Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

I'm not supremely confident in a group of UDFA's. I had high hopes for Butler. He's produced with limited playing time. Disappointing.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

this is not a fair ? but i'll throw it at ya anyway. had it been ingram, would the injury be more serious. player wize. i'd say thank goodness its not a running back, not our top three anyway.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

What? I don't get what you're saying.

Nevermind, I misread it.

Re: Victor Butler has tore his ACL
 

Classic.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

I think what he is getting to is the fact that Butler was injured trying to not run into Ingram, would it have been better
for the Saints if Ingram would have gone down?


What is easier for New Orleans to replace a starting pass rush threat of a LB, or a RB?

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Thats about a wash to me. Maybe even slanted in Ingrams favor since Sproles is really a scat back. Losing Ingram would make us awfully slim at RB.

We still have numerous candidates for that OLB spot, albeit many are unknowns. And there may be a cagy old vet Ryas knows that can help in a pinch.

Kinda like the Gregg Williams/Pierson Preilou connection was at safety.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Sean Payton and Belichick are the only two coaches that says its minor swelling and the player was actually near death. I was hoping for 10+ plus from butler but i guess next man up.


The end is nigh

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Dammit and it begins

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Yes it does. The run to the Saints second World Championship begins. Dammit, aren't y'all as pumped as I am!

:bng:

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Very unfortunate.

I'm surprised more of them don't get hurt in the NFL.

Most people wouldn't last one play, much less a career.

Wish him the best. Sad news.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Well thats not what I wanted to read.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Victor Butler's torn ACL a devastating blow for New Orleans Saints' rebuilding defense

Victor Butler has only been with the New Orleans Saints for a couple of months, but losing him to a torn ACL feels like a devastating blow. The young pass rusher was one of the most exciting new additions to a Saints defense that desperately needs an overhaul -- especially in the pass rush.

As I wrote yesterday, I felt like Butler had the highest upside of all the Saints' outside linebackers after he showed flashes of dynamic ability as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys. He obviously had a great working relationship with new Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan already after following him here from Dallas. And I felt like signing Butler in free agency made it OK that the Saints didn't overpay for any other free-agent pass rushers or reach for one they didn't like in the draft.

I suppose it's possible that the Saints might consider the idea of bringing in veteran John Abraham or someone else now. But I still think that's a long shot. If they didn't think Abraham was available at the right value before, I wouldn't expect them to overpay now.

More likely, the Saints will count on returning players Will Smith, Junior Galette and Martez Wilson to all play bigger roles in what was expected to be a four-man rotation. More than ever now, it's a good thing the Saints have been grooming Smith as an outside linebacker instead of a defensive end. They also have rookie outside linebackers with upside in Rufus Johnson and Chase Thomas, but it will be tough to count on instant success from either one of them.

Even before Butler got hurt, the Saints' No. 1 priority on defense was finding a way to generate a pass rush that has been sorely lacking in recent years. Switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme under Ryan was a great start. But now that Butler's out of the picture this year, Ryan's job just got a whole lot harder.

Victor Butler's torn ACL a devastating blow for New Orleans Saints' rebuilding defense | NOLA.com

I think "devastating" may be stretching it... by a good margin. He was one of 4 or 5 players that were going to be rotating at OLB.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

@brettmartel: AP source: #Saints LB Victor Butler seeking 2nd opinion, still hope he won't miss whole season: AP source: MRI shows torn ACL for Saints' Butler

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Fingers crossed...

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Martez had 3 sacks last year. Junior had 5, and 4.5 the year before that. Butler has seasons of 3, 3, 2 and 3.

Let's not act like Butler was going to be the savior of the pass rush, or that we are doomed without him. He got more playing time in a pass rush role with the Cowboys than either Wilson and Galette have had here and wasn't more productive than either one.

We will be FINE!

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Who knows, this might make Rufus Johnson see the field also!

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

Last years defensive stats are en brochette.

No Saints defense has pulled 30 or less sacks since 2008..... Other than the monkey facking a football defense of spagnuolo.

Re: Victor Butler has torn his ACL
 

That's a shame.

I was really looking forward to seeing Butler play in the preseason, but injuries are bound to happen, so it's just the nature of the beast.

:bng: