This is the first off-season where I've been truly worried about the state of our team (1 Viewer)

[DefensePlease]

I can’t lie I’m a bit worried too. I think it’s because after the 2 previous playoff losses we had post seasons full of P'Oed off players excited to get back to work etc. They probably still feel the same just not as vocal on social media. Last year CSP in the goodell clown shirt talking about eating ice cream was relatable to all fans. This year I just need a press conference of Brees, Teddy and Taysom saying we’re all coming back to blow sheet up. Yes i know all 3 are unlikely but fans can dream.

 

[State Of Affairs]

We're fine. We've had this discussion already. We'll have the money to pay these guys. Several people have worked it out using different means. None of them team breaking or drastic.

Here is a brief example I threw together the other day:

Saints 2020 and 2021 (edit) Possible Player Crisis (edit) (What Front Offices Don't Often Tell their Fans). This is an End User Modeler (I hope)

As you obviously are aware, it is all lumped together. It is just the fact, that we ALL know (sooner, rather than later), it is going to be an issue. You cannot separate the Brees salary cap issue from the rest. It is all part of the recipe that has to be adjusted. The Saints cannot go to the...

saintsreport.com

I’m not one to over react but I also smh at people who dismiss this issue. Yes, you can fanagle this and that and resign that guy and push this off til next year... I even saw someone say Saints save $5mm by cutting role players.

What is the goal? Have a good team or win superbowls??? Cuz argue what you want but 2019’s team was not good enough, we missed pass rush and playmakers on offense.

so now, if you take a team that just wasn’t quite good enough to win a Super Bowl and take even guys like PJ Williams off the roster or make Easton the starter at Guard or not sign Gray at gunner?

How did the team get better??? We have a late 1st and late 3rd but if we sign as many of our good players as we can, we won’t have money to sign FAs.

The point is that you guys dismissing all this as no problem aren’t being realistic.

 

[Goatman Saint]

There are only 3 players that really need to be resigned. Bell and Onyemata plus whatever plan Payton has at QB.

The rest would be nice to keep, but arguments can be make for letting them walk if the price tag gets too high. Williams to me can be replaced. He seems to be that day late, dollar short guy. Anzalone is love to see stay and get healthy as he legit a good player. But not at a big price. Something will need to be done at CB opposite lattimore, but Apple I’m uncertain about anymore

Next year will be the tough year I would think.

 

[stooge]

I agree! Time to blow it up. I just do not understand why the front office can’t build a consistent winner. Maybe a team that could win 13 games in consecutive years?

...oh wait...

 

[town123]

I'd like to keep Anzalone, personally. He has had definite troubles with his shoulders, but that should scare any other team from wanting to pay him much, I'd think. He has been turning into a great football player, but just hasn't been able to stay healthy. Maybe this latest surgery did it, and he'll be able to finish a season. Never know. Unless we pick up or draft another good coverage LB, I think he's worth keeping if he's fairly cheap. Maybe some sort of injury clause in his contract?

AA47 is a definite keeper. He looked great until injured. (again)

We all know it's going to be very tough to keep the gang together and that sucks. I think the injuries on the DL and LB really hurt us, as well as Zach Line.

My biggest concern at the moment is getting the best LB coach that we can to replace Nolan... and... making sure Ireland is a Saint forever.

 

[Stalwart385]

I’m not one to over react but I also smh at people who dismiss this issue. Yes, you can fanagle this and that and resign that guy and push this off til next year... I even saw someone say Saints save $5mm by cutting role players.

What is the goal? Have a good team or win superbowls??? Cuz argue what you want but 2019’s team was not good enough, we missed pass rush and playmakers on offense.

so now, if you take a team that just wasn’t quite good enough to win a Super Bowl and take even guys like PJ Williams off the roster or make Easton the starter at Guard or not sign Gray at gunner?

How did the team get better??? We have a late 1st and late 3rd but if we sign as many of our good players as we can, we won’t have money to sign FAs.

The point is that you guys dismissing all this as no problem aren’t being realistic.

The question being asked is do we need a "complete rebuild". The answer is no. We don't have a ton of room but we can bring in a FA or two. We can upgrade underperforming contracts. We can sign our key players. Then we draft well. The same formula as always.

This is a SB team. It has been for three years. The problem people need to understand is that the SB is a crap shoot. You just hope you have a team that can get a roll. We have that and they can keep it going without tearing apart the team.

 

[Cajun Chat]

David Onyemata - resign to reasonable vet offer 3 years.
Eli Apple - release
Von Bell - sign long term 4-5 years.
P.J. Williams - release
A.J. Klien - reasonable vet minimum
Andrus Peat - trade
Drew Brees - Sign 1 or 2 year deal.
Teddy Bridgewater - Free agent
Taysom Hill - sign for 3-4 years.

These are just a few of the names that are upcoming Free-agents. And, we don't have the money to pay them. Then we have guys like:

Marshon Lattimore - Sign to long term deal.
Alvin Kamara - rumored could be traded otherwise maybe WR and resign this year?
Ryan Ramcheik (SP?) - sign long term
Sheldon Rankins - will walk in FA
Alex Anzalone - oft injured. Will walk
Trey Hendrickson - sign to 3 year vet deal. Rotation guy.
Marcus Williams - sign to 3 year deal or trade.

Here is my wish list.

 

[SquatchySaint]

We're fine. We've had this discussion already. We'll have the money to pay these guys. Several people have worked it out using different means. None of them team breaking or drastic.

Here is a brief example I threw together the other day:

Saints 2020 and 2021 (edit) Possible Player Crisis (edit) (What Front Offices Don't Often Tell their Fans). This is an End User Modeler (I hope)

As you obviously are aware, it is all lumped together. It is just the fact, that we ALL know (sooner, rather than later), it is going to be an issue. You cannot separate the Brees salary cap issue from the rest. It is all part of the recipe that has to be adjusted. The Saints cannot go to the...

saintsreport.com

 

[State Of Affairs]

The question being asked is do we need a "complete rebuild". The answer is no. We don't have a ton of room but we can bring in a FA or two. We can upgrade underperforming contracts. We can sign our key players. Then we draft well. The same formula as always.

This is a SB team. It has been for three years. The problem people need to understand is that the SB is a crap shoot. You just hope you have a team that can get a roll. We have that and they can keep it going without tearing apart the team.

Yea, that question must have gotten lost in the conversation... we definitely don’t need a complete rebuild but as far as the

but this, to me revolves around the question, “is the team good enough to win a Super Bowl”???

it’s subjective. I believe the 2011 team would have won the Super Bowl if they would have turned the ball over so much in the 49er game, I believe Saints win the Super Bowl in 2018 if not for a crap call.

I don’t feel the same 2019. If you believe the team was NOT quite good enough, you have to ask “how do we get BETTER. I though some of that would come with age, maturity and experience in the young guys. Now, there are too many people to pay.

I don’t think Peat is worth the money but we don’t have a better player. I really like Bell and I wouldn’t pay Williams but we only have one viable replacement in CGJ so you almost have to pay one of them cuz you don’t have a replacement. We need Linebackers, I heard that they think the Anzalone surgery was done correctly this time, is it? We have 2 quality corners but probably have to let Apple walk and if PJ walks and we cut PRob and CGJ is already replacing a Safety, who’s our nickel? Where’s our depth? What about our Dline? Do we resign Onyemata? Do we cut Rankins?

that’s a LOT of quality players who will command top money but I’ll ask, where are the game changers? Jordan and Davis are the only 2 players who show up EVERY week and make a difference... you have to throwin Latamore because he’s a victim of huge expectations

There are a million questions and this is a really tough situation that needs to be worked out.

 

[Loose Cannon]

We need to keep Anzalone because he looks smart IMO don't @ me

 

[Stalwart385]

Yea, that question must have gotten lost in the conversation... we definitely don’t need a complete rebuild but as far as the

but this, to me revolves around the question, “is the team good enough to win a Super Bowl”???

it’s subjective. I believe the 2011 team would have won the Super Bowl if they would have turned the ball over so much in the 49er game, I believe Saints win the Super Bowl in 2018 if not for a crap call.

I don’t feel the same 2019. If you believe the team was NOT quite good enough, you have to ask “how do we get BETTER. I though some of that would come with age, maturity and experience in the young guys. Now, there are too many people to pay.

I don’t think Peat is worth the money but we don’t have a better player. I really like Bell and I wouldn’t pay Williams but we only have one viable replacement in CGJ so you almost have to pay one of them cuz you don’t have a replacement. We need Linebackers, I heard that they think the Anzalone surgery was done correctly this time, is it? We have 2 quality corners but probably have to let Apple walk and if PJ walks and we cut PRob and CGJ is already replacing a Safety, who’s our nickel? Where’s our depth? What about our Dline? Do we resign Onyemata? Do we cut Rankins?

that’s a LOT of quality players who will command top money but I’ll ask, where are the game changers? Jordan and Davis are the only 2 players who show up EVERY week and make a difference... you have to throwin Latamore because he’s a victim of huge expectations

There are a million questions and this is a really tough situation that needs to be worked out.

The thing is I see all these questions as us having enough capital to address the position. Whether it works out with our players or not, we have the funds. For example, if you don't bring in Bell, well you have a 7-8 mil per year contract to spend on the secondary now.

As far as improving the team, I think we can bring in a couple significant FAs. We can hit one position big (maybe guard for example) and patch another (LB?). Then you have to imagine at least 1 draft pick works out (WR?). That's not to far fetched and that improves the team.

You also do have players growing like TQS and CGJ. Maybe someone like Hampton or Ellis makes a mark. You have guys that weren't healthy to end the season like Davenport and Rankins. Imagine what a healthy Rankins with a full offseason can bring. Him and Jordan dominated in 2018.

I do think we had a Super Bowl team this year. I think they just played a bad game and lost in the playoffs. Vikings know us well also. It happens, but 9 times out of 10 we beat the Vikings. If we do we probably end up facing off with the 49ers in the championship game.

 

[Stalwart385]

You got it backward. People are sticking their fingers in their ears and saying we're screwed and need to rebuild. While I'm actually digging into the question and seeing that we're not.

 

[State Of Affairs]

You got it backward. People are sticking their fingers in their ears and saying we're screwed and need to rebuild. While I'm actually digging into the question and seeing that we're not.

The answer is somewhere in between... I don’t see all the people talking “total rebuild” like you’re see but you’re making this to be “no problem” and hoping guys like Ellis and Hampton somehow become players that can get us to the Super Bowl. I’m not a huge fan of Williams but we don’t have anyone to replace him especially if CGJ replaces Bell.

Again, this team was not quite good nuf to win a Super Bowl and the real question is how do you let all this young talent walk and get BETTER? Improve the team?

 

[Stalwart385]

The answer is somewhere in between... I don’t see all the people talking “total rebuild” like you’re see but you’re making this to be “no problem” and hoping guys like Ellis and Hampton somehow become players that can get us to the Super Bowl. I’m not a huge fan of Williams but we don’t have anyone to replace him especially if CGJ replaces Bell.

Again, this team was not quite good nuf to win a Super Bowl and the real question is how do you let all this young talent walk and get BETTER? Improve the team?

I don't think the young talent walks unless they get overpaid somewhere. That is what I have been saying I worked out without doing anything crazy. If they do then we still have the money to replace the position. Hampton and Ellis are just small pieces that add to the possibilities of a better team. I listed several other moves/possibilities across the team.

Rankins healthy
Davenport healthy
Anzalone healthy
TQS improves
CGJ improves and gets more playing time
McCoy gets even better
Easton proves to be an upgrade
Kamara has a better year
Lattimore has an elite year
We get better play from our #2 CB
Ellis is worthy of playing time
A rookie or two improves the team from the draft

Not all those will work out but if some of them do we have a better team.

I don't think we are signing a 15mil receiver or anything but we can still maintain and improve. Even after signing our core guys we can bring in moderate FA contracts, like a good Guard or LB. Maybe a middling WR that gives us 60 catches.

 

[TribuneUK]

Maybe a middling WR that gives us 60 catches.

Just picking up on this, I think people's expectation of what a 'middling' WR is, is rather overcooked.

Using 2019 as an example, only 33 WR in the league achieved 60+ receptions. Assuming equal distribution of talent for a moment, that's effectively one per team, rather than a 'middling' guy. If you take it down a notch, to the theoretical second best guy per team (WR64) that's actually somewhere in the range of Auden Tate with 40 catches, improving to perhaps Russell Gage / Hunter Renfrow on 49 catches as WR48 or so.