WhoDat

What do you guys think needs to happen this offseason? What I want is not likely to happen, so I'll deal with reality and try to suggest moves that could be made.

1. Defensive Coordinator. Haslett has protected Venturi, and Venturi will point to the 4 game stretch in December to try to keep his post. Sorry Rick, you're a nice guy, but 23rd, 27th, 18th, and 32nd in the last 4 years. You're out. Who they should bring in I'm not really sure of yet.

2. Talent Scout. What we really need is a football GM, but I sincerely doubt Benson will dump his buddy Loomis. Plus, Loomis puts us in good cap situations. Haslett gets the players he wants, as far as I can tell. Thus, the best solution here is to say goodbye to baby Mueller and find a better talent scout.


While I want more changes in the staff, I really don't expect much more. Haslett, McCarthy, and Loomis all seem safe to me.


Player Personnel

I'll start with current players.

Joe Horn - do nothing or extend his contract. He is entering the last year of a 3 year 13.5 million dollar deal. He's worth every penny. His cap number in '05 will be high and he'll be a free agent after the year. Spread out his cap hit over 3 more years and let the guy retire a Saint.

Howard - If Howard will back off his demands to be paid like a top 5 DE, then I'd like to keep him. He's played well the second half, but his health is always the issue. I like Grant, Smith, Howard, and Whitehead in the rotation and if we can keep the guy I want to. I'm not sure I'd Franchise him again though. He's not worth that type of money.

Deuce - you guys better figure out a way to sign him long-term. This is probably the most important move, but I place it third b/c everyone in the world knows it is the most important move and I expect the Saints to treat it that way.

Sullivan - not an important move at all in terms of production, but one that is important financially, and more importantly to me, to show real strength by the Saints. This man needs to be traded or cut. Take whatever you can get, but get him off the team.

Other players who should be let go - Ambrose, Thomas (both have lost it entirely), Riley...


The needs aren't all that much different. Green played well at DT, but the Saints still need a NT/Big DT. MLB, but I like the idea of the rookies playing outside. CB to fight with Fahkir and add depth in the nickel. S is more and more of a concern. Tebucky, Mitchel, and Bellamy are all questionable in one area or another.

On offense, I'd like to see line improvements, especially at Tackle. Personally, I want to see another QB brought in to actually compete, but I doubt it will happen. We at least need some depth. WR remains a spot where we can get better.

What do you guys think?

dberce1

#1- D Coordinator. If we have a halfway decent system in place all year, we\'re hosting a wildcard game next week.

#2- Deuce, don\'t be stupid here Loomis

#3- Veteran MLB- someone with good speed/size

#4- Teach Devery the system starting tomorrow, talk about a waste of money.

Danno

Good post, here\'s my comments, in order of impact.

Staff/Coaching-
1. GM. Or at worst if Loomis stays at GM bring in a real football guy to replace Rick Meuller. Loomis is a brilliant money guy so he is valuable to this organization, but he needs a football guy to bounce things off of. Phil Savage as GM, Loomis to president of FB operations?
2. New DC. I also don\'t know who\'s available but a real Football GM should.
3. New OC.

Players
1. Horn. I am now 100% in agreement with keeping Horn now. Try to get him to re-negotiate, but concede if necessary.
2. Howard. He loves New Orleans and wants to stay. Lets let Loomis do what he does best and try to keep him. If his demands are too high then it\'s time to move on. Lets get what we can out of him.
3. Deuce. I\'m not as sold on him as I once was. He was outrun by Ernie Conwell. That was disgusting. I wouldn\'t break the bank on him unless he comes into camp next year in much better shape. He\'s no longer a top 5 back. Maybe we franchise him to keep him another year and see how he approaches his off-season fitness.

4. Sullivan? I also see how he handles the off-season fitness. If he comes into camp fat and lazy again, cut him and admit you flat made a costly mistake. You\'d get a lot more respect.

Roster targets-
1. A different QB. If we can swap Brooks for a similar talent I do it. At least bring in some competition for him. He seems to do better when pushed. This team needs a new identity and the best place to start is QB.
2. DT. A solid run stuffing DT. This is like signing 2 guys. It\'ll let Bryan Young do what he does best, shoot the gaps.
3. SLB. Allen is finally playing like I thought he would at the start of the season. But he\'s still a question mark. If reports are accurate he\'s not the sharpest tool on the porch. Hodge is gone, and a proven vet would help. Allen would be a great back-up also.
4. WLB. I like Colby\'s attitude but lets face it. He was drafted as a 2-3 year project and still needs to get stronger. I like his potential but I\'d rather have him develop behind a proven vet.
5. O-line. Riley is living up to his old reputation of inconsistency. Good season/Bad season. We have a good foundation but need another impact O-lineman. We have a deep O-line, but its filled with one A-player and a bunch of decent B-players.

And as always, if a talented player is available at any position (except maybe DE), get him. Other than Grant and McKenzie, no spot on defense is locked up.

ScottyRo

I agree with most of what you said WhoDat. As far as Sullivan, cut him TODAY. Forget trades, forget trying to get anything for him. He doesn\'t deserve a trade. He deserves to be unemployed at least for a few hours. Let some other team deal with him.

Now, the part I am confused about is your desire to see a new talent scout come in. To me, talent is not the problem with this team. Also, I know that your happy with the acquisitions of Young and McKenzie in FA and trades, but you also seem very pleased with last year\'s draft. In fact you named 3 players, Karney, Buckwoldt and Watson - labeling Buckwoldt and Watson as promising, in another thread. I don\'t think you have a problem with Smith so that\'s 4 players from one draft that could really make a difference on this team. Seems to me like talent scout might be an area of no concern.

WhoDat

Danno -

Coaching
1. my sentiments exactly!
2. Amen.
3. I don\'t know how I feel about a change at OC. McCarthy can be predictable, but then again the offense has been top 10 up until this season. Hard to dump a guy who has helped to create the most explosive offense in Saints history.

Players
1. I knew you\'d see the light.
2. Word
3. I saw that too - Conwell outrunning Deuce. I was disappointed also, but the guy is, IMO, still a top talent. He\'s real big and strong and does a lot on his own, especially after first contact. Pay him and keep him, but I\'m not necessarily against paying less than top 5 money. I like Stecker a lot and think he should be used more to create that shiftiness and speed out of the backfield. He needs to see the field more next season.
4. Yup.

Targets
1. Who knew we agreed so much? Question - what do you think about Rattay as a guy to groom? Not necessarily a starter right now, but I think he\'s got the skills and he\'s another \"hometown\" guy. Thoughts?
2. Word
3. I think MLB is more necessary, but any LB will make me happy - proven LB that is.
4. Again, I wouldn\'t argue with that, but I like Colby a lot. He\'ll be fine if he has support up front, at MLB, with a corner that likes to hit like McKenzie outside, and safeties behind him who can help out... and especially a DC that can put him in position to make plays. I thought he was the brightest spot at LB this season, I\'m happy to go with him after a full offseason of strength training and time to develop in the scheme.
5. I think we could use one draft pick and sign two FAs at O-line. We need help at Tackle.

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

shadowdrinker

Well..First off...we have to look at how the team progressed through the year...

The Defense needs work..Idon\'t care how well they played the last month...they were ranked bottom most of the year..and our record shows that

A new Coordinator is crucial if we are to continue to get better on defense..and they really did kick it up a few notches near the end..Too little ,Too late however...It may have saved Hasslet\'s job..But..I hope not...

I\'ll stick by my words..And continue to say the Organization needs a complete overhaul...

Every single job should be up for grabs...Including all coaches , and Players..

Don\'t let the last 4 games shroud the truth of what this team really was this year...

BrooksMustGo

Thank you. Let\'s all keep our eye on the ball people. We\'re still looking at an 8-8 team.

RDOX

Yes indeed we are 8-8 but Fumbles had \"GREAT STATS,\" and needs to hit the trail to the great Fantasy Football team in the sky, so the kids on this board can crow about Stats and all of that hooey.

Danno

I think with the personnel we have on offense we should be among the very elite offenses in the league. Not just near the top, but at the top. McCarthy is way too predictable.

We should be mentioned in the same breath as KC and Indy.

saintswhodi

In all fairness to Deuce, how many carries did he have before he broke that long one? I can\'t remember. Also, he broke like two tackles to get through, surely that tires you. It may have something to do with conditioning, which Deuce surely needs to upgrade. But if he is getting the ball 5-7 times a quarter, and Conwell(who isn\'t that slow) is getting in the game every other play or two or three plays, makes since he would be fresher than Deuce. Just a thought. But conditioning is a big concern for me when it comes to Deuce. Injury aside, he has looked a lot slower this year that last year. That run was his 6th of the first quarter though.