The month of May is miserable enough during the regular NFL off-season, but now that we know the NFL lockout will continue for another few weeks, as a blogger it's going to become even more difficult to come up with relevant topics to write about. Unless Reggie Bush decides to speak his mind on Twitter, of course. After a quick look around SB Nation's other football blogs, I've noticed I'm not alone.
Some of my colleagues have decided to try out a mailbag type of post, soliciting questions from readers and then answering them later in a follow-up post. Since I'm unoriginal and have no good ideas of my own, I figured I would give it a shot myself. Hopefully it will be both entertaining and discussion generating.
So if you've got a burning question you've been dying to know my answer to, send an email to [email protected], send me a tweet @csctweet, post on our wall at Canal Street Chronicles Facebook page or just ask me in the comment section below. They can be about the Saints, the NFL, the blog or even personal. Don't forget to leave your first name and last initial so we can give you credit for the question.
I will round up the best questions, from what will hopefully be a healthy supply of inquisitions, and answer them in a timely fashion in a second post. If all goes well and you guys enjoy the idea, we can easily make this a regular event even if/when the lockout finally ends. If the response isn't great, this is probably the last you'll hear of it.
We know the Saints struck gold with both Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks in the NFL Draft. Nicks was picked in the 5th round, Evans in the 4th. And since then, it's been clear that both were easily worth a high first round pick based on what they've accomplished.
Nicks has been to the Pro Bowl once and Jahri has been twice. I watch tape of these guys and grade them on each game based on their individual performances, and by and large they always impress me as dominant players. But how do they stack up against the rest of the league?
While I'm familiar with the names and the players that are considered "good," I don't watch or pay close enough attention to guards on other teams to give you a fully educated opinion. That, plus I'm clearly biased. It's hard to isolate individual play on the offensive line in a general sense because there's no easy stats to point to and the only real recognition a guard gets is a Pro Bowl birth.
I don't watch other guards close enough to fairly compare them to our boys. Granted, both Evans and Nicks have recent Pro Bowl invites, so we could base our claim that they're the best tandem on the support of their peers. Still, I thought I'd turn to Pro Football Focus and see how they stack up against other tandems.
Carl Nicks was actually rated last year as the top guard in the NFL with a 26.2 rating. Evans came out 31st overall with a 0.2 rating, mostly thanks to all the penalties he suffered (2nd worse of all NFL guards). Combined they had a 14.1 rating. That was the best combined rating in the league, with the Houston Texans (13.45), Atlanta Falcons (11.9) and San Francisco 49ers (11.6) behind them. Wade Smith of the Texans bumped that average up and he had two guys he was paired with that played reasonably well, but I'd argue that the Harvey Dahl & Justin Blalock tandem in Atlanta is more solid.
If you go back to 2009, Jahri Evans led the NFL with a 34.0 rating amongst guards and Carl Nicks was fourth with a rating of 24.9. Obviously no one in the league averaged a score higher than their average with a whopping 29.45. Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal of the Patriots did average 25.45 together, Evan Mathis and Bobbie Williams of the Bengals averaged 20.1 together. Dahl and Blalock combined for a negative rating in 2009. Seems like the scores in general, according to PFF, were much higher across the board in 2009 than they were in 2010.
So there you have it. According to Pro Football Focus, the Nicks/Evans tandem has been the best graded tandem based on their play in both 2009 and 2010. By the way, the tandem ranked 4th in the NFL in 2008 according to PFF, behind the guard tandems from New England, Kansas City and New York Giants. Still, 4th best in 2008 and best in both 2009 & 2010 I think does nothing to dispute the claim that the Saints' pair of guards are the best in the league.
"It is now time to devote all of our energy to reaching a comprehensive agreement that will improve the game for the benefit of current and retired players, teams, and, most importantly, the fans. This litigation has taken the parties away from the negotiating table where these issues should be resolved. We remain confident that the appellate court will determine that this is a labor dispute that should be governed by federal labor law. But the league and players, without further delay, should control their own destiny and decide the future of the NFL together through negotiation."
"It is now time to devote all of our energy to reaching a comprehensive agreement that will improve the game for the benefit of current and retired players, teams, and, most importantly, the fans. This litigation has taken the parties away from the negotiating table where these issues should be resolved. We remain confident that the appellate court will determine that this is a labor dispute that should be governed by federal labor law. But the league and players, without further delay, should control their own destiny and decide the future of the NFL together through negotiation."
"It is now time to devote all of our energy to reaching a comprehensive agreement that will improve the game for the benefit of current and retired players, teams, and, most importantly, the fans. This litigation has taken the parties away from the negotiating table where these issues should be resolved. We remain confident that the appellate court will determine that this is a labor dispute that should be governed by federal labor law. But the league and players, without further delay, should control their own destiny and decide the future of the NFL together through negotiation."
Had a great workout with the early group today...very efficient! Headed to play in the Saints Hall of Fame Tournament today What? How can he if Loomis and Payton are also there?
I'm waken, who's baken?.............doughnuts that is, because I'm starving lol #forreeeeeeal
SAINTS:
New Orleans Saints adjust their routine as NFL lockout lingers into May | NOLA.com A handful of assistant coaches on hand for the annual Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday admitted they're a little disappointed and disoriented by their unfamiliar circumstances. But General Manager Mickey Loomis, Coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams continued to stress that all they can do is be as prepared as possible whenever they're finally able to get back to work.
Glen Coffee returns to football, sorta | ProFootballTalk "A lot of people think that because I quit, I don’t like football or I have something against it," Coffee said. "It’s not like that. As a recreational sport, I still dig it. It’s just not what I wanted to do with my life."
Carson Palmer sells his Cincinnati house | ProFootballTalk If quarterback Carson Palmer plays for the Bengals in 2011, he'll need a new house. Or to rent one. Or to stay in a hotel. Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Palmer has found a buyer for his home, a five-bedroom, 5.5-bath bungalow with an asking price of $2.1 million.
Bucs turn down Hard Knocks | ProFootballTalk "We have respectfully declined this year’s Hard Knocks invitation. Wonderful show, but the team wants to keep the focus on the field in 2011," the team said in a statement.
On his draft-day tweets that insinuated he was leaving New Orleans: "I think when you look at the situation you look at all the running backs that we have. All the running backs have been taken care of except me and there's a big question mark with me, so I wasn't exactly sure that I would be back with the team. I thought maybe it was a message the team was sending me... The next day, Coach just called me and said, ‘Hey, this doesn't affect you at all. We still want you here to be a part of the Saints.' First and foremost for me is to remain a New Orleans Saint. If I could, I'd play here my whole career."
Did he tweet out of frustration?: "Not necessarily frustration. I'm not frustrated at all because I know the type of player I am and what I can bring to the team and what I can offer to a team. I just thought maybe the team was saying they were moving on without me, but clearly they're not."
Does he regret the tweets?: "It goes along with, you should think before you tweet. Obviously it got taken the wrong way; it got taken out of context."
What about the Twitter war with Skip Bayless?: "No, not at all, that was on purpose... Obviously fans are tied in on the emotional side. They don't necessarily understand the particulars of it. When we have the minicamps and the OTAs [Organized Team Activities] and you still put your body at the same risk, but you're not playing for anything and you have some guys who get injured out there and end the whole season... and when you aren't playing for anything, that's tough. That's tough to deal with. That's where we're trying to come to a medium with the owners and players... I was trying to make light of the situation."
Is he open to taking a paycut?: "Yeah, I mean, obviously I know there's going to have to be some type of renegotiation. So that's where me, my agent and the New Orleans Saints are going to have to come to a happy medium."
Will he take Skip Bayless up on his challenge of an eight-mile run?: "I expected him to respond like that. He basically made it seem like he could come do my sport. So I said, ‘OK, if you can do that, then come do it.' I never said I could go run eight miles and crush him at it. I put the offer on the table if he wants to come to training camp one day."
Williams said he loves California defensive end Cameron Jordan's versatility, he's excited by Illinois linebacker Martez Wilson's potential as a strong-side linebacker, and he likes the upside of Louisville cornerback Johnny Patrick, Pittsburgh defensive end Greg Romeus and Illinois linebacker Nate Bussey.
But he said tailback Mark Ingram "might be the best pick we took, even though he's on the offensive side of the ball."
"I really like him because he'll keep our defense off the field at the end of the game, because he can run the ball in the power running game," Williams said before teeing off at the Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic. "So I'm really pleased with the whole group of guys."
As usual, Williams was very talkative in this his first public appearance since the draft.
Williams said one thing that stands out about the group of players as a whole is their size. Jordan (6 feet 4, 287 pounds) and Wilson (6-4, 250) are taller than any other player at their respective positions on the Saints' roster.
"We'll look different getting off the bus," Williams said. "These guys are big, physical, a little taller. Now, they've got to play, too."
Jordan definitely seems to be Williams' kind of player. He'll start out as a left defensive end, but he has the versatility to play left and right end in both 4-3 and 3-4 alignments, and he could play tackle in some formations.
"That will help him play in more packages, get him out there more," Williams said. "He won't be pigeon-holed into one area. I've said before, I love guys who can play multiple positions."
On Martez Wilson:
"He's the first guy we've had in here that really fits the profile of a Scott Fujita," Williams said. "Last year, we used four different guys in different packages. When Martez earns the right to get on the field, he can do a lot of those things. We were fortunate to get him where we got him (in Round 3)."
On Nate Bussey:
"What a great young man he is," said Williams, who said his character reminded him of defensive end Jevon Kearse, whom Williams coached with the Tennessee Titans. "Fans will be pleased how tough he is, how versatile he is. He can play in space, and wait til you see him on special teams. He can flat get it done. ... He wants to be good. ... He'll be a favorite for the Who Dat fans to root for."
On Greg Romeus:
"I like the fact that (Romeus) has a basketball background," Williams said. "He has very good athletic ability. Those are the things I can't coach, things mom and dad gave him."
Lance Moore Describes Lockout as a "Horrible Situation"
Here's another little story I just found. Lance Moore is hopeful the lockout will end soon. Since he is currently without a contract, he's reluctant to take part in Brees' organized team workouts for fear of injury.
"I feel like the risk is too great," Moore told Alex Marvez and Jim Miller on Sirius XM NFL Radio. "If you get hurt down there, there’s no telling what’s going to happen."
"I’m not under contract. I don’t have a team. I don’t know what my situation is going to be. This is a horrible situation for the guys that it affects the most, and that’s free agents," Moore said. "I can’t wait for it to get over so I can finally sign with a team. Hopefully that team will be the Saints."
I can't say I blame him. You'll remember that Lance dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum back in the Spring of 2009 while lifting weights during a team workout. If anything like that happened to him during this lockout, he wouldn't have nearly what he had to back then take care of it. It might even end his career.
Yesterday, NBC outlined it's 2011 fall primetime programming schedule and it's popular staple Sunday Night Football still remains firmly in their plans, though they do have a backup plan just in case. NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt commented on the networks intentions:
By devoting its Sunday night prime-time schedule in the fall to pro football, NBC appeared confident that the NFL's labor problems would be solved. Greenblatt said NBC is developing some high-profile reality competitions as substitutes for football but said that "we're feeling pretty optimistic that football will be there."
I'm glad Greenblatt is optimistic, because I'm not. I also don't have billions of my company's dollars at stake so perhaps his optimism is a bit optimistic. Hopefully, Greenblatt knows something that we don't. But if he truly did think the NFL lockout situation would be resolved in time, NBC wouldn't be wasting time and money coming up with substitute reality competitions just in case now would they?
On Friday, ESPN's Rick Reilly took it upon himself to re-draft the entire first rounds of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 NFL Drafts knowing now what we didn't know then. The results are nothing short of impressive for the New Orleans Saints, who have been able to get incredible value out of their later round draft picks during the Sean Payton era. Most of us have already known that but Reilly's re-draft experiment proves it:
We learn that there's a reason the re-draft champions, the New Orleans Saints, have finally become a power. They stopped wasting first-round picks (their worst, WR Robert Meachem, only fell 44 spots) and they've found more bargains than Yelp (linemen Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, to name two -- a combined +243 -- both of whom would be first-rounders now).
In 2006, Reilly thinks Saints Pro Bowl tackle Jahri Evans should have been taken 7th overall, a jump of +101 spots from his actual draft position of 108th overall. And for those of you that may think Reggie Bush is a draft bust, Reilly still has Bush as a first round pick in 2006, only this time he's the final pick of the round.
Jermon Bushrod becomes the 27th overall re-draft selection in 2007, up +98 positions from his actual draft slot. As stated above, Reilly moves Robert Meachem down -44 spots to 71st overall.
The Saints had not one but two of their 2008 draft picks get moved up to the first round in Reilly's re-draft. Tracy Porter now gets taken 12th overall instead of 40th and Carl Nicks makes a huge jump of +142 spots when he's re-drafted 22nd overall. Sedrick Ellis only slipped -29 positions to 36th overall.
When it's all said and done, the Saints lead the league in draft value with a score of +266 using Reilly's re-draft formula. That's some pretty exceptional drafting right there, wouldn't you agree?
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