As much as I hate to say it, Pierre Thomas getting injured might just have been the best thing that could have ever happened to his relationship with the Saints. The Saints stood their ground on offering Thomas a mid level deal, and he gave in because he was coming off a injury riddled season that devalued his worth on the open market. That, and the CBA uncertainty forced Thomas' hand to ink a deal sooner than he would have liked to. ESPN chronicled Thomas' contract, which is a 4 year $11.2 million deal.

What's crazy about this deal that I also really like is the fact that...

no comments

Who will the Saints pick with the 24th choice overall? Yesterday I posted a number of mock drafts that had the Saints picking various players, most of which either played defensive end, or defensive tackle. I figured I'd head over to NFL.com and post the write ups on each prospect most likely to end up with the Saints at #24. Here's some interesting wite ups on each potential Saint, all coming directly from NFL.com:

no comments

As we gear towards the NFL draft while a new CBA continues to be negotiated, I figured I'd pull up a list of some Mock NFL Draft sites to see who they have the Saints picking at #24. Interesting names:

no comments

Don't panic about there being no football for any length of time next year just yet. The NFLPA and the owners have reportedly agreed to push back the expiration of the current CBA another 7 days, till next Friday. They will apparently take the weekend off before resuming talks on Monday. The fact that they've agreed to that kind of extension means, in my estimation, that they're close on the meat and potatoes of an agreement but there's a lot of i's to dot and t's to cross. That doesn't mean that talks couldn't break down or that numerous challenges don't lie ahead in coming to a resolution, but we have to feel good as fans about the fact that something that looked incredibly bleak now at least shows promise. 

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN's twitter account:

no comments

Against significant odds, Brian Allee-Walsh has reported that the New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms with running back Pierre Thomas on a 4 year contract. Wow. I for one have to say I am shocked. I was told a while back that things were broken between the two sides and the chances of him coming back in 2011 to the black and gold were very slim. So much for that.

That's amazing news and I'm honestly thrilled to hear it because I was resigned to the idea that he likely wasn't coming back. Thomas turned down a deal he deemed unfair last offseason from the Saints. I wonder if the deal he just signed is the same deal, and maybe after being out for a year with an injury he realized his worth on the open market was less? I can't imagine the Saints would offer him more the year after he was injured. That said, the extension also means the Saints feel good that his ankle injury which lingered all season long won't hamper her long term.

WECOME BACK PT CRUISER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no comments

The moment we all feared as fans is upon us as we're officially in clear and present danger of the NFL being locked out. I don't know that even Jack Ryan will be able to save us from this mess. At midnight tonight, the current collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and the NFL Player's Association will expire. At that point, the NFLPA has made it clear it will decertify so that players can individually sue the league for damages. What does that mean? Well, it means as far apart as they are right now to striking a deal, they're only going to be further apart once the clock strikes midnight.

Once we hit midnight the lockout status will put both players and owners in a deep dark negotiation abyss that may be impossible to resurface from.

no comments

Last night was a massive night in terms of activity for the New Orleans Saints' front office. A number of moves were made in solidifying their 2011 roster. Most notable was that the Saints signed mammoth defensive tackle Shaun Rogers to a 1 year contract worth $4 million. According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, Rogers turned down offers of $6 million a year to sign with the Saints, a clear indication that he wants to be in New Orleans. Rogers posted two things on twitter since the signing: "It's official WHO DAT NATION here I come..." and "it's abt a chance to win...it's not all $$$ related". You'll notice his twitter account is tastefully named "QB Coma". Rogers, at 31, is a premiere run stopper in the league. He registered two sacks last season and has 37.5 for his career, though, so while he's big and primarily a run stuffer he's got incredibly quick feet for his size and he can also provide pressure up the middle on passing downs. I can only imagine how devastating of a 1-2 punch he and Sedrick Ellis could be. The Saints moved up from 25th in run defense in 2009 to 16th in run defense last year. It's safe to assume Rogers will only help that ranking to continue to move in the right direction. Rogers is pretty durable (he's missed 19 games in 10 seasons) and at 6'4" and 350lbs it's safe to say he's a load to move. As WWL reporter Jim Henderson mentioned, though, Rogers does come with some baggage. He's labelled as having character issues, and there's no doubt that's the biggest question mark along maybe with his age as the Saints try to mold him into their way of doing things. That said, there's no question that he's a huge talent, and if healthy and provided he keeps his weight under control he can make a major impact on the Saints' defense.

That wasn't even close to the only move the Saints made last night...

no comments

So there you have it, my all time best Saint in team history is left tackle Willie Roaf (though his mom always preferred he go by William). He's without question the best offensive lineman in Saints' history, and he's arguably the best left tackle in NFL history. I'm sure Drew Brees will pass him in short order, but my historical knowledge contends he has yet to do so. Roaf was able to maintain his superiority and skill as a player throughout his entire 13 year career, 9 of which were spent with the Saints and 4 of which were spent with the Kansas City Chiefs. Roaf, who came to the Saints by way of Louisiana Tech as a 1st round draft choice, was a member of the 2000 Saints' squad that gave the franchise it's very first playoff victory. Unfortunately for Roaf, that's the only real success he'd enjoy as a member of the team, mostly because of the lack of talent around him. The Saints would trade him to Kansas City based on his insistance to leave due to some unfortunate set of circumstances that are still unclear to this day. A lot of rumors were circulating during that time which I'll refrain from mentioning here out of respect for Roaf and his family, but suffice to say Roaf had an irreversibly broken relationship with at least one teammate, Jim Haslett, and the Saints' front office. Despite the ugly turn of events that surrounded Roaf's departure, how can we have anything but positive things to remember from this superstar? He was a dominant force and we were lucky to have him.

Some impressive stats:

no comments

Rickey Jackson wins my award for the second best Saint of all time. I figured I'd owe you all an explanation for why I have two players ahead of Brees, so I'll start with this one: Rickey Jackson is the lone member of the team to make it to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame. That is considered the highest award one can ever achieve in the sport. Drew Brees has had 5 dominant seasons with the Saints and Rickey Jackson had 13 of them. Jackson also had more pro bowl invites (6) than Drew Brees has had seasons with the Saints so far (5). Again, I have no doubt that Brees will climb up this list in short order... but as great as his accomplishments are I don't think he's achieved "best Saint all time" status quite yet. Rickey Jackson was the complete package at linebacker: intelligence, strength, speed, size, tackling ability, playmaking ability - you name it. He always had a nose for the football and was always the first to any fumble and often times stripped the ball from opponents. To this day, Rickey Jackson is second in NFL history for most recovered fumbles in his career (with 29). 

Other notable stats:

no comments

I know some of you are shocked and maybe even outraged that Drew Brees didn't make #1 greatest all time Saint on my list. Let me just say that there is no doubt in my mind that when Brees' career with the Saints is over, he will be #1. As things currently stand, though, Brees has only been a member of the New Orleans Saints in 5 years. As much as he's accomplished, including the fact that he's the person most primarily responsible for winning the Saints' lone Super Bowl title, he just doesn't have the body of work that some other Saints players have had. The two players ahead of him are ahead of him for a reason, and I'll explain that when their turn comes. That being said, for a guy that's only been on the team 5 years and is still an active player, being the 3rd best Saint player ever on this list is a major accomplishment. The fact that many of you reading this are legitimately pissed off about the fact that I didn't put him #1 speaks volumes about his popularity. Let's be serious: this guy needs no introduction. The bond that Brees has formed with the city of New Orleans and the fans of the Saints goes way beyond football. Very few people have ever been able to accomplish that. 

You know all those nice things I said about Deuce McAllister the person, and about his character? Those all apply to Drew Brees. Maybe even more so. Drew Brees' coming to New Orleans can almost be viewed as divine intervention. And to hear Brees tell his story, he needed New Orleans more than New Orleans needed him. That's the kind of humility he has. Let's take a look for a little bit at the list of reasons why Drew is so great as a player. 

no comments