Archive for April, 2010

Admit it Saints fans when Drew Brees made the selection for the teams 32nd pick and announced it to be Florida State corner back Patrick Robinson a feeling of anguish washed over you. That anguish stemmed from the fact that most thought it was set in stone that the Saints would take an outside linebacker or a defensive tackle, an area of need, as the team had drafted corner Malcolm Jenkins with the 14th pick only a year ago and Tracy Porter in the second round the year before that. Apparently the Saints know something we don’t and believe they [...]

Darren Sharper is still hoping to land a big contract with another team after a showcasing to the NFL he still has what it takes by co-leading the league in  interceptions last season as a Saint. Sharper of course was cast off by the Minnesota Vikings prior to the start of the  2009 season for lack of production before landing in New Orleans on a one year contract worth roughly 1.7M. It turns out of course that Sharper’s decline in Minnesota was more because of the defensive scheme employed there, a Cover 2, and that he simply was not being utilized seemingly relegated to [...]

The inevitable release of veteran players in favor of younger and cheaper talent is the typical MO of pro teams after an NFL draft, an unfortunate apsect of professional football currently in full swing. Several veteran players have been cut league wide but two of the more notable to be caught up in the purge are defensive tackle John Henderson formerly of the Jaguars and linebacker Adalius Thomas formerly of  the Patriots. Henderson, a two-time Pro Bowler,  is famously know for a pre-game ritual that typical involves someone slapping him across the face to hype him up before a game. Unfortunately those [...]

Most Saints fans will agree the 2010 NFL draft could be considered a bust for the Saints after the team seemingly was unable to fill some of it’s most glaring needs, primarily outside linebacker and defensive lineman. Although the outcome of how successful a draft truly is cannot be seen usually for a few years upon closer inspection nearly all the players the Saints drafted carried significantly higher draft grades than where they actually were taken. Call it what you will but the Saints should be commended for trusting their draft board, grading and research to select the players they felt were the [...]

Not a real big surprise that the Saints would look at a center prospect considering they have actively tried to upgrade the position since Jeff Faine left for the rival Buccaneers in free agency prior to the 2007 season. Ironically the Saints entered the 2010 NFL draft without a fifth round pick because of a trade made last year but decided to trade their 2011 fourth round pick to the Jaguars to acquire center Matt Tennant with the 158th pick of the fifth round. Tennant appears at first glance to be another solid steal for the Saints as he is [...]

Finally the Saints draft a position of need after taking several players through the first three rounds that were the “best players available” and not a big need such as offensive tackle Charles Brown out of USC and tight end Jimmy Graham out of Miami. The Saints moved up in the fourth round to select another LSU prospect with the 125th pick choosing defensive tackle Al Woods. The trade consisted of Arizona’s 125th pick for the Saints 130th pick and 201st pick in the sixth round. Woods was quickly rising up draft boards prior to the draft after impressive off-season workouts and he currently is ranked [...]

New Orleans has thrown out zingers all draft long taking corner back Patrick Robinson in the first round after many thought they would target an outside linebacker or defensive tackle and then taking USC offensive tackle Charles Brown in the second, a position the Saints are bursting at the seam with talent. Keeping with the mantra of taking the best player available regardless of need the Saints selected Miami tight end Jimmy Graham with the 95th pick of the third round. Tight end is another position you could consider the Saints to be loaded at as they currently have Jeremy Shockey, David Thomas, [...]

If the Saints are anything it’s unpredictable and after taking Florida State cornerback Patrick Robinson 32nd they select USC left tackle Charles Brown with the 64th pick, clearly he was rated higher than any other player at the pick or they would not have selected him. The Saints are literally loaded at left tackle with Pro Bowler Jammal Brown listed as the primary starter followed by young standout Jermon Bushrod and finally the reliable and versatile Zach Strief. Brown was carrying a staggeringly high grade to have dropped all the way to the 64th pick, NFLDraftScout.com had him rated as the [...]

In a similar fashion as the first round the Saints continue to see prospects they like and have met with be selected and head to opposing teams. UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price was projected as high as a low first round talent with many mocks designating him as the Saints 32nd pick in the first. The Saints covet Price’s ability to penetrate the backfield and stuff the run so much so the team brought him in for a lengthy pre-draft visit. Price paired with Ellis could have been a dynamic duo in the interior of the Saints line. TCU linebacker [...]

Several reports have surfaced that the Saints have inquired about a possible trade with the Redskins for disgruntled defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, widely considered the best defensive tackle in the NFL. If you recall it was only year ago that Haynesworth was lured away by Washington from Tennessee with a record breaking 100M deal signed the moment free agency started. The future was bright and Haynesworth was happy, exit Jim Zorn enter Mike Shanahan. From the moment Shanahan took over in Washington it was clear he was intent on overhauling the roster and changing the offensive and defensive schemes with [...]