JKool

Whodi, players can be signed without visiting. Can we all please just calm down a bit. There are LOTs of upgrade players left. Sure some of the stars are gone, but we still have a Howard deal to cut; after that happens, then we can start to panic.

zachsaints52

Yeah, even though I am new on here (and in real life to the Saints...been a fan for only three years.) I have to admit we do have problems up front. I always expect just a little bit, and then here they come getting some people I never heard of (Stecker), and some I didn\'t think would have impacted the team as the FO thought (Young). You people are right, we mostly need to keep a steady core of guys and build around them. My first 6 would have to be Stallworth, Deuce, Bentley, Watson, Grant, and McKenzie. We have to keep them together, and make sure we find people to compliment them. The defensive people aren\'t spectacular, so draft or sign a playmaker (like DJ.) The offensive people can make it through. I have been wanting them to really break out for awhile now, and I think they can with the right guys up front. These are just my thoughts anyways.

JKool

Welcome to the board Zach.

I\'d add a few more than 6 guys, but I see what you\'re getting at, and I agree. We certainly don\'t need 22 super stars (nor could we afford them).

I think the sentiment is just - \"we never do anything in FA\". I think that isn\'t true, but I can see how frustrating that would feel if I believed that it were the case.

zachsaints52

Thank you. I know we do stuff in free agency, it\'s just not the things we need the most.

JKool

Is it true that we never do what we need most?

Sure, we haven\'t managed to get a LB in here in years, which we\'ve needed for years, so I GRANT THIS ONE!

However,
(1) We needed to improve our inside DL. We got Young to team with Sullivan (Sully, a draft pick, failed us).
(2) We needed to replace Roaf, we got Riley and Gandy (both considered around the league, though I suppose we now know better, to be good OTs).
(3) We needed to solidify the TE spot, Loomis brought in Conwell, sure it didn\'t work out so well, but Conwell was a proven and solid TE.
(4) We needed a corner, who got us McKenzie? Loomis.
(5) We needed a safety to replace Knight. We made a move to get T-buck. Again that didn\'t work out, but it isn\'t as if we did NOTHING.
(6) We needed a backup for Duece, and we got Stecker - that WAS a good move.

For all those guys who say we need to take risks to get payoffs, aren\'t players like Young, Tebucky, Stecker, and Conwell risks? Perhaps those are just not big enough risks? Signing a big name guy for a lot of money isn\'t taking a risk - it is getting a pricey guy who SHOULD payoff. The risk is not having room to get more guys in case you need more than one (which we do). I\'m not saying we can\'t afford a big name guy, I\'m just saying, I don\'t understand the arguments just yet.

"... I was beating them with my eyes the whole game..." - Aaron Brooks

zachsaints52

Yeah, personally here is how the free agency and draft should go(with the remaining FA\'s)
Sign Oliver Ross and Floyd \"Porkchops: Womack, plus Kevin Bentley
Trade Howard for Drius and a later pick.
First round draft best CB available (maybe Rolle)
Second get Kirk Morrison from SDSU
3rd get BPA
4th get anoth CB or Bryan Randall/ QB
5th young lineman
Whats ur thoughts on this?

mutineer10

JKool\'s on target here.

1) Young would be rockin\' the interior if Sully\'s lazy a$$ could be persuaded to earn that fat paycheck.
2) Riley and Gandy were indeed considered big FA\'s in their day, and you gotta admit they\'re probably about as good as the scraps we\'re looking at picking up now (Ross? Miller? Even Womack? C\'mon, none of these guys are studs).
3) Conwell has certainly failed us during his tenure here, but was proven when we signed him. How the heck did the Rams know he was about to turn into Captain Brittlebones?
4) McKenzie needs no elaboration...
5) T-Buck was a huge pickup at the time, and he\'s since become one of those players who only wakes up long enough to cash the check. Still, regarding that, T-Buck\'s more to blame than the front office.
6) I agree Stecker\'s a good pick-up. He proved himself when Deuce was hurt, and deserves real credit. I hope the alleged plans to get him more involved in the offense come true. Getting him and Deuce in the backfield at the same time sounds pretty interesting...

I hear ya\' JKool, and I\'m trying to stay optimistic, too. I may very likely be crushed again, but I\'m holding onto hope that something big could be in the works...

saintswhodi

It\'s nice you guys are optimistic, I applaud you both. But that\'s no need to tell others how they should feel. I am frustrated 1000% at this team, doesn\'t make me wrong, makes me a product of previous stupid moves. Belichek KNEW Tesucky was a bum, he was GIDDY when we traded for him. Riley was up and down before he got here with weight, attitude, and play. Think New Orleans would change that? Has it ever? Sullivan was the 5th or 6th best DT when he was drafted as the 6th pick. It IS the front office\'s fault he didn\'t work out, that was a DUMB pick. McKenzie was a good pick up, but we were kinda forced into that one. He was out there and wanted to be traded. Thomas was sucking and Ambrose was getting older by the week. No brainer. I\'m sorry but making dumb moves(outside of MM) is worse than making no moves and I am not gonna excuse that. Gandy was also over 30 when we got him and on the decline. So if I am pissed, I have that right, and don\'t need 100 people commenting on how I need to calm down and wait and all this other stuff. Feel how you wanna feel about this crap AGAIN, and I will feel how I wanna. IF our plan is to hedge all our eggs into the draft basket, that sucks and we are in for another suck ass year.

lynwood

It boils down to new orleans being a farm team. Most FA\'s don\'t want to come here because they are already established. If we get one he will be over 32 years old and on the decline. I wouldn\'t be surprised if our first pick decided to pull an Eli and sit out until he got to the team he wanted or hold the saints for a ransom before he plays or then decides not to play. I\'m betting that if we get rid of sulliven whatever team picks him up he\'ll play pro ball. I hope not but i have this feeling. I say keep Howard for a first round pick and a posistion of need player. If we don\'t get it we keep him and we have depth at that position for rotation or injury. Then just go with the draft, and hopefully get someone that will play. Really What FA will come here. we won\'t pay them what they want anyway.

[Edited on 4/3/2005 by lynwood]

Saint_LB

Whodi, I can understand your feelings in one way, but in another way, I can\'t. What is happening now is no different than what happens every year. How many years is it now, 37? 38? This is the way the Saints have always gone about their business. Even on the occasional times that they have tried to do something big, they manage to bungle it.(Ricky Williams...Steve Walsh) I have put up with this type of decision making for so long that it has become expected. It is for that reason that I say that I am a little surprised at your emotions. This is nothing new.

Whether you think you can or think you can't...you're right!