Fixing the Defense

Well, the Saints have been very busy and have done a good job at starting to fix the defense. However, they should not be done. The offense is pretty much fine, but the defense still needs some work. In the 1st part of the draft, I would do this:

Round 1: Dominique Rogers Cromartie CB - Bringing in Gay was a good move. He can play the Nickle slot very adeptly and in a pinch can fill in as a starter in case McKenzie can't go early in the season. Cromartie has the blood lines to make it in the NFL. I watched the combine and I can't remember seeing another corner with his athletic ability and how smooth he is as a defender. We also have Usama Young who was drafted last year, and will only get better with more experience. Jason Craft is a fine backup if he doesn't have to start. By adding Cromartie, you have fixed the secondary.

Round 2: Pat Simms DT - New York proved the old maxim - Defense wins championships. We must continue to fix our D-line. Grant and Smith are really good ends, but they are not double digit sack masters without help. We need more pass rushers and run stuffers to take the pressure off Smith and Grant. This will free them up and allow them to become more active in the pass rush.

Round 3: Marcus Harrison DT - Keeping the Linebackers clean has become a priority so we need beef up front. We also need to keep everyone fresh by having a good rotation. By adding Simms and Harrison, to go along with Bryan Young and Hollis Thomas, then adding in either Kendrick Clancey or McKinley Boykin you then have a very good DT rotation.

Some of you may wonder why I left Safety out of this plan. I feel we already have a great safety situation. I would move Josh Bullocks to SS and let him compete with Roman Harper for the starting slot. Both are more suited to the SS position as both are very good against the run and very good tacklers. Kevin Kaesviharn got better and better as the year went along and should be primed to compete for the starting FS position. Chris Reis proved to be a playmaker and should push KK real hard. If Payton made these moves, I believe the Safety position would be a lot better.