I think the idea that we haven\'t been looking at LBs is over hyped. We picked up Fisher recently, and Simmons came for a visit. Now we\'re considering Draft.

I\'m gonna have to agree with WhoDat on this one.

Well, sorta ...

In the past- there\'s liitle doubt in my mind that the Saints\' haven\'t placed a high priority on getting top-notch linebackers.

We can go down the list with guys like Orlando Ruff and Derrick Rodgers.

The highest profile guy we\'ve gotten has been Courtney Watson who wasn\'t picked until the second round. Nothing against Watson but I don\'t think many wanted Watson before the draft.

However, the coaching staff has expressed more of an interest this year in trying to get good proven linebackers. They were interested in Antonio Pierce and Dat Nygen.

I still believe Darren Howard will bring us a pretty good LB. Whether that be through the draft or from another team.

Mike Detillier\'s Football World
Falcons get another top defensive player

On more than one occasion during the 2004 NFL season (in this same space), I pointed out that one of the players the New Orleans Saints should pay plenty of attention to was Baltimore Ravens free-agent inside linebacker Edgerton Hartwell.

One front-office executive with the team felt Hartwell would be a perfect fit for the Saints because of his great leadership skills, his tremendous work ethic, and because he was also a very good football player.

Hartwell was either the leading tackler or second leading tackler on Baltimore’s stout defense each of the past three seasons.

Many of his teammates marveled at his work ethic and preparation for opponents. Hartwell averaged 157 tackles (solo and assisted) each of the last three seasons.

One player that teamed with Hartwell for the past couple of seasons said Hartwell spends loads of time in the film room.

\"Ed Hartwell is an outstanding player,\" the Ravens player said. \"I am telling you that no one spends as much time as Hartwell preparing for a game. He didn’t get the publicity he deserved because he was playing alongside Ray Lewis, but if you are a player or a coach in this league you know just how good this guy is. For a team like New Orleans, who has no real leader on defense, or on a good young defensive team like Atlanta, he will turn out to be a great player. I just wish we (the Ravens) could have found a way to keep him, but I have been in this league long enough to know who can play and who can’t, and the Falcons got a Pro-Bowl performer in Ed Hartwell. I know I might sound like one of those guys that spout off on these different Internet chat rooms, but the Saints just don’t seem to know what they want at linebacker, and now they have to play against this guy twice a season.\"

Despite having a glaring need for a veteran to take charge of their middle linebacker position, the Saints passed on getting in on the Hartwell sweepstakes due to his high price tag.

After being pursued by the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings, Hartwell, earlier this week, decided to sign a multi-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Hartwell signed a six-year, $26.5 million contract with an $8 million signing bonus to join Jim Mora’s defensive unit in Atlanta.

Immediately after signing with the Falcons, Hartwell lived up to his name as a worker.

He was already setting up a schedule for meetings and film room time for his fellow Falcons linebackers.

Falcons All-Pro linebacker Keith Brooking said he is looking forward to playing with the run-stuffing middle linebacker from Western Illinois.

\"I did my own little look-see on Ed Hartwell when I heard we (Atlanta) might be pursuing him and everyone I spoke to talked volumes about his character and his ability to make plays out on the field,\" Brooking said. \"Ray Lewis says he picks up assignments like a sponge picks up water. What the average fan doesn’t understand at times is that sometimes players fit in better in some schemes than others. And for what we run here, he is the perfect fit. It’s rare in this league to get a quality player who has a great work ethic and that perfectly fits what you do scheme-wise, and Ed is just that sort of player. You can never have enough good players on a squad.\"

The Falcons are still not satisfied with the talent on their current defensive roster, and they are paying close attention to a couple of top defensive linemen on the West Coast.

Falcon defensive coordinator Ed Donatell spent a few days on the campus of USC to get to know Trojans defensive tackles Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson much better.

Also remember that Falcons general manager Rich McKay is a graduate of USC, and he has close ties to current Trojans football coach Pete Carroll.

As I wrote two weeks ago, the NFC South continues to get tougher for the Saints.

DAVIS SLOW COMING BACK
The Carolina Panthers are hoping that former All-Pro halfback Stephen Davis can return back to the form that made him one of the league’s top players in 2003.

But the news from Carolina is not that encouraging. The former Auburn standout runner is currently doing cardiovascular work in a pool on an everyday basis, but Panthers officials don’t expect him to run on hard ground until early July.

Many people within the Panthers organization believe that Davis will start the 2005 NFL season on the physically unable to performer list.

Carolina’s former UCLA standout running back DeShaun Foster is back at 100 percent after breaking his collarbone early in the 2004 season.

The speedy runner is expected to be the workhorse runner for the Panthers in 2005.

In the past- there\'s liitle doubt in my mind that the Saints\' haven\'t placed a high priority on getting top-notch linebackers.

We can go down the list with guys like Orlando Ruff and Derrick Rodgers.

The highest profile guy we\'ve gotten has been Courtney Watson who wasn\'t picked until the second round. Nothing against Watson but I don\'t think many wanted Watson before the draft.

However, the coaching staff has expressed more of an interest this year in trying to get good proven linebackers. They were interested in Antonio Pierce and Dat Nygen.

I still believe Darren Howard will bring us a pretty good LB. Whether that be through the draft or from another team