Question about Stephone Anthony (1 Viewer)

Both of our 1st round picks from 2015 have been moved to new positions after their 1st season with us. I can't convince myself that this is a good thing. It basically takes two 1st round picks (players you expect significant and immediate impact out of) and makes them projects. These guys were good enough at OT and MLB respectively during their college careers to get themselves drafted in the 1st round! And then they both begin to have to learn new positions? How many other 1st round picks from 2015 are now playing new positions on their pro team and are not considered busts or total question marks?
 
His coverage skills are bad for outside lb. and play calling lacks exp for inside lb
 
I watched the games last season, and although the defense was terrible, I thought Anthony was one of the few bright spots and building blocks for the future. He was a rookie thrust into the role of defensive captain at MLB, and he took his lumps, but he also improved as the season went on. I looked at him as being a very solid starting MLB in the near future, with the potential to be a top 10 MLB within 3-5 seasons.
Then the Saints decided to buy an aging and declining MLB off of the Rams scrap heap and make him the starting MLB, while moving Anthony to a new position at SOLB, where I saw him playing in the 4th quarter of the last preseason game, and haven't heard his name mentioned very often if at all (aside from when he got hurt).
So I guess my question is, why?
Good question.
 
Both of our 1st round picks from 2015 have been moved to new positions after their 1st season with us. I can't convince myself that this is a good thing. It basically takes two 1st round picks (players you expect significant and immediate impact out of) and makes them projects. These guys were good enough at OT and MLB respectively during their college careers to get themselves drafted in the 1st round! And then they both begin to have to learn new positions? How many other 1st round picks from 2015 are now playing new positions on their pro team and are not considered busts or total question marks?
Logic at work.
 
His coverage skills are bad for outside lb. and play calling lacks exp for inside lb

So because he has the reputation for being weak and stiff in coverage and he is the SOLB, does that mean that when teams go 3-WR sets he is the first guy to leave the field? He's clearly not a better coverage LB than Ellerbe, Robertson, or even Stupar at this point, and with teams playing nickel or dime coverage more than anything else in the current NFL, that means Anthony is only on the field when there is a base defense?
How do you get better at playing vs the pass without ever playing bs the pass?
 
I know the preseason doesn't mean much, it is his lack of playing time with the 1's that has me perplexed. I have a feeling, and I hope I'm wrong, that he is not taking to his new position and assignments very well. He seems to be a smart and athletic young man, but since the arrival of JL I have not seen anything out of him. He and the coaches are all saying the right thing, but something doesn't seem right. Please tell me I'm wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:covri:
 
I know the preseason doesn't mean much, it is his lack of playing time with the 1's that has me perplexed. I have a feeling, and I hope I'm wrong, that he is not taking to his new position and assignments very well. He seems to be a smart and athletic young man, but since the arrival of JL I have not seen anything out of him. He and the coaches are all saying the right thing, but something doesn't seem right. Please tell me I'm wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:covri:

Athletic , yes.

Smart , not so much
 
Athletic , yes.

Smart , not so much

Back this up. I would like to know why people think he is not a capable MLB. I call totally BS to lay a lot of the issues we had on a rookie MLB when we had Browner constantly taking penalties, a front that NEVER got pressure and a D coach that didn't even have the trust of the head coach and was canned mid season. To just blanket statement that he cant cover or doesn't have football IQ is just total bullshhh. IMO this is just another failure of coaching (again).
 
Back this up. I would like to know why people think he is not a capable MLB. I call totally BS to lay a lot of the issues we had on a rookie MLB when we had Browner constantly taking penalties, a front that NEVER got pressure and a D coach that didn't even have the trust of the head coach and was canned mid season. To just blanket statement that he cant cover or doesn't have football IQ is just total bullshhh. IMO this is just another failure of coaching (again).

I don't have to back this up. The ' back up ' is the fact that he is no longer our MLB calling the Defense, they moved him outside to try to find a place for him to run and hit.

Fair or not .. We couldn't line up with the right number of players on the field sometimes and most times not on the same page as a Defense. The fair or not part is the HC canned the D coordinator and the new D coordinator and HC thought enough of this kid as a lability to sign James Laurantis and make him the QB of our Defense.

You are forced to read between the lines.

It sucks but he was a reach in Round 1. Find me Anybody that had him going earlier than mid /late 2nd. SP saw something in him but, reversed course and now he is on the outside looking in ( no pun intended ! )

Edited to add :

Do you really buy that Lauranitis came up as a Free Agent and that we just could not let him sign somewhere else. JL was so coveted that we moved a 1st round pick to another position to accommodate the JL signing ....

You have to read between the lines to get maybe just how bad Anthony was or more than likely they feel that he was absolutely incapable or grasping the Calls that had to be made.
Do you think we would have signed Lauranitis is Anthony was the Defensive ROY ?

Now , in Anthony's defense , we aren't exactly the most feared Front Office in the NFL from an evaluation angle. So he could be Sam Mills second coming for all we really know.
 
I really like Anthony and liked the pick at the time too, and I'll get down voted for this, but here goes:

We messed up by taking him over Eric Kendricks who was the best LB in that draft and one of the better coverage backers in recent years with a football IQ off the charts. Everyone knew he was gonna be special. And he has been for the Vikes. He's gonna be a franchise player for them.
 
Now , in Anthony's defense , we aren't exactly the most feared Front Office in the NFL from an evaluation angle. So he could be Sam Mills second coming for all we really know.

i get your point for sure, but i must say the quote above is more telling then Anthony's play. I think our D scheme and coaches have failed so many saints players it appalling. Either we aren't drafting well or our d coaches just don't know how to put players in positions to succeed.

Personally i think its the latter. I just can see if Anthony was on a D that had some semblance of structure and consistence in the coaching staff he could be a extremely good mlb. It is just so frustrating to watch Payton work magic with putting offensive players in a spot to succeed yet our d coaches fail so hard at putting actually talent in a place to benefit there skills they were drafted for or signed.

All of this is obviously my opinion and the coaches obviously have more experience in football then me, but some thing they do just seem so dumb.
 
I really like Anthony and liked the pick at the time too, and I'll get down voted for this, but here goes:

We messed up by taking him over Eric Kendricks who was the best LB in that draft and one of the better coverage backers in recent years with a football IQ off the charts. Everyone knew he was gonna be special. And he has been for the Vikes. He's gonna be a franchise player for them.

This is 100% true. Kendricks was there for the taking and he was my top choice, but the Saints opted to try and be the smartest guys in the room and wound up passing on a guy that would have singlehandedly helped our entire defense.
 
This is 100% true. Kendricks was there for the taking and he was my top choice, but the Saints opted to try and be the smartest guys in the room and wound up passing on a guy that would have singlehandedly helped our entire defense.



Rumor is that Rob Ryan was enamored with Anthony after going to his pro day and what not. I just don't see picking someone for your D-coordinator that's on the hot seat.

Anthony could turn out to be a good player for us but he will never ever be the player Kendricks would have been and will be. Our front office took a stinky turd in the bed by passing on him.
 
This is 100% true. Kendricks was there for the taking and he was my top choice, but the Saints opted to try and be the smartest guys in the room and wound up passing on a guy that would have singlehandedly helped our entire defense.

Yes. Some people on here will get all over you for ' revisionist history ' or ' looking at the past and being critical ' but , honestly these guys are making millions to get this right. Nobody understood the Anthony pick that high and it especially hurts when you see teams like Minnesota capitalize where we didn't and they are seemingly moving in the right direction building through the draft and we can't. It's just frustrating to watch after we were sitting in Position A after 09 and I thought we were the best team in football in 2011 We regressed and declined when everybody hoped that we could make a nice long run out of this.
 
Also keep in mind Ungers contract is expiring. He will command top
Money and he has always been a west coast guy and he wants to be closer to home. He will sign with someone closer to his comfort zone. So I see very slim chance of securing his services as well.
 

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