Saintaholic's 2008 Saints Off-Season Analysis/Predicitons v2.0 (1 Viewer)

St. Geezy

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This is my second attempt at one of these. This time I will provide more than just key acquisitions. I will try my best to predict the entire Saints off-season and final roster. Please forgive me for minor omissions or oversights:

Re-Signings

OC Jeff Faine - 3-year $15.0 million: Solid starter that won't get the expensive deal he expects on the open market. Expect him to re-sign a couple of weeks into free agency.

OC Jonathan Goodwin - 2-year $ 4.0 million: See above. He won't get much play on the open market because he is a virtual unknown. Signs a modest 2-year contract and settles for being a depth guy at center and guard. He is very valuable to the Saints because of his versatility.

WR David Patten - 2-year $ 6.0 million: A veteran WR that showed he still has a little tread left in his tires. Will sign a two year deal that is easily voidable after year 1 in case Patten starts to play like the old man that he is. He will start opposite Colston in '08 however.

WR Terrance Copper - 2-year $ 2.5 million: Simply a good guy to have on your football team. Will never be great but is valuable as a special teams contributor and for spot duty from scrimmage. Could also start in a pinch if needed.

LB Matt McCoy - 1-year RFA tender: Special Teams player than was a former second round pick just three years ago. Will be tendered by Friday simply because it won't hurt to do so.

TE Billy Miller - 2-year $ 3.0 million: See Copper description. Good guy to have on the team, makes a play when you least expect it, could start in a pinch.

QB Jamie Martin - 1-year $ 1.0 million: Not a big fan of Martin's but the coaching staff seems to like him. Will take a cheap 1-year deal to serve as Brees' back-up giving Palko one more season to develop before becoming the team's back-up quarterback in 2009.

Trades

Round 3 '08 (plus conditional 4th rounder in '09): - Detroit DT Shaun Rogers: This deal goes down on draft day a la the Hollis Thomas deal two seasons ago. Rogers will make an immediate impact and take Thomas' job relegating him to back-up duty at the 2-tech spot and giving the Saints a very good tag team tandem of nose tackles.

Round 5 '08 - NY Jets LB Jonathan Vilma: This deal goes down in the next two weeks. The Saints have shown their hand a bit and they are desperate for a starting middle linebacker. Free agency will not yield a true upgrade so the Saints take a risk and get Vilma but will still try to find starting-caliber depth in case their gamble does not pan out.

Free Agency

Pittsburgh OG Alan Faneca: 7-years $49 million: My favorite player of them all in this year's free agency class. The seven time Pro Bowler is a Louisiana native and will greatly improve the team's running game thus further improving the team's defense. Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister both underwhelmed and could use help up front in a tremendous way.

New England CB Randall Gay: 4 years $12 million: Most people will not like this signing simply because its not Asante Samuel. Not enamoured with Samuel's contract demands the Saints' scouts notice #21 on the film while grading Samuel and decide to roll the dice on another former LSU Tiger.

New Englad CB Chad Scott: 2 years $4 million: Started last season as a starter for New England before a knee injury ended his season. Will come on the cheap and is another cornerback that isn't flashy but is solid enough to start. You don't always get who you want in free agency and sometimes you have to take what you could get. Scott is also said to be good friends with Gay.

Dallas SS Keith Davis: 3 years $5 million: The Saints signed Davis to an offer sheet in '06 but the sheet was matched by Dallas. The Saints have no such restriction this year and will sign Davis as depth at the safety spot but primarily for his special teams skills.

Atlanta LB Demorrio Williams: 3 years $8 million: See Vilma trade. Williams will command a decent sized contract but the team lacks middle linebacker depth and must protect themselves in case Vilma does not pan out. Worst case scenario, they have a great special teams ace and situational third down and goal line linebacker.

Extensions

WR Marques Colston: 7 years $42 million: Just guessing on the figures here obviously but I think he signs a very hefty contract. We have a living legend brewing in New Orleans folks and a deal will get done this off-season. Colston will go down as one of the best receivers in NFL history. Heck, he has already caught more passes in his first two seasons than any other wide receiver in league history. Amazing.

LG Jahri Evans: 4 years $20 million $6 million: Signs a tad bit below market deal but is gracious. The deal locks up an up-and-coming guard for the next four seasons. After he makes the next two Pro Bowls the contract will be revisited however.

DE Will Smith: no extension - This one will get nasty. Just playing Nostrodamous here but I think he gets disgruntled and holds out. He ends up giving in during training camp due to Mickey Loomis' "we dont negotiate with holdouts" decree but plans will need to be made for life without Will Smith beyond 2008. He will either walk after this season or get tagged and traded. We can not have over $120 million tied up at the defensive end position for two underacheiving players.

Draft

1-USC WLB Keith Rivers: I would love it if Sedrick Ellis or Glenn Dorsey fell here but that just ain't happening. The team would like to draft a corner but feel the need was addressed adequately with Scott and Gay's signings. They go best player available here and Orgeron makes a good case to the front office to take Rivers.

2-USC DE Lawrence Jackson: Contigency plan needs to be made for the soon departure of Will Smith. Another Ed Orgeron protege' that has oustanding skills and comes from a great, winning program. Will give the Saints one of the better three man rotations in football for a year and then become the starter in 2009 alongside Charles Grant.

4-Kentucky TE Jacob Tamme: Ran a 4.5 at the combine and is thought to be rising up the boards. Not sure if he will last this long but if he does the Saints will be elated. He'll be relegated to a back-up role for a year or two and start once Campbell and Miller's contracts expires or once he shows he is the best tight end on the roster.

6-Miami WR Lance Leggett: 6-3 190 pound receiver with good speed. Coach Curtis Johnson likes the kid's untapped potential and the team selects him. He won't make the team however and will be signed to the practice squad.

7-Ole Miss RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis: You'd think Ed Orgeron was running the Saints' draft but this is a good value pick here. 4.6 40 means a long draft day for Green-Ellis. The team will draft him and be pleasantly surprised. Becomes the next Aaron Stecker and will be a great special teamer and future third down back after McAllister leaves in a year or two.

Releasings

WLB Scott Shanle: Numbers game. Makes too much money and not enough production.

CB Fred Thomas: You were good for us but its time to go Fred. Appreciate your hard work but salary is too high.

CB Jason David: He and Craft compete in camp and David loses out. Payton finally admits a mistake for a change and parts ways. It has nothing to do with salary and he simply does not make it as one of the top 5 corners in camp.

Final 53 man roster

QB D.Brees/J.Martin/T.Palko
RB D.McAllister/R.Bush/P.Thomas/B.Green-Ellis
FB M.Karney
WR M.Colston/R.Meachem/T.Copper
WR D.Patten/R.Bush (will play a TON of receiver next season)/L.Moore
TE M.Campbell/B.Miller/J.Tamme
LT J.Brown/Z.Strief
LG A.Faneca/A.Alleman
C J.Faine/J.Goodwin
RG J.Evans
RT J.Stinchcomb/J.Bushrod

DE C.Grant/J.Cooper
DT K.Clancy/A.Lake
DT S.Rogers/H.Thomas/O.Harris
DE W.Smith/L.Jackson
LB K.Rivers/T.Evans
LB J.Vilma/D.Williams
LB S.Fujita/M.McCoy
CB R.Gay/C.Scott
CB M.McKenzie*/J.Craft/U.Young
FS K.Kaesviharn/J.Bullocks
SS R.Harper/K.Davis/C.Reis

PK M.Gramatica

P S.Weatherford
LS K. Houser

KR R.Bush/Green-Ellis

PR R.Bush/L.Moore

* - Starts season on PUP/Activated after week 6 and team will subsequently release Tyler Palko and re-sign him to the practce squad. In McKenzie's absence, team will use Kaesviharn as a back-up dime corner if needed
 
I honestly don't think Randall Gay is a starter in this league. I do like the Faneca signing...

I think we need to get Faine signed soon...he IS the best center available in FA. And that in itself will demand money from a team that is desperate.

Overall, I think it would be a positive off-season...but there are some tweaks needed.
 
I hate your draft. I hate the Rivers pick and the Jackson pick. But I think your signings and FA moves are realistic.
 
Originally I thought Faneca was a virtual lock to go to Arizona to re-unite with all his old coaches. However, they have zero cap room for him. I like his chances to land here.

I don't want Rivers. There are some that may say Connor is a reach at 10 but I'd take him over Rivers in a heartbeat.
 
Love the effort you have put into this SaintA. I'll buy it as a script for the future. Also like the Faneca signing and the S.Payton admission on JD. Good work, man.
 
Some interesting calls. If Faneca falls here then I'll tip my hat to you.

I'm not so keen on the CB dealings tho. I don't think either of your CB FAs arrive and I don't see Payton getting rid of David (however badly he does in Camp). I also think the draft class is deep enough for us to take a Corner with potential in Round 2 or 3.
 
I like Alan, just not a deal that Steve Hutchensen (sp) got and he's in his prime and Alan is on the decline.
 
Davids contract is frontloaded isn't it? Why would they cut someone who they signed to a frontloaded contract? As much as everyone here hates JD I have a hard time believing he will be the worst corner in camp. Especially when his competition are the same guys he beat for the starting job 16 weeks straight last year.
 
I hate your draft. I hate the Rivers pick and the Jackson pick. But I think your signings and FA moves are realistic.

That's fair. I'm not a huge Rivers fan either. Who would you rather see picked? I thought about going McKelvin there rather than Rivers. We could really use a stud cornerback in the first round. Its been years.
 
This mock made me laugh

thank you for the laughter

And thank you for making such great contribution to the thread.

Saintaholic - would love the Faneca pick up. Not thrilled with the first two draft picks or your corner acquisitions. If we would land Vilma, I would look for a linebacker in the second and as much as I hate to, go corner in the first. Would hate to lose Will Smith, I don't see him having another off year and don't mind putting up a lot of money in defensive ends.
 
That's fair. I'm not a huge Rivers fan either. Who would you rather see picked? I thought about going McKelvin there rather than Rivers. We could really use a stud cornerback in the first round. Its been years.

Ask me again after the DB's workout tomorrow.
 

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