Things To Watch in Training Camp

Football is finally here!

Your New Orleans Saints begin training camp this week. The LSU Tigers and Tulane Green Wave begin fall camp in about two weeks.

Here are some of the things I'll be watching this Saints camp.
 

Offense:

Brees to Fleener

In my mind, the best FA pick up by the Saints was Coby Fleener, the big TE from the Colts. Fleener compares favorably to Jimmy Graham but he's no Kardashian. It'll be interesting to see if the chemistry builds. If it does and quickly, the Saints will have another big time weapon at TE.

At least one undrafted free agent WR will make the final 53.
Based on OTA's and mini-camp, RJ Harris looks to be the early favorite. The 6' speedster has already gained the trust of Brees. Jared Dangerfield is a sleeper. He's got the height at 6'3", weight 215 and speed 4.5 of a legit NFL WR. He has good hands as well. The problem both these players will face will be creating space. The one who quickly learns to get off the LOS cleanly, adjust their routes and block will have the inside track to play in September

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O-Line
Since losing Carl Nicks, the OL has regressed yearly and Jhari Evans' brilliant career is now over. Let's face it, the season begins and ends at this position. So will last season's first round pick Andreas Peat take hold of RT or lose out to a aging by-the-second Zach Strief. There's been talk of moving Peat to guard. Personally I don't think he's the right body type. I think he's tackle or bust. Actually, Strief should be the one given a look at guard. He takes up plenty of space and can be the road grater needed for the running game. He also still possesses the ability to drop in pass protection. But at guard, he wouldn't have to worry about getting beat on the edge as he did against Tampa. You remember, the play the ended Brees consecutive starts streak. The competition at OG between Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemente has been unable to produce a consistent starter.  Neither can win it. Perhaps one of the rookie free agents will step in.

Defense.

D-line.
We're being told by all the experts that Sheldon Rankins will be a beast at DT. He'd better be. The Saints biggest Achilles' heel was not the big pass play but giving up an NFL high 5 yards/carry last season. That's where all poor defenses begin. Plus, there were some solid DT's on the board when the saints chose him at 13. However, If he's good as advertised and veteran FA Nick Fairly plays to his potential, the interior DL will be in vastly improved and that yards/carry avg will drop considerably. So will the big plays.

LBs
Longtime Rams ILB James Laurenitis joins the Saints and will replace 2nd year man Stephone Anthony at MLB. Anthony moves outside to learn his second position in as many years. Is that a good or bad thing? We shall see. The Saints also brought in a couple of free agent LB's hoping to get younger and more athletic.  

The 504 CB Connection
If they stay healthy,this may be an NFL first. Two native sons starting at CB for their beloved home team. Keenon Lewis and Delvin Breaux. Each took their own paths to get here, but getting here makes them the best CB tandem in Saints history. But they have to stay healthy.

Will special be special?
We know Thomas Morestead answers half that question affirmatively. He's still a top five NFL punter. On the other hand, the Saints are still looking for the consistency at fg kicker they've lacked since the immortal Morten Anderson. Conner Barth seems to have the inside track over current kicker Kai Forbath but Sean Payton has made whiffing at this position an annual occurrence.

As with past Saints training camps, a keen eye will be on the draft picks. WR Michael Thomas turned heads in mini-camp and Vonn Bell showed he may belong. Will they convert that when ball in the fall is for real?

The man with no name.
There's always the guy who comes from nowhere to make a splash. Who will be next in the tradition of PT23, Delvin Breaux, Junior Gallette or Chris Ivory? I give you two names. Erik Harris, S and 7th rd pick from RB from Cal, Daniel Lasco.

I Love love love this time of year. Here's to a great camp and fun season.

 

Thank the good Lord, football is back!

My One and Only 2016 Saints Mock Draft

Here's my one and only Saints mock for 2016. It's not a prediction of who they will pick, but who I would pick if I were GM.

Last year, all of my picks made the final 53 active rosters. My First round selection was LSU's La'el Collins, before the investigation. The Saints selected tackle Andrus Peat from Stanford. Collins went undrafted, was signed by Dallas as a free agent and excelled. Peat is still looking for his roll on the offensive line.

As it turns out though, compared to previous years, the Saints 2015 draft was solid. Peat may turn out to be an outstanding NFL tackle. Their second pick of the first round was Stephone Anthony from Clemson. He looks like an all-out baller.

Let's jump in.

Round 1.Pick # 12. A'Shawn Robinson DT Alabama 6'4" 307. Robinson has been my guy all along. I've gone back and forth with other players, but the combination of need meeting value makes this the right pick for me. He can come in, be plugged in and start day 1. Nick Saban's defenses are great when they are great up front. Robinson anchored the best D-Line for Saban since his LSU line of Marcus Spears, Marquise Hill and Chad Lavalais. Robinson is like a bolder in the middle. He won't be moved easily. His ability to occupy blockers alone will upgrade the play of the linebackers behind him. His weakness is stamina and pass rush. This could take him off the field on 3rd and long. But he will be the main reason teams are in 3rd & long in the first place.

Round 2. Pick #47 Shilique Calhoun DE Michigan St. 6'4" 251. Calhoun could've turned pro after his junior season when he was named Big Ten D-linemen of the Year. Uhhh Joey Bosa was playing at the same time. That's high cotton. MSU is always good defensively although they get Big Blue and Ohio St's crumbs. Mark Dantonio is an excellent coach. He was mentored by legends Earl Bruce and  Jim Tressel. But it was MSU's new hire in 1995 that brought him in to coach that new coaches beloved position, DB, That coach was Nick Saban, I wrote all that to say this. Calhoun was the best player on a great defense coached by an excellent defensive HC. I like his stock. On the field, Calhoun has a relentlees motor with an explosive first step and long stride. He understands body positioning to transfer speed to power. Put Hau'oli Kikaha outside of him and Cam Jordan on the other side and watch the QBs go down.

Round 3. Pick #78 Sheldon Day DT Notre Dame 6'1" 293. Motor motor motor! Explosive. Quick. Great closer, ton of energy. Never. Stops. Compares to former Saints great La'Roi Glover. Not ideal size for a DT, but manages to get penetration to pressure the QB. Would be the ying to Robinson's yang. The two would feed off each other to force offenses to pick their poison as to who to double. I like, no, I love this pick in the 3rd round.

Round 4. Pick 112 Keyarris Garrett WR Tulsa 6'4" 220 Big framed WR with broad shoulders. Will be able to out physical DB's and run passed them as his long strides and fluid route running make him a deep threat as well. Garrett is the ideal WR for Sean Paytons's offense. Tall, long, physical and fast enough. He is known as a "hands" catcher, able to snatch the ball away from his body. He will fit right in with the Saints young receiving group.Wouldn't shock me if he is given jersey #12.

Round 5. Pick  #152 Sebastian Tretola  OG Arkansas 6'4" 314.Come on. The Arkie's 1.5 tons scheme? Where do I sign? Tretola was named the SEC's top O-linemen, the Jacobs Trophy, after giving up only .5 sacks in two full seasons. Considered an immovable object at guard. Moves very well for someone with his size. Shows mobility and ability to get out on screens. Screens? Hello! Is he not tailor made for Sean Payton?? This is where the Saints find their o-line gems. Well here he is, Saints fans. A fifth round steal.

Round 7. Pick #237 Austin Blythe C Iowa 6'2" 298. A four year starter on Iowa's O-line. Played both guard positions then ended up at center his senior year. Made 2nd team Big 10. Wins the battle of leverage with his short frame. Nasty, aggressive and power with great agility to seal off opponents creating lanes for teammates to exploit. Can understudy behind current starter Max Unger while coming off the bench to back up both guard positions. Blythe will be the next big Iowa offensive linemen produced by Kirk Ferentz.

Well these are my picks and I'm sticking to them. Heavy on the line of scrimmage which are big needs for the Saints and getting value as well.

The season will be here before we know it!
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Grading the Saints 2016 Free Agent Class.

The Saints had a productive free agency period. Going after and signing some players in positions of need, focusing on defense but nailing maybe the best signing in the league on the offensive side of the ball. They covered most of my wish list except  guard and wide receiver, Here are my grades for the players they did sign.

James Laurinaitis , ILB, LA Rams. Laurinaitis was consistently good for the Rams since he arrived in St. Louis. He lead the team in tackles virtually every season. This is a good signing because he is a good, solid player. My one concern would be that he was playing behind one of the best defensive fronts in all the NFL and now could be playing behind one of the worst fronts in all the NFL. Inside linebackers rely so much on the interior defensive line for protection. Grade: B-.

Craig Robertson, OLB, Cleveland Browns. Robinson is young, athletic, fast, aggressive. He's also raw, inexperienced and underproductive,. The Saints need young fast athletic linebackers. They haven't had many under Sean Payton until drafting Stephone Anthony, Hau'holi Ki'kaha and Davis Tull last season. The thought is they can team with Robinson and Lauranitis and perhaps draft a young, athletic, fast linebacker like a Dion Jones from LSU, then they could have a speedy, athletic group with just enough leadership and moxie to dramatically upgrade that position. Grade: B+

Nick Fairley DT, LA Rams. Nick Fairley's an enigma. At best, he immediately becomes the second best defensive linemen on the Saints team. At worst, he could be just another DL on an average team in an average rotation. We just don't know. One thing I do know is NFL teams do not let good defensive tackles get away. He's been often injured and  has not played up to his potential on a consistent basis. He signed with the Rams last season hoping to propel himself to the free agency market for a big time contract. However because of a rash injuries he was not able to be on the field enough to perform the way he expected. The Rams decided to let them test the free-agent market. But if Fairly can come in and upgrade the play of the interior defensive line it will be a huge impact on the on the defense as a whole. Grade: C+

Colby Fleener TE, Indianapolis Colts. Fleener is the catch of free agency for the Saints, no pun intended. He will be as close to Jimmy Graham without being that Jimmy Graham as possible. Some question the Colts letting him go if he is so good. He is coming off a down season. But as I see it, the quarterback situation with Andrew Luck being in and out of the lineup all season combined with a very bad offense of line had more of an impact on Fleener than Fleener himself. If a quarterback does not have enough time to allow a TE in to find the seem, it's going to be a very difficult day for the offense. Some question his ability to get open but remember, Drew Brees does not shy away from receivers who are not "open". With Fleener's catch radius and his ability to get down the field, Brees will make him an all-star. He, like Graham, also gives Brees a big target in the red zone. I have no concern whatsoever about his ability to excel in the Saints offense. Grade: A


Eric Harris S, Canadian Football League. This is an intriguing signing. Harris was Saints CB Delvon Breaux's teammate in the CFL. Last season Breaux turned out to be one of the Saints best defensive players. Harris played LB in Canada but at 6'3" 225lbs he projects as a safety with the Saints. That's a big safety. My guess is he'll be tried at strong safety to give Kenny Vacarro competition. He is said to have a nose for the football with good speed. The CFL is primarily a passing league so that may bode well for Harris in the passing game. Very intriguing. This will be one spot to keep an eye on in training camp for sure. Grade C+

Nate Stupar LB, Atlanta Falcons. Stupar was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2012. He played three full seasons then was cut before the 2015 season. Picked up by Atlanta off the waiver wire, he played mostly special teams. Interestingly enough, coming out of  Penn State, the former teammate of Saint LB Mike Mauti, was considered to be one of the potential sleepers of the 2012 draft. That didn't happen. Playing with the Raiders those three years and then with the Falcons last season, Stupar has been on some bad defenses. So I'll give him some slack for that. However at age to 28. it's getting late in the game for him if he's going to be a legit NFL LB. He's got his work cut out for him to even make the final 53. But linebacker has been a weak spot for the Saints defense for sometime. Maybe this can be one of those Saints finds like a Scott Shanle. Grade: C-

Josh Scobee K, Pittsburg Steelers. Scobee, 33, kicked for 11 years with the Jacksonville Jags then was traded to Pittsburg in 2015. Heinz Field is known to be one of the most difficult stadiums in the NFL for FG kickers. He had a subpar season as a result. Scobee has a strong, accurate leg and if he playing indoors for nine regular-season games, maybe he can rekindle his career. That's if he makes the team. He will have to compete with Kai Forbath the Saints current field-goal kicker. Forbath was signed last season after they released Zach Hocker. Hocker was the winner of the kicker sweepstakes last training camp, you may recall, he was picked over Dustin Hopkins. In true Saints fashion, the one they cut, Hopkins, went on to have a great season with the Redskins. The one they chose didn't make it to November. New Orleans has become the place kicker's come to die. I have no grade for this.

The position the Saints did not address that I feel is a big-time need is guard. This will now have to be addressed in the draft. I know that they need a defensive tackle. They will have to address the guard position no later than the 3rd round. No grade.

Overall I give the Saints 2016 free agency class a C+. Solid but with potential to be better. It could've been a strong B, but they failed to bring in two positions of need and paid for a 33 year old kicker.

Soon, the draft will be upon us. I'm a draft nerd, so I'll be watching the whole damn thing.

The off-season rolls on.

Qustions for LSU's 2016 Spring

The 2016 LSU Football Tigers season began in earnest this week when spring practice opened last Monday. As Les Miles prepares for his 12th season as head coach, here are some questions facing him.

Will new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda have an immediate impact?

 

Aranda comes from the University of Wisconsin where his defenses were consistently ranked in the top five. 

That's the good news.
 

The bad news is Wisconsin plays in the Big 10. But Aranda is universally considered one of the bright young minds in college football defense. He has the reputation to move guys around, put them in positions to be successful, run exotic blitzes and keep the opposing quarterback confused. He is switching to a 3-4 defensive alignment. This will be an interesting move since the weakest spot on the LSU defense has generally been considered the linebacker position. Having more of them on the field at one time could be a concern.

Will the offensive line be able to withstand the loss of two starters?

 

Veterans Vadal Alexander and Jerald Hawkins have to be replaced. LSU likes to rotate the offensive lineman during the season to get them experienced, so they should be good there. They were helped in a big way when senior Center Ethan Pocich decided to return. LSU recruits offensive lineman very well year  in and year out and it's a position of talented depth.

Will Leonard Fournette win the Heisman Trophy?

 

 It's my opinion that he should've won it last season. The quarterback play was inconsistent which contributed to a lackluster passing game. But Fournette still ran for 2000 yards. He absolutely dominated his opponents in the beginning of the season but heavy amounts of carries took it's toll toward the end of the season against Alabama. However, he finished off nicely with the big game against Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl. The running back position is also stockpiled with talented depth lead by sophomore sensation Darius Guice. In fact, though LSU signed one of the best running backs in the country, freshmen Devin White, the depth is so good at running back that White was immediately moved to linebacker to bolster that position.

Will LSU's yearly bumper crop of WR's ever payoff?

 

 LSU year in and year out recruits top wide receivers. The best. So much so that two from last year's team had to transfer due to the influx of talent. The problem is the offense has not produced a quality passer to complement their superior running game.

Which leads me to the next question. Will Brandon Harris finally become the top-notched SEC quarterback that LSU fans have been waiting to see since he was signed three years ago?

 

Everything else on the offense is set, great running backs, terrific why receivers, an outstanding offensive line. The one huge obstacle has been the play of the quarterback. This will be Harris' second season as a full-time starter. The hope of the coaching staff, teammates, fans and pundents everywhere is that the experience he received from starting every game last season will carryover to this season and make him a better qb.

If that happens and Dave Aranda can improve the defense and create turnovers, LSU will have an excellent chance to win the SEC West and make the college football playoffs.

Pre-Saints Free Agency 2016 Report

As we get to the start of the 2016 NFL free agency season, it's time to take a look at some of the Saints needs as I see them. It should be noted that these are my thoughts and I have no inside information on what the Saints are looking far.

Now every season at this time of year we hear the same story. The Saints are over the salary cap and have no wiggle room to bring in top dollar free agents. Well the Saints actually brought in high-priced free agents the last couple of seasons, S Jairus Byrd being one,  CB Brandon Browner being another. To this point neither have lived up to their contracts. In fact, Brown was released after only one season.

 

So let's dive in.

First on my list is a defensive lineman, preferably a defensive tackle. The middle of the line is where all great defenses start. If the middle is weak, the whole defense suffers. The Saints have some young talent there, but nothing to write home about.

 

My choice:

Malik Jackson DE/DT Denver Broncos. 26. He can play inside or outside on the defensive line and is coming off a Super Bowl championship. The Broncos had to shell out big money to keep DE/DT Derek Wolf(4 years $36 million) and put the franchise tag on Von Miller. They cannot afford to keep Jackson. He would start right away and have an immediate impact on the Saints DL.

Next a playmaker at linebacker. Last season the Saints tried many exotic blitzes, schemes and alignments. They just were not able to generate a consistent pass rush from the edge LBers.There are some promising second year men from last season, Hau'oli Kikaha is one, Davis Tull who spent the season on injured reserve, is another. However more are needed.

 

My choice:

Tahir Whitehead, OLB, Detroit Lions. 27. Whitehead was inserted as a starting linebacker midway through the season and that's when the Lions defense started to play better. He's solid in coverage and run defense. His pass coverage skills could free up Kikaha to rush the passer exclusively.

Next, a guard. The Saints have never replaced Carl Nicks. Jhari Evans got old quick. The Saints have settled for undrafted free-agents, late round draft picks and overpaid free agents. None have worked with any consistency. All stop gap measures. They must find a guard to protect Drew Brees. It is essential that Brees gets protected up the middle so he is allowed to step up into the pocket, which is his comfort zone. Drew Brees with a good interior offensive line can play another four seasons, no problem. But he must have solid protection.

 

My choice:

Mike Harris, G, Minnesota Vikings. 27. Harris had a few starts at tackle for the Vikings but excelled when they move him inside to play guard. Playing next to C Max Unger would improve his game even further.

A solid pass receiving tightend would be next on my list. The Saints lost a tremendous play maker in Jimmy Graham when he was traded to the Seahawks. The locker room may be more content since his departure, but the production on the field has declined, and worse, there's no threat to the defense. Fan favorite Benjamin Watson has done a yeoman's job but is in his mid-30s, his time is short. He needs help. Josh Hill turned out not to be the answer. He is an average TE at best, ok receiving, below average blocking.

 

My choice:

Ladarius Green TE San Diego Chargers. 26. Green has been playing behind future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates since arriving into the NFL. The gifted athlete could be another Joe Horn type signing where the player is looking for an opportunity to step out of someone else's shadow and become a star.

And always always always, the Saints can use another playmaking WR. I just don't trust Brandon Coleman to be Marques Colston's heir apparent. Although similar in size, pass catching ability is not even close. Marques Colston, though he had a few drops throughout his career, is night and day, head and shoulders above Brandon Coleman, who has to work on improving his pass catching ability. Fact is, Colston can not be replaced right away. He was that once in a generation late round steal teams dream of landing. It will have to be done by committee.

 

My choices:

1.Marvin Jones WR, Cincinnati Bengals 26. Jones has improved each year. he had 65 catches for 815 yards in 2015.

2.Travis Benjamin WR Cleveland Browns 26.  Speed receiver that blossomed and proved he's more than just a deep threat in 2015.

Stay tuned, Saints fans. should be fun. Free agency season is always alive and active. It leads up to the draft in April. In the weeks leading up to the draft I'll be writing about the Saints needs and potential players they could land. I do my mock draft one week before the NFL draft. I only do one mock draft per season but I've done pretty well, so we'll see how it goes.