This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99

stickman · 04-19-2018, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by billyt81

We can knock it all we want but I bet most of us at least a part of us was pumped. That year was the only time I ever attended a Saints practice and there were literally thousands of WhoDats there. Ditka was convinced that Ricky Williams was Walter Peyton. Ricky was awesome at hitting the hole and gettin u 5-10 yds but he lacked balance and cutting ability so he almost never popped long runs. He always left you with that, "ooh he almost broke it" feeling. Deuce would go 5, 7, 5, 60 because he had some wiggle or he'd truck you without slowing down. Deuce also had hands. Pack a bowl for me Ricky.

I'll admit to being a little pumped at the time. Partially because I thought Ricky Williams was going to be as good as advertised, partially because I thought they would just screw those picks up anyway.

If you are looking for a silver lining though, the way this turned out did force Tom Benson to blow it up and start over. No telling how long the Ditka era would have gone on.

Barry from MS · 04-19-2018, 10:02 AM

We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014.

Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds:

2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad.
3rd Rd - None
4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks.
5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads.
6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ?

Our coaching staff is a billion times better now than in 2014, but these guys did nothing outside this organization either. We picked 5 guys after the 1st Round who have contributed a bit more than zero since 2014 anywhere within the NFL.

After the 1st Round in 2014, it would have been equally productive if some random drunk dude off of Bourbon Street made the next picks. I wouldn't be near as bitter. Folks got PAID to evaluate & determine SJB, Fart, Sunseri, Powell & Rooks were NFL-quality talent. I want that job.

K Major · 04-19-2018, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Barry from MS

We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014.

Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds:

2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad.
3rd Rd - None
4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks.
5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads.
6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ?

Then Director of Player Personnel Ryan Pace says hello

.

Just an awful draft, awful.

iceshack149 · 04-19-2018, 02:37 PM

That wasn't even the Saints worst draft. Just four years later they gave up two precious first round picks for Johnathan Sullivan.
What is they say about those who don't learn from their past?
At least Williams gave them something in return for their investment. Ironically, it was the Williams trade to Miami that allowed the Saints to give up those draft picks for the wasted Sullivan pick.

Also ironic, it was those type of questionable football choices the Saints made throughout their history that attracted me to them as a child. The kids in the neighborhood of the Taku subdivision in Fairbanks, Alaska would pick their favorite NFL team based off of recent success. The closest NFL team to us was over 2000 miles away in another state so we felt no loyalty for that team. (The local stations would always play the Seahawks on tv so all of us grew to despise that team).
One of my brothers chose the Dolphins because they had a guy on the team that was referred to as "The Hulk" in Larry Csonka.
Another bother chose the Steelers because of the Stallworth and Swann duo that caught passes from Terry Bradshaw.
We'd play football on Kuskokwim Street no matter what the weather. Kids wearing Cowboys and 49ers hats would show up ready to play.
I was, and still am, a big fan of the Rocky movies. Underdog/little guy stuff. I remember watching a show on tv called Football Follies and a lot of the follies had a team with a cool symbol on their helmet called the Saints. I looked at my brothers and pointed to the tv and said, "That's my team!"

Rugby Saint II · 04-19-2018, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Barry from MS

We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014.

Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds:

2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad.
3rd Rd - None
4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks.
5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads.
6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ?

Our coaching staff is a billion times better now than in 2014, but these guys did nothing outside this organization either. We picked 5 guys after the 1st Round who have contributed a bit more than zero since 2014 anywhere within the NFL.

After the 1st Round in 2014, it would have been equally productive if some random drunk dude off of Bourbon Street made the next picks. I wouldn't be near as bitter. Folks got PAID to evaluate & determine SJB, Fart, Sunseri, Powell & Rooks were NFL-quality talent. I want that job.

Those suckers are gone now. We have good talent evaluators and scouts who know how to spot talent.......and we've got Jeff Ireland.

foreverfan · 04-19-2018, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by ScottF

Terrible.
But the Erlexben pick wasn't much better

Originally Posted by iceshack149

That wasn't even the Saints worst draft. Just four years later they gave up two precious first round picks for Johnathan Sullivan.
What is they say about those who don't learn from their past?
At least Williams gave them something in return for their investment. Ironically, it was the Williams trade to Miami that allowed the Saints to give up those draft picks for the wasted Sullivan pick.

Also ironic, it was those type of questionable football choices the Saints made throughout their history that attracted me to them as a child. The kids in the neighborhood of the Taku subdivision in Fairbanks, Alaska would pick their favorite NFL team based off of recent success. The closest NFL team to us was over 2000 miles away in another state so we felt no loyalty for that team. (The local stations would always play the Seahawks on tv so all of us grew to despise that team).
One of my brothers chose the Dolphins because they had a guy on the team that was referred to as "The Hulk" in Larry Csonka.
Another bother chose the Steelers because of the Stallworth and Swann duo that caught passes from Terry Bradshaw.
We'd play football on Kuskokwim Street no matter what the weather. Kids wearing Cowboys and 49ers hats would show up ready to play.
I was, and still am, a big fan of the Rocky movies. Underdog/little guy stuff. I remember watching a show on tv called Football Follies and a lot of the follies had a team with a cool symbol on their helmet called the Saints. I looked at my brothers and pointed to the tv and said, "That's my team!"

Originally Posted by Barry from MS

We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014.

Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds:

2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad.
3rd Rd - None
4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks.
5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads.
6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ?

Our coaching staff is a billion times better now than in 2014, but these guys did nothing outside this organization either. We picked 5 guys after the 1st Round who have contributed a bit more than zero since 2014 anywhere within the NFL.

After the 1st Round in 2014, it would have been equally productive if some random drunk dude off of Bourbon Street made the next picks. I wouldn't be near as bitter. Folks got PAID to evaluate & determine SJB, Fart, Sunseri, Powell & Rooks were NFL-quality talent. I want that job.

WAIT FOR THIS ONE...

SmashMouth · 04-20-2018, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by foreverfan

WAIT FOR THIS ONE...

Exactly... we shouldn't commemorate this sad day.

foreverfan · 04-20-2018, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by SmashMouth

Exactly... we shouldn't commemorate this sad day.

LISTEN UP EVERYONE...

Boobs has stolen the narrative.

llaguardia81 · 04-19-2018, 01:20 PM

I think Ditka has gotten a bad rap. Billy Kuharich was the GM and had the final say on the deal. He could have said no to Ditka or made a better deal with the Redskins or traded with the team who drafted after them. If Ditka had a Jim Finks or Mickey Loomis calibur GM, he would have built N.O. into a championship team.

voodooido · 04-19-2018, 03:18 PM

Set us back 4 years.

04-19-2018, 12:01 PM	#1
stickman 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Gonzales, LA Posts: 1,754	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Originally Posted by billyt81 We can knock it all we want but I bet most of us at least a part of us was pumped. That year was the only time I ever attended a Saints practice and there were literally thousands of WhoDats there. Ditka was convinced that Ricky Williams was Walter Peyton. Ricky was awesome at hitting the hole and gettin u 5-10 yds but he lacked balance and cutting ability so he almost never popped long runs. He always left you with that, "ooh he almost broke it" feeling. Deuce would go 5, 7, 5, 60 because he had some wiggle or he'd truck you without slowing down. Deuce also had hands. Pack a bowl for me Ricky. I'll admit to being a little pumped at the time. Partially because I thought Ricky Williams was going to be as good as advertised, partially because I thought they would just screw those picks up anyway. If you are looking for a silver lining though, the way this turned out did force Tom Benson to blow it up and start over. No telling how long the Ditka era would have gone on. Barry from MS, SmashMouth and OldMaid like this.

04-19-2018, 10:02 AM	#2
Barry from MS Site Donor 2014 Join Date: May 2007 Location: TEMPO VC Okefenokee Swamp Posts: 1,985 Blog Entries: 2	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014. Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds: 2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad. 3rd Rd - None 4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks. 5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads. 6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ? Our coaching staff is a billion times better now than in 2014, but these guys did nothing outside this organization either. We picked 5 guys after the 1st Round who have contributed a bit more than zero since 2014 anywhere within the NFL. After the 1st Round in 2014, it would have been equally productive if some random drunk dude off of Bourbon Street made the next picks. I wouldn't be near as bitter. Folks got PAID to evaluate & determine SJB, Fart, Sunseri, Powell & Rooks were NFL-quality talent. I want that job. foreverfan, ScottF, jeanpierre and 1 others like this.
	"I'd far rather be happy than right any day" ~ Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy "Honor: if you need it defined, you don't have it" ~ Ron Swanson

04-19-2018, 10:14 AM	#3
K Major Site Donor 2019 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bedford, TX Posts: 24,738 Blog Entries: 3	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Originally Posted by Barry from MS We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014. Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds: 2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad. 3rd Rd - None 4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks. 5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads. 6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ? Then Director of Player Personnel Ryan Pace says hello . Just an awful draft, awful. SmashMouth likes this.

04-19-2018, 02:37 PM	#4
iceshack149 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Fairbanks, AK Posts: 4,334 Blog Entries: 1	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 That wasn't even the Saints worst draft. Just four years later they gave up two precious first round picks for Johnathan Sullivan. What is they say about those who don't learn from their past? At least Williams gave them something in return for their investment. Ironically, it was the Williams trade to Miami that allowed the Saints to give up those draft picks for the wasted Sullivan pick. Also ironic, it was those type of questionable football choices the Saints made throughout their history that attracted me to them as a child. The kids in the neighborhood of the Taku subdivision in Fairbanks, Alaska would pick their favorite NFL team based off of recent success. The closest NFL team to us was over 2000 miles away in another state so we felt no loyalty for that team. (The local stations would always play the Seahawks on tv so all of us grew to despise that team). One of my brothers chose the Dolphins because they had a guy on the team that was referred to as "The Hulk" in Larry Csonka. Another bother chose the Steelers because of the Stallworth and Swann duo that caught passes from Terry Bradshaw. We'd play football on Kuskokwim Street no matter what the weather. Kids wearing Cowboys and 49ers hats would show up ready to play. I was, and still am, a big fan of the Rocky movies. Underdog/little guy stuff. I remember watching a show on tv called Football Follies and a lot of the follies had a team with a cool symbol on their helmet called the Saints. I looked at my brothers and pointed to the tv and said, "That's my team!" Crusader, foreverfan, Barry from MS and 2 others like this.
	"...it's good to have friends, no matter where they are."--JOESAM2002

04-19-2018, 05:00 PM	#5
Rugby Saint II Bounty Money $$$ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5800 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA. Posts: 24,117	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Originally Posted by Barry from MS We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014. Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds: 2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad. 3rd Rd - None 4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks. 5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads. 6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ? Our coaching staff is a billion times better now than in 2014, but these guys did nothing outside this organization either. We picked 5 guys after the 1st Round who have contributed a bit more than zero since 2014 anywhere within the NFL. After the 1st Round in 2014, it would have been equally productive if some random drunk dude off of Bourbon Street made the next picks. I wouldn't be near as bitter. Folks got PAID to evaluate & determine SJB, Fart, Sunseri, Powell & Rooks were NFL-quality talent. I want that job. Those suckers are gone now. We have good talent evaluators and scouts who know how to spot talent.......and we've got Jeff Ireland. foreverfan and Barry from MS like this.

04-19-2018, 10:47 PM	#6
foreverfan 12,000 BS Posts Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 13,457 Blog Entries: 5	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Originally Posted by ScottF Terrible. But the Erlexben pick wasn't much better Originally Posted by iceshack149 That wasn't even the Saints worst draft. Just four years later they gave up two precious first round picks for Johnathan Sullivan. What is they say about those who don't learn from their past? At least Williams gave them something in return for their investment. Ironically, it was the Williams trade to Miami that allowed the Saints to give up those draft picks for the wasted Sullivan pick. Also ironic, it was those type of questionable football choices the Saints made throughout their history that attracted me to them as a child. The kids in the neighborhood of the Taku subdivision in Fairbanks, Alaska would pick their favorite NFL team based off of recent success. The closest NFL team to us was over 2000 miles away in another state so we felt no loyalty for that team. (The local stations would always play the Seahawks on tv so all of us grew to despise that team). One of my brothers chose the Dolphins because they had a guy on the team that was referred to as "The Hulk" in Larry Csonka. Another bother chose the Steelers because of the Stallworth and Swann duo that caught passes from Terry Bradshaw. We'd play football on Kuskokwim Street no matter what the weather. Kids wearing Cowboys and 49ers hats would show up ready to play. I was, and still am, a big fan of the Rocky movies. Underdog/little guy stuff. I remember watching a show on tv called Football Follies and a lot of the follies had a team with a cool symbol on their helmet called the Saints. I looked at my brothers and pointed to the tv and said, "That's my team!" Originally Posted by Barry from MS We might as well have done this exact same thing in 2014. Brandin Cooks. That's it. Then you have the rest of the clowns from that draft that are better off forgotten. But let's open them wounds: 2nd Rd - Stanley Jean Baptiste: worthless. 5 NFL games since 2014. BTW, this isn't injury related, either, which makes it just sad. 3rd Rd - None 4th Rd - Khairi Fortt: worthless. 3 total games. 1 tackle. Same situation as SJB. He just sucks. 5th Rd - Vinnie Sunseri & Ronald Powell: As 5th Rd picks, we could have done worse, but neither of these guys have played in the NFL anywhere other than preseason games & practice squads. 6th Rd - Tavon Rooks: ? Our coaching staff is a billion times better now than in 2014, but these guys did nothing outside this organization either. We picked 5 guys after the 1st Round who have contributed a bit more than zero since 2014 anywhere within the NFL. After the 1st Round in 2014, it would have been equally productive if some random drunk dude off of Bourbon Street made the next picks. I wouldn't be near as bitter. Folks got PAID to evaluate & determine SJB, Fart, Sunseri, Powell & Rooks were NFL-quality talent. I want that job. WAIT FOR THIS ONE... Rugby Saint II likes this.
	Last edited by foreverfan; 04-19-2018 at 10:58 PM..

04-20-2018, 11:16 AM	#7
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,477 Blog Entries: 29	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Originally Posted by foreverfan WAIT FOR THIS ONE... Exactly... we shouldn't commemorate this sad day.

04-20-2018, 01:26 PM	#8
foreverfan 12,000 BS Posts Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 13,457 Blog Entries: 5	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Originally Posted by SmashMouth Exactly... we shouldn't commemorate this sad day. LISTEN UP EVERYONE... Boobs has stolen the narrative.

04-19-2018, 01:20 PM	#9
llaguardia81 100th Post Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 443 Blog Entries: 1	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 I think Ditka has gotten a bad rap. Billy Kuharich was the GM and had the final say on the deal. He could have said no to Ditka or made a better deal with the Redskins or traded with the team who drafted after them. If Ditka had a Jim Finks or Mickey Loomis calibur GM, he would have built N.O. into a championship team. foreverfan likes this.

04-19-2018, 03:18 PM	#10
voodooido 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2,819	Re: This Day in History Ditka trades eight picks to draft Ricky Williams in 99 Set us back 4 years. foreverfan and K Major like this.
voodooido 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2,819

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