Lots of great questions were posed this time so thanks to those that participated. We’ll get into more of these with the dog days of summer upon us and little news to sink our teeth into. Here we go:
@SaintsNationBlg my 9ers friend and I have been arguing which team will be better . Give me some more ammo to make him see the light.
— Adam Faucheux (@Afaucheux70) June 27, 2014
Well, first off, the Saints beat the 49ers when the two teams played last year. The Saints have gotten better since, and I believe the 49ers have gotten worse. The 49ers have big egos and a lot of turmoil within the squad, which in my opinion makes them susceptible if things start poorly. They’re extremely talented, so they are built to win, but the Saints have the character to fight through thick and thin. If the going gets tough for the 49ers, we’ll see major division within the squad. I just view them as fragile because of this. The coach doesn’t get along with the GM, the coach has gotten under the skin of some players, and then you have the offseason troubles with off the field stuff. I actually wrote a piece on This Given Sunday suggesting the 49ers might implode, so check it out. It’s only a matter of time before things blow up in Jim Harbaugh’s face.
@SaintsNationBlg Does Andy Tanner make the team this year? Like, for longer than a month.
— Vicki (@vjdancer93) June 27, 2014
No. If he does you should be very concerned. I like Tanner and he always makes the other guys earn their spot. You know what you’re going to get out of him and he’s reliable. But from a talent perspective he just doesn’t have what it takes to be a playmaker. The Saints have six or seven guys with way more talent at that position.
@SaintsNationBlg Other than Brandin Cooks – any other ROOKIE seem like they might make a big impact (in a good way) early on?
— Vicki (@vjdancer93) June 27, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsVery good question. I still think Brandon Coleman has good potential because of his size as a receiver, but he was a bit of a disaster in OTAs looking lost and dropping passes. I think Stanley Jean-Baptiste is a guy the Saints will use in certain situations right away. If there’s a tall receiver or a big red zone threat, I could see him coming in to specifically cover one bigger guy because of his size. I don’t know if he makes the team but Je’Ron Hamm has impressed at tight end, too.
@SaintsNationBlg will the base D stay primarily in 4-2-5 Stack or a more traditional 3-4. What’s the benefits to either/or?
— ChampIAN (@ChampIAN_33) June 27, 2014
Definitely the 4-2-5. First of all, you want to get your best guys on the field and Kenny Vaccaro, Jairus Byrd and Rafael Bush are all three firmly in the best 11. You want all three of those guys on the field. Vaccaro is so versatile, too, that he’s a hybrid defender and not really a traditional safety exclusively anyway. This lineup works better for Junior Galette, too, who would be less effective in a 3-4 alignment as an outside linebacker. He’s best when he doesn’t have to worry about other responsibilities and can just rush the passer. But the main reason is no one runs a pro style offense anymore. What’s the point of running a 3-4 base when you’re seeing three receiver sets most of the time? That’s exposing someone who is terrible in coverage every time. I think Parys Haralson comes in and the Saints give the 3-4 look when they face a traditional set, but honestly that’s maybe 20% of the time all season or less. Otherwise, the 4-2-5 works much better against pass heavy offenses which is pretty much everyone these days.
@SaintsNationBlg lelito and dimke win their spurs outright in training camp. .. our prospects are?
— supersaiyansaint (@kirus16) June 27, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI’m not sure if you’re asking me what the prospects are of that happening, or what the prospects are IF that happens. So I’ll answer both. I think the odds are low. I think Jonathan Goodwin will start at center and Shayne Graham will start at kicker. Both are rock solid veterans that have proven they can play well with age. A lot of questions still surround whether or not Lelito and Dimke can play in this league. As far as our prospects if the younger guys win the job, I think they’re good. If Dimke beats Graham that means he’s accurate with a better leg, and the Saints trust Graham as reliable, so if Dimke earns the job over him that’s a really good sign in my opinion. Even if Goody is the backup at center he can play both guard positions so the depth would feel good there, too.
@SaintsNationBlg who will be the leading receivers this year? Catches and yards.
— supersaiyansaint (@kirus16) June 27, 2014
Easy, Jimmy Graham on both. The improvement of Kenny Stills and addition of Brandin Cooks will only make him more deadly. I think a lot of guys can and will contribute this year, but Graham is who this offense goes through.
@SaintsNationBlg could the saints get fifty sacks?
— supersaiyansaint (@kirus16) June 27, 2014
Why not? They got 49 last year. Although honestly if they repeat that performance I’ll be fine with that. The addition of Jairus Byrd should help sack totals if quarterbacks wait a split second longer to look him off. If they get to 50 it will mean Champ Bailey is playing well, too, so that would be nice. I will say, though, that while Cam Jordan and Junior Galette are clear double digit guys at this point it would be nice to have another explosive reserve off the edge. Maybe Rufus Johnson or Glenn Foster is that guy, but a potential sack specialist reserve would be nice.
And finally we got a question on Facebook – Asher Joseph Silbermann: The NFC South had a good offseason all around (except Carolina’s lack of weapon on offense), which team will put up the best fight for the division crown, and why that team?
Yeah I actually think Carolina will regress significantly this year. Losing Jordan Gross to retirement is huge and they’ve yet to re-sign Travelle Wharton so the offensive line is in disarray. And don’t even get me started on the receiving core. Then you’ve got Roman Harper starting at safety… I’ve been joking that Harper might be the best receiver on the team. I’ll go with the Bucs. I still think the Falcons are weak, though their offseason was good, as the loss of Tony Gonzalez is massive. The Bucs have added a lot of good talent, Lovie Smith is a huge upgrade over Schiano, and Josh McCown played so well last year if he can come anywhere close to that they are a threat. That defense really impressed me last year and if they can find a way to put more points on the board they become a much better team overnight. This division is the Saints’ to win, though, no question in my mind.
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