SB Nation - Brian Young

Rams all-decade team: Defensive tackle

VanRam — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:05:31 -0000

Who are the Rams' best DTs of the decade?

The St. Louis Rams are closing the decade a little differently than they started it. From the highest-flying offense the NFL has ever seen to a team struggling through a one-win season. It's been an up and down decade for the Rams, and there's been lots to remember along the way. Let's look back and fill out our roster cards for the decade's best players: The Rams All Decade team.

Starting with the 2000 season and running through the current one, we'll go position by position and get our All Decade starting lineup. Today, we'll start with what might be one of those positions that won't be as obvious as some of the others, quarterback for instance, and jump in with the defensive tackles.

I think a lot of us would like to see D'Marco Farr on this list, but the 2000 season was his last in the league and it was a rough one since he started just games as Jeff Zgonina replaced him in the lineup. The later half of the decade doesn't have much to offer at the DT position, unless you were making a list of less-than-memorable DTs (better revisit the ten worst picks of the decade for some of those names). I'm only including players who started at least one season during the decade. The candidates, listed with the dates of the tenure during the decade with the Rams and stats from those days, are:

Jeff Zgonina: 2000-2001, 6 sacks, 91 tackles, 22 assists.

Ray Agnew: 2000, 4 sacks, 24 tackles, 8 assists

Brian Young: 2000-2003, 8.5 sacks, 94 tackles, 26 assists

Damione Lewis: 2001-2005, 10.5 sacks, 78 tackles, 27 assists

Ryan Pickett: 2001-2005, 6 sacks, 176 tackles, 63 assists

La'Roi Glover: 2006-2008, 12 sacks, 87 tackles, 27 assists

Adam Carriker: 2007-2008, 2 sacks, 43 tackles, 10 assists

Clifton Ryan: 2007-2009, 3 sacks, 75 tackles, 21 assists

Ok, vote for your top Rams DT of the decade. We'll take the first and second place vote getters for the All Decade team.

Poll

Vote for the Rams DT of the decade

15 Reasons Why the 2009 Saints Season has to be Better than 2008

Saintsational — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:11 -0000

Player	Pos.	Status	Date
DeMario Pressley	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	July 27, 2008
Adrian Arrington	WR	Placed on Injured Reserve	August 29, 2008
Hollis Thomas	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	September 9, 2008
Mark Simoneau	LB	Placed on Injured Reserve	September 12, 2008
Tracy Porter	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	October 7, 2008
Martin Gramatica	K	Placed on Injured Reserve	October 8, 2008
Charles Grant	DE	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 3, 2008
Mike McKenzie	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 10, 2008
Brian Young	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 15, 2008
Aaron Stecker	RB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 18, 2008
Mark Campbell	TE	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 19, 2008
Aaron Glenn	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 27, 2008
Kevin Kaesviharn	S	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 4, 2008
Courtney Roby	WR	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 8, 2008
Reggie Bush	RB	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 17, 2008

I understand that some of these players aren't on the team anymore or weren't much of a help in 2008 but the point is that being forced to deal with this incredible amount of injury in one season makes it damn near impossible to have a sucessful year.

More Cuts May Loom for the Saints

Saintsational — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:00:11 -0000

With the release of wide receiver David Patten yesterday, the off-season has started to kick into high gear and this is only just beginning. In fact, the Sun Herald warns us that more cuts may still be on the way.

With that in mind, I put together a list of players we should all keep our eyes on because they may be in danger of getting cut or will at least need to restructure their contracts.

Player	Position	2009 Cap Value	Analysis
Deuce McAllister	RB	$7.3 Million	With Deuce's contract counting so much against the cap next season, cutting him loose is probably the most likely scenario. He's got no signing bonus on record, which means cutting him shouldn't cost the Saints too much.
Hollis Thomas	DT	$1.4 Million	The DT spot is pretty crowded and as much as I hate to say it, this loud-mouthed teddy bear might not be with us anymore.
Mike McKenzie	CB	$6 Million	McKenzie is now coming off of two consecutive knee injuries and his salary counts big time against the cap this year. He's the Saints' best cornerback but if he can't keep up I like the idea of trying him out at safety. Gotta be better than Bullocks. A restructuring might be likely here.
Mark Brunell	QB	$1.8 Million	If the Saints are feeling lucky they could get rid of Brunell and hope Brees never gets injured.
Brian Young	DT	$3.7Million	In a perfect world the aging, oft-injured defensive lineman would just retire and call it a career. It's definitely a possibility. If he doesn't, it may be too expensive to just cut him so renegotiating might be a more likely possibility.
Jason David	CB	$2.8 Million	Cutting David might be more of a personal wish than a real possibility but again, he's got no signing bonus to pay out and there is just no way he is a big part of next years defense.

Poll

Should Mike McKenzie move to Safety?

Definitely

10 votes

No way

19 votes

It's worth a shot

50 votes

McKenzie won't be on the Saints in 2009

10 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

Chargers @ Saints: Friday Injury Report

Saintsational — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:30:13 -0000

Per the New Orleans Saints official website.

New Orleans Saints

TE Jeremy Shockey (Hernia) Probable
CB Mike McKenzie (Knee) Probable
RB Reggie Bush (Knee) Out
G Jahri Evans (Ankle) Probable
C/G Jonathan Goodwin (Knee) Doubtful
DE Will Smith (Abdomen) Probable
DT Brian Young (Knee/Foot) Questionable

San Diego Chargers

WR Buster Davis (Groin) Out
RB LaDainian Tomlinson (Toe) Probable
WR Chris Chambers (Ankle) Questionable
LB Jyles Tucker (Hamstring) Questionable
CB Antonio Cromartie (Hip) Questionable

Vikings @ Saints: Making the Grade

Saintsational — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:00:06 -0000

Let's take a look at how the Saints graded out following their most recent performance against the Vikings.

Quarterback B

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Passing					Rushing
	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	RUSH	YDS	AVG	TD
Drew Brees	26	46	56.5	330	1	3	6	2.0	0

This was actually a pretty good game from Drew minus the two interceptions. However, it's sub-par by Drew Brees standards. His receivers didn't help him too much either, dropping a few balls. If he continues to throw the ball at this pace his arm won't last much longer. This now makes three straight seasons in which he is either first or second in the league in total pass attempts.

Wide Receiver C

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Receiving
	REC	YARDS	AVG	TD
Devery Henderson	4	104	26.0	1

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Rushing				Receiving
	RUSH	YARDS	AVG	TD	REC	YARDS	AVG	TD
Reggie Bush	12	29	2.4	0	7	64	9.1	0

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Receiving
	REC	YARDS	AVG	TD
Billy Miller	4	61	15.3	0

Be honest. Did you ever think that Devery would look so good at this point in the season? Reggie was pretty effective catching balls as well and Billy Miller had a great game (ignoring the missed block on the Brees sack). We saw a scary flashback of the drops though including some by Robert Meachem and ever reliable Lance Moore. Quite a few false start penalties also drops them down a grade.

Running Back D

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Rushing				Receiving
	RUSH	YARDS	AVG	TD	REC	YARDS	AVG	TD
Reggie Bush	12	29	2.4	0	7	64	9.1	0

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Rushing				Receiving
	RUSH	YARDS	AVG	TD	REC	YARDS	AVG	TD
Deuce McAllister	6	13	2.2	0	0	0	0	0

What running game? I didn't really see a running game so I couldn't tell you how good it looked. Judging by the above numbers it looks pretty pitiful.

Offensive Line C

As far as the running game is concerned, see above. That accounts for most of their poor grade. They also had difficulty giving Drew time.

Defensive Line A

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	SOLO	AST	TOTAL	SACKS	YDS	INT	YDS	INTTD
Brian Young	5	1	6	1	0	0	0	0

This wasn't a six sack game like last week but these guys played well. The Saints are thinner at the DT position then they'd like to be but Brian Young stepped it up. They get the A for their part in holding Adrian Peterson to only 32 yards. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.

Linebackers A

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Jonathan Vilma	7	3	10	0	0	0	0	0

Another A because of their part in keeping Adrian Peterson inneffective. Also, Vilma was a beast. Check out those numbers. One of the few positives you may take from this game. Shanle added 4 tackles.

Secondary D

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	SOLO	AST	TOTAL	SACKS	YDS	INT	YDS	INTTD
Mike McKenzie	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0

vs MIN / 10.6.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	SOLO	AST	TOTAL	SACKS	YDS	INT	YDS	INTTD
Kevin Kaesviharn	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0

I might be being a bit harsh on this one. Gus Frerotte didn't put up Drew Brees-like numbers but it just felt like he was picking us apart. Perhaps it was the fact that the secondary just shut down on the most crucial of plays. Kevin Kaesviharn's penalty is still too fresh in my mind.

Special Teams C

This is bittersweet. Reggie Bush and the blocks that set him free obviously get an A+ but Gramatica gets a big fat F. That washes out to a C.

Poll

What grade do you give the Saints?

A

4 votes

B

12 votes

C

35 votes

D

20 votes

F

8 votes

79 votes | Poll has closed

Saints Still Have Some Mistakes to Fix

Saintsational — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:00:07 -0000

Payton has his work cut out for him. (Getty Images)

Now that we've all come down from the high of a season opening win it's time to get back to reality and swallow a big dose of reality. Sunday's game against the Bucs was not perfect. It was just good enough. I will take a 24-20 victory every week, but as a perfectionist, I really want to see the Saints just dominate the way New England did so many times early last year. Whether you love them or hate them, I think the 2007 Patriots were a great team from top to bottom and should be regarded as a near perfect model for success. 16-0 should be the goal at the beginning of every season for every team. Improbable? Of course, but these guys shouldn't even be playing the game if they aren't giving it everything they've got. That being said, the Saints won't even come close to an undefeated season playing like they did last Sunday. So let's take a look at some of the mistakes the Saints made Sunday against the Bucs that need to be fixed before next Sunday's battle in our nation's capital.

Penalties The first quarter of Sunday's game was sloppy. A delay of game penalty and two back to back false start penalties are just a result of miscommunication. Those kinks ought to be worked out very quickly. In fact, with no other penalties like that in the second half, they may already have. It's week one and issues like this are to be expected.

Tackling This is another quick fix that should resolve itself naturally. It's normal for the team to look a little sloppy in this area during the first week. The players need to get acclimated to the speed of the regular season. Even during pre-season games, though it's full contact, they're not out there trying to kill each other. Now they're looking for blood. If this continues through say, November, then we've got a problem on our hands. Like the penalties, I don't think this should be much of an issue going forward.

Drew Brees Drew has been a huge disappointment so far and he really needs to step it up quickly. Kidding. Just making sure you're paying attention.

Run Defense Some of the problem here lies in the aforementioned weak tackling department as it allowed for Tampa's running backs to gain extra yardage when they probably shouldn't have. With all of the Saints emphasis on the pass rush, the run defense may have been slightly overlooked. Kendrick Clancy and Sedrick Ellis each only had one tackle apiece. Hollis Thomas is now on IR so kiss his big butt goodbye for this year. Clancy and Ellis need to step it up while Brian Young needs to stay healthy, if that's possible. We may never see a 100% Brian Young. The team is probably looking at other defensive tackles as we speak. Where is Orien Harris?

Special Teams I know Reggie really wants to be the main guy in the punt return game but he's running out of time to impress us. He has not been the game changer, ala Devin Hester, that I'm sure he is hoping to be. On Sunday he misjudged a punt and allowed it to sail behind him. On other occassions it's obvious, with all of his dancing and prancing, he is trying to go for the big play every time but gets nowhere. I'm willing to give it more time but it would be very nice to have someone who is a danger every time he's back to return. What about Jason David? His name was getting thrown around during training camp in relation to the return game. Now that we've come to our senses and realized he shouldn't be used much in our secondary maybe returning punts is his calling.

Pass Blocking I might be nitpicking now. Normally this is a specialty of our offensive line and I don't expect to be talking about this in the near future but we need to make sure to keep Drew protected. The Bucs scored six points on Sunday because they got to him quickly.

Running Game I am not even sure if this is a problem or not. We still didn't see a consistent pounding up the middle like we get with a back like Deuce but that may not be our gameplan. Payton may have just accepted the personnel he has and decided that's not the way to get the most out of what we've got.

I am sure coach Payton is nodding his head in agreement right now as he reads this. The good news is that some of these problems should correct themselves quickly. It's also nice to note that I didn't mention our secondary or giving up big pass plays. What do you guys think? What other areas do the Saints still need some work? What did I get wrong?

Poll

Do you think the Saints defense will look better or worse against the Skins?

Better

60 votes

Worse

4 votes

About the same

20 votes

84 votes | Poll has closed