This week Wang explains how the new kickoff rule will help the Saints special teams suck less and Andrew and Ralph argue over dumpster diving for an offensive tackle to replace Stinchcomb
Ralph Malbrough
Oh Wang, can't you see the Saints CAN NEVER WIN ANOTHER SUPER BOWLwith the LB's they have! Seriously though, I am trying to contain myself as this team looks tremendous. Nice angle to the preseason opener preview. After last Friday's column I took a pass on previewing this game and I'll write about the game and preview next week.
I think you can make the argument the Saints have no glaring holes and really only about 3 serous questions besides health which isa crap shoot for any team
1. Will the offensive line be better in 2011 even though they are returning 4/5 starters from a year ago?
2. Will the additions at DL help the Saints super shitty 1st down defense and add a pass rush.
3. LB's...which the Saints answer would be," We DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT outside LB"
Sure you could throw in Ingram and running game but that's o-line I mentioned above...I mean shit when does Sept get here?
Grandmaster Wang
Well, so far it looks like #1 is still a huge question mark. #2 and #3 are looking really good. If Casillas can stay healthy, there's your weakside guy. And surely there's something there between Shanle, Ingram and Herring. Maybe a rotation. I think they can get by just fine with that.
Is Joe Morgan about to go all Rod Harper with it?
Ralph Malbrough
Drew Brees threw 4 passes and got hit on two of them last night. Small sample but to me the more I think of it the O-line is the only serious question about the 2011 Saints. One of Drew's throws should have been picked. Last year his injured knee played a part in the 22 picks but I think him getting hit alot did as well. Any QB that gets hit consistently makes mistakes.
I know Stinchcomb didn't play but I'm not sold this offensive line can hold up. Maybe their play in 2009 was the exception and 2010, 2007-08 was the normal?
I know I'm sounding like panicked message board guy but it's not so much panic as me thinking this: This line is good enough to be 11-5 with no RB so the question isn't if it's good enough to win it's can it be great like it was in 2009?
Right now to me I'm not certain the answer is yes.
PS..It is a fucking sweet place to as a fan when the only serious question about the Saints is will their o-line be above average or great.
Andrew Juge
Overall I was encouraged. The coverage units were outstanding, they tackled pretty well, and they got pressure on the quarterback. Those were my biggest concerns coming in and they passed with flying colors. Pass the Abita.
Ralph Malbrough
I guess seeing Brees get hit at the knees was so unpleasant my negativity is high. The pass rush was tremendous and oh by the way maybe the Saints knew exactly what the hell they were doing resigning Roman Harper.
Gregg Williams knows Harper going towards the line of scrimmage is destruction waiting to happen so he puts him in position to do it.
I could be wrong but I feel like this defense will be capable of winning a knock down drag out 13-10 game. Not that they will be in many games like that but come Dec./Jan. that's good thing to have in your bag.
Grandmaster Wang
"oh by the way maybe the Saints knew exactly what the hell they were doing resigning Roman Harper. Gregg Williams knows Harper going towards the line of scrimmage is destruction waiting to happen so he puts him in position to do it."
Everybody but Message Board Guy knew that. MBG will catch up to the rest of us soon enough. Just as soon as it becomes so obvious as to be inarguable.
I'm beginning to worry about the o-line too a little bit. All of a sudden the argument could be made that it's a bit of a mess. I'd like to think that by September maybe Tennant is starting at C and Strief is starting at RT and that goes a long way towards solving it. On the other hand, there's not a whole lot that can be done about Bushrod and Evans, other than crossing your fingers and hoping that there's upside to be realized with Bushrod and that Evans didn't pull a Charles Grant as soon as he signed that fatass contract. I'm not sure what more can be done about those things at this point. Meantime, yeah, it's getting to where it might turn into a bona fide thing here shortly.
Really excited about Casillas though, and the defense in general. Both safeties will be "starting" the Pro Bowl after this season. Sacks and takeaways are gonna be back in style.
And, I'm half joking here, but MITCH KING, BITCHES! That's something nobody's really been talking about too, there's gonna be a 4th DT and he's gonna play in the regular season. Who's it gonna be? Tom Johnson? Mitch King? Jonathan Sullivan? Martin Chase? Pio Sagapolutele?
Ralph Malbrough
Wow, I could have sworn Strief was starting at RT against the Niners, I will have to watch replay to be sure.
I have to say cutting the starting RT 3 weeks before the season opener makes me wonder why the hell the Saints weren't more aggressive to fill the spot via the draft or FA.
Although the options in FA are Langston Walker of the Raiders and not much else.
Kevin Held
"SOMEBODY FUCKING HOLD ME!"
Grandmaster Wang
Wow, can't say I saw that one coming. Ralph, it could be that they're just now realizing there's a problem. You never know when a guy's just gonna hit the wall and suddenly he just can't play anymore. Especially without OTAs, minicamps, etc. to get a clue about it earlier. I'm assuming that all offseason they figured Stinch was gonna be back and healthy and starting. Then when they started full pads work a couple weeks ago, all of a sudden it was "Oh shit, this guy might be done." Then Friday night clinched it.
Now let's see if we can ditch the Olin Kreutz experiment and get Tennant in there. If it turns out that the solution(s) were already in house, and they're cheap and relatively young ones to boot, that'll be our first indication (in my opinion) that it's once again The Year. What with the Football Gods smiling down upon us again and all that good stuff.
Ralph Malbrough
Wang, I know you've been beating the special teams drum and the saints have seemed to make an effort to improve but with Moorstead just kicking touchback after touchback won't our special teams already be better by virtue of Morestead allowing them fewer opportunities to suck?
Grandmaster Wang
Oh yeah, no doubt about it. Allowing people fewer opportunities to suck is PM Flex's superpower. (Well, that and the ability to only test positive for Wheaties, Gatorade and Pantene hair products. Heh.) Funny thing is that between the new kickoff rule and Morstead's hang time on punts (of which there should be few anyway) seems there's a decent chance that there might only be a handful of returns this year anyway. I'm still glad they put so much elbow grease into the coverage teams, just in case, but it could turn out to be mostly a moot point. They're mostly gonna be touchbacks and fair catches.
Ralph Malbrough
I'm going to ask Bradley from WWLTV.com tonight when I interview if the Saints are satisfied with Strief/Brown at tackle or will they go trolling the FA dumpster? I tend not to listen to what the saints tell me, I'm more interested in the actual moves they make.
To me if the go and sign another OT before the Packers game then it's totally ok to start to have boarder line panic thought...
Andrew Juge
They already looked in the dumpster. It returned George Foster, Barron and Justin Black. No surprise the dumpster returns garbage.
Breesy (still refuse to call him Breesus as a God fearing simpleton) is going to step up in the pocket more than ever. I just hope Kreutz half way lives up to his reputation.
Ralph Malbrough
I should have clarified, will they look in the dumpster again? Because they won't be able to trade for one this late.
Andrew Juge
I agree Ralph, doubtful they find a tackle they can use, either by trade or free agency at this point. Even if they raid the final cuts waiver wire to find a capable tackle that got caught in a numbers game for a final place on a 53 man roster, is he going to be better than Strief/Bushrod? Highly doubtful. Even if such player existed, tackles don't grow on trees (though I think Zach Strief might be part tree), so there would be stiff competition to sign that player AND there's no way an offensive tackle could pick up the Saints' complicated block schemes in a week and be ready to start. At this point we're married to the guys in the building. Bushrod/Strief, for better or for worse, is our tackle tandem. At least in the short term. Hold me.
The Saints kind of suck at tackle. Not going to lie. I don't think there's a lot of NFL teams that would want that tackle tandem. Hopefully they're so awesome and deep at every other position that it won't matter, and at least we have by far the best guard tandem in the entire league. If something happens to Nicks/Evans, those are the two injuries that the Saints absolutely cannot afford. If you're all of a sudden patching up guard play when your tackle play is already suspect that's when things can really fall apart.
Anyway, why are we being so negative? I need to smack myself. The Saints just obliterated the 49ers 24-3 and the defense/special teams look sick. They're going to obliterate the Texans in a couple days, and we'll all be feeling awesome when they obliterate the defending Super Bowl champions at their place in a few weeks. BOOM, done.
Every Week here at Hakim Kevin and a few Saints bloggers exchange emails discussing all things saints, NFL and whatever they can think of. This week Kevin is joinded by Grand Master Wang of moosedenied, ralph Malbrough of WWLTV.com and Andrew Juge of canal Street Chronicles.
This week they discuss the addition of Olin Kreutz, how the Saints stayed in NOlA post Katrina and why Paul Tagliabue deserves blow jobs, lots of them
Yeah, that blows. They owned me on that one. How am I supposed to maintain my CREDIBILITY(!!!!) (LOL) when I post something and less than 24 hours later Loomis does something that makes me look like a total idiot?
I guess I'm still holding out hope that it's just insurance, but at ~$3MM I doubt it. I guess they could probably still release Kreutz before week 1 and pay him a fraction of that. But the smart money is probably on Kreutz being the starter for at least this year. I imagine Tennant has no chance to beat him out because then they'd be stuck without a backup C because they're not gonna carry Kreutz and pay him $3MM to be Tennant's backup. They'd have to release Kreutz and then scramble to find Tennant a backup, and I doubt they'd put themselves in that position.
But who knows?
Anyway, I'll get over it, but I can't say I'm a big fan of this. Not just because they made me look like an idiot, but because I genuinely do think Tennant is gonna be a stud, and Kreutz is 34 and costs just as much as Goodwin (granted though, only for 1 year instead of 3, but still.) I mean, they were just talking about (re: Tennant) how it takes longer than you might imagine for the C and the QB to get comfortable with the snaps, and now they're gonna replace a guy who's been here for a year with a dude off the street? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, given what they themselves said about it. Sure, I know Kreutz is a six-time Pro Bowler and all that, but so what? He's also at the end of his career.
And I was only half joking on Twitter about the fact that I don't like these 2006 Bears assholes (first Alex Brown, now Kreutz) coming down here to try to ride the Saints' coattails to get themselves a ring before they retire. I realize that's irrational, but screw it, I'm a fan. It's my right, no, DUTY to be irrational. Screw them. Yeah, I'm still bitter.
I don't know, I'm just not at all excited about this one. That $$ could have been better spent elsewhere IMHO. But hey, one dud out of the 4000 moves they've made over the last week isn't anything to get my panties in a bunch over. I'll deal.
Andrew:
I'm real interested in this Tennant vs. Kreutz battle at center. I'm not ready to give up on Tennant yet and I don't think the Saints are either. Just because Kreutz has the track record, don't forget he hasn't been to the Pro Bowl since 2006 and he hasn't smoked the Maui Wowie since his high school days (played college ball at Washington). Actually he probably smoked Maui Wowie this summer, nevermind. But does Maui Wowie improve or hurt your abilities as a center? Questions questions. I think Kreutz' signing is as much about his experience/mentor potential as it is about production on the field. If Tennant beats him out, he'll be better off for it. Then Kreutz can be a terrific backup and help Tennant hone his craft. If Kreutz is the center, hey, a washed up center that was one of the best centers in the history of the NFL over the course of his career isn't all that bad. Plus, let's face it, Danny DeVito could play center for the Saints and they'd still manage with Jahri and Nicks on either side of him.
Ralph:
Andrew, I agree with you about Tennant and just because the Saints signed Kreutz doesn't mean he'll make the team. I think there is a very good chance the Saints thought, "The veteran center market is drying up. We better go get one just in case and secure ourselves in event of worst case scenario." If Tennant ends up being the guy the saints can always cut Kreutz and be on their way but if Tennant doesn't workout and Kreutz isn't on the roster then plan B is hope for a solution and hope is never a plan.
Kevin:
I feel bad for the Lions. You think they should get Lynell Hamilton?
Ralph:
Kevin I just tweeted Ricky Williams seems like a perfect stop gap for the Lions.
Injuries suck and when do we start to worry about Colston, Porter, Ivory? Given Sean Payton loves to lie regarding injury we are always guessing. It seems to me Colston may be bigger if that knee(which has been worked on alot) stays balky. If Colston is banged up WR position looks very different.
At least reports say Robinson is looking pretty good so if Porter comes back slow they MIGHT be ok. . On the Dave Cariello official Panic scale I'm a 3 but it's definitely treading up. I just read the guy the Bears signed to replace Kreutz won't even start. So the Saints may be doing the same and I still say there is a 30% chance Kreutz doesn't make the opening week roster.
Wang:
I don't think Payton "lies" about injuries per se, it's more about his being tight-lipped about them and the local media constantly whining about it because he won't give them enough material to regurgitate into an article and call news.
When do we start worrying about Colston, Porter and Ivory? Not yet. Not even close. Resting is no cause for concern, it's cause for celebration that the people in charge are smart enough to give them the rest. Colston doesn't need the reps, he's not gonna get any better than he is. He's a known quantity. Nothing good can come of continuing to run him out there daily to practice, all it does is increase the chances that slight discomfort is gonna suddenly turn into "out indefinitely." Same for Porter. Both of those are just "Don't chance it until it matters" situations.
And I'll worry about Ivory just as soon as TWO out of Ingram/Pierre/Sproles are injured. Until then? Hey, I was impressed with Ivory last year too, don't get me wrong. But right now worrying about Ivory is a lot like worrying about Adrian Arrington.
Ralph:
Wang I agree to a certain extent but I think what bothers me is Colston and Porter both have history of injuries and how would them missing time affect the Saints?
I'm worried because at this point is it living in fantasy land to expect each to play 12-16 games?
Colston might but history tells us Porter will not
Wang, this is a riff on your theory about why Sean Payton does or doesn't run the ball.
Conventional wisdom says while Ingram will be pretty good, the Saints are a throwing team, and Ingram won't really be a stud RB. Payton loves to throw, he likes to get cute in play calling etc etc...Ingran will be nice but he won't get many touches and the Saints are deep at RB so the carries get split. I'm not denying any of that but while Sean Payton is alot of things I'd argue one of his best qualities is he is open minded. What if Mark Ingran can convert him to call more running plays because Ingram off tackle is just too good to resist?
Payton's never had a RB like Ingram. And I have a little theory that the less of Ingram we see in preseason the more excited we should get. Meaning, Payton knows what he has by watching practice and if why let the Packers see Ingramania on film?
Also New England is killing it in FA they got too guys I hoped the saints would have in Andre Carter and Shaun Ellis.
Wang:
Of course that's gonna be what happens, absolutely. I've been beating this drum for 5 years now, Payton might get "the disease" every now and then within a specific game, but for the most part, Payton's "refusal to run" is overblown and has become one of those Payton myths. He ran Dulymus and Reggie plenty in 2006. But ever since then, the Saints' tailback situation has been mostly a trainwreck. Dulymus was done, Reggie couldn't stay healthy and started proving that he wasn't a real tailback, and they started with the whole parade of undrafted free agents thing. It took until 2009 for Payton to finally get to the point where he realized that Pierre could be trusted and was "The Guy" and Mike Bell was the "complementary back" and Reggie was largely irrelevant, and they kicked ass running the ball. Then everybody started getting injured again.
So only 2 years out of 5 have the Saints had a running game that even resembled reliable and effective. And both of those years, Payton ran the ball, and the Saints have 2 NFCCGs and 1 Championship to show for it. But the other 3 years built up that myth that no matter what, Payton is gonna throw all day every day. It's bullshit. Of course you're gonna throw all day when you've got a Top 3 QB and your tailbacks are a mess.
Barring injury, they're gonna run the shit out of the ball this year. Why? Because (again, barring injury) the tailback position is finally "fixed." And like you said, they're gonna be even more inclined to run the ball with a 2-touchdown first-half lead every week. Cue coldpizza: "Yeah, but those two touchdowns came via the pass, which is wrong, and if Payton really knew what he was doing he'd have run the ball and would realize that he'd be far better off with the score tied at halftime. Two-touchdown leads are meaningless if they come via the pass."
Ralph :
I agree with you but I guess my question is "Will Mark Ingram just hog all the carries because he's awesome"? If 2009 is any indication the answer seems no because Saints ran the shit out of the ball but still....
Thomas had 793 yds rushing
Bell had 654 yds rushing
Bush had 390 yds rushing
If you say Ingram gets the Bell carry/yds and Sproles won't get as many carries/yds as Bush, and Pierre Thomas gets 600 yards then Ingram ceiling seems to me 1300 yards if the Saints are a Top 10 rushing team .
1250-1300 yds makes Ingram a Top 10 RB and Ingramania is in full bloom. Is this scenario very likely?
Pro Football Talk is speculating Will Smith might not get suspended. Obviously that's great news for the Saints but no one has really discussed in depth how much him missing 4 games will hurt. I'd argue it's one of the biggest reasons to be worried because of the Saints early season schedule. They need Will Smith on the d-line or the pass rush drops to mediocre at best. At least the front four rush does.
With Smith the front four is Smith, Rogers, Franklin, McBride/Jordan
*Charlston and Junior contributions are icing on the cake
Without it’s Rogers, Franklin, McBride,Jordan
*And Charlston and Junior need to be heavy contributors
Seems to be with Smith Saints are a B+, without just a C
Wang:
Really? After all that, the league is just gonna say forget the whole thing? I thought they had won all the court battles they needed to win and the suspensions were set in stone. Anyway, I'll believe it when I see it. Until further notice, I'm counting on that suspension sticking.
Sue me, but I'm not sure it's a big deal either way. I mean sure, you always hate to be down a body at any position. But I've just gotten so "meh" on Will Smith. He's such a tease, All Pro one week and invisible the next. Honestly, I'm getting to the point of being about ready to move on. Obviously I don't mean release him now, keep him this year until you know what you've got with McBride, Jordan and maybe Galette. (And I'm really glad they brought back the Vanilla Gorilla, by the way.) I'm just not sure there's gonna be any kind of huge dropoff when/if Smith is out for the first 4 games. Will anybody even notice? And unless Smith has one of his good years this year, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be firmly on the bubble after this year, and I think I'm fine with that.
On the other hand, who knows. Maybe Smith won't have yet another one of those "play through it" season-long injuries this year, and with Rogers/Franklin/Ellis on the inside, and being pushed for playing time this year which hopefully will make him play as if it's a contract year, maybe we'll see Good Will Smith this year instead of Meh Will Smith. I'll believe that when I see it too.
Ralph:
I agree with your 'meh' Smith take but I disagree on the drop off, maybe it's fear or whatever I just am not ready to count on the Vanilla Gorilla and Junior to get it done. I do think Smith will be better as this is clearly the best d-line he's been on as a Saint.
McBride intrigues me as a sort of 'All I do is rush the QB but DAMN I'M SO GOOD AT IT no one cares I don't do anything else.' Specialist.
Kevin, I was thinking about your text talking about thanking God the Saints won a Super Bowl and saving them from going to LA. One thing I completely forgot about was Gov. Blanco signing off on fast tracking all Dome renovations behind the scenes even as people were saying, "Maybe we should tear it down because of all the horrible things that happened there post Katrina."
I mean whatever people want to say about her, Blanco got that done and helped avoid the political fighting going on at the 911 sight. I mean it's going on 10 years and it's still a hole in the ground where the World Trade Center was.
Louisiana politicians: "We do one thing exactly right EVERY 10 YEARS WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?"
Final thought, "Is Clint Ingram and his trick knee really going to hold up and win a starting spot?" I think so.
Kevin:
Look, I can give a "smedgen" of credit to the former "deer in the headlights" governor, Ralph, but I'm giving most of the cred to Paul Tagliabue on this one. He didn't want the city to lose its football team and--until somebody convinces me otherwise--strong-armed Benson into staying for the time being, and providing NFL funds to help with the renovations and cleanup. I mean, sure, if we're giving credit for people keeping the team in the state, I suppose Blanco gets listed ABOVE Benson, but below....say....Al Scramuzza. SEAFOOD CITY, FTMFW!
When it comes to tearing shit down, New Orleans in general is pretty fucking ridiculous. Could you imagine if that had been torn down? The team would still probably be playing in Baton Rouge ... or worse. You saw how pissed folks got when Landrieu sacked up and tore down collapsing homes that had been abandoned. And you've seen the ilustrious city council basically cock block new building because of some kind of goofball "historic" codes or whatever... Fuck it, I'm getting off this soapbox before I get really angry. LOUD NOISES!!
Ralph:
I guess my bigger point is when history looks back I think we'll say, "While dam near everything went wrong right after Katrina. Almost Everything went right for the Saints."
Tags is commish and strong arms Benson.
Fast Track of Dome renovations
Green Bay passes on McCarthy
Dolphins pick CullPepper instead of Brees
Texans pass on Bush
I'd believe you remove anyone of those and the LA Saints are more likely than not. Except maybe Bush but I still think he helped build excitement post Katrina that no other draft pick would have. We got Reggie! way more exciting than "We got AJ Hawke!"
Andrew:
As far as I'm concerned, Saints fans should be sending Paul Tagliabue primo Hollywood quality hookers monthly for the remainder of his life. A $15 tax on all per game ticket season ticket holders should cover that. That's a little over $10 million a season if you're decent at math. Actually, that would only cover his libido for about 4.2 years. Does he die by then? If not we may have to up the tax.
Seriously though, Arnold Fielkow tried the same things as Tagliabue and his career was wrecked from it. Benson's weekly game of hop scotch and parcheesi with the San Antonio mayor was interrupted by Uncle Arnie's conscience, and so he got fired. Uncle Arnie then attempts a pathetic foray into politics. The poor guy tried to do the right thing and he has never been the same. At least he can sleep at night. Of course, things worked out pretty rosy for that crook Benson, who now sleeps fine at night too next to a silver Lombardi. It's amazing to me how much love Benson gets now. At worst, most people ignore what he did or maybe they choose to forget it. Things worked out, Payloo comes to town and immediately builds a winner, no thanks to Benson, and all of a sudden he is revered like nothing ever happened. The only other person who had the stones to spit in his face, besides Fielkow (who's balls were chopped off and fed to him for doing it) was Tagliabue. The difference is Tagliabue eats pieces of sh!t like Benson for breakfast and Benson was forced to take it on the chin like a champ. God bless that man.
This email chain isn't happening right now if it isn't for Paul Tagliabue. And while Uncle Arnie's attempts were dismissed (pun intended), I give him the assist for being a quality human being. Maybe season ticket holders fund Uncle Arnie's mid range gulf coast hooker once every two years.
Ralph:
"Saints fans should be sending Paul Tagliabue primo Hollywood quality hookers monthly for the remainder of his life." Funniest Saints line I've read all off season. So true.
I think to a certain extent Andrew you nailed it about Benson. We just want to black it out. We'd rather not remember Benson totally wanted to take the team to Texas but Tags was like, "Dude I'm not going to let you unleash the mother of all shit storms on the NFL and I'm not going to be the commish who let the Saints leave NOLA."Thank God for the fear of bad PR. What makes Benson wanting to pack up and go worse in my opinion is when he bought the team then governor Edwards helped make sure he got the financing to buy the Saints. Still I think most people don't give a shit because the Saints are still in NOLA and they are awesome. The details of how/why don't matter.
I'm not sold the LA team is a done deal. We'll see but California is screwed up politically and economically I still think they have a ways to go.
Last question for the chain...
Who comes out of Friday's game as the internet's new darling ie Arrington?
I nominate Paul Oliver...why? Why not...
Wang:
"Last question for the chain... Who comes out of Friday's game as the internet's new darling ie Arrington?"
JOIQUEMANIA, BITCHES!
Saints fans have been DYING to trade Pierre to the Patriots for their next 6 first round picks for about 10 months. Why stop now? Hell, at this point I'm pretty sure they'd settle for the Patriots' next 5 first round picks and Tom Brady.
After all, Chunky Chase Daniel(s) blow(s) and IF DREW GOES DOWN WE'RE TOTALLY FUCKED! Surely Brady is worth at least a 2016 first round pick. Make it happen, Loomis!
Honorable mention to Joseph Morgan because back in the 70s he was the best 2nd baseman since Honus Wagner. (If you don't believe me, just ask him.) And also, he hates stats because they usually don't support his own subjective conclusions and therefore they're damn lies. Saints fans are gonna LOVE this guy!
Hmmmm...I wonder what that would be like... (strokes imaginary beard)
NARRATOR: At Frankie & Jermon's we offer low prices and home delivery! Bad credit? No credit? NO PROBLEM!! Frankie & Jermon's can help you even if you've filed bankruptcy or just get by on food stamps. And our knowledgable sales team will help YOU find the right living room set or bedroom set TO-DAY!
FRANKIE: Can I help you?
OLIN: Um, yeah...I'm kinda new in town and need to get some furniture.
FRANKIE: Do you have any credit?
OLIN: Dude, I'm making, like, two million dollars this year. OF COURSE I've got credit!
FRANKIE: Even so...YOU HAFTA SEE THE BUSHROD!!
BUSHROD: Let'em have it!
FRANKIE: He's got it!
OLIN: Oh...okay. That was easy, I guess...
(JUMP CUT TO LATER...)
FRANKIE: Can I help you, sir?
PAYTON: Yeah, I recently moved all my furniture to Dallas and need some new stuff in my New Orleans home. Our old long snapper recommended we shop here.
FRANKIE: Do you have any credit?
PAYTON: What, you mean credit cards? Yeah, I got like 20 of them.
FRANKIE: Well you STILL gonna hafta see the special Jerod!
BUSHROD: Let coach have it!
NO PROBLEM GUY: With noooooooooooooooooooo problem!!
The Saints resigned Carl Nicks today which means the only two big Saints FA left are Jonathan Goodwn and Dave Thomas. Regarding Nicks I'm really torn about giving him a long term extension because if the Saints are going to pay both guards 8-10 million what position do they not pay? They can't pay everyone. I lean towards paying them both because if you have something that's the best you keep it. Nicks/Evans are both Top 5 guards so I'd rather them keep their elite interior line and cut corners at LB or as strange as it sounds offensive tackle. Brees is so good at getting rid of the ball on time and avoiding sacks I'd argue Saints can get by with B- OT
I just said it over at the Chronic that if the Saints resign Goodwin and Thomas all that's left to satisfy me is a DE and depth at DT. I'm not so worried about LB as some others are. I think Saints can win with Vilma/Shanle/Wilson but I'm not sure they can win with what they currently have at DE which will include 4 game Smith suspension. And the fact that Jordan is still unsigned isn't good either.
Also I love the Falcons signing ray Edwards as I think he is a mediocre DE who benefited from playing in Minnesota with 3 Pro Bowl lineman around him. I didn't want the saints going near him.
The Eagles getting Cullen Jenkins was a tough because of the price they can cut him after 1 yr. Saints still need depth at DT
I'm not sold on Michael Vick winning anything and he won't play 16 games. When Vince Young needs to win them a December game all this 'Eagles won the off season' will be forgotten.
WANG: Good stuff, Ralph. I was gonna email you a little while ago and give you props for being right about DE > OLB. Turk McBride is an exciting signing IMHO. Loomis still might have something up his sleeve, but I get the feeling that you're right again and that the Saints will continue to go cheap at OLB. Will Herring, Danny Clark, Shanle, Clint Ingram are your vets. Casillas, Tez Wilson, Dunbar and Marvin Mitchell are probably your young guys. Probably not a whole lot more on the horizon there. And I guess that's fine, probably what I should have expected. The Saints have been "just getting by" at OLB for half a decade, I'm not sure why I ever expected them to change that strategy now. I'm betting now that they're just gonna cross their fingers and hope Casillas and Tez work out. Again, I don't have a problem with that because OLB is clearly the least important position on the defense to the Saints braintrust, and it's served them just fine so far. And you've gotta cut corners somewhere, can't have 53 pro bowlers.
Dave Thomas is a must-sign. Goodwin is a would-be-nice but IMHO not necessarily a must.
I'm not worried at all about Jordan. He'll be in camp sooner than later. Judging by the twitters, seems like he's as pissed off as anybody that it isn't already done. I think it's a non-issue, it'll be resolved any minute now.
I'm ashamed to say that I got caught sleeping on McBride. Dude's got Shaun-Rogers-like "impact in limited playing time."
DE is in some serious flux right now. They need to bring Charleston back. And I'm beginning to wonder about whether or not Will Smith is gonna play for the Saints this year. 4 games is a long time, and Smith makes a lot of $$$ for 12 games max. Just sayin'.
The Eagles hype is really starting to annoy.
If any of you assholes scoop me out of this before I get a chance to put together a blog post on it tomorrow, I will kick you in the nuts. But I really REALLY like what the Saints have been doing to fix the special teams coverage units this offseason. You've got "Reis Nuts" and Casillas coming back from injury. Re-signed Prioleau and Roby. Brought in Amaya, Herring, Johnny Patrick, Nate Bussey and maybe this DeAndre McDaniel dude sticks because of ST. Now I'm not sure they keep Casillas on ST if he's the starting WLB, and I don't know if Roby makes the 53 if Sproles returns punts and kickoffs. But still. Even if you don't count those 2 guys, the Saints' coverage units are likely to be RADICALLY different this year. Improvement? Remains to be seen. But clearly a balls-out effort to fix that problem. Now let's just cross our fingers and hope that Payton is right and we're all wrong about Greg McMahon being a terrible ST coordinator.
KEVIN: Thank you for starting, Ralph. Beat me to it.
Sorry for the diversion, but: FUCK Mike & Mike. I'm driving to work and nearly swerve off the road cause those two clown shoes have the audacity to suggest that Andy Reid is a "real good coach" and that anyone says otherwise isn't looking at things clearly and doesn't know what they're talking about. Bullshit, fellas. They were naming all the other accomplished coaches of "the era" and not one of those dipshits mentioned Sean Payton.
In his first year as a head coach, Payton beat Reid in the playoffs. Why? Cause Andy freaking Reid has the clock management skills of an impatient toddler.
So if the league was stripped of all its coaches and the teams could essentially "draft" a new head coach, based on current results up until now (guys currently coaching), where does Andy Reid fall?
1. Bill Belichick 2. Sean Payton 3. Mike Tomlin 4. Jim Caldwell / Peyton Manning 5. Mike McCarthy 6. Rex Ryan 7. Tom Coughlin 8. Andy Reid 9. Mike Smith 10. John Harbaugh
After that it's an absolute shit show. I wouldn't touch Shanahan now with a ten foot pole.
And speaking of the Eagles...Mike & Mike then had the audacity to suggest that the Saints were the FOURTH--let that sink in--best team in the NFC, behind Green Bay, Philly and Atlanta. I know everybody slurps Ashmongudusuduasd whatever his name is (including me), but that doesn't mean Philly is more a threat to win the NFC than the Saints. And Atlanta? Are they fucking high?!?
Eagles will get credited for "winning the off-season" but that's nonsense. If the Saints aren't up there, it's ridiculous. And the NFC is basically: 1. Green Bay, 1a. Saints ... 3. everyone else. Am I off in this line of thinking?
Theme of my post: AUDACITY!
RALPH: Kevin I'd agree about Reid but I'd put him #4. To me he's alot like Les Miles. He's fantastic but his one flaw when it comes up is a burning herpes sore on super model. It can ruin you. I mean Reid runs that team and never forget he is really good at kissing up to the media with his aww shucks fat guy act so they love him. The Redskins won a bunch off off season titles too.
by the way this line slayed me...Cause Andy freaking Reid has the clock management skills of an impatient toddler
now onto Wang…
I won't scoop you on the special team angle but it's a good one to talk about. I really think Payton is finally giving Greg McMahon no excuses. If we don't see improvements this year I really think he goes to the chopping block. My worry about McBride is the Ray Edwards reason. Was he benefiting from the Lions very loaded D line? Suh is just a fucking freak and I watched most of the Lions games and by week 3 teams were like, "Suh gets double teamed or our QB will be dead."
I think McBride's ceiling is 2008 Bobby McCray. In '08 McCray started 8 games and had 6 sacks. I'd sign up for that right now.
Is McBride the Saints 'big move' at DE? I hope not but my gut says it probably is.
If Dave Thomas isn't resigned where do saints turn for TE help?
WANG: "If Dave Thomas isn't resigned where do saints turn for TE help?"
BUCK ORTEGA!!!!!!! Drew still owes him a TD.
Tyler Lorenzen! Shawn Ryan! Nate Lawrie! Eddie Boo Williams! Lamont Hall! Hoby Brenner! John Tice!
But seriously..... ZACH HILTON!!!!!
RALPH: Problem Solved!
Eddie Boo Williams dropped that TD against the Bengals in 2002 and I'm still very bitter about it.
Should Saints pursue Osi Umenyiora of the Giants via trade? New York wants a #1 which the Saints don't have but I say even if they come down in price it should still be no. He's been injury prone the last few years and the Saints already mortgaged a bit of the future for Ingramania. It will be totally worth it but I think they shouldn't trade any more of the 2012 draft away.
WANG: Around my house, we refer to him as Osi HumanUrine. And while it would be BIG FUN to be able to say that several times every week, I think I'd pass too.
Bring back the Vanilla Gorilla and call it a day. (Unless the plan is to part ways with Will Smith, which I admit might be a little far-fetched, I'm just saying that if they DO do that, then you've probably gotta make another move.)
DAVE: The Saints will definitely need to re-sign David Thomas. There is currently no depth behind Jimmy Graham. Without Thomas, they're fucked at tight end.
But I want to know whether Heath Evans is coming back or not? Do you think he's pooping in his pants right now? Do you think Payton refuses to re-sign him because he blew Payton's cover on the whole Drew knee surgery story this off-season?
RALPH: Dave, I'm not sure what to think about Evans. On the one hand you are completely correct to think Payton would not resign him because he doesn't toe the line and Payton bullies everybody to do things exactly how he wants even the media. On the other hand I can't think the Saints wouldn't sign him if they think he's the best guy for them.
My guess is it's Payton/Loomis knowing they can make him sweat because Heath Evans isn't in high demand by other teams and it sends a message of, "Do what we tell you and SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DON'T TALK TO THAT SAINTS BLOG CHRONICLES OF CANAL STREET OR WHATEVER THE FUCK. "
I'll be interviewing Drew Magary of Deadspin and Kissing Suzy Kolber this week (Thursday).
What do you think Saints fans would want to hear from him?
SAINTS NATION: Heath Evans will be back. I feel pretty strong about that. Locker room presence, character, combined with the fact that the fullbacks they have in training camp right now aren't as good as what they had last training camp (Zak Keasey & Jason McKie).
I'm getting pretty sick of this Cameron Jordan routine. He was pretty much handed a starting spot when he was drafted. Alex Brown is over the hill, and Will Smith is going to be suspended the first 4 games. He has almost no competition for a starting role. He was guaranteed a starting role until he pulled this holdout BS. His agents need to get this done TODAY, period. Who cares about 3 years guaranteed vs. 4 years, if Jordan plays the way we all expect him to the Saints will pay him the length of his first contract regardless of what's guaranteed. The bottom line is that every single minute he's out of camp, the more behind he gets. This isn't a 7 year veteran we're talking about, we're talking about a rookie who's never even smelled a down in the NFL before. He needs to be there on time. I realize the lockout delayed things but for F's sake there's only 6 guys left unsigned. What is his agent waiting for??? The pick ahead of him and the pick behind him are gone. He needs to sign TODAY. Enough is enough. I thought the new CBA was supposed to fix this bullshit.
RALPH: Mike Florio on PFT had an interesting solution to the 'I want 4 years guaranteed' issue. Teams could guarantee years 2-4. It basically means everything is locked in because what team will cut a #1 pick who gets injured this year in camp? But team can save face and say, "We didn't guarantee the whole contract"
Andrew you are totally right though, everyday he misses he'll be less and less of a factor. And the Saints I'd argue need Jordan to be a big factor especially early with Will Smith likely to sit the first month.
Andrew is fired up now about Jordan missing time but when do we hit the high digits on the Official Dave Cariello Chronic Panic Meter* on his holdout? I say if Jordan is not in camp by Friday it's a 9 for me...that's threat level Orange for those using the terrorism scale.
*The Official Dave Cariello Chronic Panic Meter is sponsored by Yahoo Fantasy Sports and Crack Cocaine
KEVIN: Maybe Jordan's agent is trying to strong-arm things knowing that Will Smith will miss games?
And I'm with Dave on Heath Evans. Payton's definitely letting him twist in the wind.
RALPH: I think the agents of rookies are probably trying to set the precedent with the first batch of new rookie deals that while the money is lower the contract is guaranteed. Think of it this way, if most rookies get 4 yrs guaranteed this year then next year the agents say "Well everyone did it last year." And GMs realize rookie contracts will grow over time and while that extra yr may not be so much now it might be in say 2018. So they want to hold the line.
Anthony Hargrove possible departure makes me even more nervous about D line. That position is looking extremely thin to me.
WANG: "Anthony Hargrove possible departure makes me even more nervous about D line. That position is looking extremely thin to me."
TOM JOHNSON, BITCHES!
RALPH:
If Tom Johnson has either a preseason sack or a regular season tackle you can pick the song and I'll sing the first two verses on the podcast.
Wang's optimism brings up a good question: Who will be surprise cut and who will be a surprise guy to make the roster?
Courtney Roby is my surprise guy to get cut. Not a shocker but I think he'll be squeezed with Sproles able to return kicks and special team depth Saints have added
Surprise guy who makes it: Clint Ingram gets healthy and pushes hard for a roster spot
By the way I know it was the 1% douche bag fans that smiled over Jim Henderson fainting at Saints camp because of his Bush Commentary but Henderson is a treasure all Saints fans should appreciate. He's over 60 and won't do play by play forever much less his commentary and once he's gone the Saints will find some 30 year old kid to do play by play who paints his face and yells Who Dat between plays who Benson can pay nothing. Most NFL teams are going towards running their own radio network and owning the station the teams games are on. The Redskins do it and while fans hate the teams print money doing it.
Eventually the Saints will do the same. Hell Benson already owns Fox 8. All I'm saying is enjoy Henderson because when he's gone listening to the Saints won't be the same and there won't be any objective voices left in the regular media.
WANG: The whole "Henderson deserved what he got for talking shit about REG-GIE!!!!" thing was absolutely disgusting. Some people just don't deserve to breathe.
Surprise guy who sticks: Jared Fayson (the new Adrian Arrington beats out the old Adrian Arrington) Surprise cut: Dare I say it? Chris Ivory? Can't make the club in the tub.
I'm not saying I'd WANT that. Hell, stick him on PUP and then IR if it comes to that. Just pulling a bold prediction out of my ass is all.
KEVIN: Actually, when I saw Wang's tweet about Hendu getting on a golf cart, I just made the "Did he make sure to back over Reggie's corpse this time?" joke, not knowing he had a heat stroke or anything. I wouldn't dare try to crack on Hendu about his health or anything bad happening to him. And Ralph is spot fucking on about "enjoying it while it lasts" with Hendu. He makes us seem big team in the broadcast booth. Who could possibly replace him?
As for cuts: I'll go out on a limb and say the safety from Clemson, just to be goofy
Don't know about a surprise keeper. Clint sounds fine.
RALPH: I will not even acknowledge the who could possibly replace him? Because I don't want to consider it because that future is dark and scary. I think the way Kevin described Henderson 'He makes us seem big team in the broadcast booth' is about the best way I've ever heard him described. Henderson could have been a national play by play guy and was for a few years. He just likes living in NOLA and didn't feel the need to go to a bigger market. So the Saints have an A+ play by play guy because of a lucky break.
DAVE: Ugh, what if Deke, Hokie or Bobby replaced him? Oh, dear.
Also, what's going to happen when Jerry Romig dies? Who will do in stadium announcing?
RALPH: And suddenly the 'Chain' turns into Deathwatch.
Ok, I'll bite...
When Henderson retires all Saints fans should get on their hands and knees and pray WWL radio has as little say in Henderson's replacement as possible. I find their Saints coverage just above poor. They never break news and my mom is more objective. But if you love homerism and pom pom waving then WWL radio is fantastic.
Ken Trahan would probably walk through glass to get the Saints play by play job but I'm guessing Saints go young and keep and it's someone not local. My hope is Henderson would maybe decide to retire from WWL-TV but keep doing Saints games and as long as he stays relatively healthy he can go into his 70's? Hell the Astros have an 83 year old doing their radio play by play although baseball is different.
I'd guess the guy how does Hornets games and announcing at Saints games Romig doesn't do wold take over everything.
KEVIN: I'll be honest: Jerry Romig has a good voice, but I can't understand a god damn thing he says in the Dome. Could it be his voice or is it the system?
DAVE: I think it's the system. "COOOOOOOOOLSTON!"
RALPH: Roming is one of the touches that make Saints game so fantastic. By the way one of my most favorite yet overrated experiences every year is going to/watching Saints first preseason game.
I'm always geeked for it and then like 10 minutes after it starts and Chase Daniels is taking snaps and Drew is on the sideline smiling I'm like, "Stupid preseason game." Although that first SuperDome hotdog is glorious I tell you GLORIOUS.
Read on Bucstats.com that Da’Quan Bowers' trick knee is looking delicious and dude is tearing shit up. What is everyone's thoughts on the Bucs going into 2011?
I think Josh Freeman will be better than Ryan eventually and blount and Williams give them a nice offense to build around. I'm guessing they regress to 7-9 , 8-8, but Freeman for some reason scares me way more than Ryan
KEVIN:
Uh, Ralph, Bill Simmons' legion of devout interns contacted me and demanded that Mr. Freeman from here on it be called "Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!" Freeman.
Yeah, he looks impressive. I don't know yet if I'd put him above Matt Ryan. Speaking of Ryan, ESPN has some new QB calculation that lists Matt Ryan as one of the 6 elite quarterbacks in the game, along with Brady, Manning, Brees, Rodgers and Vick. Are you kidding me? Boot Ryan. I'd be tempted to boot Vick too, due to injury concerns.
But I definitely see the Bucs regressing. I can see them going 8-8, with Freeman maybe saving them on one of those games. They'll still be a tough out in Tampa.
RALPH: (Cam) Jordan signs! I can stop worrying about DE until I see the Saints play a preseason game and make snap irrational judgments off of 10 plays by the #1 defense.
KEVIN: What? No love for Tory Humphrey? Our tight end troubles are over!!!
WANG: Aubrayo Franklin dickwads!!! Just hand us the fucking Lombardi now!
RALPH: Yes YES YES AND FUCK YES!
From Bill Barnwell Football Outsiders/Grantland:
Why: Because he doesn't rush the passer or accrue stats in his role as the nose tackle in the 3-4, Franklin has flown under the national radar. He lacks the elite athleticism of Haloti Ngata or the massive frame of Albert Haynesworth, but no interior lineman in football is better at reading blocking schemes and manipulating the offensive front. He creates double-teams by occupying two offensive linemen on most plays, freeing up Patrick Willis to make plays behind him. It's safe to say that he's popular with his teammates; as Willis noted during the 2010 offseason, "I pray to God they keep Aubrayo."
Why not: Franklin really has only two seasons of dominant play underneath his belt, and they both came in contract years. (Franklin was franchised by the 49ers after the 2009 season.) The 49ers are trying to get the word out that Franklin's 2010 season wasn't all that great, but if he did slip, it was only because he was downright incredible in 2009.
Switching to 4-3 could be a concern but Saints under the Double G are all over the place formation wise. This might seem strange but I think the Saints just got better at LB.
They now have two huge DT Rogers and Franklin to clog the middle while the LB roam free or Harper blitzes.
This is the best FA Period ever. NFL needs to do this every year.
Sign Goodwin and Baconator and this Bitch is ready to ROLL!
RALPH: AND (now) THE BACONATOR. Just awesome. Having a kick ass GM running my football team is great and makes watching Ed Wade of the Astros huff paint thinner while doing trades appreciate it even more.
KEVIN: Aubrayo? Sounds like a hard to pronounce/spell name! I win!
RALPH: On twitter someone asked if this Saints defense with all the new additions would be the best Saints Defense in 10 years or maybe 20?
I say it could be best since 2000. That defense was spectacular at one thing, sacking the QB. The Saints had 66 sacks that year. It's still the NFL record for sacks in a season I think.
3 guys (Darren Howard, La'roi Glover and Joe Johnson) all had double digits with Glover dropping 17 and putting on a display no other DT ever has in a Saints uniform. He was an unblockable force. The game in St. Louis that year was his master piece; 4 sacks including the game clincher. That team had Sammy Knight in the secondary and Keith Mitchell made a Pro Bowl. Besides that not much besides an old Darren Smith and Darren Perry.
This year's team I think could be a wall against the run because of DT(Rogers, Franklin, Ellis) and great at safety(Harper/)Jenkins and good at corner. I'm not so sure they'll be as dominant in one area as that 2000 team was at killing the QB.
Still this team was Top 5 last year and they are clearly better at DT. So expectations are right to be sky high?
WANG: Damn right expectations are sky high. I feel like a douche for going all "19-0!!!" with it (again) but seriously, holy shit. When I saw that Pat Kirwan was saying yesterday that the Saints have basically built the Ravens' defense from 10 years ago, I popped a huge chubby.
The sky is the limit. The next 6 months are gonna be some serious fun. In my opinion, this team is not just a little better than the 2009 team, it's a good bit better. I'm not sure Tampa is really ready from primetime just yet, and Atlanta blew their shot last year. EVERYTHING went right for them last year, just like it did for the Saints in 2009. It was "their year" and they blew it. What was it, 5 games they pulled out of their asses on dumb luck? They're gonna regress this year.
RALPH: I really like Pat Kirwan because he is a hard core tape watcher not just a Peter King, "I write a column so you think I know shit but I don't really watch actual games."
Wang here is where I think the Saints plan on defense is brilliant. Injuries or poor performance could make it not unfold but on paper it's awesome and here's why:
The Saints offense will score a crap load of points with Brees so what's the book on how to beat the Saints? Pressure the crap out of Brees and pound the ball on the ground with your offense to shorten the game.
Well on defense the Saints literally have a fucking ton of DT that says, "Run it at us bitches. You'll get stuffed like my granma's bellpeppers and oh look Drew just hit Jimmy Graham and it's 14-0. Still want to go 3 and out? Didn't think so. Now Double G is going to unleash blitzagedon on you because you have to throw."
Rinse and repeat until at least week 6 when teams give up running? Nice.
Plus the experiment at DT is a one year thing so if it works..Lombardi if not no long term commitment By the way the additions at DT make me think Double G will get the absolute best out of Martez Wilson.
KEVIN: Does Kirwan have a Twitter feed? The only NFL guys I follow are Schefter, Breer and Glazer, and I'm considering dumping Shefty.
Look, the 2009 defense was built on turnovers; taking chances at turnovers. I remember us saying during the preseason and even early in the season: even if we're middle of the pack, I want a defense that is prepared to KILL! KILL! KILL! (KSK'd). Sure we'll get beaten big on some plays, but I'd rather be seen as aggressive. We just wanted a wake up from the Jason David "error." #imakethefunny But now we may have a defense that can have an effective blitz AND stop the run? And we might be making strides in pass protection? Yeah, I'll go 2000.
We have a playoff team on paper.
And if Breesus cuts back on the INTs, we can all ask the Philly fans to tell us how our ass tastes.
WANG: Shit, you're not aiming high enough, Kevin. This defense is finally gonna be able to pressure the QB without HAVING to blitz. Even better. Which isn't to say that GW isn't gonna unleash the hounds, because of course he will. But being able to pressure the QB with the front 4? There's your turnovers. And far fewer dump off options over the middle with RBs & TEs. Malcolm Jenkins is about to turn into Ed Reed, and McBride and Ellis are both fumble producers (along with Roman Harper who's also a fumble producer.)
This shit is gonna be nuts.
Oh and Ralph, I need you to do me a favor while you're interviewing Big Daddy Drew. Pick a thing he says about the Saints that's negative but true, and tell him I said [BostonGuy]NO ONE DENIES THIS!!!!![/BostonGuy]
RALPH: Nice. I'll also be asking him who isn't real; Him or Rex Ryan? Ryan just got fucking tattoo on his leg so clearly either Drew is a writer who secretly coaches the Jets or Ryan is a coach who secretly writes. They both can't possibly exist.
Also when and how does a team go from warm, cuddly, and everyone loves them to I FUCKING HATE THEM, THEIR FANS, THEIR CITY, THE COACH, AND I HOPE THEY FALL DOWN A WELL. The Pats were America's team in the NOLA Super Bowl in 2001. Now...they are pretty much loathed. Send anything else you want asked my way. I'm open to ideas and want to hit this one out the park.
KEVIN: Yeah, extend that parellel to the Saints. I mean, Drew's a Vikings fan. Shouldn't he have hated us in 2009? KSK really didn't blast us that much. Even in 2010. Hell, anytime Brees gets mentioned, everybody has an ongoing joke about how nice he is.
RALPH: Does anybody have Matt Roth fever? Oh I do. He seems like the perfect guy for Gregg Williams. Versatile and gives the Saints more depth at DE. Of course part of me hats that the signing would make my podcast with Magary an afterthought today but whatever...MATT ROTH.
Mickey Loomis is maxing out the 'Sign a Veteran who wants a title' credit card. GOOD TIMES.
KEVIN: Ralph, Simmons' legion of angry interns have said Billy Baroo owns the term "good times" apparently and no one else is allowed to use that phrase…ever.
Randy Moss retired and to I say this for all the fantasy owners who drafted you high last year
You told us a year too late jackass...
Hey NOLA media how does it feel getting run circles around by the national media breaking Saints news and not even keeping up with with Canal Street Chronicles. Dave manages to run the Tulane bookstore and KICK YOUR ASS ON SAINTS NEWS...
'The Dark Knight Rises' trailer was supposed to be up top, but I couldn't find a video to embed. There was supposed to be a theme here. Plus, Gary Oldman's wheezing line delivery is the best. "He...must... ... RISE!" But alas, no video.
I have not posted since the middle of February. Sorry about that. I know Ralph got shit from some people because he only wrote a few columns for WWLTV.com since February. Grandmaster Wang managed to write about ten pieces between the end of the Saints' season and present day.
So why nothing from me? Oh, I'd like to tell you it was because I couldn't find anything inspiring to say, or I didn't feel like wading into all the lockout nonsense. Hell, I wish could say, "because I was writing the great American novel." But if I'm being straightforward with you and honest with myself, the real answer is even simpler: laziness.
True, I didn't want to say anything about the lockout, but I could've said something about the draft, or written about Reggie Bush, or even done one or three of those 'KSK-inspired' posts in which Thomas Morstead goes on a vacation to Comic-Con. Some ideas were there, folks. But I kept pushing things off until a later time, when I thought I could "give it my all" so-to-speak. That's a crock. With me, if I can start off by giving something, say, 70 to 80 percent of me, that's a significant accomplishment. It's why I don't cut my grass until somebody jokes about animals grazing off of it, or why I don't cut my hair until somebody says I look like the lead singer of a CCR cover band.
And the second reason I've been so lax on posting is this: contentment. I mean, we are just 18 months removed from watching the Saints win the Super Bowl. High five! (check's in the mail, Wang.) Everything I could want as a sports fan came to fruition. I honestly felt like that moment of catharsis was like that final note in 'A Day in the Life" by The Beatles. How do you top that? Short answer: you don't. And more importantly, you can't. Sure, I cheered for the Saints and wanted them to win every single game last year, and was royally pissed when they lost to the damn Seahawks in the playoffs, but it took me a long time to get over my own contentment.
I hope this note explains my absence from the conversation. I aim to be back in mid-season form by the start of the regular season. Let's do this.
This is hakimdropstheball’s weekly debut of the ‘Chain Gang’. It’s an email chain featuring Kevin Held, Ralph Malbrough from WWLTV.com, and GrandMaster Wang from Moosedenied.com. Here are their thoughts on the week the Saints had and anything else NFL that crossed their minds.
Ralph Malbrough:
Wang, my post lockout/free agent preview will be tomorrow. My main guy I think the Saints chase is Andre Carter of the Skins. He's old (32) but Haslett ruined him with the 3-4 plus he had 10.5 sacks under Double G.
Besides that I'm not feeling big splash as I think they are going to expect draft picks to upgrade LBs and will focus on signing their guys and saving for Brees contract.
On a scale of 1-10 what's the odds of the Saints doing a "Holy Shit they just signed Insert name) and I just had an orgasm at my desk" moment
I say 3.
Grandmaster Wang:
Hell yeah, time for us to get back to work too. Can't wait for everybody to start getting back into the swing of things.
I was thinking an OLB moreso than a DE, but then again, Will Smith won't be available until week 5. I was thinking they'd go with Jordan & Brown until Smith gets back, with Charleston & Galette backing them up. And I think they could probably get by with that. I still think Charleston is underrated and could handle the increased role. But I damn sure wouldn't complain if they brought Carter in.
I do agree there probably won't be any kind of big splash, obviously, we're up against the cap. But with Wilson being a 3rd round rookie, and Dunbar and Mitchell not being much to hang your hat on, and Shanle probably gone, I'm kind of expecting them to sign a vet LB. And I do think that some people are gonna be kind of surprised that it's a bigger name than people are expecting. Like for example, everybody's expecting Rocky McIntosh, but instead they splurge and sign somebody like Pozslusny instead, and people will be going WOW, didn't see that coming. Probably the day after they release Reggie. Much like earlier in the season when they released Shockey and then the next day signed Rogers.
I agree it's not likely though. Just a hunch.
I was talking to a friend the other day about this.... I kinda hope Cleveland releases Fujita and the Saints sign him back on a cheap 1 year deal.
Ralph:
My issue with Pozslusny besides he has the Buffalo taint on him is he's always hurt. I much rather McIntosh. Fujita is the same thing but it'd be a PR homerun. If the Saints did make a big move I think it would be DE and they could justify it by saying, "Smith is on the downside and we might cut him next year anyway. Let's add a young vet to pair with Jordan going forward." I just hope it's not Ray Edwards of the Vikes. I think that guy
benefited from Williams Wall and is not elite player. So I really hope the Falcons get him.
And here is name to keep in mind: Randy Moss
I know the guy looks completely done but I think Moss is a guy Sean Payton would think,"I'll swap him out for Devery and Drew will keep him in line. I think I can get a good year out of motivated Moss."
That'd be a holy shit type move.
Granmaster Wang:
I hear you on Poz, and maybe McIntosh would be the better signing. It just wouldn't be as "big" as far as fan reaction, Poz has that white guy following going for him which would have Saintsreport waving their miniature American flags and shit. I've got no problem adding a vet DE either if that's what they do. I'm a little torn on Moss. I totally believe he can still play, and that he's still possibly the best deep threat in the league. It would definitely be a holy shit move, but I'm not sure I see it happening and I don't at all like the whole "I play when I want to play" thing. He doesn't have any interest in blocking, and with all the screens we run... and also the whole thing about not running his fucking route when he's not the first option. We all know how Payton/Drew spread the ball around, and also how many times Drew decides while he's in the pocket to go to a 2nd or 3rd option, and if Moss didn't run his damn route....
Kevin Held:
I always thought/heard/believed that McIntosh was overrated and that Poz would be good on a contender. He was supposed to be great coming out of college (Penn State), right?
Wang, I'm with you about Moss -- still has the big play capability, but doubts will always linger about his drive. Even on a 'holy shit' level offense like the Saints, I'd spend too much damn time watching Moss in formations, wondering if I'll spot him "giving up" on a play when it isn't going to him. I'm not interested in pulling a Collinsworth, I just want to watch the ball! #simpleman
And I'm absolutely thrilled they signed that Clemson guy. My 'Guy Who Knows A Guy' said the Saints were thinking about drafting him on Day 3, but ultimately guys came to them that they couldn't pass on. The fact that he went undrafted allegedly surprised them and they've kept their eye on him. He's supposed to be a lock to make the team, barring anything catastrophic.
Ralph Malbrough:
Kevin I agree about McDaniel as to me speed is so over rated at safety because they play so far off the ball. Sammy Knight couldn't run but he always was able to get to the play on time. The kid from Pittsburgh they drafted late is the guy I'm watching because Saints need a better pash rush and I'm not as sold as Wang as Charleston & Galette to contribute heavily. Although I want Charleston to breakout because Hansdat and me christened him 'Hobo with a shotgun' and I want to be dropping that reference all year long.
The Saints could also go in the division to get LB with Anderson from Carolina although I think his price could higher than Poz and McIntosh.
What Saints leaving would upset you the most? Wang it's obviously Reggie as their love affair is one for the ages. I think for me it would be Goodwin for as having a center with no starts(Tennant) scares me to death.
Grandmaster Wang:
Ha! Goodwin is a good choice because if Drew's getting pressure up the middle all year long that fucks the whole offense right to hell, not to mention the increased injury risk to Drew AND the inability to run it up the gut ever. 3rd/4th & short, etc. So it's hard to argue with Goodwin.
BUT at least Goodwin's backup was the consensus best center in the draft 2 years ago (okay, 2nd behind Pouncey, but he's a G) and did a good enough job protecting Matt Ryan back at BC. And he's pretty much penciled in as the future starter anyway.
What do you do if you lose Roman Harper? You literally have nobody to step in if you lose him. (This McDaniel dude notwithstanding.) And as much as people bitch about Harper's weakness in coverage, 99% of the time that's not what they're asking him to do anyway. And he's one of the very best in the box safeties in the league. MUCH larger step back if you lose Harper, IMHO. There's literally no other option right now. And I'd assert that any other realistic available option you MIGHT be able sign is likely to end up being a downgrade.
So Harper is definitely #1 for me. And I'd say Lance Moore is at least equal to Goodwin (2a/2b) in importance. He's the modern day Eric Guliford, only about 10 times better. Remember when you could just about take it to the bank that if it was a key 3rd down, the ball was going to Guliford? And he never, ever failed to catch the ball and get the 1st? But even Saints fans were all "Guliford's just a guy. So what?" They do the same thing with Lance. But he's by far the most clutch wideout the Saints have. He's not the best, but he does not let you down. Ever. Need to move the chains? If all else fails, Lance will hook you up. And he's underrated as a big play guy too. Lance has made as many big plays (meaning big yardage) as anybody. I think Meachem is gonna blow shit up this year, and I think Arrington deserves some looks in the regular season too. But Lance has earned it, and we'd miss him a hell of a lot more than anybody's willing to admit, IMHO. Dude's "a football player."
Ralph Malbrough:
You sold me hard on Roman Harper Wang but I'll stay with Goodwin. Here is my question with Lance..why didn't other teams offer him when he was restricted and Saints only tendered him at 2nd Rd compensation? I think other teams look at Saints Wr as system guys. To me if I was St. Louis, Detroit, or San Francisco I get Moore to help my young QB. He won't be huge cost either.
I will say Wang if the emails I'm getting about my column are any indication a majority of fans will tell Harper good riddance but of course the question is if not Harper than who? And by the way Gregg Williams is great coach but awful talent evaluator as he begged the Skins to bring in Adam Archuletta and then the guy sat on the bench because he couldn't play Williams defense so if Harper walks I hope the Double G doesn't get much say in his replacement.
Final question of the day; Are we completely comfortable at running back?
Thomas, Ivory, and Ingram on paper look great but they all have injury concerns. Ivory worries me the most as dude had serious foot injury and lockout meant Saints couldn't monitor his rehab like normal off season. Ivory's running style is so brutal(in a good way) the Saints almost have to be very selective about his touches as he's just as likely to run over the safety and give us an ESPN highlight as he is to dislocate his own shoulder. Hell he might do both on the same play.
To me Ivory running play is like a great bourbon. It's fantastic but can get ugly in large quantities.
Grandmaster Wang
Sorry for the delayed response. Had a credit card ganked the other day, been trying to recover from that. Fuckin' IHOP. Pretty sure I got the dude fired though. High five!
I agree that other teams view Saints wideouts as "system guys" and aren't as good as Payton/Brees make them look. I'm glad they think that, but that doesn't mean they're right. In my opinion, they're dead wrong. Hell, Saints fans think the same thing. They look at Lance, and he's not particularly big or fast or strong or whatever, and they say let him go because anybody else could do the same thing. Bullshit. Would Lance be as good with a crappy QB throwing to him? No, but neither would anybody else. It's a 2-way street. How much better does Lance make Drew look? Takes 2 to tango on that. Somebody's gotta run a killer route, get open and catch the ball.
(editor note: Moore resigned with Saints)
The Harper thing is stupid too. People need to get over Seattle already. Harper was in an impossible situation that day. That tends to happen when necessity dictates that a player has to do something he doesn't usually do and isn't his strength. It would be great if Harper was Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu, but he's not. And if he were, the Saints wouldn't be able to afford him anyway. People need to get off his fucking case for not being absolutely perfect at everything. Most players aren't. But Harper's as good as we're gonna get for now, and he's plenty good enough. As long as Jenkins is healthy, Harper is perfect at SS for the Saints. There aren't any realistic upgrades out there.
I'm totally comfortable at tailback. More than comfortable. Giddy. Dancing a jig. As soon as they release Reggie, I'll be of the opinion that they did EXACTLY what they needed to do at the position, and we're exactly where we need to be.
Ralph Malbrough:
So you aren't the least but on edge because of the running backs injury histories? By the way I twittered earlier "safety Quintin Mikell got 4yrs/28 million from Rams, has the baseline for Roman Harper been set?"
Last night on the podcast I asked Dave what he wanted to be talking about next week and he said, "How Awesome Ingram looks" So what are fair exceptions for Ingramania?
I say 1100 yards and 10-14 scores. Basically 2006 Deuce. I have to think Thomas and Ivory make a 12-1400 yard season not likely.
My theory on preseason is you can only tell if if team sucks or could be great (2009 Saints) everything else is worthless. But we watch and look for clues and signs anyway. What is one thing you want to see to make you think 2011 will be better than '10 and what would you see that made you go, "Nothing's better hell it might be worse."
I'll be looking at offensive line because I figure we should at least see flashes of better run game. Just like Deuce's debut after Ricky left. He ripped off two 40 plus yard runs and everyone was like 'No worries. We are good.' and Deuce didn't play rest of preseason because the coaches KNEW he would rock.
Grandmaster Wang:
Nope. Not the least bit on edge because of the injury histories. Not one bit. Ingram's and Pierre's are both overblown, and I can't bring myself to get overly concerned about the injury history of a guy who's 3rd on the depth chart until the other 2 are out for the year. Injuries are gonna happen, it's inevitable.
Wang you nailed it on your Reggie Bush leaving post. You said all along the Saints could get something for Reggie and they did. I always figured he'd force their hand and test the market. If it's more than a 5th round pick Loomis goes to another level to me.
Will this trade finally make message board guy realize the Saints can't trade Devery to Chicago for two second round picks and Lake Michigan?
Miami had to make this move. The wife is a huge Dolphin Fan and I've watched every Miami game the past three years and the worst thing about them is they are BORING. Jesus are they dull. Their offense was fun and exciting with the wildcat for like 10 minutes. For the past two years it's been a Chad Henne check down and the occasional 10 yard Ricky Williams run. The coach and GM are gone if they don't make playoffs and owner is big on stars so Reggie makes perfect sense. The Bush Era was enjoyable. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
If Bushrod leaves to the Bears how worried do you get about the o-line?
Kevin Held:
I think the Saints already come out looking good on the Reggie deal anyway. I mean, wasn't the thought that Reggie would just walk? To even get a draft pick or a player or cash for him is great. And I'm just glad Reggie didn't decide to be a douche canoe about this, which he could have. He could have gladly said, "No, I want my money" and forced the Saints to cut him, and then the team wouldn't have gotten anything.
And if the Dolphins get Kyle Orton and another receiver, watch out. Suddenly the AFC East gets that much more interesting.
At the very least, when Shockey visits Miami, those two are going to destroy the female population.
And I know this makes come off like MBG, but why can't the Saints trade Devery?
Ralph Malbrough:
I'm fine with trading Devery but who replaces him as Saints deep threat? By the way wife said she's going to Home Depot and buying can a of teal spray paint and 'renovating' my Bush jersey.
Kevin , don't forget 'Neck beard' Orton is a first class party animal...HBO could have Dolphins South Beach and follow around Bush, Orton, and Brandon Marshall...I'd watch that.
You have drinking, and Marshall getting attacked in club by his own wife..better than Hard Knocks? Better than hard knocks.
Grandmaster Wang:
Loomis comes out looking GREAT on this. It's literally "something from nothing." A 6th? For Reggie? Who they were gonna cut anyway? Really? It's found money. And NOBODY figured they'd even get that. Hell, most people thought that when the shit really hit the fan, the Saints would be the ones giving Reggie $5MM/yr.
I'm dead serious here: The Saints offense will be LIGHT YEARS better without Reggie. Forget the $$$. It's the very definition of addition by subtraction. Every single one of Reggie's touches will now go to some other player who will make more of each one of them. Payton will no longer have to call #25 because he has to, and/or because he still (for some reason) genuinely believes that's the best call. And the team will benefit. The stats bear it out. Payton just got his blankie taken away and it's about damn time. [ricflair]Now we go to school![/ricflair]
The Phins will suck ass with Orton and Reggie. Seriously, Orton and Reggie? I totally hope the Phins are the Saints opponent in XLVI. But I won't be holding my breath. Reggie couldn't manage to be anything more than a role player with Drew Fuckin' Brees, but he's gonna set it off with Neckbeard? Really? Not a chance.
Ralph Malbrough:
I agree Wang, although I think Tony Sporano puts Reggie in good situations and I think he helps make the Dolphins offense watchable and trust me when I say that is a good thing for someone who watches Dolphins game with an Angry Latino wife. Great post by the way.
I said this on the Chronic but it needs to be said here..I think Loomis most underrated skill is his ability to know how other teams value Saints players. He resigns Bushrod but for only two years. No panic buying like say Arizona giving Kevin Kolb 63 million and Philly Cromartie and a 2nd pick...BAWWWHAAAA
I just tweeted on the Darren Sproles pursuit by the Saints; Saints pursuit of Sproles explained is that Payton vows never to run out of tailbacks EVER AGAIN because of what happened last year so he needs a 9 deep depth at RB. That's really the only explanation I can think of. Aren't Sproles and Pierre Thomas the same guy except Sproles return punts? Grandmaster Wang:
Sproles is a smart man's Reggie.
I fuckin swear, Loomis finally has it ALL figured out. Dude is shitting gold like Drew these days.
Ralph Malbrough:
But if the Saints pay Sproles say 5 million a year that means they'll have about 13 million in RB when you add in Ingam and Ivory. Can they all be happy if tailback apocalypse doesn't happen again?
Kevin Held:
Yeah, why spend the $5 million on Sproles? For kick returns?
So Wang is basically predicting the Saints will lead the league in offense? Is there any kind of tangible prediction you'd care to make?
And Loomis HAS TO BE a Top 3 or 4 GM in the league, right? Polian, the Pats GM, Loomis and who am I missing?
I know Neckbeard loves to party, but I just think the Dolphins will be more formidable with Orton at QB. And Reggie may be more motivated in new surroundings. Or he may just fill out a change of address form for some hot babe's vag and never be heard from again. Either or really...
Ralph Malbrough:
I hate him with a passion but Belichick needs to get his due although technically he's not the GM but he runs the thing. Green Bay's Ted Thompson is very good. Remember he drafts well and had the nuts to run off Favre after Packers went almost won NFC Title.
Fearless prediction? I'll make two
1. The Baconator aka Dave Thomas will lead Saints TE in catches 2. The Saints 2011 sack leader is not yet on the roster
