First of all let’s define impact here. I’m not just talking about production here, Cam Jordan, Drew Brees, and Terron Armstead are the best 3 players on this team, period. In this particular case when I say impact I’m talking about the swing players, the guys who will either help the team ascend by playing well, or will drag it down by failing to rise to the occasion. Each of these players has the chance to have a breakout year where they rise up and become a force for the Saints, however each also has a chance to become a major liability for the team. Either way the impact will be great, but the question will be whether its positive…or not.
Player one: Stephone Anthony
Anthony is a first round pick and a second year player who just lost his spot to a beaten down veteran. Those are the facts against him. He’s also a tremendous athlete with a great work ethic who has shown flashes of becoming a legit playmaker. The question for the Saints will be whether Anthony can become the ‘playmaking body’ to complement James Laurinaitus’s brain, or whether he becomes just another player whose out of position.
To me there are really only two possibilities with Anthony. Either he doesn’t take well to the position change and has many of the same mental issues and alignment problems that plagued him last year, or this is the best move possible. Either he becomes a liability, or moving him over to SAM linebacker will result in the physical freak that he is being unleashed upon the rest of the NFL. In either case Anthony is an enormously impactful player for the Saints. The difference between having a heat seeking missile in the front-7 who makes plays, and having a player who over-pursues and creates opportunities for the offense is the difference between Thomas Davis and just another awful draft pick.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Stephone Anthony’s development into year two could very well be the catalyst for the Saints season…in either direction.
Player Two: Nick Fairley
Fairley is in a way the biggest gamble the Saints have made in a while, definitely the biggest since Champ Bailey. The difference is that the Saints were praying that Bailey would simply still be functioning (spoiler alert: he wasn’t), but the hope, and the expectation for Fairley is for him to contribute. Fairley is going to be of an enormous impact for the Saints for a few reasons. The good news is that the likelihood of Fairley being anything less than at least an improvement over what they had last year on the interior is practically zero. The only way he isn’t an improvement is if he’s hurt, and that is the reality for every player on the roster so I won’t spend too much time on it. Unlike a player like Cam Jordan or Dannel Ellerbe we don’t already have a really good idea of what to expect.
However, outside of the ‘we’re pretty sure he doesn’t suck’ factor from Fairley absolutely everything else is up in the air. Nick Fairley has the ability to fill practically every need the Saints have on the interior. He has proven he can keep lanes free for the linebackers, can penetrate upfield, can get sacks, and can hold his position and help in the run game. The Nick Fairley that exists on paper, and occasionally on the field, is a tremendous football player. But, the other side of the coin is the rest of the time when Nick Fairley is out there he has often been just another ‘what if’ guy.
What if he tried harder, what if he lived up to his potential what IF. The problem with ‘Ifs’ is that they rarely work out the way we want them to. The Saints can’t afford for Nick to be average, they need him to be great, at least at times. If he is just another guy this defense doesn’t have a chance. Even though there is now actually a good amount of talent (fact) half of it is unproven or young (or both). What I think is a realistic expectation (and would be huge for us) is that Fairley would split the difference. I think he will have flashes of greatness, but will always be a solid veteran who helps bring more out of the young talent around him. If THAT player is what we got it will be incredible for the Saints defense. The difference between a quality defensive interior and an average one is enormous, Fairley on his own has the ability to be that difference.
Player Three: Andrus Peat
This is BY FAR the simplest argument that can be made for a player’s impact. It doesn’t matter even a tiny bit whether Peat ends up starting at Guard or at Tackle. The reality is that no player will have a greater impact on the Saints season this year than Andrus Peat because he will have a huge impact on whether or not Drew Brees plays 16 games. There is no greater impact that that. If Peat plays up to the level of a first round pick and his own fantastic physical ability the Saints will have a chance because Drew Brees will be more likely to be playing. If Peat plays poorly and Drew gets hurt the season is over….its that simple folks. Whether its at Guard or at Tackle Peat MUST play well for the Saints to have a chance, and if he doesn’t they are almost definitely finished.
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