New Orleans Saints and NFL: Top News and Video Clips

"Now let’s look at what Franklin did in 2010 with San Francisco:   Franklin recorded thirty-nine tackles with thirty-eight being solo stops.  In 2010 Franklin had one fumble recovery with the 49ers and he defended one pass.  The Saints brought Franklin in to add depth to the Saints D-Line and became what looked to be a replacement for former Saints defensive tackle Remi Ayodele. When you look at the numbers…At best, you would have to say that it’s a wash.  Last season the Saints had the 16th-best rush defense but allowed fewer yards per carry at 4.3.   Ayodele had thirty-seven tackles in his final season with the Saints while recording one sack, and he defended a pass and forced a fumble as well."

"Free agent guard Carl Nicks said on SiriusXM Radio on Tuesday that he still has not talked to the New Orleans Saints about signing a new contract. And he is hoping that the team won’t place the franchise tag on him, though he expects that is a possibility. Nicks made mostly the same comments earlier this month when I talked to him at the Super Bowl. Of course, that doesn’t mean his agent hasn’t been talking with the Saints. But most likely those talks haven’t developed very much because the Saints still don’t know yet if they will be able to use the franchise tag on Nicks."

"My pet peeve about the perception of the combine is that it has a great deal of influence on how a team looks at a player. The biggest impact on a player’s grade — by far — is how he played on tape. The combine is just a tool to fill in areas you don’t have information on, mainly medical condition and measurables."

"At least as of Tuesday, there has been no decision on the future of veteran cornerback Ronde Barber with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barber, who can become a free agent, previously said he hadn’t reached any decision. As defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan spoke to the media Tuesday, he said most personnel decisions won’t be made until after the coaches and front-office staff return next week from the scouting combine."

"Brady Quinn took on Tebowmania in a GQ interview, and Tuesday he apologized for his critical comments, but Quinn, who’ll soon be a free agent, seems unlikely to be sticking around in Denver. Plus, hear Dave Dameshek’s take on things. Here’s what else is on tap for Wednesday: With the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine just a couple days away, stay tuned to NFL Network for complete coverage, and keep up with NFL.com’s combine blog. Plus, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock offers a full explanation of the six combine drills: 40, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone and shuttle run."