FanHouse TerranceCopper

If you take a trip to the days of FanHouse's infancy, you'll find me touting seventh-rounder Marques Colston before his first NFL catch. I never would have expected Colston to have the two seasons he's had since, but I knew he was going to play, and I knew he was going to be good. (My long arms are getting a good pat on my back).

When the Saints traded back into the seventh round this year to select Michigan receiver Adrian Arrington, his position, size (6'3'', 191 lbs.), and style (solid route running, good positioning, exceptional hands [check the play at 2:30]) led to immediate Colston comparisons, but no one knew how Arrington would translate to the pros. So far, so good. Arrington was one of the most impressive players throughout OTAs, and stole the show at the first day of training camp.

Colston benefitted from a much shallower depth chart as a rookie; Arrington's got a steeper climb. Unless he flat-out dazzles, he'll enter the season no better than fourth behind Colston, David Patten, and Robert Meachem. And unless he proves adept at special teams he's going to have trouble winning a spot from Lance Moore or Terrance Copper, meaning the final spot on the team should be between Arrington and the perennially overrated Devery Henderson.

But I don't see the practice squad in his future. While he might not make the immediate impact Colston did, Arrington's going to catch more than a few balls this year.

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.

The Saints have finally got some momentum, having won three in a row. They look to be close to the form they displayed last year. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are starting Quinn Gray, allowing New Orleans to stack against the run. It'd seem that the Saints, playing at home, have the advantage here. But the Jaguars are from the AFC, which has served as the Saints' achilles heel. In the Sean Payton era, New Orleans has gone 1-5 against the superior conference. Here are the ugly particulars:

September 10th, 2006: Saints 19, Browns 16
Payton's first game is a victory, but it's a hard-earned one over a team that went 4-12. The Saints only managed one touchdown -- the first strike from Drew Brees to Marques Colston -- and had to rely on a Josh Bullocks interception with the Browns driving late to save the victory.

October 29th, 2006: Ravens 35, Saints 22
This one was not nearly as close as the score might indicate. Brees threw three interceptions and, in a sign of desperation in both play-calling and execution, Reggie Bush also threw a pick in the endzone attempting a halfback pass. They also lost a fumble. Two garbage time touchdowns to Colston made the score respectable, but the Ravens were able to sit back on the 35-7 lead they brought into the fourth quarter.

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.

Sean Payton expects all of the team's current injuries to be fine by the Sept. 6th season opener against Indianapolis, but starting receiver Devery Henderson wouldn't "make any promises" that his bum hamstring will be ready to go.

Henderson hasn't exactly been the most durable player, and hamstrings are a bitch to recover from, but I'm not panicking yet. Henderson wasn't negative about the status of the injury, just non-committal, and there's still two weeks to go. The Saints are also getting ready to open the season on primetime against the defending champions. Any shrouds of mystery they could use to keep the Colts guessing are helpful.

If Henderson does miss the opener, I expect David Patten to take his place in the starting lineup. Terrance Copper is a possibility as well, and a sleeper pick is Lance Moore. Though Moore compares with Henderson in the speed department, none of those three receivers bring the entire package that Henderson, a unique threat, does. Henderson has looked great in camp and appears ready for a breakout season, so let's pray for some good health.

In our Training Camp Battles series, I noted that the Saints only open starting spot at receiver will probably come down to Devery Henderson or Robert Meachem. Yet the Saints Beat blog notes that an underdog looks to be locking up the third spot, and could play himself into the starter's role -- third-year guy Lance Moore.

If you've never heard of Moore, don't let that dissuade you -- most people hadn't heard of Henderson, Marques Colston, or Terrance Copper last year, and those guys put up some pretty meaningful numbers in the Saints' high-octane offense. He's already guaranteed a roster spot because he's managed to lock up the return job. Sean Payton loves his work ethic and motor; to give an idea of the speed Moore has, his 40 time is only .01 seconds slower than Reggie Bush's. Yeah, he's got legs.

If Moore happens to win the starting spot, the entire depth chart could be shaken up. Henderson, another speedster, could be used as trade bait. Copper, a hard-working player who has looked fantastic this offseason, could be traded or released. David Patten, who developed an immediate rapport with Drew Brees and has earned the respect of Saints coaches, could also be cut (a sudden case of turf toe, a lingering ailment for a guy who's been hampered by injuries for a couple of seasons now, would certainly contribute).

I don't see Moore winning the starting spot, though anything is possible. More likely, the team will use his speed in the slot. Either way, be it in the passing game or on special teams, Lance Moore is going to make a number of big plays for New Orleans this season.

Weeks ago, I cautioned Robert Meachem against holding out of training camp.

Considering the terrible, injury-ridden start to Meachem's tenure with the Saints, a training camp holdout would serve as a death blow to the former Vol's first season -- he won't play.

Any potential +1s coming my way on the strength of that advice are nullified by my prediction that Meachem would, in fact, hold out. In reality, the 27th overall pick signed a deal today, one day before the Saints report to training camp and three days before their first practice. Terms of the deal haven't been officially released, though it's being reported that the contract is for five years, includes a little more than $5.7 million in guarantees, and can top out at around $11 million.

Meachem now enters what will be an intense training camp battle with Devery Henderson, Terrance Copper, and David Patten for the starting receiver spot opposite of Marques Colston. Something tells me it might even be featured in our Training Camp Battles series. In any event, this signing falls in line with the rest of the Saints offseason -- quiet, focused, distraction-free. That bodes well.