puente (Lock)
RG - Evans - (Lock)
RT - ???

Defence

LDE - Jordan (Lock)
NT - ???
RDE - ???
OLB1 - ???
OLB2 - ???
ILB1 - Lofton (Lock)
ILB2 - ???
CB1 - Lewis (Lock)
CB2 - ???
FS - Vaccaro (Lock)
SS - ???

Now when I say someone is a 'Lock', I am not saying they just turn up and get the position. They still have to play hard and train well but I am thinking they will have to do something really stupid not to wind up in that starting position. A '???' is a position that is well up for grabs based on performance in the off-season and fitting the scheme.

Notable absentees include Greer, Harper, Vilma, Jenkins and Smith who I think are all going to have to battle real hard to win their spots. The only exception there might be Greer who is as close to a lock as I would give for the CB2 role.

The only other big role that is very much up for grabs is the Kicker. Hartley will not keep walking into this job.

I appreciate there is a long way to go with personnel changes, injuries, doing 'something stupid' in the media etc etc but I just wondered if anyone saw this wildly different to me.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Brees, 4 RB's, Colston, Moore, Morgan, Stills, Collins, Graham, Watson, Strief, Armstead, Grubbs, de la Puente, Evans, Hicks, Jordan, Jenkins, Bunkley, Smith, Butler, Lofton, Vilma, Wilson, Lewis, Robinson, Jenkins, Harper, Vaccaro, Hartley, Morstead, Drescher. 19 spots open for competition. Some more than others.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

I agree with every other position that you have on here as except this one. Everything I been reading about Vaccaro says he is versatile, I don't think he will be pigeon - holed into the FS position just because that is where he was drafted. It seems like they plan on making him a rover of sorts, starting at FS on base downs when it is more likely teams will be running.... and then taking over the SS position when teams try to spread us out.....

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

There are not as many locks as we would like to think...

50% of our positions are not locks. They are defiantly someone's to lose but I wouldn't say they are locks. Especially on defense.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Vaccaro isn't a lock to be a starter. He has a lot to prove. (Just like any other rookie.)

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Offense - Brees
Defense - ???

Punter/kicker/bodyguard - Morestead

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Interestingly I purposely put Vaccaro in as a Lock because I had seen a lot on this board about him not starting etc etc. I totally appreciate where everyone is coming from on this but for me I can't help but look at these facts:

1) Jenkins/Harper - 2 of the worst Safeties in the league last season
2) Saints Defence a RECORD SETTING worst of all time
3) Rarely do you see a 1st round pick NOT starting for his new team especially if he is drafted in the top half of the first round

For me he is 100% a locked starter although I do concede that locking him in at Free Safety may not be correct come season opener.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Vaccaro is not a lock on FS. He may take the SS position.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Anyway, Vaccaro is definitely not a "lock" for me in either of the safety positions, whether we are talking about a strong/free or left/right division of labor. But that doesn't mean that he can't earn that spot during off-/preseason.

Also, I'm a little bit on the fence with Lofton. Clearly the odds are in favor of him being the other starting ILB, but who knows how well he'll fit into that role having only been the MLB in a 4-3 previously?

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

1) Jenkins/Harper - 2 of the worst Safeties in the league last season

Harper is an old SS which is a no longer needed in todays nfl.
Jenkins i think will have a good year.

2) Saints Defence a RECORD SETTING worst of all time

it was the DC not the players.

3) Rarely do you see a 1st round pick NOT starting for his new team especially if he is drafted in the top half of the first round

he is Harpers replacement in my book and will be groomed for that.

Also, I'm a little bit on the fence with Lofton. Clearly the odds are in favor of him being the other starting ILB, but who knows how well he'll fit into that role having only been the MLB in a 4-3 previously?

i agree and would not be surprised if we have major turnover in the next three years at LB. now i really like our DC for picking LB. I may knock him on a lot of things but he has a proven track record building a LB corp

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Except when Ryan pulls out the "46" in short yardage situations, he lines up the SS in the box... Harper is the best safety we have then...

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Why is there a debate on Harper being awful?
If you want to throw last season out of the window fine. Look at the season before then when he was ranked an amazing 81st in the NFL out of all safeties (in the GW system).


However, Varccaro is not a lock. No one on the D should be considered a lock. New DC with a new scheme and a lot of new players. Training camp is a long way out still so I guess its fun to speculate until then.

Unless they decide to attack your weak spots and go play action... Seattle anyone lol

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

A lot of unanswered questions & too many on defense

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Example:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._green.svg.png

I'll trust that Ryan knows what he is doing...

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

EVERY position on defense is up for grabs

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

sorry typo there it was meant to read "old school SS".

if he played 20 or 30 years ago he would have more than 1 pro bowl under his belt by now. but those days are gone. rule changes have hurt the SS role more than any other position in the NFL. CB next.

all for offense and ratings. my kids will never know the way the game was meant to be played.

i like Harper but he is caught up in the wrong time of the game. sorry about the typo

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gag rule. lol

he does know LB i will give him that

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Still not getting the 'love' for Jenkins and Harper here. They are not at all smart. You can blame what you want or who you want for last season but with the exception of the brilliant play Jenkins made against Tampa Bay to stop a certain TD, there were very few highlights. Every time the ball was launched into the secondary last season I expected it to be a successful big play.

I don't for a second believe that Sean Payton will guarantee a starting spot for someone just because he drafted them in the first round but tell me this ... at #15 and with other good players at other positions of need on the board, he reaches out for the best Safety. You think he's done that just because he wants a decent close battle at camp? Umm no. He knows, as well as I do, that unless Vaccaro is simply not what the scouts saw or does something pretty stupid, he is IN. I cannot see it otherwise.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

Don't confuse "love for Jenkins and Harper" with ridiculing the absurd mentality that they were the main problem last year. Not saying thats you in particular.

They both played as poorly as everyone else did. The 2012 suckage was a total team effort, including coaches. Two of those coaches were fired, and we targeted CB, DL and LB heavily in free-agency.

Re: Depth Chart Locks
 

And he knows how to tackle. We need that on defense. Can he play safety? :rolleyes: