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Eye ON THE SAINTS |
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June 2009
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April 2008 ArchivesDraft expert Mike Detillier gives the Saints a solid B for their 2008 draft. ...Jeffri Chadiha of ESPN says the Saints choice of Sedrick Ellis is one of the best 'fits' from this past weekend's draft. He says reuniting him with his college position coach will give him a level of comfort, many rookies don't have. ...Since Mel Kiper's "Free Preview" on ESPN, has now gone to pay, I'm substituting CBS Sportsline's review of the Saints draft by their pick Pete Prisco. ...With Sean Payton on ESPN during an interview, the Saints decided to trade back into the draft. With the 237th selection, they took Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington.
So, now it's over. A little on Arrington: The Michigan junior had 107 career catches for 1,426 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was arrested for domestic violence two years ago, ... Voice of the Saints Jim Henderson and WWL-TV ace has some final thoughts on the Saints' draft: About his first impression - "I also feel he makes another good point. Who won? Who lost out of this draft? We all want instant approval or be an instant critic and you can't (have insta... Glad you asked. We'll start with Mickey Loomis, Saints GM: Asked about risk-reward guys, he said - Asked about OT Carl Nicks and his off-field troubles, ... The first thing that stands out about Taylor Mehlhaff, the Saints' newest member picked in the sixth round, is that he's confident. Several times he called himself an athlete and said his kickoffs are what set him apart. Without further ado, Mehlhaff - Saints contact with: First Saints PK pick since Morten Andersen in '82: OK, unless a random trade goes through, the Saints took Wisonsin place-kicker Taylor Mehlhaff. Jim says: "This is something the Saints have not done, to my knowledge, since Morten Andersen. usually, what happens with vet kickers is like a putter in the golf bag, you change it, you ride it for awhile, you change it . The reason they wanted Mare last year was for his kickoffs. Martin Gramatica is not strong in his kickoffs. Payt... Carl Nicks, an offensive tackle from Nebraska, is the Saints latest pick. He didn't participate in the school's pro day as he was banned. In a short teleconference with Nicks, he said that he dropped because of character issues. But he said when you make a mistake, you suffer and he feels like he suffered for it. Asked if affected his draft status, he said it murdered it. That said, he sounds like a man who realizes he ... Pressley had 29 of his 41 tackles in the final six games of the year, and has had a wrist and knee injury in his past. He had this to say about the injuries: About going to the Saints: About his final six games: Well, here's a little bit of a surprise. New Orleans moved up from 146 to 144 to pick up N.C. State defensive tackle DeMario Pressley (6-foot-3, 298 pounds). The Saints traded their 146th for the 144th, and also gave Detroit their seventh round selection. New Orleans now has a pick at the end of the fifth and the middle of the sixth left. Jim says, We here at the Saints blog know you're dying to find out about who with Louisiana ties has been drafted. Here you go. By BRETT MARTEL That is, fans out there are still talking about the Saints trying to get Jeremy Shockey. We're in day 2. The Saints have few good picks to give up. I don't see them giving up anyone worth giving up for Shockey. It's not going to happen. but this is what we love about the business - second-guessing, as my man Jim Henderson just said to me, is the basis of sports. If no one is second-guessing, no one cares. So, do you th... I know you were wondering when Saints GM Mickey Loomis was going to speak. Alas, it has come. And now, I bequeath to you some Loomis wisdom... About possibly moving up Sunday in the next couple of rounds... New Orleans head coach Sean Payton came in to the media center early Saturday evening and the man was well-dressed. He had on a nice beige blazer and some khaki slacks. The ladies would have swooned, you know, 60s Beatles style. That said, a little of what the main man said: About the two picks... The Chicago Bears picked up Tulane's Matt Forte with the 13th pick of the second round and 44th overall. General consensus among me is that it would have been nice for the Saints to be able to draft Forte, but New Orleans needed defensive players and that's what it took. Yeah, it would have been a good story for Forte to stay in town and play for the home team, but the Saints aren't in a position to necessarily send warm cookie... About Tracy Porter, an Indiana CB, per Jim Henderson, voice of your New Orleans Saints and WWL-'s lovable sports anchor: He feels a need. Certainly he has ball skills. He had six interceptions last year, plus he's a return guy. He averaged 13.6 yards per punt return, which is another need. He hasn't returned kick offs, but i assume they'll look and see if he can. the knock is that he needs to be more physical. And also... Draft Day Report's Al Dupuy was kind enough to sit down and talk with us here at WWL-TV.com about the first round. His thoughts - here you go -- Who came out the best: If you're not a big Miami fan, or even a fan of the NFL draft, you might not have known that a Miami player has been selected in the first round in the past 13 drafts. It took until the final pick of the opening round, but the streak lives on. the New York Giants - you know, the team that won the NFL's big party the Super Bowl - picked Miami safety Kenny Phillips. So, make it 14 straight drafts with a first-rounder. ------- ...Well, here I sit at the Saints Facility off of Airline Drive and we're at pick No. 25. The first thing that comes to mind is that in years past, I feel like we just would have gotten out of the first 10 picks. I LOVE the new format. I say 10 minutes is much more palatable than 15 minutes. Here are some thoughts: Actually, Ed Orgeron, New Orleans' new defensive line coach, spoke to the media shortly after the team selected DT Sedrick Ellis from USC. You might remember, Coach O was an assistant at USC several years ago before getting tabbed as Ole Miss' head coach (and we know how that ended up). Apparently, Coach O recruited Ellis to USC back in the day before taking that Ole Miss job. While Ed wouldn't come out and say he made a loud p... More or less what Jim Henderson says: He fills such a big need. Hollis Thomas is on his last leg. Brian Young is injured. There's no one behind them that could be a starter. They finally have to address the mistake they made on Jonathan Sullivan several years ago. If you miss with a high pick, you eventually have to come back and address that as soon as you can. Every defense will tell you it starts with stopping the run. This ... Kansas City weighed its options - including an offer from New Orleans for two additional picks - and took LSU's Glenn Dorsey. So now, Jim Henderson thinks the Saints move is to find a way up to get Sedrick Ellis from USC, a talented defensive lineman in his own right. But the Jets could take him and so could the Patriots. Are you sad Dorsey won't be a Saint? ...The expert, sitting to my right he is, says that the longer Dorsey sits around - and we're three picks in - the better it is for the Saints. Henderson believes defensive tackle is the biggest need for the Saints. That said, he believes Oakland won't go for Glenn Dorsey, meaning he'll drop to at least KC at 5. Could this be where the Saints make a trade for the big guy from LSU? ...The NFL changed the draft this year, starting it later on Saturday and going one fewer round that day. It added the round from Saturday to Sunday's slate. The league also cut down on the time teams have in the first round to select. However, some NFL folk aren't very happy with the change because it makes Saturday night and Sunday that much tougher on them. What sayeth ye? ...NFL Network/NFL.com is reporting that the Rams will take Virginia DE Chris Long with the second pick, meaning Dorsey is still on the board. It also means that reports of the Saints trading their pick to move up to second for Dorsey are, well, not true. Still 40 minutes until the draft officially starts. Isn't this great? >> Continue reading: Report: Rams make pick, it's not Mr. Dorsey We know what fans think - it's one of the biggest days of the year. Heck, the Saints are throwing a fan festival at the park across the street, and despite the rain and potential for bad weather, it appeared to be attracting people. And we know that ESPN gets some of its better ratings during the year when it shows the draft, that long, tedious, nerve-inducing process of building a team. But what about the players already on a ... CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco quotes a league source as saying the Saints have dangled former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Jammal Brown in a possible trade deal to move up and get LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. ...Glenn Guilbeau's piece in the Lafayette Advertiser makes no bones that he hopes LSU standout Glenn Dorsey doesn't end up with the Saints and he says Sean Payton has a ways to go before he proves he's a long term winner. ...According to a late report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Saints are offering their second round pick in a trade for cornerback Lito Sheppard. ...Concerns were raised several years ago - and really for as long as I can remember (I'm young) - about the Saints possibly fleeing New Orleans. I'm not saying that's still a possibility (in fact, I believe the Saints will be in town a lot longer than people think). But this AP story has New Orleans as one of the franchises on the list of teams to move to LA after a new s... Yeah, so, SI.com ace Don Banks has reexamined the '08 draft and lo and behold, the Saints apparently are going with another small school cornerback. Troy University will be so proud. ...NFL.com says the Saints have inquired about moving up to #2 in the NFL Draft, possibly with an eye on LSU's Glenn Dorsey. ...ESPN just rated the teams' schedules based on their opponents won-loss record from 2007. On that basis, the Saints schedule is rated fifth-easiest. ...Deuce McAllister will stay with the Saints into training camp on an incentive-laden deal, according to a story in the Biloxi Sun Herald, that cites the NFL Network. ...From the Associated Press: The New Orleans Saints signed free-agent Aaron Glenn on Monday, hoping the veteran cornerback can help shore up a pass defense that gave up numerous big plays last season. Glenn, a 14-year veteran who started four games for Jacksonville in 2007, has 41 career interceptions, six of them for touchdowns. He ranks fifth among active interception leaders in the NFL. Saints defensive end Will Smith is apparently unhappy that his contract has not been extended and he is sitting out the team's offseason workouts in protest. Smith will receive about $695,000 in base pay for the upcoming season, while fellow defensive end Charles Grant signed a massive $63 million deal last offseason. Saints head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that Smith had informed him of his intention to skip the workouts ... |
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