Now that the Saints have finished drafting players and (presumably) bringing in free agents, I think it’s time to go back and take another look at the roster. I hope that many of you (like me) feel a lot better about this Saints team as a whole now, versus how you felt at the end of last season. With the exception of new players I’m not going to go player by player as I did before since my opinions haven’t really changed on the players we do have at this point (nothing will change in that regard until pre-season). I plan on just taking a brief look at each position group and giving them either a positive or negative ‘grade’ based on whether I feel the position is better or worse that it was at season’s end. I’m also going to try and give my two cents on how I believe the position groups changes impact its effect on the team as a whole.
Hopefully you all enjoy these as much as I will writing them:
Up first are QB, O-Line, and TE.
Quarterback:
What was, is, and will remain the strongest position on the team so long as a healthy Drew Brees is under center. The Saints have one of the greatest Quarterbacks in NFL history running their offense, and if last year is any indicator he is far from done (not at the level he was at in say 2011 for example ….but FAR from done).
Addition:
Garrett Grayson: 3rd round draft pick out of Colorado State.
Grayson gets the exact same score from me that I would give ANY college QB when drafted; a big ZERO. And I mean that in a mathematical sense, not just a comparative one, meaning at this point he has no grade positive or negative, versus being a zero on a 1-10 scale (ala Corey White). I give all College QB’s that grade for the simple reason that college success at that position is in no way an indicator of proffesional success. Tim Tebow, Vince Young, and Johnny Manziel were all stellar college Quarterbacks…and I would rather start Chase Daniel than any of them.
What little I have been able to glean from watching Grayson’s tape tells me that he is a good fit for the Saints (Payton’s) system and that he has a lot of the ‘tools’ needed to be successful. That’s it. Grayson has enough potential to be a solid starter for the Saints at a minimum. I will ask no more of a rookie Quarterback and Payton’s track record with developing/enhancing Qb’s is more than solid. I believe Grayson strengthens the Saints depth at the position and because of his drafting either ‘the local kid’ (Griffin) or ‘the old man’ (McCown) is being shipped out before week 1 because of it.
Grade: positive. The future looks brighter.
O-line:
There was a lot of talk about Drew Brees ‘being in decline’ last year. Some small amount of it was warranted, as he is obviously no longer in the peak of his prime. However, the way that it was meant by many Saints fans demonstrated one of either two things: a distinct lack of understanding of the game of football, or (and more likely) an emotional reaction to the crushing disappointment that was the 2014 New Orleans Saints. The thing that many either didn’t know, or refused to acknowledge, was that Brees played behind one of the poorest Offensive Lines he has had in his time as a Saint. He was sacked more times the last two seasons than any season before that, and more tellingly he was pressured on 33% of his drop backs last season (per PFF) . That isn’t good, and more than that it isn’t acceptable. All it takes is a look at how the Saints addressed the line in the off-season to understand how Payton felt about their performance last year. They traded for a Pro-Bowl Center in Max Unger and drafted an extremely talented young Tackle in Andrus Peat, they also traded away starting LG Ben Grubbs.
The two positions that were most poor consistently last year were LG and C in my opinion and RG was certainly far below the standard Jahri has set for himself. At Center we started a man who was beyond even the Twilight of his career and who simply couldn’t physically play the position up to the standard he once did anymore. That I understand and can accept. Grubbs (according to some reports) was at odds with other members of the team including Brees and frankly even if that is false…he simply wasn’t playing well enough to be worth the money he was getting. I am confident that either Lelito or Kelemete (whoever wins the spot) can do a better job of solidifying the Saints interior than he did.
Additions:
Max Unger: acquired in trade from SEA
Unger is a beast of a man who has a well documented ‘nasty disposition’ (it’s a good thing on the offensive line), and excels in both run and pass blocking. Provided he stays healthy (played the end of last season and all the way through the SB so it is likely he will) Unger is likely the best Center the Saints have had in the Brees/Payton era. That is an excellent thing to have as you try to allow your HOF QB to age gracefully over his final couple of seasons.
Grade: massive upgrade.
Andrus Peat: 1st round pick.
Amoung fans the jury is still out on Peat, and until he proves himself on an NFL field and in the Saints locker room it should be. But, Peat is an excellent prospect and is an ideal LT in the NFL. Depending on how he acclimates to the league and performs in camp/preseason I could actually see the Saints starting him at LT and moving Armstead over to RT. That would allow Strief to give them arguably the best backup swing tackle in the league…and also neatly jettisoning Charles Brown 2.0 (Harris). That is just specualtion on my part of course, but the fact is that he is a very talented young man who at worst gives the team FAR better depth at Tackle than they had before.
Grade: A literal massive upgrade.
Tight End:
Probably the one and only position that the Saints are currenlty weaker at now than they were at Season’s end. I can make a case that due to repeated injuries and poor effort that it is likley that Jimmy Graham has already played his best years. I could probably make a case that his lack of ideal ‘football characteristics’ for his position means that he has already peaked. However, even if I were to make that case and you were to buy it the fact remains that even 70% of what Jimmy once was is better than what 90% of teams in the league have. Josh Hill is a nice young talent, and I do believe that he is going to open some eyes and shut some mouths next season. But if you believe that he is a better player and brings more value than Jimmy Graham did…you need your urine tested.
I won’t say that losing Graham is going to be a net negative for the team as a whole because I don’t actually think it will (I actually think we fleeced Seattle in the deal, but that’s a conversation for a different day). There is no question in my mind though that the Saints lost a valuable piece of their team and that it will take a number of players ‘stepping up’ to replace him.
Losses: Jimmy Graham.
Grade: it’s a negative, the season will tell us how much and what the ‘net’ effect will be.
Potential Team Impact:
The long term impact of adding Grayson will be entirley up to him. If he can take coaching from one of the greatest offensive minds ever, as well as be the proverbial ‘sponge’ backup behind Drew Brees, then he has a very good chance of being a success in the long term. He possesses the potential to be good, but it’s up to him to realize that potential. I have no issue with the Saints using one of 9 picks they had to add the first guy in the Brees/Payton era who has a legit shot at being something in the league. He doesn’t really bring any net positive effect to the team as a whole though, but considering Drew remains the starter we are still in great shape in that regard (understatement of the year). I do believe that the changes to both the O-Line and the TE positoin will result in greater team success for the Saints this season (and beyond). Improving the line play not only gives Drew more time to do what he does best (hit the open guy), but also helps the Saints build quality protection into the future so that the next guy also gets protected. Furthermore a better line means a better running game and that is ANY quarterbacks best friend (can you say play action pass?). Interesting enough I actually believe that the Graham trade will positively impact the Saints team. Even though the position group is noticeably weaker, Hill doesnt have to come off the field and the fact that Drew doesn’t have to zero in on Jimmy to keep him happy/ over rely on him to make a play, should cause the offense to resemble the one the Saints ran before they had Graham. The ‘pick your poison’ system that fully takes advantage of Brees and Payton’s greatness. I also believe that the Saints have some very talented young receivers who will receive not only a great quantity of opportunities, but also greater quality ones now that the offense isn’t centered around Jimmy. If all goes according to plan the Saints offense may very well be both more explosive AND more efficient, which is when it’s at its best.
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