Who Dat News: Re-seeding Playoff Teams

News: The NFL Owners will vote on a new proposal for seeding playoff teams based on record rather than division, according to USA Today. Under the new proposal more teams will take late-season games seriously even though they may have wrapped up their division. Last year, if this was the case, Tampa Bay probably would not have rested its starters during the last game of the regular season. New York on the other hand, would have hosted the wild card game against Tampa because they finished the season with a better record.

Who Dat Say: This rule, should it pass, would punish weaker divisions by not guaranteeing that divisional winners would host a first-round playoff game. The NFL wants to see more games in week 17 like the Giants-Patriots thriller, and less of the pre-season "we're going to sit our starters," variety. The NFC South was arguably the weakest division in the the NFL last year, so this bears watching for Saints fans.

Who Dat News: Let Your Locks Flow

News: At the NFL owners meeting next week, owners will consider a proposal to ban players from wearing their hair below the name tag on their backs, according to NFL.com. The proposed rule would require all players to tuck their hair inside their helmets or cut it.

Who Dat Say: Poor Mike McKenzie. One assumes this rule was suggested to prevent players from covering up their name (and possibly number,) so the officials and fans alike can read it. Otherwise, if M&M doesn't mind getting pulled down by his locks, then why would the NFL care? What next Roger... No beards, only crew cuts, tight nuthugger pants, and unlabeled black cleats?

Replacing Our Heart and Soul

According to several reports I have recently read, Deuce McAllister is awaiting a decision as to whether he will remain a member of the New Orleans Saints. Deuce is about six months past his surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and the team has until April 15 to decide whether to pay him a $1 million roster bonus or terminate his contract. Deuce is coming off his second ACL surgery in three years. If Deuce is to opt out of his contract and hang up his cleats, he will not be easy to replace.

In 2006, we were a successful and winning team because the heart and soul of our team, Deuce McAllister was healthy. Deuce McAllister touched the ball 300 times for 1,418 total yards and 12 touchdowns; whereas, Reggie Bush touched the ball 289 times for 1,618 total yards and 10 touchdowns. Our duo in the backfield combined for over 3000 yards of offense. Deuce and Reggie were the perfect combo. Those offensive numbers, combined with Drew Brees’ 4503 passing yards made the Saints the #1 offense in the league and led the Saints to their first NFC Championship in franchise history.

Now we all know what happened to the 2007 Saints as compared to the 2006 Saints…complete disaster. Deuce tore his ACL in the 3rd game of the season, and although the offense rebounded for a stretch in the middle of the season, the running game would continue to struggle without its bell-cow. The Saints stumbled their way to a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs. In order for this Saints team to regain the success that they had in 2006, they will need to find a similar RB in the draft or make a trade for one in the league. Of course, this is assuming Deuce is done…and from what I’ve heard and read, it doesn’t look like he’ll be wearing the black and gold #26 jersey anymore. After watching the 2007 season, Reggie Bush simply can’t handle the RB duties by himself…at least yet. He needs a complementary back such as Deuce.

While replacing Deuce will not be easy, I do think there is a legitimate option right here in the Crescent City. Look no further than Tulane’s Senior RB, Matt Forte.

Standing at 6’1" and weighing 224 pounds, Forte racked up 2127 rushing yards during his senior season. Forte is one of only 12 players in the history of NCAA football who has rushed for more than 2000 yards in a single season. That number alone puts him with very elite company such as Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, and LaDanian Tomlinson. While he did have 361 rushes in 2008, he still managed an eye-popping 5.9 yards per carry average, which is excellent no matter the level of competition. He had two 300-yard games, three 200-yard games, and four 100-yards games, which left only 3 games where he did not eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark. On top of that, he has never lost a fumble in his college career…only because he has never fumbled in his college career. That’s unbelievable.

While Forte’s numbers are extremely impressive, your immediate counter will be that although he rushed for 2127 yards, the level of competition he produced against (Conference USA,) is hardly NFL caliber. I don’t care what team you play for and what defenses you are running against, Forte’s numbers are simply incredible. While he did rush against Conference USA defenses, you have to consider that he also ran behind a Conference USA offensive line. Taking nothing away from Tulane’s O-line, I think it’s safe to say that they are simply not the same caliber as SEC offensive lines. It’s tough to say whether he would have rushed for 2000 yards in the SEC because no running back has ever eclipsed the 2000-yard-mark in the SEC.

Deuce McAllister and Matt Forte are similar in many ways. Physically, both are 6’1" and Deuce only weighs 8 pounds more than Matt Forte. They are both big bruiser-type power backs who gain most of their yards running up the middle, but also have enough speed to take it the distance. Just as the Deuce/Reggie combination worked out tremendously in 2006, there’s no reason to believe why the Forte/Reggie combination can’t work out in 2008 and beyond. When Forte will be pounding the line of scrimmage, exhausting the defense, it will be easier for Bush to break off one of his long sideline runs. And when Bush will be getting to the outside, spreading the defense, it will be easier for Forte to find running lanes between the tackles. They would be the perfect compliment to each other just as Deuce and Reggie proved to be. These two would leave defensive coordinators dreading to play against the Saints offense on Sundays.

Due to two major knee injuries, I think there is little doubt that Deuce’s best days are behind him. His ability to perform at an elite level has been seriously compromised, and I think it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for Deuce to return. From Deuce’s point of view, you have to ask yourself whether risking another injury on the playing field is worth dealing with the rest of your life. You’re only 29 years old – you’re still young. You have several successful businesses in Jackson, Mississippi and have worked with several other charitable organizations over the past few years. You also want to be mobile when you’re 40 years old. Football is a great passion in Deuce’s life, but it’s not as important as his health.

Honestly, it will be hard to look towards the Superdome field on Sundays and not see Deuce wearing the number "26." As mentioned, he’s been the heart and soul of the Saints since he was drafted in 2001. He’s been a team leader and a fan favorite since the beginning. He’ll be going out on top but will always be remembered as a winner.

Perhaps, the greatest thing that Deuce could do would be to pass the torch and his number "26" to another player who spent the last four years running through the record books on the Superdome’s turf. I just hope Matt Forte is sitting there in round 3 at pick # 78. And I hope the Saints have the foresight to take him.

Who Dat News: Saints v Chargers, London '08

News: The New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers will fly to London a week before the game, as opposed to last year when the teams arrived just two days ahead, according to the Guardian -- UK. Both teams thought that the two days the Giants and Dolphins spent in London last year was not enough time to get acclimated. The game will be played at Wembley Stadium, home of the English National Team (futbol -- not football) on Sunday, October 26th.

Who Dat Say: Unfortunately for Saints fans, this will be considered a New Orleans home game, meaning that's one less time they get to rock-out the Dome in '08. For the players and coaches though, the chance to perform in front of 90,000 in one of the most well-known stadiums in Europe has got to raise the goosebumps. Those Saints fans in attendance will be treated to the infamous English hooligans, who may be able to challenge the Terrace-level Dome Foamers in beer consumption -- on second thought, I doubt it.

Who Dat '08 Draft Player News: Cleve McCoy

News: The New Orleans Saints were on hand to watch the workouts of South Carolina State product's Cleve McCoy (QB) and James Lee (OL) on Tuesday, according to timesanddemocrat.com. Apparently a scout was there to evaluate Lee, the 6-6, 305-pound MEAC Offensive Linemen of the Year, when he stumbled on McCoy. "I think I did pretty good today," McCoy said. "I worked out as a reciever for the (New Orleans) Saints guy. He said that he liked me, and that I am highly on their chart as a receiver with the times I had." McCoy measured in at 6-1, 225 pounds, ran a 4.55 in the forty and displayed a 35-inch vertical jump.

Who Dat Say: According to the report, only 3 teams -- Kansas City, Chicago, and New Orleans -- were present for the workout. Both players were apparently a big reason why South Carolina State led the league in rushing and total offense for the second consecutive season. The Saints have already been succesful in transitioning Marques Colston and Jahari Evans from small-school products to NFL starters, so it wouldn't surprise us to hear them call one of these two names on the draft's second-day or bring one in for a tryout should he go undrafted.

Who Dat '08 Draft Player News: Dominique-Rogers Cromartie

News: Tennessee State University cornerback/returner Dominique-Rogers Cromartie has NFL talent evaluators raving about his potential, according to USA TODAY. "If you could draw up a corner, he's what you want," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. At the combine, he measured 6-2, 184 pounds, and ran the forty in a blazing 4.33 seconds. He also had the best vertical jump (38 1/2 inches) among any defense back at the combine. "He's going to go in the first round. His skill set is going to be too tantalizing to pass up."

Who Dat Say: The second cousin of San Diego Chargers All-Pro Antonio Cromartie, the younger Cromartie certainly has the pedigree to become an elite NFL corner, but drafting him with the 10th overall pick could be risky business. Then again, we know what type of interest the Saints have in small school corners after drafting Usama Young and David Jones last year.

An Interesting Scenario on Draft Day

There you are, sitting on your couch watching the NFL Draft on Saturday, April 26th when Roger Goodell announces that a trade has been made for the 8th overall pick… Your immediate reaction is “Could this possibly happen again to the Saints?” Remember that Denver traded up right in front of the Saints in 2004 and drafted LB D.J. Williams with the 17th overall pick. That move forced the Saints to go in a different direction and simply draft the best available player, which at the time was DE Will Smith. Thankfully, that move has worked our for the Saints. Rumor has it that we were all set to take D.J. Willams until Denver snatched him. …Back to the present. You are thinking that another team has traded up in order to steal one of the players that the Saints are interested in because the Saints have the 10th pick…

…But not this time. This time, the Saints have reached a trade agreement with the Baltimore Ravens to flip-flop 1st round picks and send a 4th round pick in 2009 to the Ravens. This scenario is realistic for many reasons. The Ravens would be more than willing to make the deal for two reasons. First, the Ravens plan on drafting a QB with their first round pick. They can’t possibly continue to rely on 35-year old Steve McNair, and although they drafted Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith in last year’s draft, they don’t have much invested in him, given that he was a fifth-round pick. Secondly, the Ravens know the Cincinnati Bengals will not draft a QB with their first pick because they already have their franchise QB in Carson Palmer. Therefore, the Ravens would not have to worry about the Bengals grabbing their QB of choice with the #9 overall pick. On top of that, the Ravens and Bengals are division rivals that play twice each year. The Ravens would make the trade in order to throw a wrench in the Bengals’ draft day plans, gladly allowing the Saints to move ahead and snag the player that the Bengals were targeting. From the Ravens point of view, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

Therefore, with the 8th selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints will draft either Glenn Dorsey from LSU or Sedrick Ellis from USC, whichever one is still sitting there. I can’t guarantee that either one will be there, but it seems as if the “mock draft gurus” who follow this type of stuff believe one of the two DT’s will be sitting there at the 8th overall selection. If you Google “2008 NFL Mock Draft,” the first 4 mock drafts all have either Glenn Dorsey from LSU or Cedric Ellis from USC falling to at least the 9th overall spot.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2008.php
http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sub/mockdraft.html http://www.draftking.com/nfl/2008/mockdraft.shtml
http://www.thefootballexpert.com/abromowitzmockdraft.html

The next question you are asking is why trade up when there is a possibility that one of those two DT’s will fall to us at selection 10. Forget it; they won’t. There is no doubt in my mind that the Bengals are interested in drafting one of these two DT’s because of their failure to land either Shaun Rogers or Dewayne Robertson, both of whom were free agent DT’s that the Bengals pursued.

With that question answered, you may still be wondering why the Saints shouldn’t just draft a CB with their first round pick. To be honest, I wouldn’t totally be against drafting a CB with our first pick, but the pool of CB’s is so deep this year that it’s likely there will be talent available at that position when we pick again in round two. Guys like Brandon Flowers (Virginia Tech,) Antoine Cason (Arizona,) Tracy Porter (Indiana,) Reggie Smith (Oklahoma,) Terrell Thomas (USC,) and Patrick Lee (Auburn) could all add an instant upgrade to our Swiss cheese secondary. Although many Saints fans still believe we should draft a CB in round one, it’s difficult to envision the Saints doing so after recently investing big free agent dollars in Jason David and Randall Gay, a 3rd round pick on Usama Young last year, and already having Mike McKenzie under contract.

Admittedly, this may not be the most obvious choice of possible scenarios for the Saints in the upcoming draft, but at the same time, this scenario of drafting a DT in the 1st round and a CB in the 2nd round immediately fills two of our needs on defense and instantly gives us a starter at DT and hopefully a future starter at CB who will likely contribute to the secondary this year in nickel and dime packages. At the very least, drafting a DT gives us one of the best front 4 (and possibly front 7, with the addition of Jonathan Vilma and Dan Morgan) in the NFL.
So if you are a believer that games are decided in the trenches, you should hope that on April 26th, Roger Goodell announces that Baltimore has agreed to trade the #8 overall pick – if that happens, you’ll know what it means.