Reader Questions

Reader: Bullmoose from Baton Rouge, LA.
Who Dat Say: That's a weird name.

Bullmoose: With the draft quickly approaching on Saturday, which LSU Tiger (other than Big Glenn Dorsey) would y'all like to see in a Black and Gold uniform in the 2008 Season? Also, which Tiger (again besides Dorsey) do yall think will have the most productive career in the NFL?
Who Dat Say: We want to see Craig Steltz in the Black and Gold next year. Why? Because that means we would have drafted a safety, which statistically increases the chances of Josh Bullocks not being on the field. Not to take anything away from Steltz. Steltz had quite a fine career as a Tiger, leading the team in tackles (108) and interceptions (6) his senior year. Scouts, of course, question his speed. Steltz's lowest time in the 40 was a 4.52. Does that number scare you? Let me throw a number at you that may make you think twice. When John Lynch was at Stanford, he ran a 4.64. Steltz is a solid tackler with better than average ball instincts. That just might be enough to make him a quality strong safety in the NFL.

Of all the Tigers in this year's draft other than Dorsey, Early Doucet will have the most productive career in the NFL. Early compares favorably to Hines Ward-- former QB (although only in high school), similar build, excellent blocker, and savvy route-runner. The question for Early, though, has never been his ability. It’s whether or not he can stay healthy. If he does, having the success that Hines Ward has had is not out of the question. At the very least, Early should be able to have the career that current Saint David Patten has had. Although never a #1, Patten has quietly put together some nice numbers in his 11-year NFL career. There is no reason why the former LSU star, who has two inches and 20 pounds on Patten, can't do the same.

Bullmoose: How much can the Saints rely on Mike McKenzie in the first half of the season? Do you think he can still be our number 1 corner coming back from injury or should we expect him to have an "off" year?
Who Dat Say: Unfortunately, we won't be able to rely on McKenzie much at all in the first part of the season. The average ACL rehab normally takes about 9 months. To put McKenzie's injury in perspective, let's compare it to Roman Harper's injury the year before. Roman suffered his knee injury on October 8, game 5 of the 2006 season, and it took him until the first part of the 2007 season to regain confidence in his knee (whether or not he regained his old form is debatable, but here we refer only to his being comfortable and confident enough to go full speed on the knee). McKenzie injured his knee in the second to last game of the season on December 23. Simple math, then, puts McKenzie ready to play in about October-- and that's not to mention the confidence battles that often go along with a knee injury of this sort. Considering those confidence issues, I expect McKenzie to have an "off" year, and that's a damned shame, because he is coming off of his best season as a pro.

Bullmoose: Will Sean Payton and Micky Loomis look to continue their trend of drafting small- schoolers, or should we look for them to go in a different direction and take some players from big name, power conferences?
Who Dat Say: I don't think we'll see as many small-schoolers this year. But, I don't necessarily believe that it's because Payton and Loomis have abandoned the small-school strategy. Rather, with only 6 picks, and a possible early round trade that could consume a couple more, it turns into a simple numbers game. As an "experiment," in fact, the results of drafting small-school players for Payton and Loomis are mixed. In year 1, we drafted 2 small school players-- Marques Colston and Jahri Evans-- and the results speak for themselves. In year 2, we drafted 4 small school players-- Usama Young, Andy Alleman, Jermon Bushrod, and David Jones. Jones is no longer on the roster, and the results of the other 3 are largely still pending-- but we can't yet really say that they have been failures. In fact, one of the problems with last year's draft strategy was that the "big schoolers" didn't work out (see Robert Meachem in Round 1 and Antonio Pittman as a later round "steal"). For the sake of argument, though, I would bet that the Saints take 1 small schooler this year. With relatively few picks on draft day, and the echoes of last year's "poor" draft still ringing, we will see fewer uncertainties in 2008.

Bullmoose: Do you foresee the Saints seeking the eventual replacement for the Argentine fan-favorite Martin " I celebrate a field goal like a just won the World Cup" Gramatica in the later rounds of this years draft? We all know Martin is a threat from outside 15 yards, but if he happens to make one from over 35 he may just be out for the year from the celebration. Perhaps Brandon Coutou (UGA) and Alexis Serna (Orgegon State) are possibilities? And, finally, how will the Black and Gold community Black and Gold, and Locks for Love, cope with the retirement of fan - favorite Steve Gleason? Is Gramatica a potential replacement? Thanks, Bullmoose.
Who Dat Say: No. I think Ronaldhino-- excuse me, Gramatica-- proved last year that he has at least a year left in the tank. But you bring up a good point about his celebration tendencies. Word out of Buenos Aires is that Gramatica plans to celebrate his 35+ yarders with a rendition of the national dance of his country- the tango- rather than jumping up like a moron and tearing his ACL.

But seriously, considering what we said in the previous answer-- that each pick is simply precious this year-- we don't see one being spent on a FG kicker. That is a position that can be easily be addressed in the off-season.

And yes, Steve Gleason will undoubtedly be missed, but it is our prediction that Automatica Gramatica will turn into the fan favorite. And don't worry about Gramatica’s ability to replace Gleason’s “locks of love” -- it is illegal to get a haircut in Argentina.

To ask the WHODATSAY team a question, just email us at whodatsayteam@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.