2010 Available NFL Free Agents: Offense

Eugene Amano was the offensive player I was most interested in obtaining. Sounds as if his agent has hammered out a contract extension with the Titans, so I guess we’ll have to look elsewhere for interior line depth. Mawae (Amano’s predecessor) and Rabach are both running on empty tanks. The Redskins signed Kory Lichtensteiger (to replace Rabach) about a month ago, another young center with a lot of promise. That’s one area where the Saints could definitely stand to improve. I’m thinking via the draft, as the UFA pickings are looking mighty slim.

At QB, I like Josh McCown among the younger veteran prospects. I’d feel more comfortable with him, than with Brunell at #2. John Beck might be worth pursuing also, but I’d honestly rather a guy with starting experience and McCown has more of that. Not to mention, he’s been exposed to Mike Martz’s tutelage in Detroit.

The “other” Adrian Peterson would be a great addition, in terms of special teams. I don’t know that he’d be much of an upgrade over Bell or Hamilton at RB, though.

Several of those UFA OTs would be a better option than breaking the bank for Jammal Brown. We’re not going to land a true franchise LT with the 32nd pick, so the stop gap route might be the way to go, with Bushrod battling it out with whomever we bring in.

Basically, parting ways with Brown would be our green light to significantly improve another area. If that area isn’t OLB or DL, then it probably isn’t worth it to intentionally open that can of worms. Granted, it may still happen, if Brown gets loopid (Digital Underground term) and refuses to sign his one-year tender. That’s pretty much the key to the whole shebang. Even if he wasn’t coming off a season-ending injury, he’s not worth Top 5 LT money, yet that’s likely what he’s going to be seeking.

Personally, I’d rather earmark those extra $Ms towards Jahri Evans’s extension and hope someone makes Brown an offer he can’t refuse. Draft pick compensation + UFA leeway + substantial savings, all for a guy we won the Super Bowl without? I’m fine with that. Hell, worst case scenario, shift Stinchcomb over to the left until someone better comes along. He’d be no more out of his element over there than Brown is already.

and spend a draft pick on a DT/DE

The offensive FA’s I could see us looking into are at running back, backup QB, guard, and tackle. Of course under the new rules as a final 4 team we can only sign a UFA if we lose a player of the same salary size. So there are several possibilities I see. Starting at RB.

We still stuggled this year in short yardage situations, and Mike Bell’s early season performance completely fizzled down the stretch to a point where all he did was short yardage stuff. And a lot of times he couldn’t even get the yard that we needed. The same thing goes for Lynell Hamilton. While both of those guys are role players, I could see at least Bell being replaced with LenDale White, who just last season had 15 touchdowns, many of them coming on the goal line, which he dominated.

Now for backup QB. There are a lot of options left out there, and I see 2 guys that have always gone great jobs in their backup roles. Those guys being Jeff Garcia and A.J. Feely. I have never been as high on Brunell has everyone else has been. He never really did much, even in preseason. Feely and Garcia are proven backups who understand the role and are capable of starting in a pinch or a few games.

The other positions can be filled with a bunch of people.

Marc Bulger will soon be released by St. Louis.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter disputes a report that Bulger cleaned out his locker at Rams Park, explaining that it was cleaned out by the team’s equipment staff — just as the other players’ lockers had been. We still expect Bulger to be released, possibly after the Rams try and fail to shop him for a late-round pick. [from RotoWorld]

Matthew Darnell asks the question,

Did the Rams get worse because Bulger wasn’t playing well, or did Bulger get worse because the Rams surrounded him with a roster that shouldn’t even be allowed to watch the playoffs on television?

Good question. Darnell and I both suspect it was mainly the lack of talent (and offensive continuity) that dragged Bulger down. I wonder if his play wouldn’t describe a drastic upward curve if he were surrounded by good talent and a top-notch scheme. At one time, he looked like a legitimate heir to Kurt Warner, and I don’t think you can do that without having actual ability.

Bear in mind we’re talking about a back-up, not a substitute for Drew except in dire emergency. Is it better to have someone who is younger and healthier but who has never been a winner, or someone who has a lot of question marks but who functioned at a high level in the past? (I guess that last describes Brunell, as well.)

Is it better to have someone who is younger and healthier but who has never been a winner, or someone who has a lot of question marks but who functioned at a high level in the past?

The latter. Without question.

we could you some TE depth

At QB, I like the idea of McCown or Pennington. McCown has filled in at least a passable capacity for other teams before, and I think Pennington is smart enough to manage the offense and get the ball into the hands of Saints better equipped to do something with it than he is. I know that sounds like an insult, but it’s not meant to be.

Garcia has never viewed himself as a backup. Maybe at this point in his career he’d be willing to accept it, but these are pro football egos we’re talking about.

Mawae. I know, I know, you are probably thinking that he is too old and been in the league too long to be of any real assistance to us, but I like the guy. He is a stand up guy, brings heart and leadership to the table, and does a pretty damn good job of run blocking. Some kid for Tennessee ended up rushing for something like 2000 yards or so didn’t he? Believe his name was, hmmm, Johnson. Chris Johnson, yeah, that’s it. I think Mawae has a few more years left in him, and I would love to see him in Black and Gold. Would definitely have to run out and buy a Jersey for sure. His home town is New Llano, Louisiana, he played football for LSU, he would be closer to his family, how many more excuses do I need to root for this deal???!!!