FanHouse MarkSimoneau

Astute Saints fans weren't counting on Dan Morgan to start at weakside linebacker, or even be on the opening day roster. And now that we know his five-plus concussions haven't inhibited him from making the smart choice about retirement, those of us are vindicated. It's also clear to everyone now that the Saints haven't upgraded that spot in the front seven at all, and that's the fault of a flawed Saints philosophy.

The team hasn't had a good set of linebackers since the early '90s. The best linebacker they've had since, Jonathan Vilma, hasn't even gone through a day of training camp. In the past, bad linebacking could be attributed to bad drafting, but Sean Payton has gone in the opposite direction.

In over two years since Payton has taken over, he's preferred veteran, unspectacular linebackers at the expense sometimes of age, health, and ability. Vilma and, arguably, Scott Fujita are exceptions. But aside from those two, we've seen Scott Shanle, Mark Simoneau, Brian Simmons, Anthony Simmons, Dhani Jones, and now Morgan brought in with decidedly average results, if any at all -- Jones didn't last a preseason, and Anthony Simmons retired in the offseason just as Morgan has. Even Vilma, with his knee, is a gamble.

Which means you'll see Shanle and Simoneau fight for the weakside job, with maybe another listless vet thrown in for "competition." But for once at this position the Saints should target upside -- perhaps a deal with Dallas for Bobby Carpenter, the former first-rounder who seems lost outside of his native 4-3. The team has gambled on plenty of linebackers lately, this is just a different sort of gamble.

In five games last year, Zach Thomas had 52 tackles. In 16 games last year, Mark Simoneau had 70. One doesn't need much more than game film to indict Simoneau as a below-average middle linebacker, but for those of you who like numbers, there's your proof.

With Simoneau set to hit free agency, the Saints are looking to improve that ever-so-important position. They might be looking in the wrong direction, though, as the team is meeting with Thomas and former Panther Dan Morgan tomorrow.

Talent-wise, both are upgrades. But Thomas is 34 and neither linebacker has been healthy recently. Thomas -- who's being courted by Dallas and an increasing number of others -- didn't have a significant injury history before last year, but that could be the first signs of the deterioration. Morgan has missed an average of over seven games per season in his career, and has only played four in the last two years.

I have a hard time believing that the Saints would sign either with the intention of making him a clear-cut starter. Instead, I believe they're looking for an inside linebacker in the second round like Curtis Lofton or Jerod Mayo who can step in immediately and reap the awards of learning from an accomplished veteran. Seeing Thomas fall after three games with no contingency plan, for example, would accomplish the difficult task of making Saints fans envious of the Simoneau days.

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Defensive Tackle/Linebacker/Cornerback. I know this reeks of a cop-out, and I guess you're right. But every time I think that the Saints need one of these positions over the others, I change my mind. On one hand you've got defensive tackle, where Hollis Thomas, the only true nose tackle, is 34 and playing year-to-year. He's consistent against the run and pass, but can't play a full game anymore. The rest of the tackles are just adequate, and starting 3-tech Brian Young's a free agent who probably won't be back. Then there's linebacker, which features just two players, because middle linebacker Mark Simoneau has no impact whatsoever. Scott Shanle ain't no prize, neither. Finally, there's cornerback. The crew, outside of Mike McKenzie, is terrible (admittedly, with faint hints of promise). And McKenzie's torn ACL should keep him out until October at earliest. So you decide which is worse off.

I don't expect the Saints to go after any of the marquee free agents at these positions, but I wouldn't be surprised to see under-the-radar signings like Corey Williams or Drayton Florence. Most of the improvement will come in the draft. I'm all for Sedrick Ellis in the first, even if the Saints have to move up a few spots from 10 to get him. This is a deep draft for linebackers, which is helpful, and good young corners like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be available after the first round.

When you're 0-4, and you're not even close to resembling a good football team, it's certainly time to make some changes. The Saints cannot afford to wait for this team to turn around any longer; the season's probably over anyway. But for shiggles, Sean Payton is going to try to force the issue with some changes to the starting lineup.

"There are a handful of positions that we need to evaluate closely and make sure we're playing the right guys. That starts with me, and we'll do that this week."

Olindo Mare, come on down! You're the next contestant in Waiting at the Unemployment Line! The Saints are planning on bringing new kickers to town this week, thankfully. Mike Vanderjagt might want to wait by his phone. I never thought I'd be happy about that possibility. Yet I am. Football is a cruel mistress.

Oh, and Devery Henderson? Good news, you're gonna get a lot more rest during games. I don't expect the Saints to cut Henderson, but he certainly won't be starting anymore. Once again: Henderson is the new Todd Pinkston. Payton also mentioned today that he needs to get Lance Moore the ball more, which makes sense since he and Marques Colston are the only two guys on offense making plays. The writing is on the wall.

A less criticized, but just as culpable, player is middle linebacker Mark Simoneau, who's the king of getting to the ball-carrier last. Brian Simmons would be next in line, but I'd like to see rookie Marvin Mitchell, a presence in preseason, get some time. And though I don't expect left tackle Jammal Brown to lose his job, he's looked awful this year, and Zach Strief is a great tackle in the making. So, yeah, glad to see Payton seeking change. All it cost was the 2007 season.

That's the question a lot of pundits are asking today in trying to figure out how the Saints, preseason NFC favorites, are 0-2. But the magic they're referring to is that annoying, mythical "Katrina magic" that people invented last year. That's not what I'm referring to. Last year was based on a lot of really good personnel decisions, good coaching, and inspired play. We know that good coaching and inspired play have so far been nowhere to be found. But what of the personnel decisions?

Last year, the Saints had a magic touch shaping their roster. They got four starters in the draft (Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Marques Colston, and Reggie Bush), six if you include draft-day trades for Jeff Faine and Hollis Thomas. They also made smart moves in free agency; besides Drew Brees, the team also got outsized contributions from Scott Shanle, Terrance Copper, and Scott Fujita. Almost every move they made turned to gold.

This year? Meh. Only four picks (Usama Young, Jermon Bushrod, Andy Alleman, and Robert Meachem) have made the team, all but Young have been deactivated for both games, and he only plays sparingly. Their dabble in free agency has been worse. Eric Johnson has been average at tight end, but at least he's doing something; it goes downhill from there. Kendrick Clancy won a starting job at defensive tackle but has been blah. Jason David's exploits are well documented. Kevin Kaesviharn has looked lost at nickel safety. And linebacker Brian Simmons can't beat out Mark Simoneau, who couldn't shed a block by Holly Mangold.

There's a lot of problems that need to be fixed with this team, and it's unfair to attack the new guys when so many of the holdovers have been so, so awful. Still, the Saints added a lot of players in the offseason, and counted on those players to improve the team. They haven't.

Dhani Jones' career as a Saint began with a bang, and ended with a whimper.

After announcing his decision to sign with New Orleans right before training camp live on the NFL Network, the Saints announced that they cut Jones (along with eight other players) in the continuing effort to get down to 53 players by the deadline tomorrow.

Jones is the type of player who is overrated because he's a "name"; he's got a notable personality off the field (sort of like how people assume Kirsten Dunst is a good actress). In reality, he's an average linebacker that Philadelphia was thrilled to rid themselves of in the first place. He didn't pick up the New Orleans system quickly enough and played flat-out poorly this preseason, taking a number of penalties and looking generally lost.

If the Saints keep six linebackers, as expected, this bodes well for seventh-round pick Marvin Mitchell, who would back up Mark Simoneau in the middle and get in the action on running downs (where he excels). Mitchell has had a strong camp, both at linebacker and on special teams. Brian Simmons, Simoneau's current backup, could take the second-team strongside spot Jones is vacating. With Troy Evans making the team on the strength of his special teams play, this would leave Alfred Fincher (who had an interception in last night's victory over Miami) as the odd man out.

Another team might take a flier on Jones, but they'll be getting little more than a stellar bow-tie collection. At this point Jones, by all accounts a good guy (despite my "honest" appraisal of his talents above) with a great personality, might be better off displaying that neckwear in the television studio.

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.