Jack Vegas

Going from Goodwin to De la Puente was not a downgrade. Goodwin was good, but never considered elite. De la Puente is very good to elite, depending on which expert is ranking him.

Neither was Stinchcomb to Strief a downgrade. If you don't recall how Stinchcomb played in his final season, go find some old games and see for yourself. He retired because his knees were shredded. Great guy, awesome guy, I love him to death. He spent damn near an hour talking to me for an interview in '09. But he was finished as a player.

Bushrod to Brown? Doubtful. I honestly think by the end of the year we'll be seeing this as an upgrade. Bushrod was a good run blocker but average overall and really benefitted from Brees' pocket awareness. Read up on the Bears message boards, they're not real thrilled with him so far. Search Results for Query: bushrod | DaBears - Chicago Bears Message Board and Fan Site[node]=9

Nicks to Grubbs? Sort of a downgrade, except Nicks has been an injury disaster since leaving and Grubbs has always been well-known as an elite player at his position.

Jammal Brown was so washed up and injury-prone the Redskins, a team with a bad offensive line desperate for help anywhere, traded for him only to discover he couldn't play left tackle anymore. They moved him to the right side for a couple of seasons, then made him take a pay cut, then voided the last three years of his contract.

No offense, I'm just not seeing the issues. If anything I think it's amazing how the Saints have been able to maintain the overall talent level on the o-line overall. (Depth is another issue, who the hell is Tim Lelito and why is he backing up all 3 interior line spots? LOL)