Free Agent Rams Cornerback Ron Bartell Visiting With Saints Today

for leverage with other corners on the market

Ronald Bartell – DB – Rams
The Saints view Friday free agent visitor Ronald Bartell as a cornerback, not a potential free safety.
Bartell dabbled at safety in 2006 and might move there later in his career, but he’s proven best as a cornerback. He’s seeking $40 million over five years.
Feb. 27 – 2:58 a.m. ET
Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune

But he had a great stat line last year. 19 passes defensed. Very nice, over 1 a game.
Great year last year, just entering into his prime…no way we get him. Lets just move on…

“When he is not challenged, he will get lazy and lose concentration…”

Maybe Gregg Williams can challenge him, but it would be better to get a corner who doesn’t need his coach jawing at him all the time.

Don’t know where those stats come from, Saintsational, but I sure wish they included YPC against him. That’s a pretty good indication of how well somebody is holding down the fort. Passes defensed? Shows he was busy. Nnamdi Asomugha only had 9 last season…’cause nobody tried to throw against him.

We need a big-time safety according to everything I see about the style defense Williams will put in this season. I think we’re better off drafting someone to give the CBs some depth. I think we’re adequate there now, although not great.

the consensus on Bartell’s that he’s a physical specimen at the corner position, with ideal size and good recovery speed on the wide lateral routes that stretch the Saints defense to the point of breaking. However, despite his size he’s a terrible run defender and tackler in general, ending up in the bottom 10 of pass-defense stops according to FO (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2009/return-al-harris).

Strategically speaking, I don’t know how Bartell would fit with us. I’m thinking that, with his personnel and emphasis on safeties, Gregggg will be moving to a Cover-2 system like the Colts have. In that scheme’s skeleton, the corners play a shallow, or roll, zone that uses their athleticism and quick-burst speed to help in the run game and make plays on short passes (DeAngelo Hall made his name in this defense and lost it in a man coverage scheme). Jason David is a pretty competent corner in a roll zone, as Sean Payton has said, but is literally worse than nothing in man coverage. Bartell probably won’t play the run like a corner needs to in a Cover-2, which could let up as many big plays in a zone defense as bad pass corners do in a man defense.

I say this without having watched a single Rams game last year; they could run a Cover-2, for all I know. What I do know is that they have a terrible, terrible pass rush and that Bartell is essentially an unknown commodity playing on a team that can get pressure consistently. Knowing that, he can’t do any worse with the Saints.

Personally, I’d nix it. If I were going to spend money on any corner, it’d be the Texans’ Dunta Robinson, who made plays while completely bereft of a pass rush. He’s been franchised, though, so he’s all kinds of out of the picture for us.

David Schexnaydre: He’s a guy who has proven to be very good in man-to-man coverage and he’s young
1:07
David Schexnaydre: He’s got great measurables at 6’1, 210 lbs and he put up a 4.37 at the combine when he was drafted
1:08
David Schexnaydre: He had either 19 or 22 passes defensed last year (depending where you look) and also had 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles
1:08
David Schexnaydre: And there’s a stat floating around — I’ve yet to be able to confirm it — that when opposing QBs threw at him last season their QB Rating was 60
1:08
Dave Gladow, NOLA.com: He’d be a wonderful luxury in my opinion. Having Gay and Porter in tow helps alleviate the problem at CB, but you’ve GOT to have 3 good corners in the new NFL. That’s just the way it is now — the nickel formation is at play on that many plays
1:08
[Comment From Jason David]
Why haven’t I been cut yet?
1:08
Dave Gladow, NOLA.com: lol
1:09
David Schexnaydre: I think in a perfect world the Saints would love to have Gay as the nickelback at all times
1:09
David Schexnaydre: That’s Gay’s strength and that’s one of the main reasons he was brought in

David Schexnaydre: Signing Bartell would give the Saints two young CBs — Porter and Bartell — to put on the corners for the next 4 years, and have a solid guy manning the slot
1:10
Dave Gladow, NOLA.com: I think so — perhaps not a direct correlation, but it would be hard to justify keeping mckenzie around after that
1:10
[Comment From Droopy]
If they sign Bartell I think McKenzie is a goner…
1:10
David Schexnaydre: I would think signing Bartell means either McKenzie seriously restructures or he’s gone

http://blog.nola.com/gladow/2009/02/friday_sports_chat_1_pm_nfl_fr.html

David Schexnaydre: Bartell is coming in today. It’s possible we could hear something.
1:55
David Schexnaydre: If Bartell leaves New Orleans he’s going to Denver, and Denver has significantly much more cap room than we do.
1:55
Dave Gladow, NOLA.com: Yeah, that isn’t a scenario that favors the saints — better hope he signs today, or else he probably wont
1:55
Dave Gladow, NOLA.com: that’s my read on the situation anyway
1:56
David Schexnaydre: I’d agree. I don’t see him leaving and then coming back and signing.

I kept looking for it in the fanshot about Ron, but then I found this…