ssmitty

lets all hope saddam gives up so our boys can come home safely...........wishfully thinking out loud............on other topics, da saints continue to do as i would hope they would, sit tight, and wait........everyone wants to see fast trades and faster results but i like the baby steps myself......it assures us of a good long stride for the rest of lives.......I still believe beefing up the defense a lot, and adding a few more offensive spots can get us there........here's to a good draft..........smitty

WhoDat

So you think we\'re going to vastly improve our defense this upcoming season via the draft alone? B/c the guys we\'ve picked up so far are basically crap. How is waiting a good plan? So next year we have a nominal upgrade at MLB and a downgrade at safety, b/c there\'s no way Mitchell will be as good as Knight in his first year. So if the team has the same level of talent, why will the results be any different?

ssmitty

yes, i do........but if solid defense players are obtainable, they will go that route first providing they get what they want.....which is what i\'d like to see to an extent. you need leadership in team players, i repeat, team players. althought the draft does not guarantee team players, i like the odds better......just my opinion.,.....do i think we upgraded with what we aquired? yes, i do......the inside info with the draft as to who will pick who is still talk till it\'s announced.....yes, many have undeniable needs, but it\'s been proven too many times that is\'nt the case come pick time.........i believe the offense is intact and with a couple of more upgrades, we are solid......the defense can really only improve from what i\'ve seen the last couple of years and besides young veterans, the draft is always the way to go.........let\'s keep an eye on purcells, he\'s dealing, but he likes the draft too......i\'ll bet a six pack he looks to get more draft picks if he can....smitty............p.s. i look for a major upgrade at safety and or corner and would be very disappointed if it does\'nt happen. until a good deal comes along, i am very happy sitting where we are right now, very happy...........

iceshack149

The guy\'s we\'ve picked up so far are NOT crap. If we pick up Tebucky our defense gets better. If we could get Woodson through draft picks and $$ we\'re laughing. We\'ve got money now without that toe-headed mad man. The Saints could do without troublemakers for once.
God bless America.

D_it_up

In response to Mr. Negative\'s comments, I believe the Saints knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They went out and signed a LB, CB, and LT. They knew they needed depth, but felt that CB wasn\'t their biggest issue. They needed more help at linebacker and addressed that, also. I\'m not sure how Ruff is going to do for the Saints, but I think he\'s an upgrade. As for signing Gandy, that was just ingenious. The organization knew that if they could dump Turley with all his b\'n and m\'n, then they needed an established LT. That they got. Turley SUCKED at LT. Gandy is a PROVEN starter at LT. Case should be closed on that subject. They replaced a good punter with another good punter. They replaced a good back-up that could\'ve started anywhere with another good back-up that could possibly start anywhere. They resigned some key role players in John Carney, Fred McAfee, and Martin Chase. Now that they traded Turley, they gave up the same amount of cap space that they\'re going to spend on trading for Tebucky Jones. Now the Saints will be more willing to trade that second rounder for him. That\'s a serious upgrade from last season. I SERIOUSLY DO THINK that the Saints will improve through the draft because they are sitting VERY pretty. As I\'ve seen everything fall into place, I can\'t help but sit in awe of what the Saints have done. I know it may not seem like a lot to you, Whodat. To me, on the other hand, I\'m totally impressed. They proved that they aren\'t suckers.

People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.

nocloning

I like what the Saints have done so far in the off-season. Not hoping and praying some of the big names will come down South, but making sure the team won\'t fall apart by signing solid players first. A big name signing may still happen. They didn\'t overspend on any player unlike Detroit or the Redskins.
HOWEVER I\'m not convinced our defense will be vastly improved or improved at all. Our DEs and OLBs are (relatively) young and have room for improvement. The CB position has depth, but there will be problems against certain types of players (do we play the Vikings this year? I hope not).
Now ... the middle. Everyone knows we still need a Safety. Mitchell, the other starting safety is probably one of the worst starting SS in the league (you are free to disagree). We still need a DT to line up next to Jackson. Plus we have to hope Jackson gets his weight down. What if he doesn\'t? We\'re in trouble.
We have to hope Ruff is the player we expect him to be. It may be misleading, but remember: He didn\'t start a single game last season. If he is \"crap\" we are in deep trouble.
I\'m saying little about the draft right now because I do expect the Saints to make some kind of deal. The best we can hope for (at least immediately, meaning this year) is a DT who makes an impact. The other first round selection - if we keep it - will be a project player or Witten. I wouldn\'t even hate them if they go for Witten.
I stand by my prediction that our defense will stink this year. Maybe not as bad as last year, but still pretty smelly.

[Edited on 22/3/2003 by nocloning]

\"What is Wal-Mart? Is it like they sell wall stuff?\"

ssmitty

aaahhhhhh, to be the head coach, what would i do? i would love to see everyone\'s mock drafts and fantasies on the saints picks and trades to come.......a case to the one closest, when all is said and done, just tell me where to send it........and from experience i have found although dixie is an acquired taste, it is also excellent for removing catfish slime when fishing............smitty

subguy

I have said since I was blue in the face, the draft is not going to have an immediate impact. Most of these players are projects. We have missed our great improvement opportunity. The free agents just kept passing us by. Gator, I know you don\'t agree.

A couple of facts: I have heard we are in a rebuilding year for many years. The object is to win, and sooner than later. The other thing with draft picks is the fact that by the time they have worth,they are ready to go,or we let them go. How many \"key\" draft picks from the last 4 years are still with us. Stallworth should have a better year,but I know he had some physical problems, but it takes maturity time for the NFL.

We don\'t want to spend real money on real players...............Has Loomis kept his promise to Horn yet?

We need some key free agent players to win............point blank.

Don't want em to get your goat don't show em where it's hid.

lumm0x

The free agents that become available for the best value come after the June cuts. You only agressively pursue the early free agents that are must haves at any price. So far we have immediately upgraded LT, depth at CB, MLB, and minimized the loss at QB. It has not been a wasted effort so far. Much of the remaining free agent plans must wait until the draft plays out. If they have serious thought of drafting a MLB to groom behind Ruff, wh sign a starting one unless they miss out on the guy they want in the draft. Believe me guys, I\'m as eager as the next guy every year when names like Takeo Spikes, Roosevelt Colvin, and Chris McAlister appear, but to waste your whole cap space on two players when upgrades are needed in 5 or more areas is silly. A team is only as strong as it\'s weakest link. We had too many to only get two great players when we needed 6 good ones.

billyh1026

Thank God WhoDat doesn\'t run this team. We\'d be in serious trouble and he\'d get fired.