Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

It is very obvious that the Saints priority this year is getting character guys back in the locker room. They just basically forked over 14 mil to get Gallette out and we all know how that is going. 14 mil is a tremendous amount of money even for Benson. I know it doesn't seem like much to us in comparison but the rich don't get rich by throwing away money unless they have a good reason. Looks like the saints had 14 million reasons to get rid of him. They wouldn't give that amount of money away unless they thought they would eventually get back 14 million in the long run by cutting him.

Which brings me to Graham. I like that he is gone but some of the deal puzzles me. First off we got rid of our #1 receiver without having someone for sure to replace him. We are thin at that position especially with Stills gone. Second we made a deal with a legit conference opponent in Seattle that we will likely have to play year in and year out if we are going to get to the Super Bowl. I think Seattle will be a contender for years to come and if we are too that means we have to eventually play each other. 3rd we were pretty hard against the cap and this deal didn't really help us much in that department the way I understand it.
I also sensed something off between him and Brees last year. One sideline reporter even asked him straight up if he was mad at Graham after a game and Brees gave what sounded like a very rehearsed statement that was dismissive but not convincing.
Just wondering what you guys think.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

I think the Graham trade was more about his cap hit in the future, and it's apparent Payton is moving to a more run based offense. It will help take some of the pressure off an aging Brees and his young successor.

Watson and Hill both block better than Graham

Stills trade was more about the character issues from what was reported

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

we stayed away from bad-character guys (Gregory, et al) in the draft, but we nabbed Browner in FA
Not sure if PEDs meets that critria

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

What did stills do?

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

If you take the viewpoint that even with all of that overpaid talent we had a chitty year last year, then it all makes sense why we would purge our roster of all of the bad elements, including the bloated salaries. After all, we can win the very same amount of games as last year with cheaper more hungry newer talent. This latest draft does look more promising than some in years past! Time will tell just how this works out. But I am more excited than not that we are about to find out.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

"Supposedly" P***ed off Drew Brees massively near the end of the season with an attitude that showed he didn't care the team was struggling, whilst it was obvious that the same fact was eating away at Brees every week.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

Lately he was alligator arms diva. Fans loved him and tolerated that transformation. Coaches not so much because his on the field performance was s*** in big moments.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

Everyone was up for sale.... Except Brees and Cooks.... That is what the report said.... Graham was a guy that was onboard... at least it seemed like he was a guy who was onboard with whatever the plan was.... Let's not go into discrediting his off the field character just because he is no longer in a Saints jersey...... We know what he was.... Great talent who slipped to the third, we developed him, he became expendable because of a bad contract, we moved on.... end of story... In his time spent here he was the best TE we have ever had franchise wise. So I wouldn't consider his time here a complete waste... I cannot say the same for Galette.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

Body language.
The DIVA holdout in preseason wanting to be classified / paid as WR not a TE.
I called for his ouster the night I walked back to the hotel in pain after the Ravens plucked my soul out in the "we don't lose in the dome."

I watch body language and JG's was always closed.
He appeared unapproachable and not involved in the game.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

Holdouts don't bother me one bit. It doesn't bother teammates either because they all know that if they were in the same position they would do the same. It's their profession and a business. Can't blame a guy for trying to get as much as he can. It's just the way negotiations work.
I have applied for several jobs where I said I wanted significantly more than I knew I would get. They always came back with another offer that was much better than their original.
No way I am taking any employers first offer. They know on their end that they are trying to get me as cheap as possible. They throw out an offer lower than they know I will take and I throw out an offer higher than I know they can pay. If you can get above middle ground you did good.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

JG didn't seem the same to me after the pink room hazing at the Greenbrier a few years ago.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

Jimmy was a business move. Sell high.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

I don't think it was character issues with Jimmy. I've never heard anything questionable about the guy. I think playing through the injuries was really hard and frustrating for him. As far as Stills goes, he liked to party until the early morning hours on game day's. That's the lack of commitment hinted at with him.

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

The trades demonstrated more that talent had to be spread out throughout the team rather than Graham simply had to go...

Look, there's one football on offense and with talented guys sitting on the bench on offense on some plays because you can only get so many guys the ball at one time...

And there clearly was a severe drop off in talent on the defensive side of the ball as well as on the offensive line...

The trades were merely a way of getting more talent on the field for more plays, offensively and defensively...

Graham's defiant dunk last preseason, his social media excursions during contract negotiations and his lack of development to block for teammates were more of attitude checkpoints than character checkpoints...

But, make no mistake, spreading the talent was paramount for this team to return to championship form and Graham, not having those mentioned attitude checkpoints, exposed him...

Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

I don't think JG had character issues - maybe more like attitude issues. Sometimes those are harder to deal with because they're not as black and white. Despite his talent, he definitely had those diva tendencies, and having a high price tag I think opened the door for management to evaluate his overall value and influence - both on the field and in the locker room.

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Re: Could Jimmy Graham have had some character issues too?
 

Dumb kid.