Analyzing the Saints 2010 Free Agents: Defensive Line

Seems like they did a pretty good job of plugging the middle most of the season. It was the off tackle stuff that was breaking our back the majority of the time. I don’t know what another first round DT does to shore that up, other than free up our slow as molasses LBs to make tackles eight yards up the field more often on occasional double teaming. I listened to that song and dance when they traded up to get Ellis and it didn’t seem to make much of a difference at all in 2008. Against the pass, Grant and Smith’s sack totals nosedived that season, as compared to 2007. When Pressley (a lower round pick), Ayodele, Hargrove, etc., were added to the mix this season, those same sack totals went back up. What does that tell you? It tells me that unless your interior defensive linemen are completely dominant — which even Ellis hasn’t been — then you may as well not waste first round picks on them. At 32nd overall, odds are you’re not going to get anyone even as good as Ellis, much less better, so why not stick with what you already have in the beef department and try the direct approach this time: better containment and/or pressure outside? I mean, if I saw vast improvement in either phase of the defense that was directly attributable to Ellis, then I might say ok, we definitely need another one of those. Being that I haven’t, coupled with the fact that I’ve been staring at the same two mighty whiteys making little to no impact in either phase of the game since they’ve been starting, I’m ready to throw the displacement theory out the window and tackle the bull by the horns. Solid players at both positions should be there, I’m just sick of sitting around waiting for a blue chip OLB to land in our laps in later rounds. It hasn’t happened in eons. Cie Grant, Alfred Fincher, blah blah blah. No mas. Get me a Brian Cushing or a Jon Beason this time out. If a Red Bryant is there in Round 4 and you feel particularly inclined to roll the dice on another larda** who’ll inevitably spend the first 24 to 36 months of his professional career becoming acclimated to the Louisiana humidity, then be my guest. Suh’s an Albert Haynesworth caliber freak of nature. He’s not even included in this conversation. We aren’t sniffing his jock strap, unless Mike Ditka happens to get involved in the negotiations to trade up. Any other DT can wait, imo. If no stud OLB is there and you REALLY want to focus on TOP, I’d rather see them trade down several spots, snap up Gerhart on a reach if need be, THEN use the extra pick + 2nd rounder to shore up the DL at both DE and DT. There’s your answer, btw. Run the ball more consistently ourselves, while adding a couple of more big uglies in the middle rounds.