Goodell vs Evilma

The latest penalties against the New Orleans Saints were issued earlier this week with a strong message: Bounties will NOT be tolerated in the NFL. Four players received suspensions; two of which are still on the Saints roster. Scott Fujita (currently with the Browns) was hit with a 3 game suspension, Will Smith was handed 4, Anthony Hargrove (currently with Packers) was given 8 games and Jonathan Vilma was slapped with a *drum-roll* season long suspension. SEASON LONG?!?! How crazy is that?!

Let's first discuss the what we could have been looking at. I reported in an earlier post  that 22 out of 27, former and current players were involved in the scandal so all things considered, we got off easy. We could have easily been looking at an entire new defense come September. Also, keep in mind that we signed 3 very good and athletic LBs this off-season which shows that we were preparing for life without Vilma far before any of this happened so from a talent standpoint; we are still a Super Bowl caliber team (once Drew signs of course).

The issue I have - as well as many others - is that this entire investigation has been fueled by the current player safety lawsuits. Instead of fairly being punished we are now the poster team for his "Not on my watch" campaign and Vilma is now the villain; Dr. Doom and Frieza ( for my DBZ lovers) wrapped in one. From here on out, Vilma and bounty scandal will be synonymous with each other. We all know he has the option to and will appeal the rulings but Goodell is the judge and jury so I don't think he'll change mind on the topic.The damage is done and now it is becoming more and more ingrained in everyone's head day after day (see Sports Illustrated cover up top).

Goodell isn't concerned about how fair the punishments are at this point, it's the message. Why else would you suspend a player for an entire year for something that did not give the team an competitive advantage? On second thought, I guess we shouldn't be shocked at all. It is Roger Goodell we are talking about. Giving his track record, it fits.

But who's really the villian in all this???

And the Verdict is...?

GUILTY!

...but we've known that. In matter of fact, we - the Who Dats - have known that since early March. So what's the hold up on the rest of our punishments?

The NFL has made it pretty known that they aren't taken the bounty scandal lightly. Coach Sean Payton is suspended for a year, GM Mickey Loomis is suspended for the first 8 games of the season, Assistant Coach\Interim HC is suspended for the first 6 games of the season, and the organization was hit with a $500,000 fine and the lost of some draft picks in this year and next year draft. Not to mention former DC Gregg Williams indefinite suspension from the NFL. And now, the final part of these punishments; the player suspensions.

The initial investigation found that between 22 and 27, former and current players were involved in the scandal. Given Mr. Goodell's reputation; we should expect the worse but the process has been dragged out for the past 2 months. Weekly "leaks" has suggested that the penalties would come as early as last week but the commish did not want to "interfere" with the draft. That's cool; I understand that, but don't think the punishments aren't already drafted sitting on some one's desk right now somewhere. It took approximately 18 days for the NFL to issue their first wave punishments against the Saints organization...we are now on day 60.

Granted, I can only imagine the amount of work that goes into an investigation such as this one. Speaking with the organization, NFL Players Association, owners etc. can take months but, as we've seen since he has taken over, he is THE COMMISH! He has the power to do what he wants; when he wants. Unlike his predecessor Paul Tagliabue, Goodell understands the full extent of his power as the commissioner and he isn't afraid to use it...heavily.

It's time to git'er done Commish. I dare to speculate that the reason behind the stalled process is personal driven but I'm not one to dive into conspiracy theories. We need to know sooner than later or better yet, now. The task to solidify a team without it's leaders is already an enormous one but throwing in the uncertainty of if players will be there come opening day kick-off is asking a dog to run a race with 2 legs! Unfair is an understatement.

So c'mon commish; stop pouring salt in our wounds. We have enough injuries to last this year.

New Orleans Saints Full Draft Results

Here is a more in-depth look of all of the New Orleans Saints' 2012 draft picks.

Rd 3: DE Akiem Hicks (Regina, Canada)

The post on this shines light on his road to the NFL. Check it out!:

http://thaboothreview.blogspot.com/A.Hicks

Rd 4: WR Nick Toon (Wisconsin)

The son of former NFL All-Pro receiver Al Toon, is a versatile sure handed receiver from a run-happy program. He showed a lot promise at Wisconsin while on the field. A major foot surgery slowed down his development his Junior year but he bounced back for a decent Senior campaign.

Strengths: Great hands; Well polished route runner. Can also block  out on the edge.

Weaknesses: Doesn't have burner type speed (4.54 at combine) but has a knack for getting open. He runs

pretty high after the catch and his durability will be questioned at the next level. 

Rd 5: SS Corey White (Samford)

The 6'2" 205 pounder is a versatile DB that can play either S or CB. Very consistent tackler at Samford and a ball-hawk snatching 7 ints.

Strengths: Plays like a S in run support and  takes great angles to the ball. Good athleticism when the is in the air. 

Weaknesses: Foot control and indecisiveness. He tends to shuffle his feet more than usually when a receiver changes direction which would make him more of a lock for safety and not corner.

Rd 6: OG Andrew Tiller (Syracuse)

Big dude (6'4" 324) that is expected to give D-lineman fits just with his sheer size. Blocked for a 1,000 yard rusher at Syracuse and made All Big-East First Team.

Strengths: Great Size and can run block. Good slide pass protector.

Weaknesses: Tends to lunge at blockers and lose his center of gravity. Technique needs to be worked on. Plays upright.

Rd 7: OT Marcel Jones (Nebraska)

Tiller is big; Jones is even bigger. Standing at 6'6" 325, he is very unpolished but has the tools and athletic ability to become a dominate force in the league.

Strengths: Good all around blocker and extremely athletic for his size. Has to work on his flexibility in order to start as a left tackle

Weaknesses: Poor balance. Injury prone.

An average Joe may doubt or second guess the direction the Saints went in this year's draft but we have some very promising players here.I don't expect all of the above to come in and start but they will compete with the current roster. Next on the agenda, signing Drew!

Who, Dat???

 After a long agonizing 27 hour wait the Saints finally made their selection at the 89th pick. 

Akiem Hicks - DT - University of Regina

To most this is some unknown name from a university that you have never heard of ( including myself) but to us LSU fans; it rings a bell. 

After being recruited by LSU from Sacramento City College (Junior College) in 2008, Akiem found himself on the wrong side of an NCAA investigation. He was a recipient of improper benefits, a violations which caused former LSU assistant coach DJ McCarthy to resign and the university two scholarships in 2011. His eligibility was stripped and he never played a down for the purple and gold.

Unable to transfer to any NCAA football program, Hicks made  the decision to continue his education and enroll at the University of Regina; declining an offer to play for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He declined another offer to play professional football when the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League drafted him during his second year at Regina.

In his second year at Regina, Hicks made 42 tackles and 6.5 sacks and was named the top lineman of the CWUAA ( Canada West Universities Athletic Association) but his stock really rose after the East-West Shrine game. Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com said the following after the East-West Shrine game:

 "DT Akiem Hicks, Regina: At 6-feet-4 and 324 pounds with an 84" wingspan, Hicks made an enormous impression on scouts this week. He is unpolished and needs a lot of technique work, but he flashed his raw potential with good quickness and overall range. Hicks is a bit stiff and plays upright, but scouts aren't interested in the prospect he is now, but rather the player he could be down the road after a year or two with NFL coaching -- will be a late-round developmental defender.

As you can see Spags is assembling a D-line that can he play anywhere along the front 4. This pick speaks volumes for the amount of dedication our scouting staff have to find a raw gem like this one.

Lets hope he continues the tradition of our late draftees becoming NFL superstars.

TAC's Mock Draft 17-32

The continuation of TAC's mock draft. Let me preface this again by saying this is what I think will happen; not what I want to happen. The second half of the first round is tough as you start basing your predictions off the best available versus what needs to be filled. Second half; *Ding!

17. Cincinnati - Dre Kirkpatrick DB, 'Bama

The Bengals secondary has diminished in value due to age and injuries and as much as I hate to admit it;  Saban is a damn good DB coach. Kirkpatrick could play man-to-man, press, deep 1/3 etc. He should   make an immediate impact.

18. San Diego - Whitney Mercilus DE, Illinois

Edge rusher + 3-4 defense = Mercilus. Pretty simple equation.

19. Chicago - Chandler Jones DE, 'Cuse

Him going to the Bears to complement Peppers is scary. You want to beat the Packers? Put pressure on 

Rodgers.

20. Tennessee - Michael Floyd WR, Notre Dame

We all saw what these receivers in Tennessee can do without K. Britt...nothing. Second best receiver in the draft snatch him up!

    

21. Cincinnati - Andre Branch DE, Clemson

Cincy's pass rush was anemic last year. Having the ability to pick up two studs within 5 picks of each other should produce some good result for ole Marv.

22. Cleveland - Kendall Wright WR, Baylor

There is no way you pass up Wright, Cleveland. Adding the top RB and 3rd best WR in the draft sounds  

like a fantasy football roster. If they do the norm and go off the grid; my sympathy for them becomes   comical...don't mess this up!

23. Detroit - Courtney Upshaw DE, 'Bama

The Lions found out last year that they could score with anybody but the real challenge is stopping the other team from scoring. Upshaw brings that mentality that the Lions need to go along with Suh and 

Fairley...just nasty.

24. Pittsburgh - Cordy Glenn OT, Georgia

Big Ben will always be one of the top QBs to get hit; it's his style of play, but eliminating the unnecessary  sacks is the basis of this pick.

     

25.  Denver - Dontari Poe DT, Memphis

Mr. Developmental. His results at the combine blew everyone away but will that translate on the field?  Analyst have said that the tape is not all that praise worthy which is why he falls to Denver.

     

26. Houston - Coby Fleener TE, Stanford

Houston is on the verge of having all the pieces in place. Throw in a TE; They will dominate the AFC South (until Luck gets some toys).

27.  New England - Harrison Smith SS, Notre Dame

Pats and Lions fell into the same "Anything you can do, I can do better...but I can't stop you from doing what you're doing" syndrome. Difference? That got the Pats to the Super Bowl. They are in desperate need of a SS. Harrison, come on down.

     

28. Green Bay - Shea McClellin DE/LB, Boise State

The difference between the Packers and the aforementioned  is they produced turnovers. You can   never  have too many pieces when you play a 3-4 so their versatility just got better.

29. Baltimore - Dont'a Hightower LB, 'Bama

Whenever you can get a young freakish LB to learn under Suga Ray; it's a win.

30. San Francisco - Doug Martin RB, Boise StateI think the 9ers feel that they'll take the best available RB before they let him go somewhere else...gotta watch ole Jim.

31. New England - Nick Perry DE, USC

Adds a game changer at DE. They will get the most out of him.

32. New York Giants - Jonathan Martin OT, Stanford

Even though Eli survived... he kissed the canvas too much last year. If they want to repeat; Eli has to  make it through the season...healthy

Potential Winners: Browns, Pats, and Texans.

Potential Loser: Jags and Broncos.

Good luck to all die-hards out there. May your draft be a good one.

NFL's Most Wanted

Well Who Dats, we are once again the center of attention (like we ever left) and for more BS. According to ESPN Outside The Lines report; Mickey Loomis had the ability to listen in on opposing teams game-plans and strategies for some of the 2002 and all of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. During Randy Meuller's tenure, a wired jack of sorts was installed in the GM suite to listen in on game day communication of the Saints coaching staff.  It is alleged that Mr. Loomis had this line rewired to listen to only opposing coaches; with a button that switched between offense and defense instead. The jack was un-installed in 2005 before Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Superdome. A former employee that worked on the communication systems for the Saints made the allegations which prompted the investigation. The FBI and Louisiana State troopers have joined forces in the investigation and the league has said they won't pursue any punishments until the investigation is over.

*Scratches head*

Ok, (sigh) something just doesn't sound right to me on this one. This allegedly started 10 years again...10 YEARS!  All of a sudden it comes out now??? While we are trying to get back up from the knock out blow we just took from the league regarding the bounty scandal? Really??? The timing couldn't have been any worse. Either the league had this information and held it until the timing was "right" or the former employee saw this as an opportunity to kick us while we're down.  The front office and former coaches vehemently deny these reports which is hopefully a good thing ( last time we denied something; Goodell dropped the hammer).

It sucks seeing your team have a special category on ESPN's ticker every morning for several weeks especially when it's about scandals and wrong-doings. As a TRUE Who Dat; it's disturbing but if it's one thing we are known for, it's our resiliency as a city. It's true; "When it rains, it pours" and real fans are there through rain,sleet,snow,hail,tornado,sand storm etc. These dark gray clouds will soon pass and when they do, we'll be in the Superdome on February 3, 2012 hosting our own Super Bowl.

New Orleans' Draft Preview 2012

Top Needs: DE, OL, DB

The Saints' off-season has been...well...ummm...let's just say it's been one to forget. Amidst the bounty scandal, suspensions, and penalties; the Saints also had to give up their second round pick in this year draft along with next year's first round pick. Their first round pick was traded away last year for Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram so now they find themselves picking int the third round at slot 89. 

Since Spagnuolo was hired as the Defensive Coordinator the emphasis has been put on transforming a lack- luster defense into a fast and versatile QB destroyer (#NoBounty) so looking at a pass rushing DE seems to be the logical pick here. West Virginia Bruce Irvin could be a possibility but A LOT of teams would have to passon him and that is highly unlikely. Another Defensive End that could fall is Vinny Curry out of Marshall. He has the size and athleticism that would fit perfectly into Spags system.

Besides all of the Bounty scandal stories coming from 'Met-tree"; the next biggest stories would be the lost of All-Pro guard Carl Nicks and Super Bowl hero Tracy Porter. The Saints did a pretty good job of snatching up Ben Grubbs, another Pro Bowl caliber Guard, to fill that void but grabbing a developmental OL would all so make plenty of sense. Colorado's Guard Ryan Miller and Arizona State Garth Gerhart are two studs to look out for. 


Defensive Back is a tricky position this year. There is a sudden drop off in "known" talent after to the top five or six DBs are drafted but film and combine performance will raise some stocks. With the known success of the Saints' finding gems from all around I like Trumaine Johnson from Montana. He doesn't fit the mold Spags usually go for (6'3 204) but he has long arms and enough strength to keep a wide receiver busy off the line. Another DB that has grabbed some attention is Iowa State's Leonard Johnson. He may not have all of the measurables of some DBs but he showed up and competed in big games for the cyclones this year. His 4.5 speed will most likely land him on special teams or at the fourth corner back position.

The Stretch - I think we can all agree that predicting any of the above mentioned prospects is a stretch with the 89th pick :\ .

My Spill  - Pass rusher, need I say more Who Dats? Last year proved that when you have zero pressure on the QB it's gonna be a lonnnnnng game. Will Smith has lost a step and Cam Jordan is great against the run but his pass rushing skills have to get better. Compared to the D-line of the 2007 Giants we look like tree stumps. In order to really see Spags work his magic we must start with the front 4.

I got 5 on it.

The Saints 5 picks for the 2012 draft are as followed:

 3rd rd. - 89

4th rd. - 122

5th rd. - 162

6th rd. - 179

7th rd. - 234

The first round will be taking place Thursday, April 26 @8:00 (ET), followed by the second and third rounds on Friday, April 27 @6:00 (ET). Rounds 4-7 will be on Saturday, April 28 @Noon (ET).

No first round picks? No problem.

You'd have to be living under a rock this off season to not know that the Saints first pick will come in the third round at pick #89 after trading away their first round pick to the Patriots last year and forfeiting this years pick due to the Bounty scandal. Potential problem??? Depends on how you look at it. Since the Mickey Loomis Era, the Saints have been able to find those diamonds in the rough year after year and I expect the same this draft. Not to mention that the past several first rounders haven't truly lived up to their name. Excluding last year's picks (Cam Jordan and Mark Ingram); the first rounders look like this: 

2006 - Reggie Bush

2007 - Robert Meachem

2008 - Sedrick Ellis

2009 - Malcolm Jenkins

2010 - Patrick Robinson

As you can see, none of the above have had Hall of Fame starts in the NFL. Two aren't even apart of the roster this year! Granted, each had a hand in bringing the Saints their first Lombardi trophy but compared to other players drafted in the same position the same year? Not too much success

On the other hand selecting the 10th best DE in the draft or 8th best LB can be quite disturbing to fans. Picking so deep into the draft narrows your board down...way down. At that point you are picking solely on needs and evaluations. This is where teams continue their dynasties and prove that talent is talent no matter where you pick. I don't foresee the Saints trading up with the lack of picks they have this year and the lost of the first round pick the following year so they'll need to do the best with the picks they have.  At the end of the day having a pick in the first round gives you first dibs at any position you are in need of, but it doesn't guarantee you a Pro Bowler in the future.

Circle that date!

 

Here it is! The 2012 Saints schedule. At first glance we should definitely win 12 - 13 games this year. Here are some games that we all should circle:

Week 1 vs 'Skins - RGIII's (as we all assume) debut.
Week 3 vs Chiefs - Bitter sweet match up ( for me anyways).
Week 4 vs Packers - Arguably best 2 teams in the NFC this year.
Week 8 vs Broncos - Denver vs anybody will be circled this year.
Week 12 vs 49ers - REMATCH!
Week 14 vs Giants - What the 2011 NFC Championship should have been...
Week 16 vs Cowboys - Regional rivalry

and of course ALL NFC SOUTH GAMES!


Link to the New Orleans Saints 2012 schedule is below:

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/assets/docs/saints_2012_schedule_pdf.pdf

So Who Dats, how many W's do you see in this year's squad?

The Waiting Game

Another day has gone by and still no deal for Drew. Even with the purchase of the Hornets yesterday ( for a reported 338 million) and the not so promising "We're close to a deal" from Mr. Benson is still not good enough for us Who Dats. The equation is pretty simple; Drew + Saints = Winning .What's the real issue? Money? Long term? Pride? Ego??? The front office have to understand that not signing Drew can end in a possible boycott from the city (no joke!) not because we are spoiled - which we are - but to deny a proven player his well deserved money and risk the entire team folding is unacceptable. If I would have won the Mega Million jackpot; Drew would be signed by now :) .

So what's next? The conditioning program starts Monday and you can only expect the team to react accordingly without Drew. This domino effect can be devastating for the franchise but as a true fan, I'll always have hope and find that silver lining....just hope it's sooner than later.

Every team needs a leader. Ours live in Uptown New Orleans with 2 sons and one on the way.