Jeff Duncan, official Times-Picayune Saints Beat Poet, scribed a column that posted today on nola.com.
In it, he outlines his take on the recent offseason moves made by the Saints.
Make the jump to get a taste of his thoughts, share your own, and get a sneak peek at what's coming later this afternoon in your Fleur-de-Links post...
Overall, Duncan feels the Saints have made good moves, and even uses a baseball metaphor to illustrate it thusly:
In fact, the Saints have hit for the cycle -- 4-for-4 -- with one large potential asterisk.
The four moves to which he is referencing are: the Jeremy Shockey release, the re-signing of both K Garrett Hartley and RB Pierre Thomas, and the signing of free agent DT Shaun Rogers.
After discussing these moves and what they mean to the team, he connects them to prior similar moves that worked out for the Saints...
Shockey came to New Orleans with a bad-boy reputation and largely steered clear of trouble for three seasons.
Another motivated ex-Pro Bowler, Darren Sharper, signed a similar low-risk, one-year deal in 2009 and turned in one of the best years of his stellar career.
But were there any similar recent free agent acquisitions that didn't work out, Jeff? Maybe others can bring them up in the comment section below...
Duncan concludes by pointing out things still left on the Saints offseason "to-do" list, while also praising them for the work done so far...
This early Pick 4 hardly concludes the Saints' offseason To Do List. Contracts for unrestricted free agents and core veterans such as Roman Harper, Lance Moore, Jermon Bushrod and David Thomas need to be finalized. Reggie Bush's deal needs to be re-structured, and the brinks truck needs to be unloaded on Brees.
All of this should happen in due time. The Saints are just getting started, and so far, they're off to a good start.
We have discussed the Saints moves this offseason as they have occurred this week, but now I'm wondering how you feel about these moves in toto.
What are your thoughts and feelings about the "State of the Saints" right now? Vote in the poll and share your comments below...
And come back later on today for a Fleur-de-Links filled with the tweets that are so sweet to eat, a final Combine report from John Clayton, the AP's Saturday story on the lockout, a Peter Finney column on Bobby Hebert's contract conflict with the Saints in 1990 and 1991, Pat Y's Saints mailbag, and a Saints mock draft wish list, among other nuggets.