LKelley67

the more i have looked, the more i see the possibility of alex smith still being on the board at pick #16. the largest factors as i see them-
*SF- neither rodgers or smith are true #1 choices. the best for that in this draft are dj, rolle, and benson. i think they will feel much more comfortable acquiring another fa qb and going with one of those others. also there is the possibility of lienart going in the supplemental draft which they would be faves to get.
MIA- only slight possibility, rb fits better, committed to a year of feeley
CLE- the next biggest team decision. i think crennel knows the importance of D. if rolle or dj are here he goes with the best player and doesn't stretch for a qb here.
ARZ- if top 3 rb's are gone i don't see how green could pass on rodgers or smith

every other team either has a qb they are committed to (chi, tb, tn, min, det, sd, hou, caro, kc) or wash & dal are pushing to win with what they have and go for needs.

i have read increasing reports of the possibility of the saints moving brooks (sf, clev, etc.). that would make the decision no-brainer. but if no change is made, brooks manning the helm on draft day, and this scenario occurs, the question is- should the saints take alex smith? with such pressing defensive needs (tbuck and hodge likely gone) and a thomas davis, travis johnson, or justin miller there to be had it would be a hard call. my thought is they couldn't afford to not take him falling to 16. push brooks, replace him, whatever. it could be a fine value addition in the line of deuce and smith. what is your vote in this scenario? thoughts?

Euphoria

I haven\'t seen any reports of Brooks being shopped around. Haslett is big on Brooks and don\'t see him ready to part with him just yet. We have to many holes to be making another one at QB... if you bring in a rookie you\'re saying you are going to take a chance for a couple of years and let him grow and develop. Rose in Pitt was a rare thing... and you saw what happen to him when the pressure was really on. I think the team is under intense pressure to make the playoffs and Smith isn\'t going to be the answer, at least for the next couple of years. The other problem is Smith will not be there at 16, no way, I see him going in the top 6 not 16. I don\'t see the Saints picking a qb when the likes of Alex Baron and Adam Terry stud OL on the board.

E U P H O R I A

baronm

I would love to move howard to cleveland for the number three and take derrick johnson..then grab smith at 16. but other than that I don\'t see it happening.

LKelley67

not start him, just pick him along the lines of deuce while having ricky or sd picking rivers with brees

fox sports-
16. Saints Alex Smith* QB Utah 8th (-8) 8th / 24th
QB Aaron Brooks has needed a kick in the backside for years, and the selection of Smith would push Brooks to become the elite quarterback he is capable of being — or accelerate his departure. Smith would be a great value pick here.

blackandgold.net super saints weekly-
Finally, expect the Saints to take a look at the quarterback position. While it is still undetermined whether or not Aaron Brooks will be back next season, it is obvious that the Saints could use a young quarterback to develop over the next few seasons.

profootballtalk.com-
SAINTS WILL SAVE ON CAP BY DUMPING BROOKS
Earlier on Wednesday, we reported that the Saints are exploring the possibility of trading or releasing quarterback Aaron Brooks. Based on salary information we\'ve obtained for Brooks in 2005, clearing Brooks off of the books makes a lot of sense.
As it turns out, our estimate of the annual cap proration for Brooks\' signing and option bonus was on the money at $1.98 million per year for 2005 through 2007. Dumping Brooks before June 1 or trading him at any time will result in a $5.96 million cap hit.
Keeping him, however, will require the Saints to pay Brooks a salary of $5.5 million and a workout bonus of $250,000.
So with a 2005 cap number of $7.73 million, the Saints will save $1.77 million on the 2005 cap by trading Brooks -- even more by dumping him after June 1.
Our guess -- Brooks is at the end of the road in New Orleans.
Maybe he can hook up with the Falcons and play backup to cousin Mike.

profootballweekly-
QB Aaron Brooks / Saints
A base salary of $5.5 million isn’t ridiculous for a quarterback, but Brooks\' development seems to have plateaued or, in the eyes of some, completely regressed. Brooks has been enigmatic at best over the last 25 games. Also, WR Jerome Pathon ($2.5 million base) won’t be back in New Orleans at that price.


[Edited on 24/2/2005 by LKelley67]

saintswhodi

I guess Euph can\'t say he hasn\'t seen any reports to that nature now.

GumboBC

LKelley67--

There\'s nothing wrong with you idea.

But, instead of using a number 1 pick on drafting a QB, I would just as soon get a promising young prospect in free-agency. Or move down in the draft and find one...

IMO, we\'ve got more pressing needs for our number 1 draft pick and drafting QBs in the first round is risky business.

LKelley67

personally i like somebody at #40 more, walter hopefully, maybe frye. but if such scenario evolved my question is it a value too good to pass up ala deuce-smith?

baronm

I think that if we could get a high seocond we could grab frye-who might be better long term..might being the key word.

GumboBC

They drafted Deuce for ONE reason and ONE reason ONLY!!

Why?

Because Ricky Williams walked into Haslett\'s office one day and told him he was thinking about retireing.

So, they knew Ricky was a basket case.

And that folks is why we drafted Deuce.

What a great move that was.

No Rickey and we got Deuce.

LKelley67

it didnt hurt that deuce had dropped at least ten spots just cuz of the injury rep. smith was top ten or above everywhere. even with 2 top de\'s it was a so good cannot pass situation. randy moss was passed on by 20 teams cuz of character issues. well, he still has but he still had more catches in his first 5 years than anyone in history. sometimes the talent is too overwhelming for the pick spot. i am asking is that the case with smith (or rodgers possibly) at 16?