Archive for April, 2009

It’s widely speculated that New Orleans is a likely landing spot for former disgruntled Cardinal runningback  Edgerrin James. James’ and the Cardinals relationship soured last season after he felt he was not being utilized properly, resulting in him being benched in favor of rookie Tim Hightower. He eventually re-gained the starting job during the teams  improbale post season super bow run and actually performed very well.  It was just to late to mend he and the Cardinals ever worsening relationship. When Arizona drafted highly touted runningback  Beanie Wells with the 31st pick, it was all but a done  deal. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure [...]

A lot of changes have occurred with the Saints over the last few months, players and coaches have come and gone - a new defensive regime is now intact. It seems the changes aren’t over yet as the team announced in consecutive days the release of two veteran defensive tackles, Hollis Thomas and Brian Young. Definitely not a surprise to fans in the know. Thomas has been a Saint since the team acquired him in a trade with Philadelphia during the 2006 draft.   He has recorded 117 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in three years with New Orleans. [...]

The Saints continue to draft defensively – taking two Wake Forest defenders with the 116th and 118th picks of  the 4th round. With the 116th pick the Saints took Safety Chip Vaughn. Vaughn played as a free safety at Wake, but experts feel he is more suited to the strong safety position considering his speed, size, and ability. While playing at Wake, Vaughn was a standout safety registering 253 total tackles and 3 interceptions in his four years with the team. Highlighted by his Junior and Senior seasons which were two of his most productive years. As a Junior he [...]

With the 14th pick in this years draft the Saints select Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. We all knew it may happen and luckily Payton was swayed to go defense and not offense, no runningback this year. Its obvious New Orleans is committed to re-building the defense and it starts with the Secondary. Jenkins is arguably the best  corner in this years draft and the Saints could not be happier to get him at 14. After all, it seemed that Jenkins would not fall to the Saints there. The unanimous opinion was that New Orleans would trade down to the [...]

The FanSided.com Sports Network proudly presents our first ever network-wide live NFL Draft chat. That’s right; NFL bloggers from all 32 team sites will be checking in to discuss the 2009 NFL Draft and all the news and rumors that go along with it. If you want knowledgeable, real-time commentary on the entire draft, then this chat is for you. Thanks for joining us, and keep the comments and questions coming (but clean and respectful, please). FanSided.Com Live NFL Draft Chat NFL Mocks is the Home for the first FanSided.Com Live NFL Draft Chat

New Orleans has a luxury that most teams don’t have, a solid offense with little need for improvement. What they do have is a poor defense that is in desperate need of an overhaul. Hopefully the team drafts wisely this year, stays with defensive picks, and keeps Payton away from adding a new offensive weapon. So on the eve of the draft we will discuss what the teams most pressing needs are by position and debate what the Saints may do to address them. Linebacker: The addition of MLB Jonathan Vilma last season was a huge success - he lead the team in [...]

This signing slipped under the radar,  but the team announced Wednesday they reached an agreement with the 6-3 238 pound former Charger. Anthony Waters is entering his third NFL season after being drafted by the Chargers in the third round of the 2007 draft.  He saw no action his rookie season but started in seven games in 08 recording 3 tackles while also contributing on special teams with 3 tackles and a fumble recovery. Waters played college ball at Clemson where he is the leading tackler as well garnering an honorable mention All-ACC selection his junior year. His college career was cut [...]

It’s hard to say just what the Saints will do come draft day. Clearly the biggest need is on the defensive side of the ball after two disappointing seasons. The Saints defense ranked in the bottom of the league in virtually every statistical category. Offensively New Orleans is a powerhouse, ranking as the number one offense in the league. They just couldn’t keep opposing teams from scoring or even get them off the field - resulting in an 8-8 season in 2008 and a 7-9 season in 2007. Head Coach Sean Payton clearly is an offensive minded kind of guy. His [...]

The entire NFL schedule has just been released, courtesy of our friends at NFL Network. The Saints have a daunting task before them this 2009 season - currently sitting on the 8th toughest schedule in the league. The Saints opponent set  last season combined for 142 wins verses just 113 loses, a .557 wining percentage.  Facing the likes of the Giants, Patriots, Cowboys, Eagles, and of course the rival Panthers. None of which are easy teams to play, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As long as the Saints stay the course and keep building up the defense they will no doubt offer [...]