Ridiculously Early 2010 Saints Roster Breakdown: Linebacker
by Dave Cariello on May 25, 2010 6:00 AM CDT
Email
PrintOne of the more interesting battles in training camp this year will most likely be among the many linebackers fighting it out for just a few spots. Our premature look at the Saints roster this summer brings us to the guys roaming the middle of the defense.
We can't be sure how many linebackers the team will actually keep for the opening night roster but because many of these guys contribute heavily on special teams, they might decide hang on to one more than usual. Seven perhaps? For my analysis found below, keep in mind that I haven't paid too much attention to the particular linebacker positions i.e. SLB, MLB and WLB, since Gregg Williams incorporates a 3-4 and 4-3 and because some players are versatile enough to play more than one position.
So make the jump to find out how my take on the teams linebackers and how I imagine it will play out during training camp. There are a lot of varying opinions about a few of the players at this position so I definitely expect a lot of heated yet intelligent commenting on this one.
Definite
I'm going to skip right through the unnecessary Vilma analysis and just start with Scott Shanle. Worst case scenario for Shanle during training camp is that he loses his spot with the first team but there is no chance he doesn't make the final roster cut, whether you like that or not.
Likely
I would hope the Saints didn't sign free agent Clint Ingram last week only for him to not make the team; seems unlikely. In fact, because of his experience I expect him to be starting on the outside opposite Shanle when the season officially starts.
Thanks to his toughness, versatility and special teams play, I consider Jo-Lonn Dunbar to be a cut above many of the other players at this position. He's been a project that has progressed nicely for the Saints these last couple of years; now would be a great time to cash in. This could be the most important training camp of Dunbar's young career with plenty of opportunity to step it up and earn significantly more playing time.
On the Bubble
Stanley Arnoux, Marvin Mitchell, Jonathan Casillas, Troy Evans
I've been listening to all the talk from certain fans regarding Arnoux's potential; for the sake of the Saints I hope it's all true. But until training camp begins, it's just that: Talk. I don't think it would be fair to consider him any better off than 'On the Bubble' right now.
Marvin Mitchell and Troy Evans don't pose any threat for a starting spot but they have been cornerstones on the special teams unit for a while now. That could very well be their golden ticket onto the final 53-man roster.
Depending on who you ask, Jonathan Casillas is soon to be the next great Saints linebacker but I'm not sold quite yet. What little play we saw from Casillas last season was somewhat inconsistent. He's still got a lot to prove.
Longshot
Sam Maxwell, Harry Coleman, Anthony Waters
Both Maxwell and Coleman come into training camp with a lot of hype surrounding them but this isn't college football anymore. They will each need to impress the hell out of coaches this summer. The good news for Coleman is that he could also test his luck at Safety as well.
Waters failed to make the cut during last years training camp and with the competition looking even tougher this season, Waters' future appears to hold more of the same.
34 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
...something sounds familiar...
“I’ve been listening to all the talk from certain fans regarding Arnoux’s potential”
…hey, I resemble that remark!
He’s the real deal.
Who Dat? TWO DAT! Do dat AGAIN!!!
Definitely Evans and I don’t even like the guy at WLB. Exceptional special teams player, at least proven-to-be capable fill-in at the thinnest position in the unit. Arnoux and Casillas are both likely better OLBs, I just haven’t seen anything that would quantify that on the pro level. All in all, I’d love to crumple up this entire list and start over.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
is jo-lonn more likely than anybody else on the bubble?
AMBUSH!!
by DrewBreesManCrush on May 25, 2010 9:14 AM CDT reply actions
That's a good question
and I expected that to be a big issue. Dunbar, Casillas, Arnoux; they’re all kinda lumped together. But, yes, I think Dunbar is slightly ahead of the pack.
Wanna say something? Sign up! It's free!
by Dave Cariello on May 25, 2010 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions
You know what I like most about Mr. Dave?
His player evaluations (and valuations) are consistently very close to my own. He has yet to appear on my Grudge List and it seems unlikely that he will. It helps that he’s a Tulane grad, rather than LSU!! LSU!!
That’s one reason why I never call in to the radio show. Now if he should ever pull a Detillier on me (“Saints should’ve drafted Harry Coleman”), we might have some fireworks. Or maybe just Ralph saying “{click} Ok, let’s take another call now….”
"I trust everything will turn out all right." - Roger McGuinn
Vilma shows me nothing
Dead weight since he got here. Cut him to make room for younger players at lower salaries. That will save enough money to hit the free agent market and get a REAL quarterback.
I know who i am! I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude!
I’m assuming this was tongue in cheek and I definitely wouldn’t call Vilma “dead weight”, but I do agree that an in-the-same-ballpark MLB could probably be had for far less money. There’s not any player currently on the UFA market that would be worth cutting corners for, though.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
I think he was trying to provoke me
M-E doesn’t have to make up stuff to wind me up. Just speaking his mind will do it, about a third of the time.
"I trust everything will turn out all right." - Roger McGuinn
Hard to pick one of the bunch to keep. I think Casillas and Dunbar are a toss up to replace Fujita. Arnoux is right there as well, but I think he would have to have a really good camp since nobody really knows what he can do when he gets in a game. Marvin Mitchell makes the team just because I don’t think we have anyone other than him and Vilma at MLB. I’d venture a guess that Anthony Waters is the only veteran to not make the team.
"I want to hand this trophy to the MVP of the Super Bowl -- and the MVP of the entire league.''
-- Saints coach Sean Payton, handing the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Drew Brees after Super Bowl 44.
I think Casillas and Dunbar are a toss up to replace Fujita.
OK, see? M-E could have posted this and I would have stomped him. What is it with you Virginia guys?? The only serious candidate to replace Fujita is Ingram, and that’s tentative at best. Mickey will go outside the nest in July if he thinks he still needs fill the spot.
"I trust everything will turn out all right." - Roger McGuinn
OK, see, you sell me short. I think Ingram was signed to start. Casillas? I’ve been high on his potential since we got him. Same with Arnoux. But neither has proven anything yet. As for Dunbar, he’s been great on special teams, okay at best coming off the bench. If Payton, Williams, and Loomis were confident that any of them could take over Fujita’s job, they wouldn’t have bothered to go get Ingram.
That’s not to say that someone won’t step it up. I hope so. But here’s where we say “predict” when what we mean is “guess.” My guess is that if Arnoux is completely healed from his injury, he’ll play a major role for the Saints for a long time to come. And if he’s not healed, then he won’t. Is that hedged enough?
I know who i am! I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude!
The only thing I got out of the O. J. trial
“I will allow it.”
"I trust everything will turn out all right." - Roger McGuinn
Stu, where'd you get that picture of me from NFL Draft Weekend 2010?
We've got 27 ways to add up to 11 (players on the field). I came up with another one last night. -- GW
Yeah, I could agree with that. I guess I have been pondering the question of which one of those two it would be for so long I forgot about Ingram. He is a pretty forgetable guy.
"I want to hand this trophy to the MVP of the Super Bowl -- and the MVP of the entire league.''
-- Saints coach Sean Payton, handing the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Drew Brees after Super Bowl 44.
by VAsaintsfan on May 25, 2010 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Goodbye...
Marvin Mitchell and Troy Evans!!!! I know alot of people want MM as the backup MIKE, but he was terrible in relief last year and I think Dunbar has the skills to back up Vilma. With Ingram in now, I think we keep:
SLB:
Ingram, Arnoux
MLB:
Vilma, Dunbar
WLB:
Shanle, Casillias
And on ST, i think Harry Coleman can make a name for himself. Plus with his versitility, when GW plays the 6 DB package, Coleman’s speed and ability to cover TEs and RBs will make him a valuable asset. I don’t think he’s as much of a longshot as you do.
Plus, we might be able to stash Jr Gallette on the PS and he would probably make a hell of a SLB in a few years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qais_eGMnWk
...
Thanks Harry Coleman for pretty much destroying my argument for you not being a long shot!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qais_eGMnWk
I know, right? What a stupid move, doing something to get arrested. And he’s even from around here, you’d think he’d know what he’s doing.
by Andrew Tessier on May 25, 2010 4:19 PM CDT up reply actions
will he be gone quicker than those guys who peed in a parking lot outside a nightclub last year?
We've got 27 ways to add up to 11 (players on the field). I came up with another one last night. -- GW
I think...
he’ll last a bit longer just based on raw talent. Those other two guys were scrubs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qais_eGMnWk
Think you nailed it
we’ll see in sept.
What wonderful little gifts April Fools Day brings.
~D's Pappy
I think Dunbar
has shown slight flashes of ability to play a role in more than just special teams. I only said flashes, I don’t see him starting unless an injury occurs. I agree with a previous post that Ingram was brought in to start, and will unless there is a huge surprise (or injury) at camp.
Not that I don’t like Casillas, I just don’t recall very many instances of him doing anything other than special teams. Not saying he didn’t do anything, I just don’t remember seeing it and/or being impressed.
Besides that, there are still other options out there. I am still reading Rocky McIntosh wants out of Washington. Even if it’s farfetched, it’s at least intriguing.
It is a Saints touchdown! Seventy yards on the return! Seventy yards on the return by Porter! He did it to Favre and now he's done it to Manning!
I'm not sure if this was meant to be an insult
because it’s pretty accurate and true.
Wanna say something? Sign up! It's free!
by Dave Cariello on May 25, 2010 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions
That Wiking blog must really suck as a place to hang out and chat.
"I trust everything will turn out all right." - Roger McGuinn
hey, give him some room to talk, he even made a (very?) good comment. We seem to put at least 3-4 guys on IR before the season even starts.
by Andrew Tessier on May 25, 2010 4:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Special Teams
Everyone seems to be saying stuff like “well he played on ST last year, so he’s got a better shot.” Didn’t SP say he wanted to get better ST coverage (punt return coverage unit, I think he’s talking about you)? IMO, they did lose a game (TB), and the only outstanding punt coverage players were Jenkins and Roby. I don’t understand how some of the other guys on the ST have a better shot at staying on the team when SP is looking to upgrade that area anyway.
Last 3 games
I didn’t even believe we went after. We had a bunch of players hurt and needing rest, 13 an 3 with a SB win, I’ll take it every year. Good coaching.
What wonderful little gifts April Fools Day brings.
~D's Pappy
Let's try again !!!!
I haven’t spent much time reviewing your ST I’ll admit . The Vike owner has done well to advance this area . Some teams, not implying yours seem to tamper with lining up UFA’s . I will say that a team that can endure an IR list like yours did and still play at a high level is admirable . More emphysis should be placed on Brees’s continued success and not this still partying garbage . It’s like the fake waffling thing with Brett for a Sear’s add . This Vicatin stuff is a real threat to the stability of the defending of a title . The commish IMO is setting you up for a Dallas Playoff to hype Dallas’s new Deathstar . There is that so hard to swallow !!!
You seem to be missing a lot of logic.
The vicodin thing is not really a threat to the stability of defending our title. Is it a bit of a distraction…sure, but if we can’t get over the distraction then we don’t deserve to defend it.
The commish thing you bring up…I’m sorry but that’s absolutely ridiculous. The commissioner is a PR guy and a heady businessman. The last thing he would ever want is the Saints in an NFC championship game versus the Cowboys to hype the stadium. We’re one of the smaller revenue teams in one of the smallest markets. The commissioner would want a Giants/Dallas game or a Philly/Dallas or San Francisco or any number of large market huge revenue teams. To say he would favor us would go against anything and everything they teach in marketing/business.
If you think you can win without coaching good luck Ms. Logic ?????
Wrong again , ESPN is the one to pander to the East Coast games . Check out the specialty games and you will see this dark pattern form involving 80% of the air time for EastCoast matchups . Based out of Conn. . And ESPN needs their ratings . Jerry is strung out for cash an the Commish always throws that Clown a bone !!!! Don’t believe me just chckout the overall schedule and it shall explain itself . Also the NFL use to pay one guy to create the season’s schedule and he got hit by a car two years ago and a new pattern of money making games will appear soon . Like that divisional game in week #17 ……..
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
