Hey guys! I know it’s been a while since you guys have seen anything from me and I miss writing regularly.
Today, I’m going to be talking about a couple things. I’m going to just touch on things that have happened this season and where the Saints stand (albeit premature, but since they’re out of the playoffs – I think it’s warranted) going into the offseason. Let’s get to it:
First thing on the agenda is the defense. I don’t understand how a talented group like this can be such an astoundingly underachieving group at the same time. If someone were to tell me that the Saints defense would have Jairus Byrd, who was once regarded as the best safeties in the league, Brandon Browner, a back-to-back Super Bowl winning cornerback, and several first-round draft picks, I would have done backflips in my kitchen. As we all know, that’s far from the case in this locker room, though. I have absolutely no idea if the brunt can be put on coaching alone or injuries, but something’s got to give. I have high hopes for the 2016 squad though due to the fact that the Saints are going to have fantastic depth at cornerback with P.J. Williams coming back, Keenan Lewis coming back, Delvin Breaux who is a rising star, Damian Swann, and Brandon Browner (I hope he comes back for at least one more season. He deserves it based solely off his past success in 2 other systems). Not only that, but I believe the front seven can only get better from here on out and I do believe the Saints will address it in the draft with their highest overall pick (more on that later).
As far as the offense goes; it just goes to show you how much one guy can truly do. I believe in my heart of hearts that he’s the sole reason that the Saints have the wins that they do and the wins that they may get. I realize that Luke McCown had a good game against Carolina when Brees was hurt, but that’s one game. One could speculate that McCown would have won the games that Brees did, but it’d be just that – speculation. I invite you to share one thought with me though and that thought is this; does anyone think McCown could have put up the superhuman numbers that Brees did against the Giants?
One more thought on the offensive side of the ball and I’ll move on. The depth at the skill positions is starting to become a concern just because of the injuries. Khiry going out early in the year was painful because he is a fantastic complement to Ingram, and then Ingram goes out this past week and that’s a huge blow to the offense because that’s one of the biggest reasons they traded for Max Unger – to make Mark Ingram and the running game more prevalent in New Orleans. High hopes again for the 2016 squad because Khiry will be coming back, and Mark Ingram alike. CJ Spiller should be a bigger part of the passing game – he’s too versatile for anything otherwise. As far as wide receiver, I’ll touch on that in a bit.
With the rest of the season ahead of the Saints, and at the time of writing this – it’s 4 games – I would understand if the team kind of called off the dogs because right now, there’s nothing to gain from winning any more games. However, the competitiveness and the status of Sean Payton’s job might keep that from coming to fruition and rightfully so.
As far as the signings go, I would like to see the Saints to sign a linebacker. My first choice would be Aldon Smith if the Raiders decide to let him walk. His talent is far too good to pass up for how cheap the team could get him for. The linebacking core of Kikaha, Smith, Anthony, and Hawthorne/Ellerbe isn’t the most star-studded group, but it would certainly bolster an underwhelming pass-rush and help the coverage out.
Lastly, the draft. This is one of my favorite times of the year because I absolutely love college football and to watch it all come to the frontline is just fun to watch. The things I would like the Saints to address in the draft are most definitely the receiver position and my first pick (I’ll definitely come out with a mock draft or two in February/March of 2016) would be Laquon Treadwell. This might surprise some people because of who just won the Biletnikoff award, but I believe that is just based on the system. Baylor throws it around a lot, there’s no telling how good of a receiver Corey Coleman really is. Not to say he’s not deserving of the award or anything, don’t get me wrong – but the system definitely helps bolster his numbers. To me, Treadwell is a complete receiver who can run any route in the book and has the physicality to really thrive in the NFL. That’s just one man’s opinion though.
My second position would probably be front seven if the Saints don’t make any free agent moves. My pick as far as this goes would either be Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame or Robert Nkemdiche of Ole Miss. Nkemdiche being a little raw could turn out to be a boom or bust project, but he has the physical tools to be a great player. Jaylon Smith is a freak of a linebacker. Adding him to the mix in New Orleans would only help a good thing that’s going, especially if the team DID sign Aldon Smith.
That’s all I have for you today, I hope you enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed writing it! I would love to know your thoughts, feedback, etc.
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