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.
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.
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
The injury, which was "scooped" by a poster at Saints Report (take that, MSM!), is expected to keep Thomas out for the first six games of the season. And that's counting on a perfect recovery. But even if Thomas winds up recovering on schedule, he's going to eat a roster spot that the team may not afford to lose. If the team decides they need the spot, they'll probably put Thomas on the IR and end his season. At 34 years old and 335 lbs., with snaps declining annually, this could eventually serve as Thomas' going-away campaign.
Thomas was expected to back up Sedrick Ellis at nose tackle, but his role in the team's line rotation was still important. Add in the fact that he's had a great camp -- meeting his weight requirements for the first time in three years as a Saint, looking more mobile -- and the injury will hurt the Saints. Thomas has been a solid contributor and is well-liked in the locker room for his jovial nature (yes, he is wearing a Spongebob get-up in that picture; no, I have no idea why).
The onus now falls on Ellis and Kendrick Clancy to fill the void, for this season and perhaps beyond.
You could see the frustration build up within the Saints organization with each passing day of Sedrick Ellis' holdout. After a couple of days Mickey Loomis declared it could be a lengthy holdout. Then Sean Payton remarked that Ellis needed to get into camp because he was only hurting himself. Even today, with the two sides finally agreeing on a contract, Loomis remarked that, "It's about time," and that it "took a little longer than it should have."
But, regardless, the deal is done. Ellis will get $19.5 million guaranteed for five years. The rest of the money totals $49 million, but reportedly includes some hard-to-reach incentives that bring its value closer to $32 million. By comparison, sixth-overall pick Vernon Gholston, who went one pick ahead of Ellis, got a total of $50 million over five years, with $21 million guaranteed.
The Saints traded up from 10th overall to the Patriots' spot at seven to select Ellis, who will start at nose tackle. He's expected to be the anchor of a revamped defense and will be responsible for clearing traffic for Jonathan Vilma.
Missing seven days of training camp is not advantageous for Ellis, who is joining a team already well-accustomed to the 100-degree heat and humidity that blankets Jackson, Mississippi. If Ellis isn't adequately prepared he risks injury, much like fellow rookie Tracy Porter (who hurt a hamstring after missing two days of camp). Add on top of that the presence of last year's starter Hollis Thomas, who is slimmer and healthier, and Ellis has his work cut out for him.
I know that jockeying for position, strategery, deception, and manipulation are all par for the course in the NFL draft. So it's not exactly a head-turner when one team jumps ahead of another for a player they're both interested in. Three players, however, is a tad more interesting.
The Saints and Bengals both came into the draft with comparable needs, and the two coaching staffs have some sort of friendly bond, pairing together last summer for a couple of training camp scrimmages. But yesterday played out like a consistent bit of dueling, and the Saints won all three times.
The obvious battle was the one for Sedrick Ellis. It was no secret that both teams were gunning for Ellis, and the Saints beat the Bengals to him. The Saints then traded to move up two spots in the fifth and drafted defensive tackle DeMario Pressley right in front of the Bengals, forcing them to draft fellow tackle Jason Shirley, he of alcoholic infamy. Obviously the Bengals got flustered by the Saints thievery and took Shirley because he was the right position, if not the right personality. Finally, the Saints identified a player in the seventh who wouldn't reach them in free agency and traded a '09 pick to grab receiver Adrian Arrington. The next receiver taken? Mario Urrutia from Louisville, just seven picks later by -- you guessed it -- the Bengals.
It just seems a little too coincidental, doesn't it?
The Good: The Saints needed to come out of the draft with either Glenn Dorsey or Ellis, and got Ellis at a great price. He's going to make an immediate impact for a defense which has long lacked a playmaker. Porter is an underrated corner who didn't get much exposure, but he's great at man coverage which plays right into the Saints' defensive scheme. Defensive tackle and cornerback were the team's biggest needs, and they addressed them well right away.
Arrington is already being saddled with Marques Colston comparisons -- he's got the size Colston has and a reputation for making tough catches and being reliable in the redzone, though overshadowed by Mario Manningham. The Saints targeted him as a free agent, but sensing he'd be selected before that traded a '09 sixth-rounder to get back into the seventh for him.
The Bad: While the Saints seemed to get great value in the fifth with Pressley (a projected second-rounder) and Nicks (third), they uncharacteristically went against their personnel philosophy. Both Nicks and Arrington had trouble with the law in college, and Pressley is known as talented but inconsistent with a questionable work ethic. The team has never drafted talent at the expense of character, but they took that risk here. They also could have afforded to add a linebacker with one of those late picks, but many teams shied away from that position, possibly indicating a simple lack of talent.
The Bengals did well under the circumstances, but they didn't get the defensive tackle (Sedrick Ellis) they coveted. Cincinnati tried all offseason to get a defensive tackle, but trades for Shaun Rogers and Dewayne Robertson fell through, and Ellis went to the New Orleans Saints when they traded up to No. 9. Cincinnati got a break when the Patriots traded down and didn't take linebacker Keith Rivers, who was a great choice for the Bengals. But they needed a defensive tackle.
I like Keith as the pick in the first round. I understand that everyone wanted Ellis, but he was gone before their pick. I do see the reasoning to be angry since the Bengals just couldn't do that little extra to deal up to get Ellis ... or finish off those trades for Rogers or Robertson. I still doubt that it makes the Bengals draft a bad one.
I do feel that this put them over the top. They really, really reached on WR Jerome Simpson. With the kind of names left on the board and the fact that no one valued him that high, using a 2nd rounder on Simpson was bad.
When looking at Clayton's Day 1 losers, most are because of deals they didn't make and not an indictment on who the teams actually selected.
A lot of the talk leading up to the draft the last couple of weeks had to do with the Saints' frantic attempts to work a deal that would allow them to draft Glenn Dorsey.
They proved those reports correct, offering the Chiefs their 10th pick, their second-round pick (40th), and their first round pick in 2009 to move up to the Chiefs' spot. Despite Herm Edwards' insistence that the Chiefs would try to acquire more draft picks, that fortune was obviously not enough to dissuade them from taking Dorsey. If you're a Chiefs fan, I'm not sure how much you love that news, no matter how great Dorsey can be.
The Saints quickly went to Plan B, and worked a deal with the Patriots to move up for Sedrick Ellis, probably 1b on their board. They had to land one of those two tackles, and Ellis quickly becomes a quick impact player in a defense that's needed a powerful presence in the middle.
Ellis was recruited to USC by Ed Orgeron, who's now the Saints' defensive line coach, so there's a familiarity there on both sides. It would have been a nice story for the local product in Dorsey to stay in Louisiana, but Ellis will help the team a lot too. Defensive tackle was their biggest need by far, and credit the Saints for doing what it took to fill it.
Update: The Saints send their 10th overall pick and third-rounder to the Patriots for their 7th overall pick and a fifth-rounder.
USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis is known as a great athlete and a guy with the character that makes him too good a person to be a Bengal, so it's a good thing that the New Orleans Saints traded up and took Ellis before the Bengals could get their filthy paws on him.
NFL teams have said Ellis will play defensive tackle, and that's where he should play for the Saints, but I could easily see him moving to end if that's what they need down the road. He's versatile enough to play anywhere on the line.
The Saints made clear that they were willing to pay a big price to get better on the defensive line. They traded up to get Ellis, and they got better on the defensive line.
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.
Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, 
I say this not because the Saints, or 
You could see the frustration build up within the Saints organization with each passing day of 
I know that jockeying for position, strategery, deception, and manipulation are all par for the course in the NFL draft. So it's not exactly a head-turner when one team jumps ahead of another for a player they're both interested in. Three players, however, is a tad more interesting.
New Orleans Saints 2008 Draft Picks:
During the NFL Draft, there are winners and there are losers. Somebody has to have to worst draft ... according to the experts. 
A lot of the talk leading up to the draft the last couple of weeks had to do with the Saints' frantic attempts to work a deal that would allow them to draft 
