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15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

It’s the time of year for looking back and looking ahead.

With the Saints, there’s no need — or desire — to do the former. By any standard, 2014 has been a major disappointment.

So let’s get out the used crystal ball that Santa left us and make 15 infallible predictions for 2015:

1. The Saints will lose to Tampa Bay 23-17 on Sunday, giving them a 6-10 record, the worst of the Sean Payton era. That finish will leave them with the 10th pick in the draft and games against Minnesota (home) and San Francisco (away) in 2015. They’ll also have home games against Jacksonville, Tennessee, Dallas and the New York Giants and road games at Washington, Philadelphia, Houston and Indianapolis — plus home-and-home games with NFC South foes Carolina, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

2. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be retained. But secondary coach Wesley McGriff, defensive line coach Bill Johnson and offensive line coach Bret Ingalls will be fired. In a front-office shakeup, director of college scouting Rick Reiprish will be fired, and at least three scouts will be replaced. The team will bring back former secondary coach Dennis Allen.

3. Center Jonathan Goodwin will announce his retirement.

4. The team will decline to re-sign running back Mark Ingram, making him a free agent.

5. Marques Colston, the leading receiver in franchise history, and six-time Pro Bowler Jahri Evans will be released. Other veterans not retained include cornerback Patrick Robinson, tight end Benjamin Watson, wide receiver Robert Meachem, nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley, kicker Shayne Graham and linebacker David Hawthorne. Guard Ben Grubbs is brought back after a substantial salary reduction.

6. Quarterback Drew Brees will restructure his contact so the team can avoid taking a $26 million salary-cap hit.

7. Veteran free agents signed will include wide receiver Jeremy Maclin from Philadelphia and linebacker Pernell McPhee from Baltimore.

8. With the 10th pick in the first round, the Saints will select guard/tackle Brandon Scherff of Iowa. Cornerback Alex Carter of Stanford will be the second-round pick. The team will draft a quarterback in the fifth round or later.

read more at The Advocate

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danno (Post 634365)

He's wrong

But I could live with him being right.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

1) Saints go 4-0 in Preseason
2) Saints go 16-0 in regular Season
3) Saints beat Seahawks in NFC Championship
4) Saints win Superbowl
5) Brees passes for 5300 yards
6) Saints RB's combine for 2000 yards
7)Brandin Cooks has 90 receptions
8)Jimmy Graham has 80 receptions
9) Byrd has 8 interceptions
10) Saints defense ranks in top 5

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

1. The Saints will lose to Tampa Bay 23-17 on Sunday, giving them a 6-10 record, the worst of the Sean Payton era. That finish will leave them with the 10th pick in the draft and games against Minnesota (home) and San Francisco (away) in 2015. They’ll also have home games against Jacksonville, Tennessee, Dallas and the New York Giants and road games at Washington, Philadelphia, Houston and Indianapolis — plus home-and-home games with NFC South foes Carolina, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

We'll beat Tampa 23-17

2. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be retained. But secondary coach Wesley McGriff, defensive line coach Bill Johnson and offensive line coach Bret Ingalls will be fired. In a front-office shakeup, director of college scouting Rick Reiprish will be fired, and at least three scouts will be replaced. The team will bring back former secondary coach Dennis Allen.

Fine by me. Bring in Scott McCloughan whom I posted about earlier. He built Seattle, San Fran and Green Bay's teams.

http://blackandgold.com/saints/70058...ccloughan.html

3. Center Jonathan Goodwin will announce his retirement.

Was not the reunion us fans hoped for. Thanks for the ring Goody.

4. The team will decline to re-sign running back Mark Ingram, making him a free agent.

TJ Yeldon in round 2?

5. Marques Colston, the leading receiver in franchise history, and six-time Pro Bowler Jahri Evans will be released. Other veterans not retained include cornerback Patrick Robinson, tight end Benjamin Watson, wide receiver Robert Meachem, nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley, kicker Shayne Graham and linebacker David Hawthorne. Guard Ben Grubbs is brought back after a substantial salary reduction.

Colston will restructure. Jahri will stay. Grubbs will be gone.

6. Quarterback Drew Brees will restructure his contact so the team can avoid taking a $26 million salary-cap hit.

Please, please please....

7. Veteran free agents signed will include wide receiver Jeremy Maclin from Philadelphia and linebacker Pernell McPhee from Baltimore.

Maclin would be great. I don't know anything about McPhee.

8. With the 10th pick in the first round, the Saints will select guard/tackle Brandon Scherff of Iowa. Cornerback Alex Carter of Stanford will be the second-round pick. The team will draft a quarterback in the fifth round or later.

Wouldn't be mad at that!

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

As long as #2 happens we have hope.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by halloween 65 (Post 634401)

As long as #2 happens we have hope.

Number 2 happened all over the field this year...

:banana:

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

Well we didn't, but Tampa gave us that game. They absolutely played to lose in the second half. Had they not that game was a blow out. Have not seen us get blown out so many times in an SP season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

2. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be retained. But secondary coach Wesley McGriff, defensive line coach Bill Johnson and offensive line coach Bret Ingalls will be fired. In a front-office shakeup, director of college scouting Rick Reiprish will be fired, and at least three scouts will be replaced. The team will bring back former secondary coach Dennis Allen.]

Brining back D. Allen would be good. Letting go of the aforementioned people would be good too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

3. Center Jonathan Goodwin will announce his retirement.]

no brainer

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

4. The team will decline to re-sign running back Mark Ingram, making him a free agent.]

I think this is true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

5. Marques Colston, the leading receiver in franchise history, and six-time Pro Bowler Jahri Evans will be released. Other veterans not retained include cornerback Patrick Robinson, tight end Benjamin Watson, wide receiver Robert Meachem, nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley, kicker Shayne Graham and linebacker David Hawthorne. Guard Ben Grubbs is brought back after a substantial salary reduction.]

I agree about Evans, unless he restructures, I also agree about Grubbs, who outplayed Evans, and I agree about everyone else. Colston I have a feeling restructures so cheap we have to keep him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

6. Quarterback Drew Brees will restructure his contact so the team can avoid taking a $26 million salary-cap hit.]

No doubt

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

7. Veteran free agents signed will include wide receiver Jeremy Maclin from Philadelphia and linebacker Pernell McPhee from Baltimore.]

Macklin would be an excellent signing, but I doubt Philly lets him go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

8. With the 10th pick in the first round, the Saints will select guard/tackle Brandon Scherff of Iowa. Cornerback Alex Carter of Stanford will be the second-round pick. The team will draft a quarterback in the fifth round or later.]

Would be a great pick!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

9. After a second year of training camp at The Greenbrier, the team will announce it is voiding the final year of its contract with the resort and returning to its Metairie facility in 2016.]

Think this is true

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

10. Cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste, the team’s second-round draft pick in 2014, will be released at the end of training camp.]

Maybe, he didn't play at all this season, but I think it is too early to tell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

11. Safety Jairus Byrd will make a full return to health and lead the team with seven interceptions.]

I think he will play the way we expected since he will be healthy

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

12. The team will improve from 31st in total defense and 29th in points allowed to the low- to mid-20s in both categories.]

Hard to get worse, but need ILB help, bad. Need to find someone to get to the passer

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

13. Tight end Jimmy Graham again will fail to live up to the standards he set in 2013, finishing with fewer touchdowns and yards than he had in 2014. But wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills each will have more than 80 receptions, 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.]

Think he bounces back, if his numbers drop it is only because Drew is spreading the ball around.

Further, if we sign Macklin are we going to have three players with 1000 yards rec. and 80 receptions? I mean how do you say we are signing Mack and then say two guys will have 80 and 1000?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

14. Brees will fail to surpass 5,000 passing yards but will pass Dan Marino for third on the league’s all-time touchdown passes list.]

who knows how many he'll have

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

15. The team will finish 8-8, losing its season finale at home against NFC South champion Atlanta on Jan. 3, 2016. The team then will schedule a major announcement for two days later.]

Disagree, but I do think it is possible we are another year away from getting back to 11 or 12 wins. I think we have enough to get 10 wins.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

We don't sign veteran free agent WR's... I mean other than bringing Meachem back so the Maclin thing ain't happening.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Well if he is only right about one of those, please let it be #2.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashMouth (Post 634363)

6. Quarterback Drew Brees will restructure his contact so the team can avoid taking a $26 million salary-cap hit.

read more at The Advocate

The problem with this is that I cannot see Brees taking a salary reduction which is the only way a restructure actually creates any space.

Brees's cap hit is 26.4 million in 2015 and 27.4 million in 2016. For both of those years. 7.4 million is prorated signing bonus. That amount cannot be lowered. For 2015, Brees has a salary of 18.75 million. All but the vet minimum can be converted to signing bonus and prorated, but with only one year left on the deal, anything moved from 2015 would add to the already 27.4 million cap figure in 2016. And the amount of 18.75 can only be reduced by half. So, a Brees restructure can roughly create around 9 million in space, but that 9 million would be added to 2016 creating a 36.4 million hit in 2016.

There's really only 2 ways Brees can create room. One is a simple salary reduction. In other words, he agrees to be paid less (and let's be real- that is NOT going to happen) or unless they add years to the current contract which I think would be a lengthy negotiation which Brees still would want to be paid market value. So, he's still gonna want an AAV of around 18-20 million.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtiger72 (Post 634900)

I think they add a year, maybe 2 and give him more guaranteed up front.

Win-win for everybody

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Drew Brees will throw the ball 650+ times again.

The last time Drew had around 500 pass attempts with the least amount of yards thrown in his entire career as a Saint, we won a Superbowl.

That stat makes me sad.

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by papz (Post 634937)

But the fact that we won a Superbowl makes me happy.:p

Re: 15 infallible predictions for the Saints in 2015

1. The Saints will lose to Tampa Bay 23-17 on Sunday, giving them a 6-10 record,

"Infallible" Huh?