Offseason Plans

LKelley67 · 04-26-2005, 12:10 PM

I was surfing trying to find some hint about drafting a WR in the 4th round and came across this March article I had not seen before...
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For a team that has finished 8-8 over the last two seasons, the Saints have been very quiet during the offseason. Although this is the same team that has composed a 32-32 record over the last four seasons, team officials are of the opinion that the team's four-game winning streak at the end of last season is proof that they are headed in the right direction.

Apparently, Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis isn't too concerned with the fact that his defense finished 27th against the pass and 30th against the run last season. Oh, and when you combine the defensive numbers, New Orleans finished dead last in the league in total defense. No big deal, right Mickey?

Actually, we shouldn't be surprised by the lack of movement. After all, this is the same team that refuses to acknowledge that quarterback Aaron Brooks is as mediocre as they come. His touchdown totals have dropped in each of the last three seasons, he's tossed 39 interceptions during that time, and actually fired a 25-yard pass backwards at one point last year.

For Saints' fans, that four-game winning streak was the worst thing that ever could have happened. Not only did the streak put a halt to the front office and coaching staff changes that were being planned, it also seems to have given team officials a sense of complacency that should not exist.

Needs
Head coach Jim Haslett's job was saved by the four-game winning streak. However, it might be just a matter of time before he's on his way out, especially if he continues to ride the Brooks bandwagon. Although this observer considers the quarterback position to be an area of need, Saints' officials continue to back Brooks, even going so far as to pass the buck to offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy, who has been replaced by Mike Sheppard.

The most noise the Saints have made during the free agency period so far came on Wednesday when they released wide receiver Jerome Pathon. Granted, that noise amounted to a mere whimper compared to the big free agency signings made by other teams, but it does leave New Orleans with a spot to fill. Furthermore, there are rumblings that the team is finally losing faith in former first-round pick Donte' Stallworth. The oft-injured wide receiver finally played a full slate of games last season, but reports indicate that he spent most of the season nursing one injury or another.

Although the Saints have no plans to release the speedy Stallworth, don't be surprised if they add another wideout via the draft. Top receiver Joe Horn isn't getting any younger, and a new wideout could give Stallworth and 2004 second-round pick Devery Henderson the push for playing time they need.

The Saints signed veteran offensive lineman Jermane Mayberry on Saturday, and hosted fellow lineman Fred Miller on Friday, so it's obvious they intend to beef up their offensive line, which might lead to a rebound of sorts for running back Deuce McAllister. The big question is whether the Saints can find an offensive lineman who can catch the ball the next time Brooks throws a pass in the wrong direction. Yes, we're joking, but keep in mind that Brooks' infamous backward pass was intended for a 300-pound offensive lineman, whom Brooks somehow mistook for McAllister.
http://www.fanball.com/article.cfm/id.3549

saintswhodi · 04-26-2005, 12:22 PM

OMG!!!! Best line in there:

The big question is whether the Saints can find an offensive lineman who can catch the ball the next time Brooks throws a pass in the wrong direction.

Jamaal Brown better hit that JUGS machine. :rollinglaugh:

Zulu--King · 04-26-2005, 05:14 PM

I like to see just a fraction of that disdain for AB diverted to the inept FO, and the other woes of this team.

TheDeuce · 04-26-2005, 07:12 PM

For Saints\' fans, that four-game winning streak was the worst thing that ever could have happened. Not only did the streak put a halt to the front office and coaching staff changes that were being planned, it also seems to have given team officials a sense of complacency that should not exist.

WOW that is so true. Last season when we were 4-8 I was hoping just to lost the rest of the games so that the FO would be totally shipped out. The playoffs seemed out of reach, so what did we do? We did the only thing a Saints team could do, THE UNEXPECTED. We won our last four and missed the playoffs accomplishing two things: like the article said, created a sense of complacency. And also we managed to get the worst possible draft pick for a team that didn\'t go to the playoffs. I wonder if it would help if I went down to the Saints HQ and told the entire FO what the hell was up?

saintswhodi · 04-26-2005, 07:17 PM

The Deuce, I was hoping for the exact same thing. Said it many times. Was told I wasn\'t a true fan and everything else under the sun. Now we are stuck with the same old same old. Same head coach, same front office. And they didn\'t have the balls to fire Venturi but put some \"assistants\" with off the wall titles around him. Okay. I Said exactly what this article said, winning those last four games was the worst thing for us. And wow, no DTs, no decent LBs in free agency. And a 3rd rounder with a big heart from the draft. But man it sure helped to win those last 4. :casstet:

GumboBC · 04-26-2005, 07:25 PM

The Deuce, I was hoping for the exact same thing. Said it many times. Was told I wasn\'t a true fan and everything else under the sun. Now we are stuck with the same old same old. Same head coach, same front office. And they didn\'t have the balls to fire Venturi but put some \"assistants\" with off the wall titles around him. Okay. I Said exactly what this article said, winning those last four games was the worst thing for us. And wow, no DTs, no decent LBs in free agency. And a 3rd rounder with a big heart from the draft. But man it sure helped to win those last 4. :casstet:

saintwhodi --

So, you hoped we lost our last 4 games so changes would be made? Correct?

Even though we still had a very REALISTIC shot of making the playoffs?! Always give up on your team that easily?

And how do you know changes were going to be made reagardless of what our record was? Know something I don\'t? Or just PURE speculation? Or BLIND hope?

If that\'s the way you think ... then you should hope we start the season off by losing our first 12-games. What? 4-12 not bad enough for you? How \'bout you hope we lose ALL of our games. That\'s your best bet for \"changes\" being made!!

Haslet, Loomis, Brooks, Venturi .... they are all still with the Saints!! Why not just start hoping for a losing season at the beginning of the season?

[Edited on 26/4/2005 by GumboBC]

[Edited on 26/4/2005 by GumboBC]

saintswhodi · 04-26-2005, 09:28 PM

Interesting. The Deuce said the same thing, and you call me out. Not surprising. Yes I did hope we lost the last four. I said it when we were 4-8. And I wasn\'t the only one. We didn\'t have a REALISTIC shot at the playoffs at 4-8, NOONE knew the NFC would be that horrendous. EXACTLY what I said would happen did, we won the next 4, and nothing changed, we still weren\'t in the playoffs. Get your head out the clouds. If we were 8-4, I damn sure would not have been hoping for us to lose. Get it yet?

And Tom Benson sure seemed happy about being 4-8. You don\'t think calling your team worse than a high school team didn\'t denote changes coming if things didn\'t improve? Think Loomis throwing Haz under the bus didn\'t mean changes were coming? Miss obvious clues much?

GumboBC · 04-26-2005, 09:34 PM

whodi --

If not for a missed field goal by the Jets we would have been in the playoffs. You never know how the NFL is going to unfold. I\'m glad you think you KNOW how things are going to work out but the TRUTH is you have NO idea.

Just another disagreement we have. You want the Saints to lose when you have no idea what\'s going to happen. I want them to win no matter what.

If you can guarantee me that we\'ll get a better GM and a better coach .. I might be inclined to go along with you.

saintswhodi · 04-26-2005, 09:52 PM

At 4-8 Gumbo, any other year we wouldn\'t have had a shot at the playoffs. Last year was a fluke for the NFC. Unprecedented. I didn;t say I knew we wouldn;t make the playoffs even if we won all 4, I said I knew nothing would change, and it didn\'t did it? I knew that much. I had no idea about the playoffs.

And if Benson\'s and Loomis\' comments weren\'t enough to show that Haz wa sin big BIG trouble, I don\'t know what more evidence is needed.

04-26-2005, 12:10 PM	#1
LKelley67 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: baton rouge Posts: 2,540	Offseason Plans I was surfing trying to find some hint about drafting a WR in the 4th round and came across this March article I had not seen before... ---------------------------------- For a team that has finished 8-8 over the last two seasons, the Saints have been very quiet during the offseason. Although this is the same team that has composed a 32-32 record over the last four seasons, team officials are of the opinion that the team's four-game winning streak at the end of last season is proof that they are headed in the right direction. Apparently, Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis isn't too concerned with the fact that his defense finished 27th against the pass and 30th against the run last season. Oh, and when you combine the defensive numbers, New Orleans finished dead last in the league in total defense. No big deal, right Mickey? Actually, we shouldn't be surprised by the lack of movement. After all, this is the same team that refuses to acknowledge that quarterback Aaron Brooks is as mediocre as they come. His touchdown totals have dropped in each of the last three seasons, he's tossed 39 interceptions during that time, and actually fired a 25-yard pass backwards at one point last year. For Saints' fans, that four-game winning streak was the worst thing that ever could have happened. Not only did the streak put a halt to the front office and coaching staff changes that were being planned, it also seems to have given team officials a sense of complacency that should not exist. Needs Head coach Jim Haslett's job was saved by the four-game winning streak. However, it might be just a matter of time before he's on his way out, especially if he continues to ride the Brooks bandwagon. Although this observer considers the quarterback position to be an area of need, Saints' officials continue to back Brooks, even going so far as to pass the buck to offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy, who has been replaced by Mike Sheppard. The most noise the Saints have made during the free agency period so far came on Wednesday when they released wide receiver Jerome Pathon. Granted, that noise amounted to a mere whimper compared to the big free agency signings made by other teams, but it does leave New Orleans with a spot to fill. Furthermore, there are rumblings that the team is finally losing faith in former first-round pick Donte' Stallworth. The oft-injured wide receiver finally played a full slate of games last season, but reports indicate that he spent most of the season nursing one injury or another. Although the Saints have no plans to release the speedy Stallworth, don't be surprised if they add another wideout via the draft. Top receiver Joe Horn isn't getting any younger, and a new wideout could give Stallworth and 2004 second-round pick Devery Henderson the push for playing time they need. The Saints signed veteran offensive lineman Jermane Mayberry on Saturday, and hosted fellow lineman Fred Miller on Friday, so it's obvious they intend to beef up their offensive line, which might lead to a rebound of sorts for running back Deuce McAllister. The big question is whether the Saints can find an offensive lineman who can catch the ball the next time Brooks throws a pass in the wrong direction. Yes, we're joking, but keep in mind that Brooks' infamous backward pass was intended for a 300-pound offensive lineman, whom Brooks somehow mistook for McAllister. http://www.fanball.com/article.cfm/id.3549

04-26-2005, 12:22 PM	#2
saintswhodi 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 6,941	Offseason Plans OMG!!!! Best line in there: The big question is whether the Saints can find an offensive lineman who can catch the ball the next time Brooks throws a pass in the wrong direction. Jamaal Brown better hit that JUGS machine. :rollinglaugh:

04-26-2005, 05:14 PM	#3
Zulu--King 100th Post Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 150	Offseason Plans I like to see just a fraction of that disdain for AB diverted to the inept FO, and the other woes of this team.
Zulu--King 100th Post Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 150

04-26-2005, 07:12 PM	#4
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928	Offseason Plans For Saints\' fans, that four-game winning streak was the worst thing that ever could have happened. Not only did the streak put a halt to the front office and coaching staff changes that were being planned, it also seems to have given team officials a sense of complacency that should not exist. WOW that is so true. Last season when we were 4-8 I was hoping just to lost the rest of the games so that the FO would be totally shipped out. The playoffs seemed out of reach, so what did we do? We did the only thing a Saints team could do, THE UNEXPECTED. We won our last four and missed the playoffs accomplishing two things: like the article said, created a sense of complacency. And also we managed to get the worst possible draft pick for a team that didn\'t go to the playoffs. I wonder if it would help if I went down to the Saints HQ and told the entire FO what the hell was up?
TheDeuce 1000 Posts + Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,928

04-26-2005, 07:17 PM	#5
saintswhodi 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 6,941	Offseason Plans The Deuce, I was hoping for the exact same thing. Said it many times. Was told I wasn\'t a true fan and everything else under the sun. Now we are stuck with the same old same old. Same head coach, same front office. And they didn\'t have the balls to fire Venturi but put some \"assistants\" with off the wall titles around him. Okay. I Said exactly what this article said, winning those last four games was the worst thing for us. And wow, no DTs, no decent LBs in free agency. And a 3rd rounder with a big heart from the draft. But man it sure helped to win those last 4. :casstet:

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04-26-2005, 07:25 PM	#6
GumboBC Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,616	Offseason Plans The Deuce, I was hoping for the exact same thing. Said it many times. Was told I wasn\'t a true fan and everything else under the sun. Now we are stuck with the same old same old. Same head coach, same front office. And they didn\'t have the balls to fire Venturi but put some \"assistants\" with off the wall titles around him. Okay. I Said exactly what this article said, winning those last four games was the worst thing for us. And wow, no DTs, no decent LBs in free agency. And a 3rd rounder with a big heart from the draft. But man it sure helped to win those last 4. :casstet: saintwhodi -- So, you hoped we lost our last 4 games so changes would be made? Correct? Even though we still had a very REALISTIC shot of making the playoffs?! Always give up on your team that easily? And how do you know changes were going to be made reagardless of what our record was? Know something I don\'t? Or just PURE speculation? Or BLIND hope? If that\'s the way you think ... then you should hope we start the season off by losing our first 12-games. What? 4-12 not bad enough for you? How \'bout you hope we lose ALL of our games. That\'s your best bet for \"changes\" being made!! Haslet, Loomis, Brooks, Venturi .... they are all still with the Saints!! Why not just start hoping for a losing season at the beginning of the season? [Edited on 26/4/2005 by GumboBC] [Edited on 26/4/2005 by GumboBC]
GumboBC Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,616

04-26-2005, 09:28 PM	#7
saintswhodi 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 6,941	Offseason Plans Interesting. The Deuce said the same thing, and you call me out. Not surprising. Yes I did hope we lost the last four. I said it when we were 4-8. And I wasn\'t the only one. We didn\'t have a REALISTIC shot at the playoffs at 4-8, NOONE knew the NFC would be that horrendous. EXACTLY what I said would happen did, we won the next 4, and nothing changed, we still weren\'t in the playoffs. Get your head out the clouds. If we were 8-4, I damn sure would not have been hoping for us to lose. Get it yet? And Tom Benson sure seemed happy about being 4-8. You don\'t think calling your team worse than a high school team didn\'t denote changes coming if things didn\'t improve? Think Loomis throwing Haz under the bus didn\'t mean changes were coming? Miss obvious clues much?

04-26-2005, 09:34 PM	#8
GumboBC Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,616	Offseason Plans whodi -- If not for a missed field goal by the Jets we would have been in the playoffs. You never know how the NFL is going to unfold. I\'m glad you think you KNOW how things are going to work out but the TRUTH is you have NO idea. Just another disagreement we have. You want the Saints to lose when you have no idea what\'s going to happen. I want them to win no matter what. If you can guarantee me that we\'ll get a better GM and a better coach .. I might be inclined to go along with you.
GumboBC Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,616

04-26-2005, 09:52 PM	#9
saintswhodi 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 6,941	Offseason Plans At 4-8 Gumbo, any other year we wouldn\'t have had a shot at the playoffs. Last year was a fluke for the NFC. Unprecedented. I didn;t say I knew we wouldn;t make the playoffs even if we won all 4, I said I knew nothing would change, and it didn\'t did it? I knew that much. I had no idea about the playoffs. And if Benson\'s and Loomis\' comments weren\'t enough to show that Haz wa sin big BIG trouble, I don\'t know what more evidence is needed.