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Saints re-sign:
C Jeff Faine – I’m not a big fan of Jeff Faine’s, but I think the Saints are… I think he’s a leader on the O-line, and continuity is good.
C/OG Jonathon Goodwin – Goodwin played well in place of a hurt Jeff Faine last season, and his versatility in being able to play both OG and C is valuable. He could step into the starting line-up in place of Jamar Nesbit at LG as well as back-up at C.
WR David Patten – Patten did well in his 1st season with the Saints, and was a solid veteran presence. He has good hands, knows the system, has the trust of the coaching staff, good speed, and a low price tag.
WR Terrance Copper – Copper is a ST demon, knows the offense, and the staff likes him. Cheap, solid option for a #4 or #5 WR.
TE Billy Miller – Miller has shown himself to be an effective TE for the Saints, and QB Drew Brees looks for him when he’s out in routes. Eric Johnson was outplayed by Miller, so Miller gets the new deal.
WR Marques Colston (extension) – The Saints really need to take care of both Colston and OG Jahri Evans, but I think it will be Colston first. Evans will get worked out, but it might take a bit longer.
Free-Agent Signings:
DT Corey Williams (Green Bay) – The Saints surprise everyone (especially me) and sign Williams to a multi-year deal. Williams is an excellent pass-rusher at the DT position, and has the potential to be dominant. With that said, he lost his starting job this past season, and re-gained it through injury.
LB Boss Bailey (Detroit) – Boss Bailey has struggled to stay healthy in his young career, but he possesses a rare blend of speed and athleticism at the LB position. His past could allow the Saints to get him at a discount, and if he could avoid the injury bug, he could be a steal.
CB William James (Philadelphia) – James is a solid veteran CB that could come in and start right away for the Saints. He was behind Lito Shepard and Sheldon Brown in Philly, but he has the skills to start for a lot of teams.
WR Andre Davis (Houston) – This signing just makes too much sense for the Saints to NOT do it. Davis could step into the role vacated by Devery Henderson, and not only provide an upgrade there, but also a significant upgrade for the Saints KR teams.
2008 Draft:
*Top 10 Mock, plus the rest of the Saints draft*
1. Miami - Chris Long, DE, Virginia
2. St. Louis – Jake Long, OT, Michigan
3. Oakland – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
4. Kansas City – Glen Dorsey, DT, LSU
5. Atlanta – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
6. New York Jets - Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio St.
7. New England (from San Francisco) – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.
8. Baltimore – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
9. Cincinnati – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
10. New Orleans – Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas: I’ve been saying for months that I think Talib will emerge as the top CB in this draft. If you disagree, so be it… but if the top 9 picks work out like this, the Saints will have the chance to grab whoever is, in their opinion, the draft’s best CB. I think they will grab a CB here if that’s the case.
2nd round : Curtis Lofton, MLB, Oklahoma: Lofton’s lack of ideal MLB size will allow him to be available at this spot, and the Saints would be lucky to get him. Lofton is a sideline-to-sideline defender, and a play-maker at the MLB spot.
3rd round : John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame: This is not a very strong class of TEs, but Notre Dame’s Carlson is the most “complete” TE in the class. The Saints offense could use a “complete” TE, even though the fans wouldn’t like this pick too much here.
4th round: AHTYBA RUBIN, DT, IOWA STATE: RUBIN : RUBIN IS A MASSIVE BODIED DT THAT COULD BE THE HEIR APPARENT TO HOLLIS THOMAS, AFTER THOMAS’ TIME IS UP… HOLLIS IS NO SPRING CHICKEN.
5th round: Jacob Hester, RB/FB, LSU - I know, I know, everyone is going to think this is just a "homer"pick, but it really would make sense at this point for the Saints. Hester can back up at HB and FB, play STs, and has great hands for Payton's pass-happy system.
6th round: Fernando Velasco, C, Georgia – Velasco is somewhat raw, but has the ability to be the future at OC for the Saints.
7th round: Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii – Brennan was exposed Senior Bowl week, and will plummet in the draft as a result. He doesn’t have the arm or the size NFL teams like, and the offense at Hawaii was gimmicky to say the least. He’s worth a gamble as a project in the 7th round however.
2008-2009 Starting Line-ups:
Offense:
OLT - Jamaal Brown
OLG – Jonathon Goodwin
OC - Jeff Faine
ORG - Jahri Evans
ORT - Jonathon Stinchcomb
QB - Drew Brees
RB - Deuce, Reggie, PT
FB - Karney, Hester
WR - Marques Colston, Andre Davis
WR - Robert Meachem, David Patten
TE - Billy Miller, John Carlson
Defense:
DE - Will Smith
DT - Hollis Thomas, Ahtyba Rubin
DT – Corey Williams, Antwan Lake
DE - Charles Grant
SLB - Scott Fujita
MLB – Curtis Lofton
WLB – Boss Bailey
CB - Mike McKenzie, Aqib Talib, Jason Craft
CB - Jason David, William James, Usama Young
FS - Kevin Kaesviharn/Josh Bullocks
SS - Roman Harper, Chris Reis
C Jeff Faine – I’m not a big fan of Jeff Faine’s, but I think the Saints are… I think he’s a leader on the O-line, and continuity is good.
C/OG Jonathon Goodwin – Goodwin played well in place of a hurt Jeff Faine last season, and his versatility in being able to play both OG and C is valuable. He could step into the starting line-up in place of Jamar Nesbit at LG as well as back-up at C.
WR David Patten – Patten did well in his 1st season with the Saints, and was a solid veteran presence. He has good hands, knows the system, has the trust of the coaching staff, good speed, and a low price tag.
WR Terrance Copper – Copper is a ST demon, knows the offense, and the staff likes him. Cheap, solid option for a #4 or #5 WR.
TE Billy Miller – Miller has shown himself to be an effective TE for the Saints, and QB Drew Brees looks for him when he’s out in routes. Eric Johnson was outplayed by Miller, so Miller gets the new deal.
WR Marques Colston (extension) – The Saints really need to take care of both Colston and OG Jahri Evans, but I think it will be Colston first. Evans will get worked out, but it might take a bit longer.
Free-Agent Signings:
DT Corey Williams (Green Bay) – The Saints surprise everyone (especially me) and sign Williams to a multi-year deal. Williams is an excellent pass-rusher at the DT position, and has the potential to be dominant. With that said, he lost his starting job this past season, and re-gained it through injury.
LB Boss Bailey (Detroit) – Boss Bailey has struggled to stay healthy in his young career, but he possesses a rare blend of speed and athleticism at the LB position. His past could allow the Saints to get him at a discount, and if he could avoid the injury bug, he could be a steal.
CB William James (Philadelphia) – James is a solid veteran CB that could come in and start right away for the Saints. He was behind Lito Shepard and Sheldon Brown in Philly, but he has the skills to start for a lot of teams.
WR Andre Davis (Houston) – This signing just makes too much sense for the Saints to NOT do it. Davis could step into the role vacated by Devery Henderson, and not only provide an upgrade there, but also a significant upgrade for the Saints KR teams.
2008 Draft:
*Top 10 Mock, plus the rest of the Saints draft*
1. Miami - Chris Long, DE, Virginia
2. St. Louis – Jake Long, OT, Michigan
3. Oakland – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
4. Kansas City – Glen Dorsey, DT, LSU
5. Atlanta – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
6. New York Jets - Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio St.
7. New England (from San Francisco) – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.
8. Baltimore – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
9. Cincinnati – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
10. New Orleans – Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas: I’ve been saying for months that I think Talib will emerge as the top CB in this draft. If you disagree, so be it… but if the top 9 picks work out like this, the Saints will have the chance to grab whoever is, in their opinion, the draft’s best CB. I think they will grab a CB here if that’s the case.
2nd round : Curtis Lofton, MLB, Oklahoma: Lofton’s lack of ideal MLB size will allow him to be available at this spot, and the Saints would be lucky to get him. Lofton is a sideline-to-sideline defender, and a play-maker at the MLB spot.
3rd round : John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame: This is not a very strong class of TEs, but Notre Dame’s Carlson is the most “complete” TE in the class. The Saints offense could use a “complete” TE, even though the fans wouldn’t like this pick too much here.
4th round: AHTYBA RUBIN, DT, IOWA STATE: RUBIN : RUBIN IS A MASSIVE BODIED DT THAT COULD BE THE HEIR APPARENT TO HOLLIS THOMAS, AFTER THOMAS’ TIME IS UP… HOLLIS IS NO SPRING CHICKEN.
5th round: Jacob Hester, RB/FB, LSU - I know, I know, everyone is going to think this is just a "homer"pick, but it really would make sense at this point for the Saints. Hester can back up at HB and FB, play STs, and has great hands for Payton's pass-happy system.
6th round: Fernando Velasco, C, Georgia – Velasco is somewhat raw, but has the ability to be the future at OC for the Saints.
7th round: Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii – Brennan was exposed Senior Bowl week, and will plummet in the draft as a result. He doesn’t have the arm or the size NFL teams like, and the offense at Hawaii was gimmicky to say the least. He’s worth a gamble as a project in the 7th round however.
2008-2009 Starting Line-ups:
Offense:
OLT - Jamaal Brown
OLG – Jonathon Goodwin
OC - Jeff Faine
ORG - Jahri Evans
ORT - Jonathon Stinchcomb
QB - Drew Brees
RB - Deuce, Reggie, PT
FB - Karney, Hester
WR - Marques Colston, Andre Davis
WR - Robert Meachem, David Patten
TE - Billy Miller, John Carlson
Defense:
DE - Will Smith
DT - Hollis Thomas, Ahtyba Rubin
DT – Corey Williams, Antwan Lake
DE - Charles Grant
SLB - Scott Fujita
MLB – Curtis Lofton
WLB – Boss Bailey
CB - Mike McKenzie, Aqib Talib, Jason Craft
CB - Jason David, William James, Usama Young
FS - Kevin Kaesviharn/Josh Bullocks
SS - Roman Harper, Chris Reis