Aug 5, 2012; Canton, OH, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive line lines up against New Orleans Saints offensive line during the first quarter of a preseason game at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

When you think of offense, especially in terms of fantasy football, the offensive line never shows much in the stats sheet. In fact, most times you will only see them in that column when it comes to something negative, like how many false starts, or how many holding penalties were committed. The ‘beef’ up front is what enables everything else to happen through pass & run protection. They are responsible for so much, but don’t get a lot of credit where it’s due. In this lengthy breakdown, we’ll look specifically at the Saints offensive linemen.

Given all of the woes of the 2012 Saints, mainly on defense, the offensive line did a very good job. They finished the season tied for 3rd (and we mean a good ranking) in Sacks allowed, an honor shared with Bucs, giving up 26 total. Only the Giants (20) & Broncos (21) beat them out in that respective category. Fittingly, they also ranked 3rd in QB Hits Allowed with 59, finishing again behind the Broncos (46) & Giants (53). That may seem like a lot to you, but you may ask for comparison sake, which offensive line allowed the most in 2012? The answer: Philadelphia Eagles (118). Pro Football Focus ranked the Saints offensive line 6th overall at the conclusion of the season (8th Pass Blocking, 7th Run Blocking, 4th in Penalties), and drew attention to the recently departed Jermon Bushrod as being the ‘deadweight’ of the line.

Let’s start with the middle man, the Center position. Brian de la Puente, who just turned 28 this month, was re-signed on April 9th, much to the delight of any fans who knows of him & his abilities. He enters his 3rd season as a Saint, and it could not be more important. He has started the past 28 games at Center for the New Orleans Saints after spending his first few seasons bouncing from various ball clubs. Who Dat Dish’s own Chris Rolling recently put out an article that talked about de la Puente being one of the most underrated players of the NFL. I definitely concur. Pro Football Focus graded him the #2 best center for 2012. We only hope he doesn’t go anywhere this offseason, and given the Saints woes to losing offensive linemen, we have to put our faith in Loomis to get this done before Free Agency. Chemistry with Drew is so important, and this could turn out to be his best season yet.

Elliott Mealer, an undrafted 23-year old rookie out of Michigan, is currently listed as de la Puente’s backup. Don’t look for a ton of things from him, but if he’s going to learn anything from anyone, would you have it any other way than being from de la Puente?

As far as I’m concerned, my focus shifts to the world of poker. The World Series Of Poker are approaching and that’s how I came up with the idea for this piece. I wondered, are there any poker pros who resemble any New Orleans Saints players? Here’s the result of my speculations.

So let’s…“Shuffle up and deal!”

Marques Colston & Jason Mercier

Quiet and lethal. These are the two words that immediately pop up in my mind when I think about those two guys. They are never ostentatious or pretentious in any way, they just work hard and when it matters the most they get the job done. Plus, they both came out of nowhere: Colston was a seventh-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft (No. 252 overall) while Mercier defeated about 700 players and won his first major title in the first live tournament he played (NLHE Main Event of the European Poker Tour – Season 4 – in San Remo, Italy). Since the beginning they put up great numbers year in and year out.

Mercier collected a couple of final table appearances in the EPT and in the NAPT circuits, won two WSOP bracelets in 2009 ($1,500 PLO) and 2011 ($5,000 PLO 6-max), finished in 4^th place at the WSOPE Main Event in 2009 (£10.000 NLHE) and made nine final tables plus thirty-one WSOP money finishes. He dominated the EPT High-Roller events, became a PokerStars Pro in 2009 and won two WCOOP events (World Championship Of Online Poker) in 2010 ($1,050 NLHE) and 2012 ($10,300 8-Game High-Roller).

Colston missed just one 1000-yards season in 2008 (when he played only 11 of the total 16 contests) and is currently the Saints’ all-time franchise leader in receiving touchdowns and total touchdowns with 58. He holds the record for most receptions in a player’s first two season (168) and he got his ring in SB XLIV, when he recorded seven receptions for 83 yards. Is there anything else that one should add? I think that numbers are doing all the talking for these two great players.

Drew Brees & Doyle Brunson

Okay, this was easy. Two good old gunslingers from Texas, they both achieved amazing results throughout their careers. It would take too long to list them all here. About Drew Brees…well, I don’t think there’s anything else I can say that the readers of this piece already know about DAT man, so I’ll move on to “Texas Dolly”.

The ten-time WSOP champion turned the poker world upside down spreading the Texas Hold’ Em phenomenon and proving that poker is a skill game and not necessarily connected with criminal enterprises. In 1978 he published a book that is the all-time top-selling poker book, “Super System”; it is considered the bible of poker and its enormous success led to the publication of “Super System II” in 2004. He’s nowadays one of the most influential figures in the poker business and probably still one of the best face-readers in modern poker.

They are tough too. The “godfather of poker” was a good basketball prospect at college but his career ended due to a serious leg injury from which he never fully recovered; he never gave up and instead of being a basketball pro he became a poker pro. The same kind of mindset helped Brees to heal from the devastating shoulder injury he got back in 2005: some doctors said he had little-to-no chance of playing pro football again and four years later they saw him in Miami, raising the Lombardi Trophy.

Brees and Brunson are extremely talented players who take advantage of their natural abilities and their developed skills (through hard work and love for the game) to excel at what they do. They are the perfect example that if you work hard, are determined to win and never give up, sky’s the limit for you.

Junior Galette & Phil Ivey

When I read this I immediately thought of Junior “#FearDaBeard” Galette. How could I haven’t? Other than the awesome and fierce beard, these two have at least another similar feature: the no-mercy mindset. They are ready to fight to the death each and every snap/hand, always willing to overpower opponents and to be victorious in every battle they engage. While Galette has the potential to be a solid starter (as I think he’ll be in 2013 and beyond) but still hasn’t had a real ‘breakout season’, Ivey has already accomplished great results: he won nine WSOP titles, excels in both high-stakes cash game and tournaments and is considered by consensus one of the best poker players and one of the all-time greats. But they’re far from done: they’re both hungry and neither one will be contained easily.

Jan 30, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees speaks on the game of financial football at the New Orleans convention center. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

It’s the quietest point of the NFL offseason now that rookie minicamp has concluded, so there’s no better time to pick out a New Orleans Saints Mount Rushmore!

Picking a Mount Rushmore is a recent trend started by the folks over at ProFootballTalk. We thought it would be a great idea to attempt our own Mount Rushmore for the Saints.

It’s not as easy as you might think at first glance. You can only pick four names for a Saints Mount Rushmore, and you have to find a delicate balance between statistics, lasting legacy and more when picking those names. Also, should it include coaches and decision makers?

For the purposes of this Saints Mount Rushmore, we’ll include all types of personnel spanning franchise history  Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section below and give us your very own  Saints Mount Rushmore!

Drew Brees 

December 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) prior to kickoff of a game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Come on, did you think we would start anywhere else?  Where do you even start with Brees? He’s the most recognizable face in franchise history and brought home the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLVI.

Brees has broke numerous passing records over the course of his journey, and the scary part is he’s not quite done yet. Perhaps Brees’ most impressive record is the face he’s the NFL’s All-time single season passing yard leader with 5,476 yards.

There’s no question Brees’ should be the first mug on the wall of a Saints Mount Rushmore. We could dedicate an entire post to Brees alone, but that just wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the guys on the wall.

Sean Payton 

March 20, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton answers questions from reporters during the annual NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton is another name that is an easy pick if you had to pick a Saints Mount Rushmore. Sure, there’s been some issues over the horribly-named Bountygate, but it’s safe to say the good outweighs the bad.

Payton joined the Saints in 2006, and after just three years led the team to a Super Bowl victory. Overall as a head coach he has compiled a 62-34 record.

Like his quarterback, Payton appears to be far from done with the Saints. There’s no question Payton is one of the most important figures in franchise history, and for that, he lands right next to his quarterback on the wall.

Rickey Jackson 

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints former linebacker Rickey Jackson before the Saints played the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

From 1981 to 1993 there was no bigger name in the world of the New Orleans Saints than linebacker Rickey Jackson, who broke numerous franchise records while on his path to the Hall of Fame.

Over the course of his career, Jackson racked up 1,173 tackles and a Saints franchise record with 128 sacks. He was also a six Time Pro-Bowler and a four-Time All-Pro.

Jackson is now enshrined in the Hall of Fame and easily belongs on any Saints Mount Rushmore. His contributions to the franchise may be forgotten as current generations take over, but he deserves to live on in the realms of Saints history with the biggest names of them all.

Deuce McAllister

Jan 30, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFL former running back Deuce McAllister carries the Vince Lombardi trophy into the Super Bowl XLVII Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Deuce McAllister is a case where legacy has more of a lasting impact on a Mount Rushmore nomination rather than statistics. McAllister is one of the most recognizable names in franchise history thanks to his key role in some of the best moments the franchise has to offer.

Despite joining the Saints in 2001 and only playing for seven seasons, McAllister rushed for over 6,000 yards and 49 touchdowns while playing an integral role in the team’s Super Bowl victory.

McAllister is another modern player who makes the wall over some of the legends in team history, but it’s well deserved given his role in what is easily the best years the Saints have had since being created.

Love our Mount Rushmore? Hate it?  Let us know on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook. Make sure to leave your own Saints Mount Rushmore in the comments section below!