So you want the Saints to go away from a guy who catches over 80% of his targeted passes? (3 Viewers)

[Jb25saints]

It's less of a question now, than it was last season & we won 13 games with them. Pray tell who were Seattle's, or Denver's, or New England's great receivers for that fact? We just got a relief QB going with this group of guys. Now we're going to throw a new guy who doesn't know our play book, our route tree, our audible system, or everything we expect from our receivers into one of the two most complex offenses in the league? And we're gonna work it out & not miss a step? Dan Arnold can play receiver as well as tight end. Lil Jordan Humphrey has only done everything asked of him & caught everything that's been thrown at him.

I seem to recall going through this same rigamaroll last season & what did it yield? Two over rated over the hill WRs who didn't play a single down in a single game. And when I look at the stat line, I see an offense that was clicking at well in excess of 300 YPG passing until they started messing with team chemistry. Then the passing stats started to crumble. It's a funny thing about team chemistry & communication. It's hard to build, but easy to mess up.

Eagles:
Nelson Agholor
Alshon Jeffery
Zack Ertz
Dallas Goedert

Patriots:
Julian Edelman
Josh Gordon
Phillip Dorset

The teams have at least some strength to spread around. A veteran WR that comes in who has been playing football his whole life shouldn’t have an issue running routes and getting open.

Humphrey I believe doesn’t have a single catch in a regular season game? So not sure your point here. Clearly guys like Carr and Humphreys are not good enough or else they would be in the game more.

Picking up another WR will be crucial. I’d hate to have to throw to our 3rd string QB as a receiver again lol

 

[boo-boo]

Teddy isn’t Drew. And Drew always has had a much better receiver cast outside of its #1 WR outside of the past two seasons. The last two seasons the offense worked largely because the running game was often dominant with Ingram and Kamara, and Kamara could legitimately serve as a WR. The drop off from Kamara to Murray is substantially making it more difficult to see Kamara as a WR. This is easily the most shallow skilled position group Brees has ever had. Our entire offense is depended on Kamara and Thomas staying healthy.

2006- Horn, Colston, Henderson
2007- Colston, Henderson, Moore
2008- Colston, Henderson, Moore, Shockey
2009- Colston, Henderson, Moore, Meachem, Shockey
2010- Colston, Henderson, Moore, Meachem, Shockey, Graham
2011- Colston, Henderson, Moore, Meachem, Graham
2012- Colston, Henderson, Moore, Graham
2013- Colston, Henderson, Moore, Stills, Graham
2014- Colston, Cooks, Stills, Meachem, Graham, Watson
2015- Colston, Cooks, Watson, Snead
2016- Thomas, Cooks, Snead
2017- Thomas, Ginn
2018- Thomas, Ginn

biggest thing hurting us right now is the health of our WR group. Our number 3 and 4 WRs have been out pretty much all season. If smith isnt healthy soon we will probably sign another WR.

 

[wayne5w]

We desperately need a legit WR2. Why do you think Payton has been trying to fill that so hard with Merideth, Bryant, etc?

 

[Mississippi Saints Fan]

It would be nice to have another option be able to get open and catch the ball consistently. There are multiple reasons. If a team's gameplan is to shut down Thomas, and they are somewhat successful, we need someone else that can move the chains. If Thomas were to get injured, we need someone else. On a game-deciding play when we need 14 yards, and they know we are going to target Thomas, we would hope someone else would be able to get open and make the play. It's not about wanting to take away from Thomas, but compliment him and make the play on the occasion that Thomas can't. We have bodies behind him, but it would be nice to have more consistency from someone, anyone.

 

[Skynnrd]

And when a team ends up slowing down/stopping MT, we end up with the NFCCG. The argument is that we need to upgrade WR2 and in which case would hopefully avoid the drops, tips and INTs that have come off our our marginal WR2s we have been fielding.

Edit: To clarify, I am not advocating to stop throwing to MT. I am saying that IF a team can shut him down, we have to have another reliable option.

Humphrey....Helllooooooo

 

[Snakehead]

Humphrey....Helllooooooo

That would be awesome if it was Humphrey and he developed into that guy.

 

[Outbackjack]

We desperately need a legit WR2. Why do you think Payton has been trying to fill that so hard with Merideth, Bryant, etc?

If we “desperately” needed one, we wouldn’t be shopping for has beens.

We’d be putting real money into a solid guy, not shopping bargains.

Or we’d be drafting one With our 1st pick. Or 2nd pick. Or any pick.

We don’t “desperately” need one, and that’s proof by Payton’s attempted acquisitions.

With our current WR core, we were plenty good enough to reach the Super Bowl, only a ref could stop us.

 

[Snakehead]

If we “desperately” needed one, we wouldn’t be shopping for has beens.

We’d be putting real money into a solid guy, not shopping bargains.

Or we’d be drafting one With our 1st pick. Or 2nd pick. Or any pick.

We don’t “desperately” need one, and that’s proof by Payton’s attempted acquisitions.

With our current WR core, we were plenty good enough to reach the Super Bowl, only a ref could stop us.

We have to shop in the bargain bin for WR2-WR6 now that we have a $20M/yr WR1. Extending and paying MT was the absolute right thing to do, but there are consequences of paying a guy that much at a position where you have to carry 6 players. It's almost a must that we have to hit on drafted rookies, UDFAs and other team's castoffs. Preferably we draft well and sign UDFAs that can develop into their roles to keep the $ tied up in the position down.

 

[Gumbo's Dad]

Very true, but up until the TB game Cook was looking like an FA bust even though it was still early in the season and Ginn has never been known for his hands.

The ideal situation is that TQS gets healthy and continues to develop into the Ginn role and his his replacement. He's not as fast as Ginn was in his prime, but he's probably about the same now. UCF receivers are like WVU receivers and it seems to take them awhile to develop into NFL receivers if at all, but he seems to be doing that. I know I am beating a dead horse on here, but I think one of these big bodied guys like LJH, Butler or Hogan may develop into that big slot WR. It's quite possible we have the answers already on the roster, but it we just have to wait to see it come together. TQS getting injured caused a setback in his development so hopefully he gets healthy soon.

Something about having MT and LJH over the middle of the field with Cook running a seam, TQS taking the top off and AK being an outlet in the flat just seems nasty for a team to defend.

The thing is, the future is now. Drew has not much of a window left, and to be honest Sean wasted many years on a mediocre defense during Drew's prime. There is no more time to waste. One of our developmental receivers may pan out, but who knows when or if? The past 2 postseasons have shown us that if you take away MT, there is no other guy you can count on. AND MT himself would benefit from some attention going in another direction in postseason. IF we had a legit 2 WR, we might have been so far ahead that the refs or a tackle whiff do not rob us of only a finite number of chances to get another SB.

 

[Snakehead]

The thing is, the future is now. Drew has not much of a window left, and to be honest Sean wasted many years on a mediocre defense during Drew's prime. There is no more time to waste. One of our developmental receivers may pan out, but who knows when or if? The past 2 postseasons have shown us that if you take away MT, there is no other guy you can count on. AND MT himself would benefit from some attention going in another direction in postseason. IF we had a legit 2 WR, we might have been so far ahead that the refs or a tackle whiff do not rob us of only a finite number of chances to get another SB.

I agree 100%. I'm all for adding a WR2. The ideal situation is that he is already on the roster, but if not or if he is an not ready yet then getting a guy makes sense. We could really use someone, especially this season and for the length of Drew's window.

 

[NewOrleansBoy]

I’m so sorry OP, but I’m definitely reading this as you care more about MT’s stats not being hindered rather than improving the offense even more. If they double MT, and Kamara is covered by one good LB, then what? What if the same game happens as it did in the Dallas game last year?

If the front office was legit in being interested in upgrading the #2 WR position, are you really going to argue with them for it?

 

[Outbackjack]

I’m so sorry OP, but I’m definitely reading this as you care more about MT’s stats not being hindered rather than improving the offense even more. If they double MT, and Kamara is covered by one good LB, then what? What if the same game happens as it did in the Dallas game last year?

If the front office was legit in being interested in upgrading the #2 WR position, are you really going to argue with them for it?

Of course every team likes to improve every position.....but I disagree that the front office/Sean Payton see it as a big need.

If they did, we would have drafted at least 1 WR....or targeted one in FA.

We didn’t do either.

We are fine with our players.....as I said before....these same players were good enough to reach the Super Bowl last year, and we upgraded at TE.

 

[Zack Lee]

If we “desperately” needed one, we wouldn’t be shopping for has beens.

We’d be putting real money into a solid guy, not shopping bargains.

Or we’d be drafting one With our 1st pick. Or 2nd pick. Or any pick.

We don’t “desperately” need one, and that’s proof by Payton’s attempted acquisitions.

With our current WR core, we were plenty good enough to reach the Super Bowl, only a ref could stop us.

while I agree with you that it might not be desperate, I think they want one. They may have been counting on more from TQS, or maybe they just loved the other picks more than the WRs that were on the board at any given time. I won't be surprised either way but I think there is probably better than even odds we see a Wideout before the end of the month that hasn't been on the roster this year.

 

[wayne5w]

Of course every team likes to improve every position.....but I disagree that the front office/Sean Payton see it as a big need.

If they did, we would have drafted at least 1 WR....or targeted one in FA.

We didn’t do either.

We are fine with our players.....as I said before....these same players were good enough to reach the Super Bowl last year, and we upgraded at TE.

The players were not good enough to reach the SB last year. Did we get robbed with a bad call that will haunt me forever? Yes, but that happens unfortunatly. Fact is we still controlled our destiny and had a chance to win but came up short. And in that game MT was primarily shut down. Would a legit WR2 have made a difference on that final drive? Will never know but I suspect it would have.

Signing Dez last year was an act of desperation so I stand by my statement. We are desperate for a legit WR2. Lord knows we worked on a ton of WRs this off season. Clearly Payton was expecting to hit on a UDFA but that hasn't worked. And they expected Cook to be an upgrade but to date that has not panned out as he looked like a Fleecer clone. The fact that we are cash strapped with a ton of big contracts coming up for key personnel is reducing who they can try and sign. Don't mistake that as a lack of desire for a real WR2.

Final thought, the last thing this offense needs to do is lock in on one target like Drew did with Graham when he was here. When he got shut down we struggled mightily. The hallmark of the Payton/Brees offense is spreading the ball around.

 

[FootballLady]

I only included players I thought were significant contributors, so I didn’t include the Brandon Coleman’s of the world nor Meachem his rookie season. I do understand that there is some subjectivity.
The Saints #3-4 WRs have a combined 6 catches this season...and most of that was week 1. It has been just about completely Thomas with a sprinkle of Ginn at the WR position.

I'm not sure he understands the point you were making, to be honest. He's decided that the quest for a number 2 receiver is somehow a slight against Michael Thomas and that's the way it's gonna be. Nevermind that the rest of us recognize that more legitimate weapons make great players more dangerous.