Overrated/Underrated?

1) Who is the most overrated player on the Saints?

Drew Brees.

OK, I’m kidding. Obviously this is not true.

I’d be tempted to go with Vilma. As a check-master he’s still got it I think. As a player, he might not.

A lot of people will say Harper. As a pass-coverage expert he would be. But he’s used so much more as a run-stopper and pass-blitzer and he’s very good at those roles, so I can’t really agree with them.

Jenkins has disappointed as we all expected a younger, healthier Darren Sharper out of him, and we just haven’t gotten it. But I still haven’t completely given up hope we might someday.

I’m going to have to go with Tracy Porter. Have no idea why he’s playing. He’s just been so bad and can’t stay healthy anyway. If I could go back to week 4 or so I’d say the kids in and let them learn on the fly, by now they’d be at least as good as he is and likely much better.

2) Most underrated player?

Drew Brees of course! :)

OK, that’s just my homerism talking and the way the guy has three empty slots on his shelf for MVP awards he flat out deserved and hasn’t gotten or won’t get.

Some people will say Pierre Thomas. He’s a beast and he’s a very good RB, and I want him on the team for years to come. But the only way he’ll be underrated is if people sniff at his draft status (undrafted) or think because he didn’t get tons of touches this year that he’s in the doghouse. It seems Sean was saving him for the playoffs when we need him the most. But that doesn’t make him underrated. Just underused… but for a reason.

Realistically, I’d have to say Lance Moore. That guy is small and seems like an afterthought. His stats aren’t consistently great (not like any WR for the Saints will be), and logically you wouldn’t think a short QB and a short WR would be a good combo. Yet when he’s healthy he either just carves opponents up OR draws the attention that would have gone to Colston/Graham/whomever and frees them up to have a great game. Granted I have a serious man-crush on Lance, but I think he deserves it too.

3) Rookie of the Year?

None of our rookies did much of squat all year long. I’m going to have to go with Romeus for the fact that at least he didn’t get on the field and disappoint us by doing nothing. At least he didn’t have a BAD year. Next year maybe he’ll have a good one.

4) What do the Saints need to address in the 2012 draft?

Depends on what happens in free agency. If we lose Nicks and Colston and Meachem we’ve got a lot of holes to fill. (And obviously if we lose Drew we all go into full-out-apocalypse mode.) If we can at least hold onto Nicks then I say let Arrington play and draft at least one more TE plus lots of defense. We still need improvements at DE/LB/CB and maybe FS. Some of that could come from maturing players in Jenkins, Patrick, Wilson, and Jordan, but until we know for sure we gotta keep drafting, and even if they all improve we still have to replace Smith and Vilma before too much longer…

5) Your franchise has had great success turning very late round draft picks, or undrafted free agents into big time players, like Colston, and some line men. Is this a product of your system or just sheer luck?

Some is just luck. It’s always part luck. A fair bit of it I think is good scouting. Some of it is good coaching. And also the fact that Sean will usually play (and keep on the 54-man roster as well) whomever deserves it the most by their performance. That means nobody’s comfortable that they have the guaranteed roster spot and they have to work hard to stay on the team and get to play on gameday.

6) Sean Payton makes some gutsy calls during during crucial moments in games. So far he seems to be more successful than not. Do you agree with this style of coaching?

Yeah. I’d rather lose trying to win than lose trying to not lose. I’m sure that doesn’t comfort Atlanta fans much, but then, I don’t want to comfort them.

Of course, there have been plenty of moments in which it has failed, sometimes spectacularly. I remember a game against Tampa… um on second thought I better not bring that one up. The Reggie-haters will be out with tar and feathers if I continue this train of thought.

Still, I prefer the guy to have the guts to try and the brains to call SMART playcalls that have a high probability of success. Sean does that and has that. Mike Smith just wants to prove he’s as gutsy as Sean Payton but he doesn’t call the right plays (of course, he doesn’t actually call the plays in the first place, but then neither has Sean a good chunk of the year either). The latter is fun to make fun of. The former is a blast to watch.

7) If Mark Ingram could have stayed healthy, do you think he would have had a better year?

Well, obviously yes in that if he’d played more he’d have higher stats. But if you mean staying healthy could have made him “awesome” instead of merely “useful”, then no. Sorry, but I was never one of the Ingramaniacs. I wasn’t mad when we drafted him, though I did think the cost excessive, but I wasn’t wanting us to draft him either. I think he’ll be a good RB, but he’ll never be worth what we paid for him in draft picks, healthy or not. Oh, he was useful to have, and I like having him. But he wasn’t truly worth the cost either, and he won’t be unless he rushes for 5+ YPC and 1200 yards per year consistently for three or four years straight. And that’s just not going to happen on this team with the timeshare in the backfield, and that’s even before you get into run-vs-pass arguments.

Who is the most overrated player on the Saints? Tough call. I would probably say either Tracy Porter or Malcolm Jenkins. Porter has made some outstanding plays that a lot of people hang onto, however, his overall play has not been very good at all, especially this year. His completion rate against was absolutely horrid. For Jenkins, most people view him as a top tier safety and a future pro bowler. As far as I’m concerned he’s played average at best.

Most underrated player? – Honestly. I’m not sure we have one. All of our RB’s get their due for the most part. I’ve been on record many times saying that our WRs are frankly a bit overrated because of how good Brees is and our offensive line is anchored by 2 legit Pro Bowl Guards…so it’s hard to say someone like De la Puente is underrated at the moment because it makes it too hard to evaluate him. Defensively….none of them are underrated because most frankly just aren’t that great. From a national perspective..I’d probably go with Jabari Greer as being our most underrated player.

Rookie of the Year? – I have to assume you mean from our team. Jordan has done squat and Ingram got hurt, but even before he got hurt he wasn’t great by any means. Patrick’s seen spot duty, Wilson’s hasn’t seen the field much until lately due to other injuries. Bussey didn’t make the active squad and Romeus was hurt. None of them deserve a Rookie of the Year recognition on this team.

What do the Saints need to address in the 2012 draft? – We need to address more than we have draft picks for. We need starters, especially on defense, however, we don’t have a first round pick. We need help at linebacker STILL, especially with Vilma aging fast. Our starting DT rotation is on one year contracts…Will Smith is getting older and Harper should star in the next Just For Men hair coloring commercial along side of Emmitt Smith. We could use better depth on the offensive line, especially if we lose Nicks in free agency as well as another WR capable of replacing Colston or Meachem when at least one of them probably leaves in free agency.

Your franchise has had great success turing very late round drat picks, or un-draffted free agents into big time players, like Colston, and some line men. Is this a product of your system or just shear luck? – Sheer luck. No such thing as a draft crystal ball. If people knew Colston and Thomas can play like they have…they wouldn’t have been undrafted free agents. Additionally this staff is not afraid to keep an undrafted player over a rookie drafted player unlike a lot of other teams. They don’t care where you were drafted…they care if you can play. A lot of other teams seem to care about how much they signed picks for and can’t get over the realization that the professional game is on a different level than college. Numbers don’t always translate from one to the other.

Sean Payton makes some gutsy calls during during crucial moments in games. So far he seems to be more successful than not. Do you agree with this style of coaching? – Not really. I like that he’s gutsy..I really do..but there’s a difference in being gutsy and just flat out going weird on occasion. For every on side kick that works…there’s a lot more strange double reverses for fumbles to Reggie Bush that cost us a game. I love when he has the courage to go for something…I don’t like when he tries to get cute in a situation and potentially cost us the game. When there’s less than 3 minutes in a one score game and you have the lead….perhaps you shouldn’t throw 3 straight incomplete passes.

If Mark Ingram could have stayed healthy, do you think he would have had a better year? – I’m trying hard to not make fun of the question. No offense. I’ll answer it the way it was intended. Yes I do…but I also think it could have hurt the team. Ingram was the third best back all year long…then he got hurt. He got hurt right around the time that Ivory got healthy. Now looking at what’s happened since…I’d have to say he’s our fourth best back on the roster. That’s kind of scary…some of it in a good way…some of it in a bad way. I was fairly indifferent on the pick, especially considering what we gave up for him. It seems obvious we’ll never use him as a 20+ carry a game kind of guy. And if that’s the case why spend a 1st AND second round pick on the guy. He’s not a bust…he’ll be useful and he shows some potential. I don’t think, however, he’ll ever live up to the expectations of a first round RB, at least not in our system. If we keep him for the long haul…I’d expect him to have a solid but not exactly stellar career.

1. Most overrated player: Sedrick Ellis. Ellis came into the league with an elite reputation, and we had high hopes for him. He’s underperformed for years, and this season he’s virtually disappeared.

2. Most underrated player: Pierre Thomas. Even though Thomas has been getting a lot of love lately, especially from stats mavens, he’s still considered a second-team role-player. I’ve even heard people on this site refer to him as the fourth option at running back. I would not be surprised at all if Thomas turned out to be the MVP of the playoffs for us. He is beyond question my second-favorite Saint, after Brees.

3. Rookie of the Year: none. As stated already, we don’t have a legitimate rookie difference-maker…even after stretching that term in the most generous fashion.

4. 2012 draft needs: quarterback. Let’s face it: Drew Brees is in a steep decline. (Inside joke.) What we really need is yet more help on our defensive front 7. I wonder if it wouldn’t work better to go to a 3-4 and invest in a couple of speed rushing outside linebackers…because our line isn’t going to get that job done anytime soon.

5. Late draft picks and free agents: The Saints probably aren’t any better than any other team at winkling out those rough diamonds that everyone else overlooked…but they are better at giving them a chance to prove themselves. On most teams, Marques Colston would have been gone at the first cut-down date. Lance Moore would have been a career practice squad-er. Carl Nicks would be a mediocre tackle.

6. Gutsy Sean Payton: I love Payton. Every once in awhile he has a brain fart, but that comes with the territory. If it weren’t for his brass balls, we’d have beaten Tampa Bay in 2007 (a still-infamous game around here), and lost the Super Bowl in 2010. I have no problem with Sean Payton.

7. Mark Ingram: I was all for drafting Ingram, but it looks like all we did was trade the Reggie Bush controversy for the Ingrammania controversy. It may be that we simply placed too many unrealistic expectations on him. Could he have had a better season? Maybe…but at the expense of benching players (like Thomas and Ivory) who were playing better than he was. Considering that he’s on injured reserve, we’ve advanced in the playoffs without him, and no longer have a first round choice next year (and a slew of defensive needs), I’d have to say that, short-term at least, it was a wasted draft pick. On the other hand, nobody knew at the time that we’d wind up with Darren Sproles…we figured the rotation of Ingram/Thomas/Ivory was what would take us through the year—and that was only if Ivory made a complete recovery.

Who is the most overrated player on the Saints?
Aubrayo Franklin? Will Smith?

Most underrated player?
Pierre Thomas. Scott Shanle. Thomas Morstead. Zach Strief.

Rookie of the Year?
Mark Ingram. Only one that’s done something, though not much.

What do the Saints need to address in the 2012 draft?
Depends but as of now, linebackers and d-linemen.

Your franchise has had great success turing very late round drat picks, or un-draffted free agents into big time players, like Colston, and some line men. Is this a product of your system or just shear luck?
And Pierre Thomas. And Lance Moore. And Chris Ivory. You really think that’s luck?

Sean Payton makes some gutsy calls during during crucial moments in games. So far he seems to be more successful than not. Do you agree with this style of coaching?
Style of coaching? Absolutely. I think you’re referring to play calling though and, yes, I love his play calling. Even if I wish he was a little more balanced sometimes. I don’t think Saints fans know how could we’ve got it with Payton.

If Mark Ingram could have stayed healthy, do you think he would have had a better year?
He would have had a better year if Sean Payton allowed him to have a better year.

1) overrated- Will Smith
2) underrated Pierre Thomas
3) Ingram – he will be a good one as time moves on- this year he was good – but will improve
4)LBs
5) No luck- very insightful staff – especially with receivers such as Colston, Graham,Meachem, Arrington, and also
Abdul Queddus, Martez Wilson etc
6)Yes, Payton is not as predictable as other playcallers
7) Ingram will get better- he did well earlier when he was healthy

Mike Smith. Is that you???

1) Overrated – Colston
2) Underrated – Ivory by a mile
3) Ingram – He was doing well before he went down
4) LB & DC (GW may be gone)
5) It’s the pick what’s best on the board mentality. I love it.
6) Absolutely. I far prefer a risk taker as opposed to the old Knox form of football.
7) I thought his year was good already. He did better than most rookies in their first year. I think he has a great future ahead of him.

Who is the most overrated player on the Saints?
Roman Harper.

Most underrated player?
I’ll go with Patrick Robinson, though I think a case could easily be made for Thomas Morstead based on overall production versus (in)frequency of utilization (as a punter) versus subsequent lack of league wide recognition.

Rookie of the Year?
Mark Ingram. Isa Abdul-Quddus is the only other worth mentioning.

What do the Saints need to address in the 2012 draft?
OT, FB, SS, OLB, WR, DT, DE, FS. The top pure blocking FB in the draft should be a priority. Collins is a weak link and the UDFA/UFA route clearly isn’t working there. OT and WR are probably better addressed through UFA. Outside of that, most of our shortcomings are on defense and/or lack of quality depth, though I do think we’re fine at CB.

Your franchise has had great success turing very late round drat picks, or un-draffted free agents into big time players, like Colston, and some line men. Is this a product of your system or just shear luck?
It’s lack a general lack of depth at those particular positions at the time they were acquired. If the opportunities didn’t exist, they probably don’t make the team. Donte Stallworth getting in Payton’s doghouse early and Jamal Jones pulling a hamstring is what cleared the way for Colston. Deuce McAllister’s inability to stay healthy and both Reggie Bush’s and Aaron Stecker’s inability to handle a 50/50 workload opened the door for a fourth back. Thomas then beat out an unestablished Antonio Pittman in that audition. A lot of players just happen to wind up in the right place at the right time and take advantage of those opportunities. Of course, once you’re a known commodity, you’re much more likely to make the cut, provided the competition is reasonably close otherwise.

Sean Payton makes some gutsy calls during during crucial moments in games. So far he seems to be more successful than not. Do you agree with this style of coaching?
I don’t agree with a lot of his play calling. I think he should be running the ball more often than he does, given the productivity of the backs at hand. He did a little bit better job of that this season, though the 49ers game was quite reminiscent of the 2006 NFC championship game, in that regard. As far as gutsy calls go, he doesn’t seem to make a ton of them, i.e., he’s probably more conservative than his “onsides kick” reputation would lead you to believe. More often than not, he’ll kick the FG when time permits a subsequent possession. Generally speaking, outside of passing the ball 60+% of the time, I don’t find he sticks his neck out any further than the average HC, to be honest.

If Mark Ingram could have stayed healthy, do you think he would have had a better year?
Statistically? Of course. I think he’s one of those backs that gets better as the game wears on. He’ll probably never be used in that manner from the outset of the game forth, as long as Payton is HC, but he still brings lead maintenance on non-passing plays to the table, something I don’t as much of in any other back on the roster. Hopefully that niche will expand as he becomes more acclimated with the system. While I do think we gave up too much to get him — I would have drafted him at 24, taken Justin Houston (49 tackles, 4 sacks) in the 2nd and retained the 2012 1st — I’m content with what I saw in terms of potential over a 10 game stretch. The same holds true for Jordan, btw. I just don’t like ghost picks.