Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills

AlaskaSaints · 10-07-2015, 01:54 AM

Desperation baby.

jeanpierre · 10-07-2015, 02:08 AM

And to think, we could have had La'el Collins, tisk, tisk...

Interesting conversations at lunch yesterday...

Bunch of the older guys (60+ years) were saying they never understood why the Saints were always reluctant to draft, sign LSU players...

I mentioned Martin, Henderson, Woods, Hicks (yes, he finished at Regina); but they mentioned several players that were there in the past that the Saints could've used...

Do the Saints avoid LSU players?

burningmetal · 10-07-2015, 03:34 AM

Originally Posted by jeanpierre

And to think, we could have had La'el Collins, tisk, tisk...

Interesting conversations at lunch yesterday...

Bunch of the older guys (60+ years) were saying they never understood why the Saints were always reluctant to draft, sign LSU players...

I mentioned Martin, Henderson, Woods, Hicks (yes, he finished at Regina); but they mentioned several players that were there in the past that the Saints could've used...

Do the Saints avoid LSU players?

You know, I used to try not to think about that because I figured I was probably just being a homer. But LSU puts out a lot of good to great players, and the Saints just ignore the crap out of them.

I don't expect them to draft every eligible player from LSU, but there are too many good one's for us to not have any of them.

ikecomp · 10-07-2015, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by jeanpierre

And to think, we could have had La'el Collins, tisk, tisk...

Interesting conversations at lunch yesterday...

Bunch of the older guys (60+ years) were saying they never understood why the Saints were always reluctant to draft, sign LSU players...

I mentioned Martin, Henderson, Woods, Hicks (yes, he finished at Regina); but they mentioned several players that were there in the past that the Saints could've used...

Do the Saints avoid LSU players?

Well, that's not entirely fair. The saints actually did go after collins once the draft ended. But he just chose to go to Dallas. It was his decision in the end. Nothing Payton or Loomis could do about that. Payton actually had multiple conversations with him but he could tell Collins wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible.

OL La'el Collins' 'business decision' makes Saints game a homecoming - Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN

MarchingOn · 10-08-2015, 07:28 PM

[QUOTE=ikecomp;673904]Well, that's not entirely fair. The saints actually did go after collins once the draft ended. But he just chose to go to Dallas. It was his decision in the end. Nothing Payton or Loomis could do about that. Payton actually had multiple conversations with him but he could tell Collins wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible.

Yes, but that's why they call it a draft.

Should've drafted him in the 7th then Collins wouldn't have a choice and we'd likely have a new ROT with Streif our swingman.

Yeah, I know Murphy is a good returner and RB but a better ROT is more valuable now and we could've have traded any pick down to grab another 7th and have had both.

Crusader · 10-07-2015, 04:12 AM

How does it look across the NFL with teams signing players from colleges close to them? Does the Browns and Bengals have more Ohio St players? Does Detroit have more Michigan players?

burningmetal · 10-07-2015, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by Crusader

How does it look across the NFL with teams signing players from colleges close to them? Does the Browns and Bengals have more Ohio St players? Does Detroit have more Michigan players?

It's the fact that we have drafted almost ZERO players from LSU that seems odd. Al Woods is the only player in the Sean Payton era was drafted from LSU. Akiem Hicks never made it to LSU.

I don't expect them to draft a player just because he comes from a home state school. It's the fact that there have been some really good prospects available whom this team really could have used, and the Saints always pass for some dopey project.

There aren't too many programs that put out talent like an LSU or Alabama, Florida (though they have had some ups and downs) and, before recently, Texas. There are good teams around the country that don't have near the number of high draft prospects. Urban Meyer and Jim Hardy har har bauh will be able to recruit unlike most non-SEC schools, so there's a little shift there.

Off the top of my head, I know the Lions drafted Jeff Backus from Michigan, as well as Charlie Rogers and Drew Stanton from Michigan State.

The Jaguars have drafted Blake Bortles from UCF and Dante Fowler from Florida the last two years. The Bucs of course took Jameis Winston from FSU. If the player fills a need and he happens to be from one of your home state schools that shouldn't scare you away. But the Saints have a confusing tendency to avoid LSU players.

I don't know if it is actually a conscious decision, but it's strange enough to look that way.

SaintsBro · 10-07-2015, 06:27 AM

It's not JUST LSU, although LSU is a very visible symptom.

The OVER focus on reaches, projects and small schools, in the draft, is one of the reasons that has left this team in the predicament it's in. They got luck with Colston, and a few others, but where are these guys coming from? Look at the school names next to their names on the roster, it's a real eye-opener.

Where are the bruisers from Michigan or Ohio State, the ballers from Florida, the big SEC guys? Where is the nasty, physical linebacker or solid defensive player from football powerhouses like Texas or Penn State? Who on our team besides Ingram has ever participated in the hooplah and hype of winning a national championship, or a big bowl game, under the bright lights? (I don't actually know the answer, I'd have to look it up).

The no-name, small school, spare parts approach is particularly evident on defense, where the Saints just don't have any elite talent from BIG schools, major schools, which are the programs who know how to produce elite football players. I'm sorry, but so many times these reaches, stretches, projects and little school guys have heart, but they are outclassed on the field, in terms of athleticism, physicality, and "football smarts." How many times have we seen our defensive players "learning on the job" or "developing" out there? A kid coming from a BIG football school, that's known for putting major talent in the NFL, he has most likely already learned that stuff.

It's not just LSU -- I'm tired of Payton and Loomis' "reach" and "project" picks, from John Jay Haircutting College, Saksaktoon Technical & Math Institute, and guys who played one year at the University of Rangoon. We desperately need some more major, boring picks from proven schools (like LSU) to balance it out. Over time it's been a huge over-reach to the small school side of things, with all these crazy reach picks and pet projects -- a lot of times Payton & Loomis are way too clever for their own good.

spkb25 · 10-07-2015, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by SaintsBro

It's not JUST LSU, although LSU is a very visible symptom.

The OVER focus on reaches, projects and small schools, in the draft, is one of the reasons that has left this team in the predicament it's in. They got luck with Colston, and a few others, but where are these guys coming from? Look at the school names next to their names on the roster, it's a real eye-opener.

Where are the bruisers from Michigan or Ohio State, the ballers from Florida, the big SEC guys? Where is the nasty, physical linebacker or solid defensive player from football powerhouses like Texas or Penn State? Who on our team besides Ingram has ever participated in the hooplah and hype of winning a national championship, or a big bowl game, under the bright lights? (I don't actually know the answer, I'd have to look it up).

The no-name, small school, spare parts approach is particularly evident on defense, where the Saints just don't have any elite talent from BIG schools, major schools, which are the programs who know how to produce elite football players. I'm sorry, but so many times these reaches, stretches, projects and little school guys have heart, but they are outclassed on the field, in terms of athleticism, physicality, and "football smarts." How many times have we seen our defensive players "learning on the job" or "developing" out there? A kid coming from a BIG football school, that's known for putting major talent in the NFL, he has most likely already learned that stuff.

It's not just LSU -- I'm tired of Payton and Loomis' "reach" and "project" picks, from John Jay Haircutting College, Saksaktoon Technical & Math Institute, and guys who played one year at the University of Rangoon. We desperately need some more major, boring picks from proven schools (like LSU) to balance it out. Over time it's been a huge over-reach to the small school side of things, with all these crazy reach picks and pet projects -- a lot of times Payton & Loomis are way too clever for their own good.

KV= Texas, Swann is from Georgia, Jenkins from Georgia, (Prob was from Fstate), Anthony is from Clemson, Kikia from Washington, Jordann is from CAL, Ellerbe is Georgia, Hawthorne is TCU, Byrd is actually a duck, Lewis is oregon state, DJ Williams is from fstate

I'd go through the rest but don't want to. So what does that prove....nothing

Crusader · 10-07-2015, 07:34 AM

SaintsBro, I don't really agree with your assesment.

Of 53 players currently on the roster (I havn't updated for yesterdays moves) 43 played for a FBS school, 4 played for a FCS school, 5 came from D2 and 1 player don't have college experience (Breaux).

The FBS shakes down like this by conference:
SEC 8
B1G 6
PAC12 6
ACC 3
Big12 3
MW 3
AAC 1
C-USA 1
MAC 1
Sun Belt 1

So when you start looking at it, 81% of the players on the roster played for a FBS team and the majority of those players played for a bigger school.

10-07-2015, 01:54 AM	#1
AlaskaSaints 1000 Posts + Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Anchorage, AK Posts: 2,484 Blog Entries: 2	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills Desperation baby. spkb25, RailBoss and leilung like this.

10-07-2015, 02:08 AM	#2
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills And to think, we could have had La'el Collins, tisk, tisk... Interesting conversations at lunch yesterday... Bunch of the older guys (60+ years) were saying they never understood why the Saints were always reluctant to draft, sign LSU players... I mentioned Martin, Henderson, Woods, Hicks (yes, he finished at Regina); but they mentioned several players that were there in the past that the Saints could've used... Do the Saints avoid LSU players? hagan714, Rugby Saint II and jlaw8920 like this.

10-07-2015, 03:34 AM	#3
burningmetal 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 3,923 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills Originally Posted by jeanpierre And to think, we could have had La'el Collins, tisk, tisk... Interesting conversations at lunch yesterday... Bunch of the older guys (60+ years) were saying they never understood why the Saints were always reluctant to draft, sign LSU players... I mentioned Martin, Henderson, Woods, Hicks (yes, he finished at Regina); but they mentioned several players that were there in the past that the Saints could've used... Do the Saints avoid LSU players? You know, I used to try not to think about that because I figured I was probably just being a homer. But LSU puts out a lot of good to great players, and the Saints just ignore the crap out of them. I don't expect them to draft every eligible player from LSU, but there are too many good one's for us to not have any of them. hagan714, jeanpierre and K Major like this.

10-07-2015, 01:51 PM	#4
ikecomp 100th Post Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 329	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills Originally Posted by jeanpierre And to think, we could have had La'el Collins, tisk, tisk... Interesting conversations at lunch yesterday... Bunch of the older guys (60+ years) were saying they never understood why the Saints were always reluctant to draft, sign LSU players... I mentioned Martin, Henderson, Woods, Hicks (yes, he finished at Regina); but they mentioned several players that were there in the past that the Saints could've used... Do the Saints avoid LSU players? Well, that's not entirely fair. The saints actually did go after collins once the draft ended. But he just chose to go to Dallas. It was his decision in the end. Nothing Payton or Loomis could do about that. Payton actually had multiple conversations with him but he could tell Collins wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible. OL La'el Collins' 'business decision' makes Saints game a homecoming - Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN Danno likes this.
ikecomp 100th Post Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 329

10-08-2015, 07:28 PM	#5
MarchingOn 100th Post Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 387 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills [QUOTE=ikecomp;673904]Well, that's not entirely fair. The saints actually did go after collins once the draft ended. But he just chose to go to Dallas. It was his decision in the end. Nothing Payton or Loomis could do about that. Payton actually had multiple conversations with him but he could tell Collins wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible. Yes, but that's why they call it a draft. Should've drafted him in the 7th then Collins wouldn't have a choice and we'd likely have a new ROT with Streif our swingman. Yeah, I know Murphy is a good returner and RB but a better ROT is more valuable now and we could've have traded any pick down to grab another 7th and have had both.

10-07-2015, 04:12 AM	#6
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,030	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills How does it look across the NFL with teams signing players from colleges close to them? Does the Browns and Bengals have more Ohio St players? Does Detroit have more Michigan players?

10-07-2015, 10:42 PM	#7
burningmetal 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 3,923 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills Originally Posted by Crusader How does it look across the NFL with teams signing players from colleges close to them? Does the Browns and Bengals have more Ohio St players? Does Detroit have more Michigan players? It's the fact that we have drafted almost ZERO players from LSU that seems odd. Al Woods is the only player in the Sean Payton era was drafted from LSU. Akiem Hicks never made it to LSU. I don't expect them to draft a player just because he comes from a home state school. It's the fact that there have been some really good prospects available whom this team really could have used, and the Saints always pass for some dopey project. There aren't too many programs that put out talent like an LSU or Alabama, Florida (though they have had some ups and downs) and, before recently, Texas. There are good teams around the country that don't have near the number of high draft prospects. Urban Meyer and Jim Hardy har har bauh will be able to recruit unlike most non-SEC schools, so there's a little shift there. Off the top of my head, I know the Lions drafted Jeff Backus from Michigan, as well as Charlie Rogers and Drew Stanton from Michigan State. The Jaguars have drafted Blake Bortles from UCF and Dante Fowler from Florida the last two years. The Bucs of course took Jameis Winston from FSU. If the player fills a need and he happens to be from one of your home state schools that shouldn't scare you away. But the Saints have a confusing tendency to avoid LSU players. I don't know if it is actually a conscious decision, but it's strange enough to look that way.
	If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

10-07-2015, 06:27 AM	#8
SaintsBro Site Donor Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: in line with my ridiculous CLEAR PLASTIC BAG Posts: 3,650 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills It's not JUST LSU, although LSU is a very visible symptom. The OVER focus on reaches, projects and small schools, in the draft, is one of the reasons that has left this team in the predicament it's in. They got luck with Colston, and a few others, but where are these guys coming from? Look at the school names next to their names on the roster, it's a real eye-opener. Where are the bruisers from Michigan or Ohio State, the ballers from Florida, the big SEC guys? Where is the nasty, physical linebacker or solid defensive player from football powerhouses like Texas or Penn State? Who on our team besides Ingram has ever participated in the hooplah and hype of winning a national championship, or a big bowl game, under the bright lights? (I don't actually know the answer, I'd have to look it up). The no-name, small school, spare parts approach is particularly evident on defense, where the Saints just don't have any elite talent from BIG schools, major schools, which are the programs who know how to produce elite football players. I'm sorry, but so many times these reaches, stretches, projects and little school guys have heart, but they are outclassed on the field, in terms of athleticism, physicality, and "football smarts." How many times have we seen our defensive players "learning on the job" or "developing" out there? A kid coming from a BIG football school, that's known for putting major talent in the NFL, he has most likely already learned that stuff. It's not just LSU -- I'm tired of Payton and Loomis' "reach" and "project" picks, from John Jay Haircutting College, Saksaktoon Technical & Math Institute, and guys who played one year at the University of Rangoon. We desperately need some more major, boring picks from proven schools (like LSU) to balance it out. Over time it's been a huge over-reach to the small school side of things, with all these crazy reach picks and pet projects -- a lot of times Payton & Loomis are way too clever for their own good. Rugby Saint II likes this.
	Last edited by SaintsBro; 10-07-2015 at 06:30 AM..

10-07-2015, 06:46 AM	#9
spkb25 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 13,115	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills Originally Posted by SaintsBro It's not JUST LSU, although LSU is a very visible symptom. The OVER focus on reaches, projects and small schools, in the draft, is one of the reasons that has left this team in the predicament it's in. They got luck with Colston, and a few others, but where are these guys coming from? Look at the school names next to their names on the roster, it's a real eye-opener. Where are the bruisers from Michigan or Ohio State, the ballers from Florida, the big SEC guys? Where is the nasty, physical linebacker or solid defensive player from football powerhouses like Texas or Penn State? Who on our team besides Ingram has ever participated in the hooplah and hype of winning a national championship, or a big bowl game, under the bright lights? (I don't actually know the answer, I'd have to look it up). The no-name, small school, spare parts approach is particularly evident on defense, where the Saints just don't have any elite talent from BIG schools, major schools, which are the programs who know how to produce elite football players. I'm sorry, but so many times these reaches, stretches, projects and little school guys have heart, but they are outclassed on the field, in terms of athleticism, physicality, and "football smarts." How many times have we seen our defensive players "learning on the job" or "developing" out there? A kid coming from a BIG football school, that's known for putting major talent in the NFL, he has most likely already learned that stuff. It's not just LSU -- I'm tired of Payton and Loomis' "reach" and "project" picks, from John Jay Haircutting College, Saksaktoon Technical & Math Institute, and guys who played one year at the University of Rangoon. We desperately need some more major, boring picks from proven schools (like LSU) to balance it out. Over time it's been a huge over-reach to the small school side of things, with all these crazy reach picks and pet projects -- a lot of times Payton & Loomis are way too clever for their own good. KV= Texas, Swann is from Georgia, Jenkins from Georgia, (Prob was from Fstate), Anthony is from Clemson, Kikia from Washington, Jordann is from CAL, Ellerbe is Georgia, Hawthorne is TCU, Byrd is actually a duck, Lewis is oregon state, DJ Williams is from fstate I'd go through the rest but don't want to. So what does that prove....nothing Crusader and jeg12181 like this.

10-07-2015, 07:34 AM	#10
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,030	Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills SaintsBro, I don't really agree with your assesment. Of 53 players currently on the roster (I havn't updated for yesterdays moves) 43 played for a FBS school, 4 played for a FCS school, 5 came from D2 and 1 player don't have college experience (Breaux). The FBS shakes down like this by conference: SEC 8 B1G 6 PAC12 6 ACC 3 Big12 3 MW 3 AAC 1 C-USA 1 MAC 1 Sun Belt 1 So when you start looking at it, 81% of the players on the roster played for a FBS team and the majority of those players played for a bigger school.
	W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

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