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Rumor has it the Saints and Tennessee Titans have been casually discussing potential trade scenarios for the coming draft. With Tennessee biting the bullet this year and trying to fix their cap situation, they would likely prefer to slide down a few spots and pick up future selections so that they can rebuild quickly. The odds of the Titans being a Super Bowl contending team next year are very low and no one player they add will address all their needs. This would be a smart move for the Titans if they are able to pick up some extra picks; however, the question you must ask is…will there be a player on the board at that point that the Saints believe will make enough of an impact during their first season to give up their coveted future draft selections?

Rumblings began to surface this week about the future of several Saints defensive players. Players like safety TeBucky Jones, defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, defensive end Darren Howard, and cornerback Fred Thomas all were in numerous trade rumors this past week. While players like Jones, Sullivan, and Thomas are not surprises tobe being discussed in trades, some of the scenarios that involved Howard were. With all this talk about several players, it is obvious that the Saints are willing to make changes to improve and with the exception of Howard, the others listed who had underachieving seasons are likely at the end of their ropes.

One final rumor of interest involves now former Denver Broncos guard Dan Neil, who for many years anchored the Broncos line. Neil was released by the Broncos and rumor has it that many teams including the Saints have interest in the young guard. Regarded by many around the league as one of the better guards to play the game, Neil could make for a welcome addition to the Saints and when added to Bentley and Holland, give the Saints a very strong interior line.



Q & A

Q & A is the question and answer section. If you have a question you would like answered, email it to SuperSaintsWeekly@yahoo.com with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, I wanted to know your opinion for this year’s draft. Let’s say for arguments sake that the Saints had the pick to select any offensive or defensive player that they wanted. Who would be the top offensive & who would be the top defensive player that you would suggest they select? – Bobby G.

A – Bobby, the answer to that question is an easy one as far as the offensive choice is concerned. By far offensively I find the most interesting project to be Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Smith has a cannon for an arm and appears to be a very smart quarterback. While his selection wouldn’t provide an immediate impact for the Saints, it would give them a quarterback to develop over a few years to one day be a franchise quarterback for the team. Defensively the choice is a little less clear. Everybody seems to have their own favorite; however, I personally would have to lean towards Thomas Davis, the safety out of Georgia. While there are numerous players who you could argue for here, Davis gives the Saints something they lack, a hard hitting safety. When you think back about solid defenses, many of them had great safeties. Adding a hard hitting safety to the Saints would give opponents wide receivers something extra to think about and add a little bit of hesitation to their routes across the middle. This would enable the Saints to focus on stopping the run and help to give their defense an identity. While I don’t see Davis being drafted in the top 5 or possibly even top 10, he could be around when the Saints select at 16, which means the chances of him coming to New Orleans could be high.

Q – I am a long time reader, but first time writer to the SSW. I was curious if you had heard of any rumors that involve the Saints trading up or down in the draft. If so could you give me some details on it? – Abe

A – As usual it is a little early to get too excited about any rumors involving the draft that you hear. With so many workouts for players to do for various teams, most players’ stocks will rise and fall and that will affect discussed trades also. However, the Saints have been in the center of several trade rumors. This doesn’t surprise me since Haslett usually isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a deal or two in order to get the player he wants or pick up some additional draft choices. Expect the Saints to listen to anybody who has an offer for them, but don’t expect them to make any deals unless they believe it is the right move for their organization.



Fan’s View

Below are fan responses sent in dealing either with their thoughts on the Super Saints Weekly or moves that the Saints have made. If you would like your thought posted, email me at SuperSaintsWeekly@yahoo.com with the subject heading of Fan’s View.

1) JB, I just wanted to say keep up the good work & that I look forward to your annual draft coverage when you list your surprise picks. Each year that I have seen you put out these lists I have kept an eye on their success and many times I find that those players turn out to be very good ones. I look forward to seeing what diamonds in the rough you find this year. – Taylor; Baton Rouge, La



Psycho’s View

With free agency rapidly approaching and the off-season about to start in full swing, this week provided fans with what many may consider the calm before the storm. The Saints have many areas of need that they will likely try to focus on and address over the next few months, which should give their fans plenty to remain interested in. While this time isn’t as exciting as the regular season, it is much more exciting than the two months before the pre-season begins where very little or nothing of any interest usually occurs. So sit back and enjoy the next two months as free agency and the draft help the Saints to mold their team into the group that you will be cheering for next season.