K Major

Other teams having "strong interest" in Eli? … initial part of the season he was playing well, then post Chicago game things went south really fast. Injuries? Confidence?

I wouldn't be mad if he moved on though.

ChrisXVI

jeanpierre

Can check that Athlete Box...

K Major

Vonn Bell - consistently good & ALWAYS around the loose ball.

I hope they can make it work and he stays in NO. Most safeties are getting salaries in the 5-8M season.

You just don't want to make the Saints 2014 roster mistake again by shuffling/replacing too many guys in the secondary.

The miscues & communication errors will cost you.

ChrisXVI

Agreed. I prefer having CJGJ at nickel CB so I’d like Vonn Bell back.

AsylumGuido

There was a great interview on XM NFL Radio today with Zach Strief. Zach basically said that he had no doubt Brees was going to return because he knows that Brees plans on continuing to play as long as he can have a positive impact. He pointed out that Brees played at a very high level this past season and expects the same in 2020. It sounded as if he felt there was a good chance Brees would continue past 2020 if all things remained the same.

Zach also said the two most important free agents for the Saints to retain were Vonn Bell and David Onyemata. When asked what he feels is the greatest needs for the Saints he said it would be an impact defensive lineman and depth on the offensive line. He also seemed to think Peat was gone. He said that he didn't think a complementary WR to Thomas was necessary and that the Saints late troubles were tied to the losses of Davenport and Rankins. He said they were simply not able to put consistent pressure on the QB with a four man front. He really praised the chemistry that Brees and Cook developed down the stretch. He noted that as a reason why he wasn't as concerned about additional help at WR as a priority. (sorry, K_Major)

There was also a call from Lady Who Dat who expressed concern about fellow WhoDat Nation members wanting to move on from Brees to Taysom right away. The hosts, Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn, both told her she needs to ignore these people because they don't know what they are talking about. They agreed that Brees remained the Saints best chance for success and Hill has not shown anything that would support his ability to be a starter, much less a successful starter, in the NFL. They said his strength is what he is being used as recently, an all purpose weapon.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

K Major

Even with Jared Cook on the roster, if he's not concerned about added help @ WR #2, 3 as a priority, then he should be.

dizzle88

And look what happened during the 9ers game. Jared Cook went down and the whole game changed.

9ers entered that game with their 2 starting receivers out, yet they adapted and pre-planned for such an event. Drafting WR early and signing Sanders because they weren't content.

Payton is too loyal to a fault. He trusts these guys that bring nothing to the team. Travaris Cadet, Tommy Lee Lewis, all those UDFA WR's that wouldnt make the squad elsewhere but somehow are 2nd on our depth chart.

AsylumGuido

He didn't appear to be. That doesn't mean he doesn't feel upgrades are warranted, it's just that he listed DL and OL as more pressing needs when asked about a WR opposite Thomas. Strief knows this roster AND he knows this front office better than any of us. I am afraid you may be setting yourself up for disappointment if you are expecting them to be looking at WR at anymore than the 3rd or 4th level of priority.

K Major

After watching the Vikes wildcard game again ...

Upgrade @ GUARD & WR.

We were mentally defeated all second half. Not sure why Andrus wasn't benched after he whiffed on a block that left Brees exposed to danger.

Saints must get more guys with a chip on their shoulder when they play. Minus Thomas, Ramz, The Rookie Chauncey, Demario & a few others... not enough dawgs on the roster.