The offseason (1 Viewer)

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Really sad to talk about the off season but we are pretty much out of the playoff. With that said, questions come as to what do the team need to do this off season to improve for next year? What transactions or trade do you think would happen or would like to happen. Who are we going to keep? Who should we let go? With Cooks not being totally happy with this offense, would it be wise to trade him? Honestly he is not really the problem but it does sour the relationship a bit with his tweet.

What about Fleener? Should the team cut him and just chalk it up as "tried and error" player and just take the hit. Or just keep him to see how much, if any, improvement he will next season.

Do we sign Fairly to a new deal? If so how much? I honestly would like to sign him but I am not giving him a large contract that could tie up the team again. I would be cautious with that one. I know most here would like for him to sign a new deal but I see it all too often where players production diminish a lot after receiving their new contract.

I would like to cut bait on these projects players like Cadet and Brandon Coleman. Tired of the inconsistencies with players like those two.

Should we try to keep Jahari Evans or Zach Strief? Big question mark on that line coming into the offseason. What are we going to do with Danelle Ellerbe with his injury history? Are we confident in Mark Ingram? If not, should we try to go and draft Leonard Fournette? Who should our first rounder be or at least what positions would you like to see in the early rounds?

What coaches need to be released here? We all agree the special team needs an overhaul. I am on board on getting rid of Bill Johnson and Joe Vitt also.

These are some of the off season questions and concern I am curious about.
What is yours?
 
If we trade Cooks it better be for a 1st round draft pick. I dont see him gone but its the M.Thomas show from here on out.

Fleener cant be cut unless we want to keep making the same mistakes as in the past with dead money. Maybe another year in this system has him playing a little better but either way we stuck with him.

Fairley needs to be back but not at an enormous deal. We can afford him.

I agree. Cadet is gone. Coleman could easily be replaced.

Strief and Evans wont cost much to keep and we need the depth. We will add more to the Oline in the offseason.

Ellerbe should be gone. He provides nothing on the sidelines. The draft and FA will take care of that.

Fournette will not wear Black and Gold unless we trade up. Its not happening. We need a Bush/Sproles player on this team to keep the defense from pinning their ears back or only rushing 4 and Im sure McCaffrey is in our sights. The offense is No.1 with what we have. Get that element back and we could surprise.

In the early rounds I want DE and/or LB

McMahon should be gone. I dont have faith that Johnson and Vitt will be given the axe
 
If we trade Cooks it better be for a 1st round draft pick. I dont see him gone but its the M.Thomas show from here on out.

Fleener cant be cut unless we want to keep making the same mistakes as in the past with dead money. Maybe another year in this system has him playing a little better but either way we stuck with him.

Fairley needs to be back but not at an enormous deal. We can afford him.

I agree. Cadet is gone. Coleman could easily be replaced.

Strief and Evans wont cost much to keep and we need the depth. We will add more to the Oline in the offseason.

Ellerbe should be gone. He provides nothing on the sidelines. The draft and FA will take care of that.

Fournette will not wear Black and Gold unless we trade up. Its not happening. We need a Bush/Sproles player on this team to keep the defense from pinning their ears back or only rushing 4 and Im sure McCaffrey is in our sights. The offense is No.1 with what we have. Get that element back and we could surprise.

In the early rounds I want DE and/or LB

McMahon should be gone. I dont have faith that Johnson and Vitt will be given the axe

How much dead money if we cut Fleener? Serious question. I don't keep up with contract as closely as some here are.

Because of the success of Elliot in Dallas, I don't expect Fournette to be there anyway. Team will be looking at Fournette as the next Elliot. And yes it would be nice to get a good satellite back in the draft.

Also I totally forgot to mention Jarius Byrd. What do we do with him?
 
I think Fleener knows what's what and will be a heck of a lot better next year if not then cut him give him one more season
 
I believe its 12 million if we cut Fleener

Byrd doesnt matter. We can keep him and use him in 3rd and long situations. We have Bell. We need the front of the defense to be better and that means LB and DE.

Thanks for the info. I guess we have to keep him then. But regardless, I still think we need to upgrade at the tight end position. I really don't care how much money he makes, he is ineffective and I rather the better player on the field. I would draft or bring someone in to compete.
 
Who should our first rounder be or at least what positions would you like to see in the early rounds?

I saw a mock that had us taking Adoree' Jackson(USC). He has not declared yet but he has finished the season strong and is a first round talent for sure. He primarily plays corner but he is also effective as a returner and as a "joker" RB catching passes out of the backfield and turning them in to long gains. He is someone we should keep our eye on for sure, but I would be okay with selecting a defensive lineman in the first also. There are a couple of good ones that will be there when we pick.
 
First and foremost, keep training camp in Louisiana. The Greenbrier West Virginia experiment is a failure. Three Greenbrier vacation camps equals three losing seasons. Change the environment, change the attitude.
 
First and foremost, keep training camp in Louisiana. The Greenbrier West Virginia experiment is a failure. Three Greenbrier vacation camps equals three losing seasons. Change the environment, change the attitude.

Your point would be much more valid without the snarky "vacation" descriptor. The camp in West Virginia was just as intensive as any place else would have been, and is not the source of sub par records.

Having said that, the contract ended last year, so they would have to reach a new agreement with the Greenbriar. Jim Justice was elected governor of West Virginia, so his current attention is focused elsewhere at the moment. Sean Payton has expressed interest in returning, but nothing is decided yet by any stretch, at least to the point of public discussion.
 
Really sad to talk about the off season but we are pretty much out of the playoff.

According to recent data, we are only 99.02% out of the playoffs. So there's still a chance.

LOL j/K


So, to some of your points.

<b>What about Fleener? </b>
I wish we could have seen how he would have been utilized with a healthy Hoomanawanui available to do the physical work in the 2-tightend sets. Fleener was definitely hot/cold and drops aside, I was most disappointed with his lack of physicality in tight spaces. He was always getting driven back when fighting for YAC. Give him another year and see if he can find more cohesion with Drew.

<b>Do we sign Fairly to a new deal? If so how much? </b>
Definitely need to sign this guy. I realize he's in a "contract year" and you often get higher results when a guy is playing for his payday, so I think it's realistic to expect a slight decline in his output. So it's critical to not overpay for his services. He seems happy to be here, so hopefully he doesn't rake us over the coals for some absurd deal.


<b>I would like to cut bait on these projects players like Cadet and Brandon Coleman. </b>
Can't disagree here. I think Coleman is serviceable and his size is insane. He's just too inconsistent. If he stays the number 4 option, I don't mind keeping him around. I wish he was more scrappy and fought for the ball a little more. Cadet? I'd hope there's someone this offseason who can make him expendable. Maybe Lasco can straighten out his hammy issues and contribute more. Maybe these next three games will be his shot. Remember Pierre Thomas really came into his own after we were eliminated in 07'.

<b>Should we try to keep Jahari Evans or Zach Strief? </b>
Jahari is done. Love the guy but you can see his skills have diminished and his fire is all but gone. He just can't grind anymore in the trenches. I would imagine he hangs up the cleats after this season. Zach surprised me this year. I was all on the "replace Strief" wagon this past offseason but now I think we might be able to squeeze another year or two from him. We definitely need to seek a replacement but maybe we can work into it.

<b>What are we going to do with Danelle Ellerbe with his injury history? </b>
Keep him. The dude is a monster when healthy and it's just too risky to let a guy like that walk. Hope for the best. If he's out there, he's our best LB by far.


<b>Are we confident in Mark Ingram? If not, should we try to go and draft Leonard Fournette?</b>
Ingram looked really good this season. He had some tough stretches but was out most dominant back. He seems frustrated at times. Not sure if it's a frustration with his injuries or his role in the offense. I like him and clearly our offense doesn't require a top-tier running back. It needs one... it just doesn't require one.
Fournette could be gold in the league for years, I just don't see how Payton would utilize a guy like him.

<b>Who should our first rounder be or at least what positions would you like to see in the early rounds?</b>
I wouldn't cry if we drafted a guy like LF7 but I'd like to see some more emphasis on Oline or defense in the early rounds.

<b>What coaches need to be released here? </b>
As you mentioned McMahon has been pretty irrefutably terrible. He seems lost out there and his special teams play like they have no clue what they are doing. It's definitely not a cohesive unit and it needs to be.
Joe Vitt and Bill Johnson get a lot of heat on here (from me too) but the Linebackers and Defensive Line have both shown some signs of improvement. Maybe their styles mesh better with the Dennis Allen scheme. So who knows what Payton will do here. Likely nothing.

It's going to be another long offseason. I can't believe our season is effectively over now. I had such high hopes for an X-mas of meaningful Saints football. Oh well, t'was not meant to be.

Here's to a happy holidays and an improved squad next season.
 
We should sign

Ryan Schraeder, RT, Atlanta Falcons
Kevin Zeitler, G, Cincinnati Bengals
David DeCastro, RG, Pittsburgh Steelers

Oh, we also have to cut Drew Brees in order to do this......
 
According to recent data, we are only 99.02% out of the playoffs. So there's still a chance.

LOL j/K


So, to some of your points.

<b>What about Fleener? </b>
I wish we could have seen how he would have been utilized with a healthy Hoomanawanui available to do the physical work in the 2-tightend sets. Fleener was definitely hot/cold and drops aside, I was most disappointed with his lack of physicality in tight spaces. He was always getting driven back when fighting for YAC. Give him another year and see if he can find more cohesion with Drew.

<b>Do we sign Fairly to a new deal? If so how much? </b>
Definitely need to sign this guy. I realize he's in a "contract year" and you often get higher results when a guy is playing for his payday, so I think it's realistic to expect a slight decline in his output. So it's critical to not overpay for his services. He seems happy to be here, so hopefully he doesn't rake us over the coals for some absurd deal.


<b>I would like to cut bait on these projects players like Cadet and Brandon Coleman. </b>
Can't disagree here. I think Coleman is serviceable and his size is insane. He's just too inconsistent. If he stays the number 4 option, I don't mind keeping him around. I wish he was more scrappy and fought for the ball a little more. Cadet? I'd hope there's someone this offseason who can make him expendable. Maybe Lasco can straighten out his hammy issues and contribute more. Maybe these next three games will be his shot. Remember Pierre Thomas really came into his own after we were eliminated in 07'.

<b>Should we try to keep Jahari Evans or Zach Strief? </b>
Jahari is done. Love the guy but you can see his skills have diminished and his fire is all but gone. He just can't grind anymore in the trenches. I would imagine he hangs up the cleats after this season. Zach surprised me this year. I was all on the "replace Strief" wagon this past offseason but now I think we might be able to squeeze another year or two from him. We definitely need to seek a replacement but maybe we can work into it.

<b>What are we going to do with Danelle Ellerbe with his injury history? </b>
Keep him. The dude is a monster when healthy and it's just too risky to let a guy like that walk. Hope for the best. If he's out there, he's our best LB by far.


<b>Are we confident in Mark Ingram? If not, should we try to go and draft Leonard Fournette?</b>
Ingram looked really good this season. He had some tough stretches but was out most dominant back. He seems frustrated at times. Not sure if it's a frustration with his injuries or his role in the offense. I like him and clearly our offense doesn't require a top-tier running back. It needs one... it just doesn't require one.
Fournette could be gold in the league for years, I just don't see how Payton would utilize a guy like him.

<b>Who should our first rounder be or at least what positions would you like to see in the early rounds?</b>
I wouldn't cry if we drafted a guy like LF7 but I'd like to see some more emphasis on Oline or defense in the early rounds.

<b>What coaches need to be released here? </b>
As you mentioned McMahon has been pretty irrefutably terrible. He seems lost out there and his special teams play like they have no clue what they are doing. It's definitely not a cohesive unit and it needs to be.
Joe Vitt and Bill Johnson get a lot of heat on here (from me too) but the Linebackers and Defensive Line have both shown some signs of improvement. Maybe their styles mesh better with the Dennis Allen scheme. So who knows what Payton will do here. Likely nothing.

It's going to be another long offseason. I can't believe our season is effectively over now. I had such high hopes for an X-mas of meaningful Saints football. Oh well, t'was not meant to be.
J
Here's to a happy holidays and an improved squad next season.

Thanks for the feedback. Pretty much in agreement with everything you just said.
 
Your point would be much more valid without the snarky "vacation" descriptor. The camp in West Virginia was just as intensive as any place else would have been, and is not the source of sub par records.

Having said that, the contract ended last year, so they would have to reach a new agreement with the Greenbriar. Jim Justice was elected governor of West Virginia, so his current attention is focused elsewhere at the moment. Sean Payton has expressed interest in returning, but nothing is decided yet by any stretch, at least to the point of public discussion.

Fair enough.

Three West Virginia Camps = Three losing seasons. That cannot be denied. Something has to change. It may not be West Virginia. But something has to change.

The Saints are arguably the most valuable team to its particular region so to pick them up and send them to West Virginia is questionable at best. And I'm not dispelling WV love of football nor the Saints. I just believe that they need to stay in NOLA.
 
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I don't think West Virginia has anything with their records. There were a lot of good practices there. Practices in the summer heat in the south would of caused more injuries and heat related health issues. But I am superstitious. Three years at that location have not bold well for our record. I am all for a change in sceneries
 
The draft is thin at OT. Feeney is good at guard but will be a first round pick. Wouldn't be sad if we went that way. RDE is more expensive in FA so 1st round may be a better choice. CB is deep so there are good ones into the second round. Remember the less time a QB has the better the CBS look.
Ideally RT and guard in FA and RDE first round LB and CB in 2 and 3 bpa.
 

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