FanHouse JasonDavid

The New Orleans Saints have bolstered their secondary, signing cornerback Jabari Greer to a four-year deal. Greer is coming off a two-year stint as a starter for the Buffalo Bills, and he was having a breakout season in 2008 before falling injured.

This deal is likely especially exciting for Saints fans, due to their almost palpable hatred of Jason David. Plus, Tracy Porter -- who was off to a great start to his rookie season before getting hurt himself -- will also be returning to the lineup. Having Greer and Porter as the starting corners in 2009 represents a huge upgrade from what we saw New Orleans cart out in the second half of last season.

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?

Despite having a defense that has sabotaged a playoff-worthy offense and featured a player, Jason David, who Football Outsiders determined was less effective in coverage in 2007 than thin air, the Saints' defensive coordinator vacancy is actually desirable.

It didn't take long for the Saints to bring Gregg Williams in for an interview after the firing of Gary Gibbs. Apparently the team was interested, as Williams was in town that night. And cccording to his agent, after the interview, Williams has a "strong interest" in joining New Orleans.

Rookie CB Tracy Porter was progressing nicely in his first NFL season after a great collegiate career at my alma mater (Indiana University). He had almost allowed Saints fans to forget about the non-coverage "provided" by Jason David on the outside.

After making several pass breakups, including a very solid one in the red zone late in the first half, Porter left the game with a dislocated wrist.

Tuesday evening it was reported that Porter will miss the remainder of his once promising rookie season. What a shame.

By the way, check out the comments under the above linked post. Saints fans are ready to jump. I hate to say this part is funny, though it is: Most of the comments illustrate that the fans aren't necessarily panicking because Porter is gone, but instead panicking because David may be forced into action.

I think my favorite was the one where the commenter asked -- seemingly legitimately -- why David never gets hurt ... only to turn around and answer his own question by saying David's never close enough to the action to get hit.

It's safe to say, the Saints and their fans aren't having a good week. At least Drew Brees is still ok. For now.

Mike McKenzie, the Saints' best corner and the best player on their defense last year, was inactive today. That's not good. Jason David donned pads but as far as I could tell didn't step foot on the field. That was good. The result -- new corners Randall Gay (brought in through free agency) and Tracy Porter (a second-round draft choice) got the start and provided the Saints with something they haven't had in years -- competent corner play on both sides.

But they weren't the only new Saints to make an impact. Jonathan Vilma, the team's leading tackler, and Sedrick Ellis, a beast who constantly penetrated double teams, were just as advertised, and Jeremy Shockey took a while to get going but made some clutch catches for 54 yards. These players were the difference in the Saints' win.

One of the surprises of the Saints' cuts were that all of their cornerbacks made the roster, except Greg Fassit, was placed on injured reserve. That meant veterans Jason Craft and Aaron Glenn, battling it out for the token old veteran leadership spot, both stuck around. And it also meant that Jason David, who had a horrible season in his first as a Saint and has had a similarly bad preseason, also had a spot on the team, at least for the time being.

That time being seems about over.

Though the Saints' website still lists David on the roster, and there have been no reports, confirmed or un-, regarding his release, the NFL.com page for Saints transactions clearly says "Jason David (CB) cut" as of today.

If the information is true, David has obviously been cut to make room for someone else. And it means his solid performance in the preseason finale (three tackles, an interception, and a pass defense) wasn't enough to spare him. David never adjusted to man coverage, and this would make clear the team's little faith in him, as they don't believe his play will justify even his low price tag.

Still, with his athletic ability and young age, David can contribute for any team that runs a Cover 2. Unless the year-plus he's spent in New Orleans has Ankieled him, in which case I'll wait for his triumphant, redemptive return as a punter.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Drew Brees is, to me, the third best quarterback in the league. And that's not just because I have a giant man-crush on him. Say what you will about your Tony Romos and Carson Palmers, but I'd take Brees over those two, especially as he appears to be in the prime of his career. All he's done since arriving in New Orleans is put up gaudy numbers through the air, but he plays a heady game based on quick (and good) decisions. He's also a good guy off the field and the unquestioned leader of the team. Mark Brunell was brought in as Brees' backup while project Tyler Palko continues to develop, and while you don't want to see the old lefty play at all, his arm looks good enough in camp to sustain for a couple of weeks if need be. Anything more than that, though, and the Saints are in trouble. Heat Index: 9

Running Back: Running back committees are a bitch for fantasy owners, but none have encountered a mess like this, where four backs are going to get a fair share of touches. Exactly how the carries shake out depends on Deuce McAllister's health; ditto for the productivity of the group. All four backs -- McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Aaron Stecker -- are talented, but Deuce is the only pounder that can keep the running game glued together. If he's in the lineup, expect Bush to flourish, with Thomas making a solid impact as well. If he's not, Thomas takes on a larger role and, though he rolled up Chicago for over 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 last year, it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time NFL back. Luckily, Deuce has looked healthy so far. Heat Index: 7

After being humiliated (again) in the Saints' contest against the Texans last weekend, Jason David was at least man enough to stand up and answer questions about it.

"Looking at it from a fans point of view, I'd probably boo myself, too," David said. "The fans have a high expectation, and so do I and the coaching staff. "This is the NFL. It's part of the game. There's no one to blame but myself. I'm the only who can really stop the boos."

Oh, that's just fantastic. At least, it would be if we hadn't been down this road before. Repeating the "I've got to get better" defense is hollow unless you eventually, you know, get better. And David has not. Meanwhile, Drew Brees thinks the booing is disgraceful.

"C'mon people. We haven't even started playing games that count yet. It's extremely unfair. We're talking about the first quarter of our first preseason game at home. The bottom line is we all need to improve -- offense, defense and special teams. We shouldn't be hearing boos, especially at this time. We should be hearing encouragement."

Sorry, but this is the only time I'll ever disagree with Brees, though I understand that he has to say that. While I do believe fans are too fickle most of the time, this isn't just the first quarter of their first preseason game at home. The fans were booing the futility of a player who lost games last year, not a team working off rust. I've previously advocated keeping him, but David is being outplayed by every other corner on the roster. It's a numbers game, and his might be up.

Don Banks says the Saints' defense might be the most improved unit in the league in 2008. He obviously wrote that before the team's loss to the Texans on Saturday night, a game in which the Saints' defense looked exactly like the one that took the field last year. And that's not a compliment.

The team's pass defense was ripped apart, with both the front and back four failing to hold up their ends of the bargain. The impression was so accurate that it came right down to the biggest victim, Jason David, who gained the bad kind of notoriety last year for his atrocious play. Though it should be noted that rookie second-rounder Tracy Porter was similarly abused.

There are, of course, the typical caveats -- it's just the preseason, the team was missing starters in defensive tackle Brian Young, corner Mike McKenzie, and safety Josh Bullocks, and it was Porter's first NFL game action after injuring his hamstring earlier in training camp. And yes, those should be considered. But they're not good enough excuses, especially since this isn't a new set of problems. It's the same problems that have plagued the team for the last two years.

The Saints are considered NFC contenders for the second year in a row. If they want to live up to that billing, unlike last year, they're going to have to figure out a way to stop the pass.