*** OFFICIAL New Orleans Saints Thread *** (1 Viewer)

[saintfool]

there's absolutely no reason to burn a R1 WR. the needs we have - ILB, OG, OLB even - are such that grabbing a top flight WR isn't crucial. losing Graham and Stills hurts the offense but Brees is still the engine on this offense. we can grab a cornerstone OG at 1.13 like Collins and arguably the best ILB in Kendrick at 1.31. then a soft landing in R2 with, say, Perriman or even a rising player like McBride in R3. we'll be fine but we're rolling the dice here. we need to be building for the future as much as anything.

 

[massraider]

Dannell Ellerbe takes $7 million haircut from SaintsPosted by Darin Gantt on March 17, 2015, 8:44 AM EDT
APWhen the cost-cutting Saints traded a cheap wide receiver for a linebacker with $20 million worth of contract left, you knew there was going to be a pay cut in someone’s future.

That has proven to be the case for new Saints linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

According to Evan Woodberry of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Ellerbe has taken more than $7 million off the top for his new team.

His 2015 base salary was cut from $8.5 million to $1.1 million, and his $6.45 million and $6 million salaries in coming years is now $4.1 million. He’s carrying a $100,000 workout bonus as well.

At the right price, Ellerbe can be a good part for a defense that needs all the help it can get. And the price the Saints have him at now is more in line with that than the deal now-Saints personnel man Jeff Ireland gave Ellerbe when Ireland was the Dolphins’ General Manager.

This guy looks a lot better at 1.1 mill. Solid move.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

What happened to Ellerbe, wasn't he a prize FA coming out of Baltimore? Can he get schemed back into being effective?

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

there's absolutely no reason to burn a R1 WR. the needs we have - ILB, OG, OLB even - are such that grabbing a top flight WR isn't crucial. losing Graham and Stills hurts the offense but Brees is still the engine on this offense. we can grab a cornerstone OG at 1.13 like Collins and arguably the best ILB in Kendrick at 1.31. then a soft landing in R2 with, say, Perriman or even a rising player like McBride in R3. we'll be fine but we're rolling the dice here. we need to be building for the future as much as anything.

I'd be happy with a 2nd, especially if this year's WR crop is like last year's. But in my mind there is no doubt they need to add playmaking talent at WR. (And as I've said I think they still need one more good pass catching RB).

 

[Doug B]

there's absolutely no reason to burn a R1 WR. the needs we have - ILB, OG, OLB even - are such that grabbing a top flight WR isn't crucial.

I agree that getting a WR at #13 overall isn't crucial, but ILBs and OGs can be taken with the two picks near the turn of the 1st/2nd rounds. #13 should be for the best player available at any position.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

All this talk about how Brees will make anyone good. Give the guy a break, he is constantly throwing into windows, that is not without its risks - how about we give him a big, elite, all-pro, play-making WR who makes his own space for a change.

 

[saintfool]

there's absolutely no reason to burn a R1 WR. the needs we have - ILB, OG, OLB even - are such that grabbing a top flight WR isn't crucial.

I agree that getting a WR at #13 overall isn't crucial, but ILBs and OGs can be taken with the two picks near the turn of the 1st/2nd rounds. #13 should be for the best player available at any position.

we're looking for impact players - starters preferably - at 1.13 and i believe that. i think a OG does more for us alongside Unger than another WR. I tend to think everyone is underplaying the addition of Cooks to the offense. he didn't have the impact that most of us would have liked but i expect him to fit in better with the offense in his 2nd year. he's really good. Toon has had time to grow and understand the offense. he'll get more reps and carve a role for himself much the same way Stills did over time. i'm not worried about the offense scoring provided we get solid o-line play.

fix the defense and we can win games solidly.

 

[Doug B]

We're looking for impact players - starters preferably - at 1.13 and i believe that. i think a OG does more for us alongside Unger than another WR..

It's hard for me to imagine any guard being the BPA at #13. MIght not be a WR, either, to be sure. Do you feel like the diffrence between the guard you reach for at #13 and the guard you get at #31 is that big?

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

What happened to Ellerbe, wasn't he a prize FA coming out of Baltimore? Can he get schemed back into being effective?

he got signed to a bad contract and was fairly terrible

I doubt he'll do much for you guys, but I have no idea why he didn't just let miami cut him --- he really couldn't generate 1m interest on the open market?

 

[Doug B]

He got signed to a bad contract and was fairly terrible. I doubt he'll do much for you guys ...

Was Ellerbe terrible because he was hurt, or just terrible? Not expecting star LB play or anything, but still want to get a better idea on Ellerbe as a player when he is on the field.

No scheme-fit concerns or anything like that?

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

pretty sure he got hurt, but from memory I think he was fairly terrible before that, but they were stuck with the contract.

I only remember 'cuz he was in my division, I play idp, and read pff kind of regularly.

ohhh...he got ir'd week 1, but maybe I'm thinking of 2013 where he was terrible

 

[saintfool]

We're looking for impact players - starters preferably - at 1.13 and i believe that. i think a OG does more for us alongside Unger than another WR..

It's hard for me to imagine any guard being the BPA at #13. MIght not be a WR, either, to be sure. Do you feel like the diffrence between the guard you reach for at #13 and the guard you get at #31 is that big?

i don't see Collins or Flowers as a "reach" at 13. for me, here's the reason for the urgency at OG: we need a Day 1 starter alongside the others on the line. there is no sliding a player over or grooming a guy through the rotation. R2-3 players likely aren't ready for that Day 1 responsibility or have the skillset to pull it off.

getting the top one or two ILBs at the tail end of R1 fits perfectly with the cost-benefit analysis for us.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

now that i review it maybe there's some hope for ellerbe

he was terrible at mlb, so they had planned to move him over to wlb last year but he got immediately ir'd.

maybe he'll be an alright wlb for you guys --- any idea who replaces lofton, or do you expect them to draft that guy?

 

[Doug B]

i don't see Collins or Flowers as a "reach" at 13 ...

Those guys project to NFL guards? Thought both were OTs?

 

[Doug B]

Any idea who replaces lofton, or do you expect them to draft that guy?

No idea yet. The Saints' drafting Lorton's replacement seems likely.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Any idea who replaces lofton, or do you expect them to draft that guy?

No idea yet. The Saints' drafting Lorton's replacement seems likely.

The Saints never, ever prioritize LB, maybe that changes finally. Part of the idea of Ryan was he was going to be improving the LB play and the edge rush situation, but it has just never happened.

 

[saintfool]

i don't see Collins or Flowers as a "reach" at 13 ...

Those guys project to NFL guards? Thought both were OTs?

played as T's but better suited as G's in the NFL. Collins, especially, is a mauler and would be nasty in run-blocking.

 

[Doug B]

Part of the idea of Ryan was he was going to be improving the LB play and the edge rush situation, but it has just never happened.

2013 wasn't that long ago -- Saints were 4th in the NFL with 49 team sacks.

As for overall LB play ... yeah, you got a point.

 

[saintfool]

Part of the idea of Ryan was he was going to be improving the LB play and the edge rush situation, but it has just never happened.

2013 wasn't that long ago -- Saints were 4th in the NFL with 49 team sacks.

As for overall LB play ... yeah, you got a point.

on paper, the pass rush wasn't what it was from the year before. the problem wasn't so much with Junior or Jordan but rather the injury to Byrd. Ryan likes to blitz with the Safety. Roman Harper was the best blitzer on the team for years and excelled at it. Vaccaro was supposed to slide over into that role while Byrd supported the corners. Byrd's injury meant Vaccaro wasn't able to do that and there wasn't a replacement.

i wouldn't be outraged if they did grab pass-rush specialist but it puts real pressure on the defensive backfield. Safeties have to clean up a lot off messes in that scenario. I think Byrd-KV can do that but it doesn't address the atrocious run defense.

 

[psychobillies]

i don't see Collins or Flowers as a "reach" at 13 ...

Those guys project to NFL guards? Thought both were OTs?

played as T's but better suited as G's in the NFL. Collins, especially, is a mauler and would be nasty in run-blocking.

I'd love to get Collins. I think he can play G or T. Let him come in now at LG, then if necessary kick him out to RT when they need to. I have a feeling he might not be available.

 

[imjackdupp]

Saints, Eagles top candidates to trade up in 2015 NFL Draft

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000480446/article/saints-eagles-top-candidates-to-trade-up-in-2015-nfl-draft

 

[Faust]

Jeff Ireland's first suggestion to Saints: 'Keep me in mind'

 

[Faust]

NFL Draft pick No. 31 carries greater risk of bust for New Orleans Saints

 

[Faust]

La'el Collins meeting with New Orleans Saints

 

[Max Power]

The New Orleans Saints are down to $850,000 in salary cap space now that they picked up LB Dannell Ellerbe's roster bonus.

I still keep waiting to hear about an Evans trade...

 

[saintfool]

The New Orleans Saints are down to $850,000 in salary cap space now that they picked up LB Dannell Ellerbe's roster bonus.

I still keep waiting to hear about an Evans trade...

i keep waiting to hear about a Brees contract extension that spreads his number over another 3 seasons.

 

[cstu]

The New Orleans Saints are down to $850,000 in salary cap space now that they picked up LB Dannell Ellerbe's roster bonus.

I still keep waiting to hear about an Evans trade...

i keep waiting to hear about a Brees contract extension that spreads his number over another 3 seasons.

Easy way to free up $2.5M.

 

[massraider]

Those are the only two ways to do it. Evans is probably the better move, from a strictly cap management standpoint.

I'm not sure throwing another 20 mill salary at Brees with some extra dead money when he's gonna be 38 is the best idea. They have him under contract this year and next year, and if they want him back after that, he'll want to stay I am sure, and will probably take less money than he's making now.

Very few teams are running the salary cap situation poorly, the ones that still are stick out. Saints fans have a right to be pissed at management.

 

[saintfool]

what's frustrating is the chatter from Brees about how he wasn't approached to re-work and/or extend his contract. his number is the biggest after all. i'm not against Brees getting his - he has earned it for sure - but at this stage of his career he needs to be pragmatic. his contract now is impacting his own ability to compete for another superbowl and i think he'd want that now. adding a year or two to the contract (not at $20m year) could accomplish a lot.

jahri evans is overpaid after the kind of season he had but cutting that number somehow without Brees' is asinine.

 

[cstu]

Those are the only two ways to do it. Evans is probably the better move, from a strictly cap management standpoint.

I'm not sure throwing another 20 mill salary at Brees with some extra dead money when he's gonna be 38 is the best idea. They have him under contract this year and next year, and if they want him back after that, he'll want to stay I am sure, and will probably take less money than he's making now.

Very few teams are running the salary cap situation poorly, the ones that still are stick out. Saints fans have a right to be pissed at management.

It wouldn't mean guaranteeing him anymore money, he would just be spreading his bonus out over an extra year. Even if 2016 is his last year it would be less than $5M in dead money in 2017.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

The New Orleans Saints are down to $850,000 in salary cap space now that they picked up LB Dannell Ellerbe's roster bonus.

I still keep waiting to hear about an Evans trade...

Saints signed RG Jahri Evans to a one-year contract extension through 2017.

keep on waiting

 

[Doug B]

Very few teams are running the salary cap situation poorly, the ones that still are stick out. Saints fans have a right to be pissed at management.

Saints fans, on the contrary, are almost universal in their awe of Loomis's salary cap managment:

Jahri Evans' base salary dropped to $1,003,000 for next season. $3.8M in 2016 and $4.9M in 2017. Bases were previously $6.8M and $8M.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 3, 2015

Saints now have $4,689,806 in cap space. Had $844,806 before. These moves freed up $3,845,000.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 3, 2015

Unless the point is that extending Evans another season is a particularly egregious gaffe.

 

[saintfool]

obviously the the re-working of Evans contract (even if it is an extension) is a blessing. i also like the addition of Kyle Wilson at CB for a 1-year contract. he's not going to live up to his draft status but he will give much needed experienced depth. it just gives us more options for the draft. we also brought back Morgan at WR. i'm still hoping we trade down some to re-stock the team with young talent.

i think we're still targeting OG, OLB in the first round now. WR, CB and T will be following that.

 

[massraider]

Very few teams are running the salary cap situation poorly, the ones that still are stick out. Saints fans have a right to be pissed at management.

Saints fans, on the contrary, are almost universal in their awe of Loomis's salary cap managment:

Jahri Evans' base salary dropped to $1,003,000 for next season. $3.8M in 2016 and $4.9M in 2017. Bases were previously $6.8M and $8M.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 3, 2015

Saints now have $4,689,806 in cap space. Had $844,806 before. These moves freed up $3,845,000.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 3, 2015

Unless the point is that extending Evans another season is a particularly egregious gaffe.

2nd in the NFL in dead money on their cap.

The Evans move was fine, because Evans was willing to take a pay cut. That simply is the team correcting the horrible deal they gave him previously.

 

[Deamon]

Is this really only 9 pages over 3 years? How is that possible?

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

#saintsfans

 

[SproutDaddy]

Didn't realize there was a quota for talking about your favorite team? Thanks for adding to the thread.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Is this really only 9 pages over 3 years? How is that possible?

Do you realize how much damned hard work it is being a Saints fan?

Not to mention there's stuff to do here, we're not huddled in our cold, dank basements year round for god's sake.

Pats, Browns, Eagles, Raiders, Skins, Bills, Steelers, maybe a Cowboys thread.... what other threads carry on? It's tumbleweeds and crickets in Chiefs, falcs, etc., and all the rest.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Very few teams are running the salary cap situation poorly, the ones that still are stick out. Saints fans have a right to be pissed at management.

Saints fans, on the contrary, are almost universal in their awe of Loomis's salary cap managment:

Jahri Evans' base salary dropped to $1,003,000 for next season. $3.8M in 2016 and $4.9M in 2017. Bases were previously $6.8M and $8M.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 3, 2015

Saints now have $4,689,806 in cap space. Had $844,806 before. These moves freed up $3,845,000.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 3, 2015

Unless the point is that extending Evans another season is a particularly egregious gaffe.

How often does leaving the Saints really work out these days? It's a reversal of the way it used to be.

Btw I think the real financial genius and the guy moving the chess pieces might be Lauscha.

 

[Faust]

NFL Draft Needs: Saints

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/53213/71/nfl-draft-needs-saints

 

[SproutDaddy]

So, anyone believe they draft the successor to Brees this year? Seems very likely with all the picks they've accumulated.

 

[psychobillies]

So, anyone believe they draft the successor to Brees this year? Seems very likely with all the picks they've accumulated.

They might pick the successor to McCown, but what are the chances that a 3rd round, 4th round guy ends up being viable long term? I don't see them using a 1st or 2nd. I'd like to see them hold on to Griffin for a couple years, see where that takes them. He'll have had a long time to develop in this system by then.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

So, anyone believe they draft the successor to Brees this year? Seems very likely with all the picks they've accumulated.

The only way this happens IMO is if for some reason Mariota drops to them, which I don't see happening. But if a Rodgers situation happens, or a starter in waiting at least (not necessarily a possible immediate all-pro) where that kind of QB drops in the 1st or 2nd this year or next year they would jump on the talent. We know they were interested in Garoppolo last year. Garoppolo went in the 2nd to the Pats. Brock Osweiler was also a 2nd rounder and he has been waiting around what 3 years now? Based on their resigning McCown and their interest in Griffin, and all the needs they have, my guess is the Saints are still waiting another year to do this.

 

[saintfool]

i would love to see them grab Grayson. he's got the tools and ability to start in time, i think. he's going to be available in the mid-rounds.

 

[massraider]

Signed Anthony Spencer. Solid signing.

 

[Faust]

On The Clock: Who should Saints take in NFL Draft at No. 13?

 

[Faust]

Depth Perception: Predicting Saints' 9 picks in 2015 draft

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Schedule looks good, no cold weather games, not even a single stretch with consecutive road games, late bye, 3 night games at home & none on the road, looks excellent to me. Opening in AZ might be the toughest challenge.

 

[imjackdupp]

Thursday night game at home against Atl. after playing on the road in Philly but gives us a break before heading out to Indy. And a Monday nighter before getting Jax at home.

All in all it looks like it should be in our favor.

 

[Faust]

New Orleans Saints schedule analysis