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! 

November 5, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) dunks over the goal post after scoring a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Easgles 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve previously looked at the Quarterbacks & Running Backs in our multi-part mini-series on Positional Previews. Now we will shift focus to the Tight Ends, the ever changing hybrid natured position in today’s game.

Jimmy Graham, 26, is entering the final season of his contract in 2013. Graham’s best season with the Black & Gold came in 2011, where he battled it out with Rob Gronkowski for best Tight End honors, a battle that Gronkowski narrowly won. Graham finished that campaign with 99 receptions, 1,310 yards, and 11 touchdowns – nearly unheard of for a Tight End, but in today’s game, he put Wide Receivers to shame. As for 2012, he did have a very down year, and by down, we’re talking 85 receptions, 982 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He did miss one game last season after that gruesome ankle injury against San Diego, and led all Tight Ends (and the league) with 15 dropped balls. It would later come out that Graham had an extremely troublesome wrist injury, which required offseason surgery to fix. The good news is Graham is doing well, and it is fairly evident with his Superdome Fly Overs. What also can be stated is Graham played through the pain, and his grit is admirable. Arguably, his most memorable moment of the 2012 season came against Dallas, where his hustle & awareness allowed him to recover a Marques Colston fumble that found its way near the Dallas goal line, and that effort would set up a Garrett Hartley overtime winning field goal. One would think that the fan favorite will not be going anywhere after this season, but the reports are he could be commanding as much as $12M/year on his new deal. For 2013, we will and can’t wait to see that Jimmy Graham of 2011 emerge. Look for Jimmy to get back to being a 1,000 yard receiver easily.

Ben Watston, 32, a former 1st Round Pick in the NFL with the Patriots in 2004, enters to replace the departed David Thomas after spending the previous 3 seasons with the Browns. Watston played in all 16 games for the Browns last season, and caught 49 passes for 501 yards with 3 touchdowns. His best game last season arguably came against Dallas, where caught 4 passes for 47 yards, and 2 of those balls were touchdown grabs, in a game where the Cowboys squeaked out an overtime victory 23-20. Watson brings his veteran status to the Saints, and could help greatly in the development of the younger tight ends. He may not see as much play time as he did in Cleveland as the featured Tight End, but still expect Watson to come in handy more times than not.

Michael Higgins, 25, was re-signed as a Restricted Free Agent on February 14th. He enters his 3rd season as a Saint, and we all know his role is mainly as a blocking tight end. He’s slotted currently as the team’s 3rd option on the depth chart, and we will likely not see much from Higgins in terms of the receiving game, but more for his role in blocking in the run game. Of the Saints 1,107 Offensive Plays in 2012, Higgins only participated in 1.9% of those, which would be 21 plays for you math majors. Look for Payton to use his ‘rugged blocking’ style in a few more situations this season.

Keavon Milton, the 22-year old undrafted rookie from the University of Louisana-Monroe, transitioned from a defensive end to tight end as a junior. Reportedly, for what it’s worth, the Saints were in contention with the 49ers & Cowboys for Milton after the draft. At pro day, he also did some offensive tackle drills. At 6’4”, 293 pounds, Milton could potentially be someone Sean Payton could use as a 6th option for blocking on the Offensive Line, and it makes sense, as Payton has stated he wants to run the ball more in 2013. He has a good bit of upside in terms of athleticism. He may not flash right away, but he is one to watch in terms of growth.

Graham, coupled with the addition of Ben Watson, can and will cause fits for opposing defenses. The two tight end threat is an evolution that continues to flourish in the NFL. Teams continue to struggle to figure out how to match up against Graham, and he uses that 6’7” height to his advantage. You will continue to see Graham in Wide Receiver looks, and will be an integral part of the Saints successes on offense for 2013.

Dec 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (28) runs with the ball against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne (24) in the second quarter at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Some of the characteristics a Running Back has to exhibit are versatility, power, agility, blocking, and speed. The Saints running backs display all of these said characteristics. For this second installment of this multiple mini-series on Positional Previews, we’ll look at the Saints back field.

Let’s start here. The Saints Rushing attack ran the ball 370 times last season out of 1,067 offensive plays, gained 1,577 yards, which averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Once upon a time in the 2012 season, the Saints were in the bottom in terms of rushing yards/game. Though a 25th Overall Rushing Attack (98.6 yards/game) isn’t something to necessarily brag about, it is worth noting because of where the Saints came from. Only Jacksonville, Dallas, & Arizona ran the ball fewer times than the Saints.

So we are aware we lost Chris Ivory, and while it was a necessary casualty, we will miss his services. I think his defining moment as a Saint was last season against Atlanta. He just manhandled the defense. The Jets were in dire need of some type of full-time runner, and Ivory will hope to stay healthy to contribute accordingly. In return, we acquired a 4th Round Pick in the 2013 Draft, which landed us John Jenkins from Georgia.

Mark Ingram, 23, has been the most scrutinized member of the Saints rush attack. Why you may ask? We traded up to get him, and results are expected. The Saints have not had a 1,000 Yard Rusher since Deuce McAllister in 2006, where he gained 1,057 yards. Ingram is a player who was heralded with ‘Emmitt Smith’ like abilities, and at times, you can see why. Ingram, who played in all 16 games, was atop the Saints rushers, leading the way with 602 yards on the ground for 2012. He definitely had some memorable plays last season (Oakland comes to mind), and had Payton been in the mix, you can’t help but wonder what more could have been attained. Payton has gone on to state that he’s hoping for an improved run game for 2013, and you know that Ingram will be a huge focal point of getting there. For those wondering, Ingram has recently stated, “I’ve just been working hard this offseason, trying to get in the best shape of my life.” We all look for big things from Ingram in 2013. Could this finally be the season we see a 1,000 yard rusher?

Darren Sproles, who will turn 30 in June, is an extremely electrifying presence for the Saints to say the very least. He missed several games in 2012 due to a broken hand, but still managed to account for 911 yards of total offense (244 Rush, 667 Receiving), and lead all Saints Running Backs in terms of production. Sproles also accounted for 8 touchdowns on offense, 7 of those being receiving. You can clearly see how comfortable Brees is with Sproles, as he passed him the ball 75 times in 2012. Sproles gets about 10 touches a game, and that is just a rough average based on the 2012 stats. He can be used in various schemes, and his quickness makes him dangerous in open space. Look for similar production out of him for 2013, and I may go out on a limb here, but this season, Sproles could potentially be a 1,000 yard receiving back with Coach Payton back in the mix.

Pierre Thomas, 28, came off a little bit of a disappointing season. It was nothing about Thomas’ play on the field, he was just underutilized in my opinion. He started strong during the beginning of the season, and sort of became a ghost during the middle part, and then was called upon more during the final stretch. PT gained 473 yards on the ground, added 354 receiving, but only got in the end zone twice for 2012. One of the biggest things I missed seeing last season, as opposed to seasons past, was the use of PT in the screen game. PT is one of those players that are just tough to bring down, and he’ll make the first few guys miss him, to turn nothing into something. Thomas will arguably benefit the most from the departure of Chris Ivory.  Look for him to be in the mix every game in 2013, and convert when we need him most.

Travaris Cadet, 24, is growing with the Saints. There’s not much else to be said there. He didn’t see a ton of play time during the regular season, but was praised for his contributions during the 2012 preseason. He made the active roster as a result. Cadet will see little action in the Saints backfield for 2013, but we will see him as a major part of the return game. I believe he made some poor choices last season when it came to running out kickoffs, which put the Saints into bad starting field position. However, that’s growing pains. Cadet could benefit greatly from Sean Payton’s re-entry to the team, and you could potentially see some situations where he will be called upon during the course of 2013.

Khiry Robinson, the 23 year old undrafted rookie from West Texas A&M (a Division II club), enters the Saints as a virtual unknown as to what he will bring to the club. He is currently listed #5 on the Saints depth chart. What can be said is he led his respective Lone Star Conference last season with 1,621 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns, coupled with 38 receptions for 430 yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns. As you all know, Payton loves the ‘small school talent’. He has a knack for finding players, developing them, and making them emerge from nowhere to contribute. Whether he makes the squad will ultimately be on him, but you just never know what will happen.

Let’s lastly not forgot about Jed Collins, our Full Back. Collins, 27, is entering his 3rd season as a Saint. Here’s what I will say about him. In 2011, he was rated the top rated lead blocker by Pro Football Focus, and Rotoworld. For 2012, he did a good job given his role, but now that Payton is back, and his focus on the running game, so look for Collins to be a huge force to create holes for his runners.

The only issue with having so many weapons in an offensive arsenal is not being able to use them all. However, the Saints back field understands their respective roles, and are true team players. They just want to contribute, and when called upon, blow everyone away. If Coach Payton says he wants to run the ball more, take that to the bank. He wants 100 yard games, and production. If Brees doesn’t have to throw it 40 times a game to win, then that’s a good thing.