FanHouse FredThomas

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

Gregg Williams hasn't informed a free agent decision for New Orleans yet, hasn't hand-picked the inevitable defensive playmaker the Saints choose with their 14th-overall selection this year, hasn't installed a single scheme in a minicamp. Yet Williams' reputation has preceded him to the Crescent City, and his hiring as defensive coordinator is already considered one of the most important moves in team history.

After almost two decades of guaranteed defensive putridity, the last three of which have revolved around Gary Gibbs' lack of talent identification and bland scheming, the idea of Williams and his history of intelligent, hard-working, active, complex defenses coming to the Superdome is music to the ears. It also might finally push the Saints over the top.

Franchise tags and salary-cap concerns play a very important role in real-world wheelings and dealings, but what if the biggest-named free agents were matched with the teams that gave them the best chance to make a Super Bowl run? What would that list look like? Glad you asked.

Yes, this is a strictly fictional account, one that requires you to suspend reality for the next few minutes. But, hey, it's the NFL offseason, which means that there won't be any meaningful football for another seven months. What else do you have to do?

Yet again, it seemed as if a late fumble could disrupt a Saints win. After blowing a game against the Bucs, this week it was David Patten, catching a pass and racking up the YAC, all the while holding the ball so precariously you'd think he was presenting it on a platter. Of course, it was knocked out in Arizona territory and recovered by the Cardinals, and a chance to take a two-score lead with nine minutes left was squandered.

Luckily, Kurt Warner is no Luke McCown (I know, Kurt -- the truth hurts), and the Cards promptly three-and-outed it for good, punting away the ball and their season. Starting at their own four, the Saints picked up four first downs, enough (thanks to some poor timeout management by Arizona) to run out the clock. That botched final series, a critical one, was just one of a number of instances where the Cardinals could have taken control of the game but failed to.

Not that the Saints didn't earn the win; they played incredibly well and balanced (30 passes, 29 runs) on offense, got pressure on Warner, forced turnovers, and played well in the secondary. But the difference in the final score would have been more than compensated for if the Cardinals didn't take a handful of shots at their own foot.

Last year, Saints fans clamored for cornerback Fred Thomas -- he of many big plays allowed -- to be replaced. Little did we know that, a fourth-round pick and $16 million later, we'd be pining for his ragged play again.

That's because his replacement, former Colt Jason David, has been absolutely terrible this year. As I told our own Stephanie Stradley, David has been responsible for at least three of the Saints five losses this year, and possibly four (he's missed three full games this year, all wins).

There was, of course, the opening night debacle against Indianapolis, when he allowed three touchdowns and a myriad of other plays to his former team. Then there was Tampa Bay, when Joey Galloway punked him for touchdowns of 69 and 24 yards to bury the Saints in the second quarter. And last week against the Rams, Marc Bulger targeted him 10 times, completing eight of those passes (a few of which on third down) for 110 yards and two touchdowns. To be fair, David also has two interceptions and a touchdown on a fumble return. But are the pros worth the cons? No.

"I've just got to get better. That's it, guys. That's all I can tell you. I've got to get better," he said, before looking up and smiling. "And when I do, I hope I get as much attention as I'm getting now for not playing as good."

Yes, but will that come after the Saints have missed out on a playoff spot?

OK, I'll be the first to say it: Hello, my name is Tom. And I'm an idiot homer.

I, along with a few other people, had New Orleans pegged as a Super Bowl contender. And they may very well still be. But if that's the team New Orleans becomes this year, it'll be because they got an early, up-close view of what a championship team really looks like. And it was humbling.

The Colts did not play a perfect game; their first half was sort of bland. But they did what they had to do -- make the proper adjustments at the half -- and took over from the start of the third quarter. That was, no doubt, their immense experience coming into play against the still-green Saints. The Colts defense, questioned all summer, held the Saints to just 293 yards of offense, and Drew Brees mustered a pitiful 4.7 yards per attempt. Brees felt the heat, looking anxious in the pocket, rocketing passes even when touch was needed. And his counterpart, Peyton Manning, stayed calm under a decent amount of New Orleans pressure, making the Saints '07 secondary look like the '06 model.

But you know who's feeling good about himself? Fred Thomas, the beleaguered Saints corner who was replaced by David and is now laying low on the depth chart pressure-cooker. It was the best of time (singular), the worst of times (very, very plural) for David, who scored the only Saints touchdown but was burnt by his former teammates for practically a bazillion yards and a metric ton of touchdowns.

A lot of the Saints' success last year came from a massive overhaul of new blood and true competition; if you weren't Drew Brees, your job was up for grabs. The offense did well enough, and returned enough players, that the Saints were allowed to focus the majority of their free agent money on defense. All of last year's starters are back, as well, meaning competition has again been inspired. With training camp over and two preseason games left, there's still lots of room for movement.

Jason David - Rehashing Fred Thomas' 2006 troubles is just beating Barbaro, so I'll just say that Jason David, despite arriving in Indianapolis in the middle of the depth chart, didn't have much standing in the way of a starting job. So far, David has transitioned from the Cover 2 well. He excelled in camp and had a great game against the Bengals last Saturday. He has, officially, taken Thomas' spot in the starting lineup, meaning he'll be lining up against former teammate Marvin Harrison in the season opener.

Brian Simmons - As far as middle linebackers go, Mark Simoneau had trouble getting to and bringing down the ballcarrier last year, which is pretty much what a middle linebacker is counted on to do. So the Saints brought in former Bengal Brian Simmons, a frequent 100+-tackle guy. But Simmons has dealt with nagging injuries and didn't catch onto the playbook as quickly as some anticipated. In the meantime, the addition has lit a fire under Simoneau, whose had one of the best offseasons on the team. He's still the starter, and he's earned it so far, but Simmons will at least be a one- or two-down 'backer, if he doesn't supplant Simoneau entirely.

This is how bad the Saints' secondary got torched at times last season: NFL Films is currently putting together a new anthology DVD entitled Fred Thomas: Burnt Toast. But while Thomas has become the whipping boy for critics, the secondary as a whole, besides Mike McKenzie (who had another typically solid, underappreciated season), underachieved.

So improving there, especially with guys who could thieve the ball, was key in the offseason. And if the reports out of camp so far are any indication, this group should be much better on the back end, thanks specifically to two newcomers.

Jason David (pictured) has drawn rave reviews from camp attendees for his ability to stick to a receiver and break up passes. David hasn't been overtly physical (not a surprise given his size), but he's made up for that by reading and reacting well. He's managed to hold his own with Marques Colston, who has eight inches and 50 pounds over David, and Devery Henderson, one of the fastest players in the league. That's a pretty good barometer.

Then there's rookie Usama Young. Young missed the first three days of camp with an injury but has since looked like the defense's best athlete. His physical skills -- 4.39 speed and a 43'' vertical jump -- were evident at his pro day, and sent his stock skyrocketing, but Young has proven to have a good head for the game as well. Since he's returned, he's intercepted at least one pass per practice, and has come up big on a number of other plays. The way things are looking right now, the nickel spot is open. Young could certainly ascend into that spot if he keeps playing the way he has thus far.

I think it's safe to say that there's nothing to worry about on offense. As long as the defense is marginally better, this team should be dandy. Luckily, the infusion of talent seems to be paying off.