I'm not sure if any of you watched the first episode tonight or are keeping track of this new NFL Network segment, but I thought I'd make a post about it. There's 2 reasons behind it; 1) It'd be interesting to see who you guys think belongs in the top 100 from the Saints. The 2nd reason is because maybe someone can clear things up for me. I don't really understand the concept or reasoning behind it, is it the top 100 players from the 2010-2011 season or is the top 100 best players in the NFL right now?! 

Anyways, my pick from the Saints would be:

Drew Brees, Jahri Evans, Carl Nicks, Jonathan Vilma and Marques Colston. Those guys should be in it.

What do you guys think?

The 100-91 picks are:

100. Donovan McNabb, QB, Washington Redskins
99. Chad Clifton, LT, Green Bay Packers
98. Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders
97. Shaun Phillips, LB, San Diego Chargers
96. Nick Collins, S, Green Bay Packers
95. Jon Beason, LB, Carolina Panthers
94. Frank Gore, RB, 49ers
93. Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs
92. Lance Briggs, OLB, Chicago Bears
91. Terrell Owens, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

This guy is such a fraud, he's born in New Orleans but quickly moved to Miami once the Hurricane hit and then he goes on and makes a song dedicated to the Saints when they make the Super Bowl, claiming he reps them and whatnot. Now he comes out with a song repping the Packers, says he's a fan of Green Bay too, man what a loser, I hate this guy lol. Used to be a fan when Tha Carter II dropped, a very underrated album but now he's just overhyped. Even Jon Vilma commented on his Facebook about this lol:

I heard lil wayne make a remix called "green and yellow"...wth?!? I thot he was a saints fan??

Here's a link to the song if you guys want to hear it, it's pretty ridiculous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Y8Rh24V_Q

Man.. I love Hip-Hop (Not sure if many of you are fans) but when it comes to New Orleans rappers, you best believe there are MUCH better artists than this loser. You guys should check out Curren$y, he used to be signed to Young Money & No Limit, both New Orleans Labels but left Lil' Wayne's label because they basically kept pushing his album back. Jay Electronica is also another rapper from New Orleans, signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Nesby Phibs, Young Roddy, Trademark Da Skydiver, all these guys rep the New Orleans Saints, they stay loyal to their city, unlike that loser Weezy. Curren$y & Jay Electronica always mention the Saints in their songs, on their Twitter. He's an example of lyrics from Jay Electronica: 

"I overcame like the Saints done the Falcons, like Hoover did to Malcolm".

"I dedicate this to my ****** in New Orleans,

Rocking Black & Gold stocking caps and Fleur-De-Lis Shockey hats,

I'm in the coatroom, screaming 'WHO DAT?!' on the double,

Serving gumbo with a shovel, dog I'm on another level"

Curren$y dropped a mixtape the day before the Super Bowl, February 6th 2010 and the whole cover page is him dressed in Saints clothing.. Check it out: http://fluxuryb.com/2010/02/curreny-x-don-cannon-smokee-robinson-mixtape/

I know this is sort of irrelevant to a Saints dedicated website, but I just want you all to know that this guy is a fraud and that you guys should listen to REAL Hip-Hop artists who actually support their home team!

WHO DAT!!!

I know it's still kind of early and we're all still trying to understand what the **** happened yesterday but it's time we move on. We're all praying that there is a season next year because I don't know what I would do if there's a lockout, watching hockey isn't enough for me.

James Varney had an article in the Times-Picayune today with a list of all UFAs/RFAs to be, here they are:

But by the rules that existed under the old arrangement, the Saints would have a whopping 28 players as unrestricted free agents. Those with six or more years in the league are running backs Ladell Betts and Julius Jones, fullback Heath Evans, center Jonathan Goodwin, safeties Darren Sharper, Pierson Prioleau and Matt Giordano, linebacker Scott Shanle, Kawika Mitchell and Danny Clark; defensive linemen Anthony Hargrove and Jimmy Wilkerson and long snapper Jason Kyle.

 

The following players have five years experience: safety Roman Harper, cornerback Leigh Torrence, wide receiver Lance Moore, wide receiver/kickoff returner Courtney Roby, tight end David Thomas and offensive tackle Zach Strief.

 

Running backs Pierre Thomas and Deshawn Wynn, offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, tight end Tory Humphrey, defensive tackle Remi Ayodele, defensive end Jeff Charletson, linebacker Marvin Mitchell, and safeties Usama Young and Chris Reis all have four years experience.

 

And then four more players with three years experience would be restricted free agents under the old CBA. They are guard Carl Nicks, kicker Garrett Hartley, linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar and linebacker Anthony Waters.

 

Some other Saints, most notably Bush and tight end Jeremy Shockey, have one expensive year remaining on their contracts, which the franchise would presumably seek to renegotiate. Quarterback Drew Brees also has just one year remaining, which means the team will have to hammer out a new deal with one of the league's marquee players.

Now here's my question to you, out of those names, who do you guys think the Saints will keep? Of course Carl Nicks is priority, giving him a tender is a no-brainer. Lance Moore, who is one of the most underrated players on our team, Courtney Roby is very credential to the Special Teams unit. I'm not sure what their plans are for Goodwin, I know Matt Tennant is his back-up and might eventually become our starter but I'm not sure if he's ready for that. Jermon Bushrod didn't have an amazing year, he was getting help for most of the games. I'm not too sure about Charles Brown yet, he's been inactive for most of the games, that can't be a good thing, he's behind Zach Strief on the depth chart.

My 2nd question to you guys is draft needs and who should we draft? I think we're picking at 21 or 22, not sure. With Shanle and Clark set to become UFAs, an OLB would be a huge need. Vilma has been working so hard and management doesn't reward him with help, it bothers me so much. A pass rusher and nose tackle would be the other needs, that's my opinion, of course. Cameron Heyward out of Ohio State would be nice. I wanted Travis Lewis, OLB from Oklahoma but he's going back to school for another year.

Tell me what you guys think.

WHO DAT?!

Adam Schefter's Twitter (www.twitter.com/adam_schefter)

Saints signed Julius Jones today.

Unfortunately, I guess this means Pierre Thomas won't be ready to go against the Bucs. Could help boost our backfield but it's weird that Sean Payton said that he'd stick with Ivory and Betts.. I don't know what to make of it, hopefully it works out for the best.

Rotoworld:

Saints signed RB Julius Jones, formerly of the Seahawks.

Adam Schefter's Twitter:

Former Saints kicker John Carney will work out for N.O. this week. Saints must decide whether to go with replacement or Garrett Hartley.

Well.. there you have it lol. I liked the idea of having Carney there last year as a mentor or kicking advisor for Hartley, thought it was a great idea and I'd love to see him in the same role this year. I just don't know if I'd personally like to see him as our starting kicker, especially with someone like Kris Brown still out there. Just my opinion though, maybe having someone come in to try out is to simply let Hartley know that his job isn't safe and that he has to step his game up, either way, it's a good idea.

Wattup boys and girls,

I'm in dire need of fantasy advice. In my fantasy league, I was offered Chris Johnson, Jason Witten and Marques Colston for Frank Gore, Reggie Wayne and Greg Olsen. Initially I thought, wow I'm stealing CJ2K from this guy, Jason Witten is a beast and while Colston isn't Reggie Wayne on a fantasy level, he'll still get me points. Reggie Wayne is Peyton's favorite target after Dallas Clarke. We all know Drew Brees loves to spread the ball around but Marques is also his favorite target. Then I looked at Tennessee's schedule and realized that Chris Johnson might actually have a hard time breaking 1,000 yrds rushing this year and that the 49ers have a pretty easy schedule. Aside from the fact that Gore is injury prone, I'm not sure if I should do this deal, I already accepted it but I can call the league owner and have it vetoed. 

Tennessee plays the NFC East (Dallas, NY Giants, Philadelphia & Washington) and the AFC West (San Diego, Oakland (who they already played), Kansas City & Denver. The free games are against Miami, Pittsburgh (who they already played). Plus their division is pretty tough, having to play the Colts twice and the Texans twice, whom are starting to make a name for themselves

San Francisco on the other hand play the NFC South (Saints, Falcons, Bucs, Panthers) & AFC West (San Diego, Oakland, KC & Denver). Free games are against Philadelphia & Green Bay.

Clearly the NFC East is a better division than the South, Bucs and Panthers are jokes whereas the whole NFC East is good, solid teams.

Can anyone help me, please :(?

Thanks

Here's the link: http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/09/new_orleans_saints_bring_back_2.html

I guess this means that management is comfortable with Dunbar or Arnoux as replacements for Casillas and won't be looking at trading for anyone, which is sort of upsetting. Danny Clark was a Saint in 2006, he's 33 years old, definitely won't be a starter but probably a solid contributer for our special teams. The coaches must've gotten a good look at him when the Saints had practices with the Texans.

Rotoworld:

According to Brad Biggs of the National Football Post, Saints LB Stanley Arnoux is an "ideal fit at weak side."

With WLB Jonathan Casillas placed on injured reserve Saturday, the defending champions need Arnoux to play a predominant role on the defense. If the team chooses to keep Scott Shanle on the strong side, Arnoux and Jo-Lunn Dunbar will compete for playing time on the weak side.

Here's the link to that article: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Saints-facing-some-issues-at-linebacker.html
Pat Yakinsas also mentions it to be a possibility: http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/tag/_/name/nfl-roster-analysis-2010
I thought Arnoux was hurt during the preseason? Did he even play? I'd much rather have Arnoux at WLB and Shanle at SLB..

Dunbar got some first-team work on the weak side in the early part of camp, but is viewed more as a backup middle linebacker and special-teams player. Arnoux, who missed his rookie season with an injury, has the tools to play the weak side, but lacks experience. This looks like a situation in which the Saints will have to look for help from the outside. What’s available on the waiver wire might not be enough. They might have to pursue a trade for a linebacker with realistic ability to start right away. 

I keep suggesting a trade with the Raiders for Thomas Howard, he's still young and could help us at OLB. Adam Schefter tweeted that he was available yesterday, I wonder what the asking price could be? Adrian Arrington + a pick? Raiders need help at WR, don't they? 

Schefter's Twitter:

Raiders listened to trade offers for LB Thomas Howard and CB Chris Johnson but, at least for time being, opted against trading them

I think the worst move for this team is to move Scott Shanle back to WLB and make Jo-Lonn Dunbar our starting SLB. Dunbar is not a starter in this league, he's a great special teams guy but nothing more then that.. For those of you that are upset with the fact that we took Patrick Robinson at 32 and not Sergio Kindle, well have Kindle even played a snap yet? He's been injured, very injury prone. 

Pay-Loo always find a way to fix it, they acquired Jeremy Shockey pretty close to the beginning of pre-season, if I recall, I wouldn't be surprised to see them acquire a OLB.

Adam Schefter's Twitter:

A score in New Orleans: Saints running back Pierre Thomas signed his restricted free agent tender today.

Great news, now they can focus on signing him long-term and maybe come closer with the negotiations. At least we know PT wasn't asking for Steven Jackson money.. Mickey needs to get it going and stop being soooo strict with his cash. It works in some cases (Darren Sharper) and doesn't work in others..

So we all know about Chicago's cap situation and heard guys like Versteeg, Campbell, Huet & Sharp being on the block. Two of whom I can definitely see being traded (Versteeg & Sharp) and the other two are simply un-moveable. With a cap hit of 5.625 for the 33 year old Cristobal Huet and a 7.140 for Brian Campbell, no GMs would touch those contracts with a 10-foot poll. 

Let's focus on Patrick Sharp. 25 goals, 41 assists in 82 games this season. 11 goals and 11 assists in the playoffs, solid all-around numbers. He's a utility man, plays W or C, just recently won a Stanley Cup ring and can help us with our 5 on 5 scoring, not to mention he used to play for the Flyers. I don't know what Chicago will be asking for in return, possibly Moller/Loktionov, Teubert & a pick but I don't mind giving away those guys.. I'd rather give Moller away before Loktionov, I see Lokti being our future 2nd line center, might be too small for that but hopefully he grows into his body..

Now I'm 100% sure that the acquisition of Patrick Sharp would eliminate the possibility of DL signing Kovalchuk but it wouldn't eliminate the possibility of signing Hamhuis & Matt Cooke..

Lineup next season:

Sharp-Kopitar-Williams
Smyth-Stoll-Brown
M. Cooke/Parse/K. Clifford-Handzus-Simmonds
Richardson-Schenn-Lewis
Clune, Westgarth

Doughty-Hamhuis
Johnson-Scuderi
Greene-Voynov/Martinez

Bernier
Quick

Per Adam Schefter on Twitter...

Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans and the Saints have reached agreement on a seven-year, $56.7 million deal. Big money...

...Jahri Evans' new deal with Saints, which could be announced today, is richest deal given to a guard, averaging $8.1 million per year...

...Saints G Jahri Evans will make $19 million in first year of his new deal, then $25.7 million over first three years of his deal.

Yessssssss! WHO DAT!? Now the Saints just need to re-sign Pierre "The Flying Frenchman" Thomas and we're good to go!

TWO DAT!!!

Finally, some news to report; it's about time. WWLTV reports that Justin Fargas, formerly of the Oakland Raiders, is visiting the Saints and their offer is based on whether or not they're thinking of matching the Eagles offer for Mike Bell.

Personally, I love the move. He won't be anything more than a third running back; He's 30 years old but still has some gas left in the tank.

Continue reading this post »

Jason La Confora just posted on his twitter that the Saints will be hosting NT Jamal Williams later on this week, formerly of the San Diego Chargers. The guy is 33 now, I know he's old but he's a veteran and can definitely help develop Sedrick Ellis. Before his injury last season, Williams was a franchise type nose tackle and one of the better guys on the Chargers defense, I would really this pick up.

saints hosting Jamaal Williams and Leonard Little for visits this week. More on NFL.com

Ok, so like most of you, I'm still celebrating this victory and I keep seeing sports writers talking about how the Saints might not be able to keep this team together because of all the upcoming restricted free agents, but they're restricted, right? Meaning we can match any offer.. So why would Mickey Loomis & Co. have a tough time keeping the core group together? Also, I know we have 3 unrestricted free agents (Sharper, Fujita, Brunell) but would someone be able to provide the names of all the Saints restricted free agents, please? I know we have Pierre Thomas, David Thomas, Billy Miller, Jammal Brown, Lance Moore, Jahri Evans, Jermon Bushrod, Remi Ayodele, Roman Harper, Marvin Mitchell, Mike Bell, Anthony Hargrove, Garrett Hartley who are all set to become RFA's, is there anyone else (that's basically the whole team).. This is still a young team and I'd love to see all these guys retained, but realistically we have to let some go, so who do you think stays and who do you think goes? 

I think it's critical to bring back Darren Sharper for another year, same with Scott Fujita. Of course guys like Jahri Evans, Pierre Thomas, Roman Harper, Anthony Hargrove, David Thomas, Lance Moore (somewhat) Garrett Hartley, Jammal Brown are all guys that need to stay..

One last question, I don't understand the RFA statuses in the NFL. In the NHL it's pretty simple, if the player's contract is up and is younger than 25, he's a restricted free agent. If he's older than 25 and hasn't played 3 full NHL seasons (or something like that) and his contract is up, he's still a restricted free agent. But Jammal Brown has definitely played more than 3 seasons and is 28, so how come he's a restricted free agent?

thanks!

WHO DAT BABY, SUPER BOWL CHAMPS

I was just wondering if anyone had a picture of Tracy Porter's hair during the Vikings game by any chance?I got a quick glimpse at it but man, that was some crazy stuff, I'd like to check it out again, no homo.. It was like the ghost from Pacman or something, either way, it would be very much appreciated if someone can post the picture or even send it to my e-mail if you'd like, thanks! k_aziz_4@hotmail.com

WHO DATTTTTTTTTTTT BABY

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/147830-vikings-to-wear-earplugs-in-superdome?eref=sihp

Has anyone seen this? 

Each Vikings player has been issued custom-fitted earplugs for Sunday's NFC championship game at the noisy Louisiana Superdome. The Vikings are to wear the plugs in practice this week at their bubble facility while crowd noise is blasted from amplifiers on the sidelines.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Per SI.com

Your thoughts? They think earplugs will stop the noise in the Superdome bahahahaha WHOO DAAAT!

Okay, I know it's super early and I know we're going to win this thing, so let's say we get the 32nd pick in the draft, who do you guys want Mickey Loomis and co. to take with their pick? OLB? OT? DE? Backup QB? DT I think we should keep building our D, we all know defense wins championships and last time I checked our offense is pretty damn good. We're ok at corner with Jabari and Porter being fairly young, Roman Harper is a solid strong safety, but a big problem is Darren Sharper's contract ending. One option is to put Malcolm Jenkins in the free safety spot, but is he ready for that? We can select a free safety in the second round, like Nate Allen from South Florida.

However, I sincerely think our main need/concern is a stud OLB, I know Fujita and Shanle are very underrated but we need someone to aid Vilma, and having another star OLB will only help Vilma take care of the middle and not have him running around, covering Shanle and Fujita's mistakes. Navorro Bowman from Penn State is a great story, he would be a perfect fit. Travis Lewis is also an option, from Oklahoma. 

If we're going to be releasing Charles Grant, I'd imagine DE would also be a need and then you can look at a guy like Carlos Dunlap from Florida, who was supposed to go top 10 until his stock dropped when he got a DUI and his play went down, but he still has potential to be a top notch player.

I say we re-sign Jammal Brown and keep Jermon Bushrod, solidifying our O-line immensely, maybe take an offensive lineman later on in the draft. DT is a need, but once again, I'm sure we can find some later on in the draft.

Backup QB, let's all face it, Drew Brees is still young, but I think we all want an Aaron Rodgers, a guy that can back up Brees for the next couple years, learn from our superstar QB and hopefully take over once Brees is done and not lose one step, keep the organization strong. A guy like Colt McCoy might be available in the 2nd round (doubt it), Ryan Mallet from Arkansas (6'7", 238 lbs.). Maybe taking a QB later in the draft might be a better option, but if a QB like McCoy or Tony Pike from Cincinnati slips to us in the 2nd round, I say we need to take him. 

Finally, a defensive tackle to relieve some pressure off of Sedrick Ellis, a guy like Geno Atkins would probably be available in the second round, solid DT from Georgia, 6'1", 290, not bad. Or if Mickey decides to select a DT with the first round pick, a guy like Jared Odrick from Penn State would be available.

What do you guy think? 

WHO DAT! Super Bowl Champs, let's do it baby

If ever the league and the union agree on a new labour contract and some players become unrestricted free agents rather than restricted free agents, Mickey Loomis will have an important decision to make on our Pro-Bowl LT, Jammal Brown. Before the Cowboys game, I was all for letting Jammal Brown walk and having Jermon Bushrod at LT, but then I saw DeMarcus Ware out-duel Bushrod and now I see how important blind side tackles are. Jammal Brown is one of the best guys on our o-line, other than Jahri Evans. I think he's an important piece to keeping Drew Brees healthy and he should get a new contract from us. So what are your thoughts? Re-sign or let him walk?