Who Dat Say News: Arrington the Next Colston?

News: According to the Sun Herald, former Michigan receiver Adrian Arrington, who was picked in the 7th round, #237 overall, hopes he'll soon be labeled a draft-day steal. Arrington was already well aware of Marques Colston's success story when the New Orleans Saints selected him. In 2006, Marques Colston was the 4th to last pick of the draft, but quickly impressed the Saints' coaching staff and was a starter by opening day.

Who Dat Say: If only it were that easy… Arrington has the measurables; he’s 6’3”, 203 pounds with solid hands and the ability to emerge as a red zone threat, if not blazing speed. However, you can walk out to your local inner-city basketball court and find five guys with similar size and athletic ability. When it comes down to it, some guys can play in the NFL, and some can’t, and the fact that we found an absolute gem in the seventh round of the 2006 draft makes us no more likely to do so again. Although some similarities exist between Colston and Arrington -- they’re both big, athletic receivers with good hands -- Colston slipped so far because virtually no one projected him as a receiver, and frankly, we took a gamble that paid off. And for every Marques Colston, there are 99 Talman Gardners, 99 guys with all the measurables and potential in the world, 99 guys, who for one reason or another, simply cannot play NFL football. We hope Arrington is more Marques than Talman, but the statistics are against it.

Tuesday's Early Reader Rant

Every Tuesday we want you to "go off" on whatever Saints-related topic is bothering you. Tell us how you feel and don't spare any expense. To submit your rant, send an e-mail to whodatsayteam@gmail.com. We will sift through the garbage and post the best stuff every Tuesday. If we get 5 good ones, we'll post them all. Happy complaining.

By reader Cheddar Cheese - Chalmette, LA

I know the saints will most likely wait until team minicamps to see what they already have on their roster before bringing in any more free agents, but there are a few I wouldn't mind going after.

1.) Kevin Jones – that’s right, the Hokie baby. Jones has proven that he cannot be counted on to be the workhorse back for my fantasy team or the Detroit Lions…or for any other NFL team for that matter; but we don't need him for that. He weighs close to 230 and was productive in spurts in Detroit. We already have Deuce, Pierre, and Bush, but if Deuce were to befall injury, we could plug Jones in for a handful of plays a game (as a situational back) to pile up the tough yards...otherwise, our heaviest back would be Stecker at 213lbs, and we know he can't fill the bowling-ball roll. Let the Bungles overpay for Shaun Alexander while we bring in the Hokie for a bottom-based price.

2.) Mike Doss – he was formerly successful in Indy when paired with a healthy Bob Sanders, but Marlin Jackson's arrival made him easily expendable (it didn't help that he was also plagued by injuries). We all know that our safety situation leaves a lot to be desired and I see "taking a flier on Doss" a lot like our decision to bring in Dan Morgan -- though admittedly a little on the lighter side. If he can stay healthy, he will immediately help on special teams and could prove to be a fallback option. The only negative here is that his style is more like Harper than Bullocks -- he's best at the line in run support, or in 2 deep. That said, I would rather have 2 Harpers than a Harper and a Bullocks!

Let me tell all of you Saints fans who we shouldn’t bring in.

1.) Takeo Spikes – this guy is simply too old to cover tight ends and running backs in pass protection. He isn’t nearly as athletic as he use to be because he’s getting up in age. On top of that, he’s no longer quick enough to play outside linebacker. If NFL teams ran the ball or blitzed every play, then he would be our guy. But these days, they pass the ball too. He’s great in run support but sucks in pass protection. We have a similar guy on our team who is just like Spikes. His name is Mark Simoneaux. Simoneaux is the exact reason the Saints went out and signed our new defensive leader, Jonathan Vilma, during the offseason. Bringing in Takeo Spikes would be a pointless addition to the Saints.

Who Dat Say News: Mr. Right Place, Right Time -- McManus to Tryout for Saints

News: It has been a week of highs for former LSU wide-receiver and New Orleans native Josh McManus. On Monday, he traveled to Washington D.C. to visit the White House and shook hands with the President of the United States. On Thursday, he completed his final class as a student at Louisiana State University. And today, he will be between the white lines at the New Orleans Saints' practice facility in Metairie as a participant in the Saints rookie minicamp. In March, GM Mickey Loomis attended LSU's pro-day where Josh, along with several other Tiger football players, worked out for NFL scouts. Loomis told Josh at that time that if they (the Saints) had any space he would like to invite McManus to camp for a tryout. Loomis stood by his word and yesterday McManus checked into the airport Hilton to register for the weekend and recieve his physical.

WhoDatSay: Looks like McManus, who graduates next Friday, will join undrafted free-agent Luke Sanders as the only members of LSU's 2007 National Chamionship Team to tryout for a Saints roster spot this season. McManus attended local Brother Martin High School where he was a standout football player and was named All-State honorable mention, All-Catholic League, and All-District performer as a senior. In his three years at LSU, McManus (5'11", 192) competed with the likes of Skyler Green, Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis, and Early Doucet. One would assume that running routes day after day along-side those four would prepare any receiver well for the rigors of minicamp. We wish Josh and Luke the best this weekend as we always love to see Louisianians and former Tigers succeed... especially when it's with the "Who-Dats."

Alexander Leaves Without a Contract

News: After his free agent visit with the Saints on Wednesday, Shaun Alexander left without a contract, according to the Times-Picayune. Speculation is that the Saints probably offered Alexander the league minimum, but that was not enough to land him.

Who Dat Say: Like we said before, let Alexander test out the free agent market. Good luck finding a better contract, big guy. We’ll be waiting for you to come crawling back when you realize that nobody is going to give you a big contract, and this is the best shot at a Super Bowl that you’re going to get.

Henry Wants to Play for Saints

News: According to ESPN.com, former Bengal wide receiver Chris Henry cited the Saints and the Cowboys as the two teams he would most like to play for.

Who Dat Say: Henry can certainly play – if he can stay out of jail. Although a Henry-Colston set would be formidable, we do not need this kind of distraction in the locker room. Plus, we would never be able to rely on the guy to be there for a full season. With Payton’s insistence on high-character players, it is doubtful that the Saints will make any move to sign Henry. It is interesting, though, to note how far our franchise has come. When was the last time that a high-profile free agent offered an unsolicited comment that he would like to play for the Saints?

Reader Questions

Reader: Section629SaintsFan - "where the real fans sit"
WhoDatSay: Agreed. There's no place in America like the Terrace.

Section629SaintsFan: Now that the off-season is all but behind us, what was the single best move that the Saints made between the end of last season and now to improve our team?

WhoDatSay: The acquisition of Jonathan Vilma. No question.
For the longest time, the Saints “D” has lacked a heart and soul. Not since the days of Sam Mills have we really had a guy to look to as the “general” of the defense. Vilma could be that guy. First, he plays the right position. You can often look no further than linebacker to find a team’s inspirational leader (Urlacher, Lewis, Butkus, Singletary, Mills etc etc). Second, he’s good. He was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2004, and, in 2005, he led the NFL in tackles and went to the Pro Bowl. Couple that with a 2006 season in which he compiled 114 tackles, and I think it’s safe to say that Vilma is a proven football player. Consider this: The Jets, with the 4th round pick that we gave them for Vilma, selected show-stopping, razzle dazzle, all-world, (not) First Team-All-American corner Dwight Lowery out of San Jose State. And we got a former pro bowler and a guy who many considered to be the best linebacker in football just a few years ago.

If Vilma is not haunted by the knee injury that he suffered in 2007, and returns to his old form, his acquisition could turn into the biggest steal of the NFL off-season.

Section629SaintsFan: Is there any possibility the Saints give the 350 pound gymnast Walter Thomas another shot this year, or will he be in Beijing competing in the uneven bars and floor exercise?

WhoDatSay: Thomas, unfortunately, is already headed to Beijing to participate in the 2008 Olympics. Payton and company desperately wanted to give him another shot, but Bela Karolyi had already snapped him up. He is currently rooming with Dominique Dawes and training full-time in Malaysia. When asked about his upcoming stint in the Olympics, Thomas said, “I tried to convince Hollis Thomas to switch from football to floor exercises, but Ed Orgeron ripped his shirt off, drank a Red Bull, and started to eat Coach Karolyi.” Thomas is now dating Nadia Comaneci, and the two plan to wed in June.

Rookie Mini Camp Starts on Friday

News: According to NewOrleansSaints.com, the newest members of the Saints will get their first taste of action as members of the NFL when they participate in a three-day rookie and first-year players mini-camp at the team's Metairie headquarters this coming Friday. The Saints' six draft choices from the 2008 draft will be joined by 16 rookie free agents and 36 players that have been invited by the team for a tryout.

Who Dat Say: Competition is always good, and bringing in 58 new faces will provide much needed competition. Although nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, historically speaking, Sedrick Ellis and Tracy Porter are virtual locks to make the team. According to recent reports,the Saints plan to deploy both defensive tackles taken in this year's draft in their new and upgraded defensive line rotation, so it appears that Demario Pressley is also a very good bet to make the final roster. The other 55 players will have to impress the coaching staff in order to wear the Black and Gold in the fall. It looks to be an uphill battle for most of these players, even the ones who were drafted, as this coaching staff has shown a tendency to disregard draft position in favor of production. Following the 2006 draft, the Saints cut receiver Mike Hass (2006 6th round) and Chase Lymann (2005 4th round), both picked ahead of seventh round long-shot Marques Colston; and last season, the Saints draft picks fared even worse. Not even fourth rounder Antonio Pittman, who appeared to fill a need as insurance for Deuce McAllister, made the squad. The message seems to be "work hard and earn it, or we will find someone else willing to." While most of the undrafted class will be quickly cut down, this coaching staff will certainly be scouring the practice fields for the next diamond in the rough -- any one of these guys could be the next Marques Colston or Pierre Thomas.

Who Dat Fantasy: The Rookie Running Back Gems?

We at WhoDatSay don’t know too much about superdelegates, economic stimulus plans, the crisis in Darfur, or even life in general. But, if there is one thing other than Saints football that we do know something about, it’s fantasy football. It’s never too early to start thinking about that day in late August when you and 10 or so other dudes will gather at Hooters, with the last place finisher from the year before dressed in a full suit to announce each pick in his best impression of Roger Goodell. Likewise, it is never too early to think about how the NFL draft affected the stock of your favorite rookie running backs.

The Rookies as a Class

Going into the draft, I was excited about one, and only one, rookie running back. This guy has speed and athleticism to burn. He has big play ability. He can cut on a dime. He showed so much fantasy promise – and then he was drafted by the Steelers. That’s right. I’m not talking about Darren McFadden. I’m talking about Rashard Mendenhall. Unfortunately, the guy went to a team that already has a solid starting running back and a solid fantasy football option, Fast Willie Parker. I had dreams of getting this guy on the cheap while other teams were drafting big name rookies like McFadden or proven, reliably mediocre guys like Willis McGahee. Not anymore. True, Mendenhall still has some value, and has even more in a keeper league. The Steelers have always been a traditional, pound-the-rock football team, and Mike Tomlin will not stray far from that mentality. But are you willing to wait for Fast Willie to be phased out?

This was the theme of the entire rookie draft class. All the running backs I was excited about before the draft seemed to go to teams where they will be in a bad situation or will be under-utilized due to a widespread trend of teams’ moving to committee back systems. And the one team, the Jets, that I thought would present a great situation for a running back, did not draft one. What if McFadden or Mendenhall were running behind D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and Nick Mangold? No such luck. If there is a silver lining, though, it’s that the moron in your fantasy football league, who severely over-drafted an over-the-hill, 31-year old Curtis Martin and watched as he became a top-5 running back, won’t blindly stumble upon one of the gems of this draft class. Those of you looking for help in keeper leagues won’t find too many gems here:

Buddon’s Top 10 Rookie Running Backs

1. Kevin Smith, Detroit

I cannot tell you how much it pains me to pick a Detroit running back as the top back of this class. I am well aware of the history of flops at running back Detroit has witnessed, Kevin Jones chief among them. But look at his situation: a defense-minded head coach with a new offensive coordinator committed to running the football, two stud wide receivers to prevent the defense from loading the box, and a new first-rounder on the offensive line. The best part: he only needs to beat out Tatum Bell for the starting spot. Smith is the only rookie worth taking in the top 20 running backs.

2. Darren McFadden, Oakland

This is a guy whom I would never draft because he will, without a doubt, be over-drafted. I do not see Adrian Peterson in McFadden. I see Reggie Bush. He will make his team better overall in a way similar to what Reggie did his rookie year, but his fantasy numbers will never live up to the hype. He has speed and explosiveness, but he has a tiny lower body and doesn’t break many tackles. He is not going to get the goalline carries, and he’s on a team without much of a passing threat. That said, his production in college can’t be ignored.

3. Matt Forte, Chicago

After Cedric Benson gets cut for doing something all red-blooded Americans do (drinking beer on a boat), Forte will be the feature back in Chicago. With newly drafted first-round left tackle, Chris Williams, that could be a good thing. But that’s only if Rex Grossman can get the oh-so-tricky center-quarterback exchange down pat.

4. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina

For the first time in 6 years, I actually do believe in the Carolina running game. They have recently invested a great deal in the offensive line, addressing it in the first and second rounds of the draft the last two years. Steve Smith’s big play ability has always made it difficult to load the box and Muhammad, although old and slow, is a reliable and steady target who will further open up the box. Stewart has the workout warrior numbers, but will he be able to unseat Deangelo Williams as the starter? If there’s one thing John Fox has done, he’s stuck with veteran running backs (see Stephen Davis and Deshaun Foster) longer than he ever should have. Expect numbers about 10-20% better than Williams’ rookie numbers.

5. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh

Mendenhall simply has too much talent to be held down. A little bit like Peterson last year. Everyone said Chester Taylor would be the starter, and that Peterson would get, at most, half the carries. People will say the same about Mendenhall. Mendenhall would have had a Peterson-like impact if he had gone to Minnesota last year. He’s that talented, in my opinion. However, overtaking Willie Parker will be more difficult than overtaking Chester Taylor. Expect Peterson-lite.

6. Steve Slaton, Houston

This guy is the sleeper of the draft class. His skill set is perfect for new offensive coordinator Alex Gibbs’ zone-blocking scheme. With Kubiak and Gibbs, the Texans now have the two masterminds of the Broncos’ plug-in-the-supermarket-clerk-and-generate-100-yard-rusher offense of previous years. With old-timer, Ahman Green, and fat guy, Ron Dayne, as the only competition, expect Slaton to take over the starting job in midseason and to put up 1,000 yards rushing.

7. Ray Rice, Baltimore

As I alluded to earlier, Willis McGahee is consistently mediocre. If you pick McGahee, you better follow up quickly with Ray Rice. The Ravens, who drafted Ray Rice in the 2nd round and Allen Patrick in the seventh, obviously aren’t overly enamored with McGahee. As far as talent goes, Rice is one of the more underrated running backs in this draft class. As a smaller back who runs with power, he could end up being a nice sleeper on the level of Maurice Jones Drew.

8. Felix Jones, Dallas

Jones was an enigma for me. He’s fast and can hit the home run, but how many carries will he get? I would expect some big games from Jones and some very poor outings as well. He will be the kind of fantasy running back who is good enough to keep around, but inconsistent enough to dash your hopes at the most inopportune time.

9. Chris Johnson, Tennessee

We’re really starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel here. Johnson has incredible speed at 4.24 in the 40, but he doesn’t seem to fit the smash-mouth philosophy Jeff Fisher employs. I think he will see some spot duty, but will not win the starting job from Lendale White or Chris Henry, both of whom the Titans drafted in the second round of the two previous drafts. At best, he will get 12 carries per game with about 8-10 going to each of Lendale White and Chris Henry. I wouldn’t draft him.

10. Ryan Torain, Denver

Picking Torain is like a box of chocolates -- you never know what running back Denver will strut out as the starter. And then again, you never know if that guy is the next Terrell Davis or Reuben Droughns. As a fantasy football manager, I don’t trust Mike Shanahan, but that might be exactly why you pick Torain over Travis Henry. If you pick Torain, make sure you have 3-4 better options already on your roster.

Deuce Says He Feels Good

News: According to the New Orleans Times Picayune, Deuce McAllister said he feels good about his recovery timetable. McAllister, who is coming back from surgeries on his knees has been running and doing some cutting and planting for about three weeks, and was able to run full-speed pass routes with teammates for the first time on Monday.

Who Dat Say: We can choose to be cautiously optimistic about this, or we can look at it as just another case of a player saying he will be ready to go. Section123SaintsFan's 56-year old father needs a knee replacement, and much like Deuce, he can also run and cut -- he's also hoping to get a few carries here and there this season. We're not trying to make light of the unfortunate situation of one of our favorite players to ever don the Black and Gold, but frankly, a player saying he feels good about himself and that he can play doesn't mean much to us. Josh Bullocks seems to think he can play too, and clearly there is something wrong with him, although I'm not sure the Saints have doctors on staff skilled enough to cure being slow and out of position all the time. If the coaching staff wasn't concerned about Deuce's health, and specifically his knees, would they be bringing in Shaun Alexander as potential insurance for Deuce? Probably not. McAllister will, however, participate in a limited capacity when the New Orleans Saints begin their organized team activities later this month. While we firmly believe Deuce's best days are behind him, this news does provide us with some hope.

Tuesday's Reader Rant

Every Tuesday we want you to "go off" on whatever Saints-related topic is bothering you. Tell us how you feel and don't spare any expense. To submit your rant, send an e-mail to whodatsayteam@gmail.com. We will sift through the garbage and post the best stuff every Tuesday. If we get 5 good ones, we'll post them all. Happy complaining.

By reader Red Dodge Charger, California

You guys want a rant…here is a rant. I enjoy your website and I read it everyday, but all of you mentioned before the draft that we should have drafted a running back in the draft. Over time, you have mentioned Matt Forte, Jonathan Stewart, Ben Jarvis Green Ellis, that Lumpkin guy from Georgia, etc. Honestly, I think the Saints are in good position where they currently are as far as running backs on the team. I'm not going to say Deuce is ever going to be the same player because I don't think he will. But he is back with the team, which tells me he's going to give it a go. I'll keep my fingers crossed on this one.

When our dynamic duo of Deuce and Reggie went down, Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker filled in just fine. Thomas rushed for 105 yards vs Chicago and Stecker rushed for 95 years vs Arizona. Although Stecker is getting old, he can still get the job done. As far as Pierre Thomas, who was his backup for 2 straight years at Illinois??? Yep, Rashard Mendenhall, who just got drafted in the 1st round by the Steelers. Pierre Thomas also beat out our 4th round pick Antonio Pittman last year…doesn't that tell you something? The dude can flat out play. So I don't think it was necessary for the Saints to draft a running back this year. Let's give these 2 guys a shot and see what they can do. They deserve it.

- Craig

P.S. This better get posted.

* We would like to make note that this rant was received last Thursday, May 1st, which was before the atricle "Saint Pierre the Feature Back" was written and posted by Section123SaintsFan.