The Countdown (2 Viewers)

69 Corbin Kaufusi 6’9” 278 DE Brigham Young

Here’s one to watch. Kaufusi is an enthusiastic player who loves life. Did well at BYU, but was slowed by injuries his senior year. We signed him right after the draft, and he’s going to be fun to watch and easy to spot at 6’ 9” coming around the end on defense. He’s excited to learn from Cam Jordan. Give him extra credit for good judgment there.


Would make for a pretty darn good TE also.
 
68 Derrick Kelly 6’ 5” 320 OT Florida State

Kelly is another rookie with experience at both guard and tackle, and we signed him right after the draft, so we had an eye on him. Reportedly, he was a solid player on a less than optimal offensive line at FSU. Be fun to see how he does with good talent around him.
 
67 Larry Warford 6’ 3” 317 G Kentucky

It’s really hard to figure why two years ago, at the end of his rookie contract, Detroit let Warford walk. All he’s done since then is to make the Pro Bowl twice and contribute to one of the most balanced and dominant o-lines in the league. He’s good against the run and the pass, he’s a great teammate, and he’s still early in his career. He’s got room to grow and now as a seasoned vet, he will be able to help whoever comes in at center. Nice pickup in free agency that is continuing to pay off.
 
Thanks and speaking of countdowns it is hard to believe Saints rookies as of tommorow report in less than two weeks. Ever since Jan 20th I have waited patiently for N.O to come back on the field. It looks like this could be the most talented squad in team history.
 
j
Hey, hey, hey, it’s that time, Saints fans. What guido calls the 4th (or possibly) 5th most wonderful time of the year. We just dropped from triple to double digits in the number of days before the season starts, and that means….wait for it….

THE COUNTDOWN!!!!

Here we go on our annual romp through the roster, counting down by jersey number the days until the first game of the Saints season. (Yes, I know the official season starts before the Saints first game this year. Friends of the Countdown can join this chorus: "We Don’t Care." First day of the season to us is Saints first game. Period. This is Countdown policy. Sticklers for technicalities, go be a lawyer.)

The last couple of years I’ve been on the road more and try to stay off strange WiFi. Which means I use my phone as a hotspot for my tablet. Not always the most reliable internet, even in big cities. So others on the board pitched in. Inside job was the first. Last year I threw doing the pics to the board. That led to the biggest improvement the Countdown has seen when SaintLuke took over the task. He’s got some real skills, and Luke has graciously agreed to be my partner again this year. I am so glad to have him. So a big thanks to Luke, who you will come to appreciate if you haven’t already.

We’ve got some really intriguing additions to this roster, and we are going to cover them one at a time. Before you know it (somewhere in the 50’s or 40’s) it’ll be training camp.

We have a rule here on the Countdown, and it’s one that I intend to enforce. We do not call players camp bodies. These are talented, trained athletes who are working hard and performing at a level that most of us can only ever dream about. And the fact that the Saints think they might play a role on the roster, that makes them our guys. And the ones who are not roster shoe-in
Loved the post about people who trash football players might think they are or camp bodies. NFL players try thier hardest to win a game. Even when they make mistakes I do not think less of them. NFL football is a tough game.
I’m grateful and privileged to hear from you, Jason. Glad to have you here on the Countdown.
Loved the post about not trashing NFL players especially those trying to make a roster. They played, practiced and sacrificed hard to be in thier position.
 
66 Ryan Groy 6’ 5” 320 C Wisconsin

We’ve looked at players who have played both guard and tackle. Groy has played both of those and center. And fullback. That’s right. We know how Payton loves versatility, so it’s no surprise that a guy like Groy would get a look. He has bounced around the league in his 6 years, and has graded really well at times and not well at all at others. We will be looking most likely at a backup center, but an o-lineman who can carry the ball—that gets Payton thinking, so Groy just might stick on the 53 man roster.
 

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