My Saints Offseason: Defensive Coordinator, Free Agency and my Saints-Only Mock Draft 1.0 (1 Viewer)

[JMP]

Where did you get your cap figures and information like that, 60Minutes?

 

[SaintsJunkie]

I like the post, hope we draft some Georgia players, Jarvis Jones is a turnover machine, also think Galette will we a great OLB, love to get Jairus Byrd, S and mike wallace wr in FA

 

[guillermo]

Good job Chris.

As you may know by now I would rather have Keith Butler or Pepper Johnson then Donatel. The thing I would like of your choice of coordinator is that he may put our secondary in order, but I prefer a front 7 guy to guide us.

On your free agents: If you remember I loved Brandon Albert in his draft. Depending on savings, I think we should really evaluate Albert, Bushrod, Thomas or a rookie (maybe a first rounder). That may be priority one and should be decided before the draft.

On your free agent purchases, I sincerely doubt about us to be able to get a good safety, and frankly, I haven't seen anything on Sean Phillips that will make him deserve a raise on his contract.

I still have my doubts on the second rounder, but certainly I don't want a receiver there, we can get a speedster later. If we go offense, let's get the best TE available, but I think that there will be very attractive OLB's and specially FS's at the time of our improbable pick.

I can't say names but I am expecting a huge turnaround. I think that changing schemes facilitates Sean and Mickey to get rid of dead/heavy weight. It is not only about veteran salaries, it is about building a solid foundation for our defense, a little like Sean and Mickey did on Sean's first year.

A lot of veterans, even some surprises, will leave with the excuse of not fitting the new scheme. And with so many holes on defense, our picks, specially our early ones, are really valuable this year.

I am also expecting to look for Ryan Pace to focus on players that have been backups of stars and are finishing their rookie contracts (on the type or Ellerbe, but not necessarily him). I am sure that they will be looking for players that maybe had a run starting while the starter was injured, or good college players that haven't got much chances to play, but have been understudies and now are ready to contribute with the saints. A good thing about them is that they are young, hungry, and will come cheaper!

 

[Dart]

Don't expect Bushrod to take a hometown discount. He's already talked about leaving and he's a pro bowler this year! Coupled with the fact that this might be the biggest contract he ever makes, who here would begrudge the guy taking care of his family?

In the original mock I think you're optimistic on a few of the FAs (no way is Albert cheaper than Bushrod) but overall it's got some cool ideas.

 

[60minutes]

Where did you get your cap figures and information like that, 60Minutes?

A combination of sources: 1. Remembering the contracts (Cap junkie); 2. New Orleans Saints Player Contracts, Salaries, & Transactions; 3. New Orleans Saints' defensive salary-cap figures for 2013 | NOLA.com

To a lesser degree, I also used Rotoworld and ESPN. And just understanding how the cap works a bit, I was able to figure some things out.

Good job Chris.

As you may know by now I would rather have Keith Butler or Pepper Johnson then Donatel. The thing I would like of your choice of coordinator is that he may put our secondary in order, but I prefer a front 7 guy to guide us.

On your free agents: If you remember I loved Brandon Albert in his draft. Depending on savings, I think we should really evaluate Albert, Bushrod, Thomas or a rookie (maybe a first rounder). That may be priority one and should be decided before the draft.

On your free agent purchases, I sincerely doubt about us to be able to get a good safety, and frankly, I haven't seen anything on Sean Phillips that will make him deserve a raise on his contract.

I still have my doubts on the second rounder, but certainly I don't want a receiver there, we can get a speedster later. If we go offense, let's get the best TE available, but I think that there will be very attractive OLB's and specially FS's at the time of our improbable pick.

I can't say names but I am expecting a huge turnaround. I think that changing schemes facilitates Sean and Mickey to get rid of dead/heavy weight. It is not only about veteran salaries, it is about building a solid foundation for our defense, a little like Sean and Mickey did on Sean's first year.

A lot of veterans, even some surprises, will leave with the excuse of not fitting the new scheme. And with so many holes on defense, our picks, specially our early ones, are really valuable this year.

I am also expecting to look for Ryan Pace to focus on players that have been backups of stars and are finishing their rookie contracts (on the type or Ellerbe, but not necessarily him). I am sure that they will be looking for players that maybe had a run starting while the starter was injured, or good college players that haven't got much chances to play, but have been understudies and now are ready to contribute with the saints. A good thing about them is that they are young, hungry, and will come cheaper!

Thank you! I do seem to recall you liking Albert.t I think he's a terrific player. Very strong run-blocker but I was surprised at highly he rated as a pass blocker. I think he should be our priority in FA.

On defensive coordinator, I actually like Jim Tomsula. He's been the guy I wanted. But there's been more scuttlebutt around Donatell so I am willing to accept the possibility that it could be him. Winston Moss is not a bad choice either.

I think one thing you sort of him on, and it is very important, is targeting a TE in FA. Someone like Jared Cook would cost half of what we would have to pay for someone like Mike Wallace; but he could have just as much of an impact as Wallace. By no means am I am suggesting that he would put up the same yards as Wallace. But another top-flight TE has a way of impacting our offense with hidden yards and great run-blocking.

Finally, it is great to have Ryan Pace in place as he is very good at finding hidden gems and players ready to emerge. I brought up Larry Grant because I think he fits into that mold of a player who might be ready to take it to the next level. As for Shaun Phillips, I think we are talking about a stop-gap player who just gives us some insurance in case Wilson or Galette struggle adapting to the new system.

 

[Firecross]

So who plays the Aldon Smith role in our 3-4? the guy that comes in on blitzes or on 3rd down, he's not in the game every play.

 

[Fleur de Lies]

The only thing I don't like about this is releasing David Hawthorne. He got a raw deal with lingering injury and playing hurt as well as playing out of position. Give him a year with Lofton as the starting ILB duo and see what happens.

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

Escobar was amazing against the Cajuns in last year's NOLA Bowl.

 

[guillermo]

On defensive coordinator, I actually like Jim Tomsula. He's been the guy I wanted. But there's been more scuttlebutt around Donatell so I am willing to accept the possibility that it could be him. Winston Moss is not a bad choice either.

Butler is +my choice, I would love Pepper Johnson and the combo Romeo + Mangini. I am not certain of Mangini as a coordinator, and most from the coaches ranks I really like Stanford's Derek Mason and Notre Dame's Bob Diaco. I am not that sure about Georgia's Todd Grantham but I can live with it.

From the niners, I prefer Tomsula over Donatel, and I love the niners defense, but I think that is Fangio mostly.

The only one of the mentioned around I would not like is Winston Moss. I still remember how bad our linebackers were under his tutelage and I am not impressed with Green Bay's defense.

 

[60minutes]

The only thing I don't like about this is releasing David Hawthorne. He got a raw deal with lingering injury and playing hurt as well as playing out of position. Give him a year with Lofton as the starting ILB duo and see what happens.

Hawthorne is not projected as a release. I brought him up as a person who's cap figure at $4.8 million is too high. I pointed out that cutting him would save $3.3 million but that we can possibly achieve similar savings by restructuring his deal.

Butler is +my choice, I would love Pepper Johnson and the combo Romeo + Mangini. I am not certain of Mangini as a coordinator, and most from the coaches ranks I really like Stanford's Derek Mason and Notre Dame's Bob Diaco. I am not that sure about Georgia's Todd Grantham but I can live with it.

From the niners, I prefer Tomsula over Donatel, and I love the niners defense, but I think that is Fangio mostly.

The only one of the mentioned around I would not like is Winston Moss. I still remember how bad our linebackers were under his tutelage and I am not impressed with Green Bay's defense.

So, you are a fan of the 2-gap scheme it seems. Well, Grantham does not run a 2-gap scheme but I think the others you mention do. I was initially high on Grantham because I feel he has the most experience playing teams running the read option/pistol. But when I look at his defenses, I feel they have underachieved a bit. I mean, there is some serious talent on that GA team yet they struggle at times that makes you wonder. And Grantham's performance with Cleveland was up and down.

Some people feel Tomsula wants a head-coaching position. But I think he's a solid coach who could benefit from being a coordinator. Donatell is impressive not only for helping to improve the secondary but also when he has coached defenses, sack numbers have gone up. Atlanta had 48 sacks to lead the league under him his first year there. On a sad note, I feel kind of sleazy having a coach here who was once with Atlanta. LOL!

I said Winston Moss in response to your earlier message but I meant Pepper Johnson. Sorry, for the confusion there. You had mentioned Pepper but when I wrote out my message, I typed Winston Moss.

 

[60minutes]

Mangini

Do you think Mangini is blacklisted for ratting out the Patriots?

 

[60minutes]

Don't expect Bushrod to take a hometown discount. He's already talked about leaving and he's a pro bowler this year! Coupled with the fact that this might be the biggest contract he ever makes, who here would begrudge the guy taking care of his family?

In the original mock I think you're optimistic on a few of the FAs (no way is Albert cheaper than Bushrod) but overall it's got some cool ideas.

I said Albert would be slightly cheaper but not by much. Here's my thinking: Albert has missed 7 games over the past five years and 2 other starts. Bushrod also has two probowls under his belt whereas Albert does not have any. Then, there are some people who have actually believe that Albert should be kicked inside to guard, which might clear the way for the Chiefs to draft Luke Joeckel. So, I just think that Bushrod might end up getting a slightly larger deal though I firmly believe that Albert is a better player.

 

[BELOWSEALEVEL]

tavon austin is special. the best ive seen at wvu imo
on the offensive side of the ball. ive been watching wvu
for over 30 years. whoever drafts him gets instant offense
and humble swagger.

excellent post. very nicely done 60 mins

 

[guillermo]

Do you think Mangini is blacklisted for ratting out the Patriots?

I don"t think he is. But even if he is blacklisted by some, I think Sean will not do that. I mean, if someone can understand now about losing job opportunities for something you may or may have not done, it's Sean. I even think even all is water under the bridge between him and Bellichick.

I like Mangini for our defensive backs, nothing more. And it has nothing to do with the tapes gate, more for his demeanor and results as a head coach.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

The only thing I don't like about this is releasing David Hawthorne. He got a raw deal with lingering injury and playing hurt as well as playing out of position. Give him a year with Lofton as the starting ILB duo and see what happens.

Spags got a raw deal too if u think like that. Fact of the matter is he didnt do anything to justify his pay raise next year. He started out the season healthy and the only image stuck in my head is of him whiffing horribly on a tackle...and then getting injured on said tackle....he didnt FLASH even out of position.

He was brought in to play wlb in spags 4-3....

Looks around.....spags aint here