Mystery no more, we finally know the reason for Khairi Fortt’s dismissal from the Saints. Ramon Vargas was able to uncover some pretty specific information on the details surrounding his release:
Having missed 2 meetings and then being waived, I am told ex-#saints LB Khairi Fortt will be evaluated for sleep problems he thinks he has.
— Ramon Antonio Vargas (@RVargasAdvocate) October 8, 2014
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So there you have it. I’ve already said this a few times now, but Sean Payton is huge on accountability. You’ll remember he traded Donte Stallworth in 2006 for the exact same reason when Stallworth was coming off his best season as a pro. The guy would frequently sleep in and missed meetings. And Stallworth’s issues since are well documented. Quite simply, if I can’t depend on you to show up and be where you’re supposed to be on time – how can I ever trust you on the field when the game is in the balance? Based on that I approve of the release. I approve, and yet it hurts.
The silver lining here is that this is how the Saints roll. The best player makes the team regardless of how or why he came to the roster. Or in this case the more reliable player. Once the player is inside the walls, it doesn’t matter if he got a big free agent contract, if he’s a high draft pick, or if he’s an undrafted rookie. The best guys play. For better or for worse that’s an effective way to recruit guys that just need a chance and it keeps the general respect of your players that you don’t play favorites. This release sends the message once again that 4th round draft pick or not, Fortt’s antics won’t be tolerated.
Still it’s no different than if Roger Goodell had blatantly revoked this draft pick. Fortt never saw the field and never played a down. A 4th round draft pick, flushed down the toilet. Looking at the Sean Payton history of draft picks, this one is one of the worst. I put it up there with Andy Alleman and Antonio Pittman in 2007, Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux in 2009, Charles Brown and Al Woods in 2010 and Martez Wilson and Johnny Patrick in 2011. I hesitate to add Nick Toon to this list but he’s inching closer. And honestly, at least some of these guys actually played a little bit, albeit poorly. I put the Fortt pick in elite company with Pittman and Woods in terms of failure. And that hurts. Your 4th round pick is supposed to be depth that lasts at least a couple years on your roster.
It will be interesting to see if Fortt amounts to anything with the Bengals or anyone else. I’ll admit that part of me is terrified he’ll go all Rob Ninkovich on the Saints and make us forever regret the decision to release him. More than anything I was desperate for the Saints to finally hit on a drafted linebacker from a historical perspective. Consider the linebackers drafted since Mark Fields in 1995. Fields is the last guy that I consider good or even mediocre:
Chris Bordano, Sedrick Hodge, James Allen, Cie Grant, Courtney Watson, Colby Bockwoldt, Alfred Fincher, Marvin Mitchell, Stanley Arnoux, Martez Wilson, Nate Bussey and now Fortt. That is a brutal murderer’s row of suck. The best players on this list were the two 7th rounders, Bockwoldt and Mitchell, and both were barely functional brief fill in starters at their best. There’s still hope for Ronald Powell who is a 5th round rookie on the roster currently and playing special teams as a reserve.
All this adds up to the Saints being really hit and miss with their draft picks in the Sean Payton era and consistent with a historical rash of atrocious talent evaluation at linebacker for a few regimes now. The release had to happen, but knowing not to draft these guys in the first place would be nice…
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