Saints Sign Chris McAllister (1 Viewer)

[SaintsInDome2006]

Yeah, yeah I know the Saints defense is still scoring well FF-wise, but for anyone who's been watching:

Their rush defense up the middle and more recently their pass coverage has been declining badly. The Rams game was presaging bad, bad things for the Pats game.

Well these ain't your uncle's Saints.

Randall Gay and Leigh Torrence will not be covering Moss, Welker & Co.

They just got a little help:

>ESPN's John Clayton reports the Saints have signed veteran cornerback Chris McAllister.

Porter has a sprained MCL and could miss several weeks and Greer missed Sunday's game against St. Louis. The Saints have decent depth at cornerback with veteran Randall Gay and rookie Malcolm Jenkins.

But McAllister, a 10-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler, could step right into the mix as one of the top three corners with Gay and Jenkins if Greer and Porter remain out. McAllister, 32, has been out of the league since the Ravens released him in February.<

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id...n-cb-mcallister

I have no idea what condition McAllister is in (I suspect even for his age it's pretty good and that he's just been looking for the right team) or how long it will take for him to get up to speed (hopefully not long?) but the idea of him and Sharper teaming up together just seems really promising. This has the feel of a major league contender signing a real closer to round out their team for their World Series drive.

But, any word out there from those in the know about McAllister and what the Saints can expect in terms of health, character, defensive playmaking at this stage and the like?

 

[Breesisdaman]

The Saints are making FA moves this year like I have never seen before of coarse no one really wanted to go play for the Saints before either. McAllister will see a lot of the field even when Tracy Porter/ Greer return to health. The Saints just need Sedrick Ellis back and my worries are over with the defense. Sharper will be back this week hopefully

 

[Avery]

Yeah, yeah I know the Saints defense is still scoring well FF-wise, but for anyone who's been watching:

Their rush defense up the middle and more recently their pass coverage has been declining badly. The Rams game was presaging bad, bad things for the Pats game.

Well these ain't your uncle's Saints.

Randall Gay and Leigh Torrence will not be covering Moss, Welker & Co.

They just got a little help:

>ESPN's John Clayton reports the Saints have signed veteran cornerback Chris McAllister.

Porter has a sprained MCL and could miss several weeks and Greer missed Sunday's game against St. Louis. The Saints have decent depth at cornerback with veteran Randall Gay and rookie Malcolm Jenkins.

But McAllister, a 10-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler, could step right into the mix as one of the top three corners with Gay and Jenkins if Greer and Porter remain out. McAllister, 32, has been out of the league since the Ravens released him in February.<

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id...n-cb-mcallister

I have no idea what condition McAllister is in (I suspect even for his age it's pretty good and that he's just been looking for the right tea) or how long it will take for him to get up to speed (hopefully not long?) but the idea of him and Sharper teaming up together just seems really promising. This has the feel of a major league contender signing a real closer to round out their team for their World Series drive.

But, any word out there from those in the know about McAllister and what the Saints can expect in terms of health, character, defensive playmaking at this stage and the like?

Sadly, the Saints didn't sign the 2005 Chris McAllister, they signed the 2009 version. I'd probably take a slightly more pessimistic angle to your optimism and suspect that age and two season ending injuries two years in a row have sapped him of a lot of the speed and athletisism necessary to cover the top guys in the NFL. Also my read on him being was cut before the season and not signed by anyone for 9 months was less a product of him "looking for the right team" but most teams decided he wasn't worth signing.

Possibly he's better then other street FA cornerbacks in November, but that's really not saying a whole lot. I don't remember any "real closers" sitting at home waiting to be signed right before the playoffs.

 

[Breesisdaman]

Yeah, yeah I know the Saints defense is still scoring well FF-wise, but for anyone who's been watching:

Their rush defense up the middle and more recently their pass coverage has been declining badly. The Rams game was presaging bad, bad things for the Pats game.

Well these ain't your uncle's Saints.

Randall Gay and Leigh Torrence will not be covering Moss, Welker & Co.

They just got a little help:

>ESPN's John Clayton reports the Saints have signed veteran cornerback Chris McAllister.

Porter has a sprained MCL and could miss several weeks and Greer missed Sunday's game against St. Louis. The Saints have decent depth at cornerback with veteran Randall Gay and rookie Malcolm Jenkins.

But McAllister, a 10-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler, could step right into the mix as one of the top three corners with Gay and Jenkins if Greer and Porter remain out. McAllister, 32, has been out of the league since the Ravens released him in February.<

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id...n-cb-mcallister

I have no idea what condition McAllister is in (I suspect even for his age it's pretty good and that he's just been looking for the right tea) or how long it will take for him to get up to speed (hopefully not long?) but the idea of him and Sharper teaming up together just seems really promising. This has the feel of a major league contender signing a real closer to round out their team for their World Series drive.

But, any word out there from those in the know about McAllister and what the Saints can expect in terms of health, character, defensive playmaking at this stage and the like?

Sadly, the Saints didn't sign the 2005 Chris McAllister, they signed the 2009 version. I'd probably take a slightly more pessimistic angle to your optimism and suspect that age and two season ending injuries two years in a row have sapped him of a lot of the speed and athletisism necessary to cover the top guys in the NFL. Also my read on him being was cut before the season and not signed by anyone for 9 months was less a product of him "looking for the right team" but most teams decided he wasn't worth signing.

Possibly he's better then other street FA cornerbacks in November, but that's really not saying a whole lot. I don't remember any "real closers" sitting at home waiting to be signed right before the playoffs.

He has to be an upgrade over Torrence and Gay. Has to be.

 

[Avery]

Yeah, yeah I know the Saints defense is still scoring well FF-wise, but for anyone who's been watching:

Their rush defense up the middle and more recently their pass coverage has been declining badly. The Rams game was presaging bad, bad things for the Pats game.

Well these ain't your uncle's Saints.

Randall Gay and Leigh Torrence will not be covering Moss, Welker & Co.

They just got a little help:

>ESPN's John Clayton reports the Saints have signed veteran cornerback Chris McAllister.

Porter has a sprained MCL and could miss several weeks and Greer missed Sunday's game against St. Louis. The Saints have decent depth at cornerback with veteran Randall Gay and rookie Malcolm Jenkins.

But McAllister, a 10-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler, could step right into the mix as one of the top three corners with Gay and Jenkins if Greer and Porter remain out. McAllister, 32, has been out of the league since the Ravens released him in February.<

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id...n-cb-mcallister

I have no idea what condition McAllister is in (I suspect even for his age it's pretty good and that he's just been looking for the right team) or how long it will take for him to get up to speed (hopefully not long?) but the idea of him and Sharper teaming up together just seems really promising. This has the feel of a major league contender signing a real closer to round out their team for their World Series drive.

But, any word out there from those in the know about McAllister and what the Saints can expect in terms of health, character, defensive playmaking at this stage and the like?

Sadly, the Saints didn't sign the 2005 Chris McAllister, they signed the 2009 version. I'd probably take a slightly more pessimistic angle to your optimism and suspect that age and two season ending injuries two years in a row have sapped him of a lot of the speed and athletisism necessary to cover the top guys in the NFL. Also my read on him being was cut before the season and not signed by anyone for 9 months was less a product of him "looking for the right team" but most teams decided he wasn't worth signing.

Possibly he's better then other street FA cornerbacks in November, but that's really not saying a whole lot. I don't remember any "real closers" sitting at home waiting to be signed right before the playoffs.

He has to be an upgrade over Torrence and Gay. Has to be.

That's possible but a long way from being a "closer" sitting at home, waiting for the right fit to take a team over the top and into a Superbowl run. Like I said, he's probably better than other FA CBs on the market in week 10 of the NFL season, but expectations should be tempered a bit.

 

[The_Man]

McAlister used to be one of my favorite players. He really was the missing ingredient for the Ravens 2000 defense. Once they got him, Marvin Lewis was able to draw up an incredible defensive scheme. In fact, what he's doing in Cincy now that he has two shutdown CBs reminds me a lot of the Ravens in 2000.

But McAlister is not an NFL-quality player right now. It's an open secret in Baltimore that he has problems with the bottle that he hasn't yet gotten under control. Last year, he was torched repeatedly in a Week 5 loss at Indy. The following Sunday, he came rolling into the lobby of the team's Miami hotel after sunrise, drunk, with two ladies. He was benched for that game, and then never saw the field again as a Raven. Harbaugh had had enough. Interestingly, the Ravens were 2-3 with McAlister last year, and 9-2 after dumping him. In 2003, he was sent home from the West Coast before a game vs. San Diego for an unspecified violation of team rules.

I think that nobody has come near him until now is very telling. Maybe he's gone through rehab and gotten himself straightened out, but teams were obviously steering clear for most of the season. If he's clean, and has a full off-season of conditioning, I think he would be a very effective safety and could maybe even play some nickel CB. In his prime, his combination of size, speed and strength were incredible. But I'll be very surprised if he offers very much this season.

Hope I'm wrong -- he is a rare talent and I would love to see him get his stuff together.

 

[Gopher State]

Saints signed CB Chris McAlister, formerly of the Ravens.

McAlister, 32, was cut by Baltimore in February after a 10-year run with the club that drafted him in 1999. He missed 18 games, mostly because of knee injuries, during the 2007-2008 seasons and was a shell of himself late in his Ravens career. McAlister is merely an insurance pickup for the Saints' stretch run with top corners Jabari Greer (groin) and Tracy Porter (knee) banged up.

Source: ESPN.com

 

[Doug B]

But McAlister is not an NFL-quality player right now. It's an open secret in Baltimore that he has problems with the bottle that he hasn't yet gotten under control. Last year, he was torched repeatedly in a Week 5 loss at Indy. The following Sunday, he came rolling into the lobby of the team's Miami hotel after sunrise, drunk, with two ladies. He was benched for that game, and then never saw the field again as a Raven. Harbaugh had had enough. Interestingly, the Ravens were 2-3 with McAlister last year, and 9-2 after dumping him. In 2003, he was sent home from the West Coast before a game vs. San Diego for an unspecified violation of team rules.

That's not a good thing for a Saint -- New Orleans has an especially lively night life. McAlister will have to be extremely commited to resisting temptation.

Hope I'm wrong -- he is a rare talent and I would love to see him get his stuff together.

Me too. This is reminiscent of the Dale Carter signing back in 2002, after Carter had some drug problems. Carter was also 32 going into the 2002 season, but went on to play for the Saints and Ravens through the 2005 season. Hope McAlister's body is at least close to right, and has something left in the tank.

 

[Doug B]

Are Gregg Williams and Marvin Lewis from the same coaching tree? Can McAlister expect to at least have a shallow learning curve?

 

[(unwelcomed)GUEST]

McAllister has been working out and living in S. Florida since leaving the Ravens according to Baltimore Sports Radio Talk Co-Host Anita Marks. Baltimore's media is funny in that certain things aren't brought to light, I guess in an attempt at being classy. There has been no mention of McAllister's drinking problem in the media or from the Ravens, only that McAllister would not conform to new HC Harbaugh's idea of what a football player should be. His "knee injury" that put him on IR last year sort of came as a surprise to most fans, in other words, they're wasn't a specific on-field incident that the knee injury could be attributed to. Many, including Baltimore Sun writer Mike Preston, said that McAllister was moved to IR more because McAllister refused to conform to the new coaching regime than any physical problems. His play was poor for the Ravens in 07 and the beginning of 08. If he has rehabbed the supposed knee injury, he's staying in relatively good shape (although certainly not NFL shape) all summer and into the fall (again according to Anita Marks). I also doubt that playing in New Orleans offers any more temptation to party than South Florida does. That doesn't clarify much but it may give an insight as to why Baltimore cut him in the offseason. That said McAllister isn't a young man and does have miles on his body. He can however, be a very effective nickel and dime DB IMO.

Anita Marks

 

[Breesisdaman]

They said Sharper was old and washed up too. He tried out for the Saints and they liked what they saw so we will just have to wait and see. At worst he adds depth at a position that has been depleted.

 

[(unwelcomed)GUEST]

They said Sharper was old and washed up too. He tried out for the Saints and they liked what they saw so we will just have to wait and see. At worst he adds depth at a position that has been depleted.

I agree whole-heartedly. And only McAllister and his agent know if there's been interest in him this season. He is a different dude and I wouldn't be surprised if he was waiting to sign an offer from a contender. Baltimore fans routinely call into radio shows or post on message boards and push the idea of resigning him. The usual fall-back is, no other team has signed him so he must be damaged goods. Marks is the only one that openly acknowledges that she has periodically touched base with McAllister. She will almost certainly have something on the signing, hopefully some insight, on her show that airs at ???? 3pm ???? today. It is streamed on the CBS Radio website, 105.7 fm.

 

[Breesisdaman]

They said Sharper was old and washed up too. He tried out for the Saints and they liked what they saw so we will just have to wait and see. At worst he adds depth at a position that has been depleted.

I agree whole-heartedly. And only McAllister and his agent know if there's been interest in him this season. He is a different dude and I wouldn't be surprised if he was waiting to sign an offer from a contender. Baltimore fans routinely call into radio shows or post on message boards and push the idea of resigning him. The usual fall-back is, no other team has signed him so he must be damaged goods. Marks is the only one that openly acknowledges that she has periodically touched base with McAllister. She will almost certainly have something on the signing, hopefully some insight, on her show that airs at ???? 3pm ???? today. It is streamed on the CBS Radio website, 105.7 fm.

thanks I will listen in.

 

[Literary Reference]

He's a "name" player but there are no good CBs on the street in mid-season. Just like there are no good tackles, pass rushers or QBs.

 

[(unwelcomed)GUEST]

He's a "name" player but there are no good CBs on the street in mid-season. Just like there are no good tackles, pass rushers or QBs.

Depends on how they use him and how badly injured his knee actually was/is. The Saints had to have worked him out prior to signing him, right? He can be a very effective nickel or dime guy as I previously posted. I wouldn't trust him as a starting corner, however. He'll definitely have a chip on his shoulder, a reason to prove at least one team wrong, what's the downside?

 

[(unwelcomed)GUEST]

Anita Marks isn't in today. When she is I'll post what she has to say about McAllister.

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

I don't think he'll be expected to do much. I think Greer will be back by the Patriots game, so he will have Greer, Jenkins, Gay, and maybe Torrence ahead of him. then Tracy is expected back in about 4 weeks. I think he's just insurance at this point, but insurance with a pretty good resume.

 

[Doug B]

McAllister didn't see the field yesterday, did he? If so, I missed it.

With Torrence now battling a shoulder/collarbone issue ... might need McAllister next Monday.

 

[Avery]

McAllister didn't see the field yesterday, did he? If so, I missed it.With Torrence now battling a shoulder/collarbone issue ... might need McAllister next Monday.

He was inactive.

 

[Monarch]

He will be behind Greer, Jenkins, and Gay. I would hope he had enough left to cover a team's #4 WR. If not, the Saints added insurance by signing Mike Mckenzie who lost some speed but still should have enough left to be a nickel or dime corner. I think the Saints are jusr preparing for the Ptriots as they expect to be in nickel and dime most of the game since the Pats have very little running game.

 

[The_Man]

Any thoughts on how McAlister played? I thought he looked like a slightly below average NFL CB last night -- had a penalty and got torched once by Moss, but tackled pretty well for a CB.

He's going to be on the radio in Baltimore at 5:30. Can listen live if you're interested: http://www.1057thefan.com/pages/217623.php

 

[ATC1]

Any thoughts on how McAlister played? I thought he looked like a slightly below average NFL CB last night -- had a penalty and got torched once by Moss, but tackled pretty well for a CB.

He's going to be on the radio in Baltimore at 5:30. Can listen live if you're interested: http://www.1057thefan.com/pages/217623.php

Don't remember the penalty or the Moss play. I think Jenkins was flagged at least twice for holding. I do remember he made a nice play in the endzone that resulted in a incomplete pass to Watson I think it was. Not really sure how much he played. Don't think it was near as much as McKenzie though.

 

[Doug B]

Just read on SaintsReport that McAllister was cut "this week". Saintsguys, is that true? Low-key move ... haven't heard a peep

EDIT: wow ... here's the link. Journeyman CB Marcus McCauley was signed in McAllister's place. Thought McAllister had some gas left in the tank. But McCauley is a lot younger, this being his third year in the league.

 

[Doug B]

FWIW, speculation here that Jabari Greer is actually suffering from a sports hernia.