FanHouse Tracy Porter

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Though 2006 was arguably the best season in New Orleans Saints history, the campaign was only the beginning of this streak of NFL competitive relevance in the Crescent City. Despite steps backwards in 2007 and 2008, the team has quietly been adding front-end talent and admirable depth since that NFC Championship appearance against the Bears. Now, as Drew Brees put it, "...we're at this stage in our careers where this is kind of our prime. ... So this is our window of opportunity. This is our chance to walk together forever, to go down in history together." After over 40 years and just two playoff wins, is this the year the Saints finally break through?

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With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The Saints again attempted to shore up ailing aspects of their team in free agency. Some say this is to give them flexibility in the draft. This is true, but it also makes it hard for other teams to guess what they might do with their No. 14 overall pick. Don't overlook that benefit.

While the signings made were in an effort to improve the team, not every signee is considered the solution within the team's headquarters, so some positions could still benefit from a high draft choice. And with only four picks in this year's draft, New Orleans needs to make that first-rounder count in a big way.

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.

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.

It's no real secret at this point that NFL teams like to ask bizarre questions to potential draftees before deciding whether or not to select them. Just this week, MDS shared with us the strange line of inquiry to Tennessee LB Jarod Mayo that concerned whether or not he'd cheated on his girlfriend.

Mayo didn't reveal which team asked him that one but it may have been the Jets. In today's New York Post, he called his visit with the team the most thorough he's experienced. Judging from the questions the team asked Indiana corner Tracy Porter, they leave no stone unturned.

"What is your favorite TV show and why?" was one question coming from coach Eric Mangini while the two spent time together.

Porter's answer, Family Guy, was a good one. Mangini enjoys the animated fun as well although I'm a little unsure what that means about anything. Had Porter said The View, perhaps that would tell you something about his makeup. It would certainly tell you something about his taste but it doesn't tell you much about his ability on the football field.

I get that teams want to see how a player reacts to a curveball in an already nerve-racking situation. I get that the question to Mayo may tell you something about his character. But haven't we gotten to the point where, just maybe, this whole draft process is being overthought a bit when we're talking about Family Guy?

A few hours from now the Indiana Hoosiers will take the field to play Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl. Depending on where you look, the Hoosiers are currently considered 6.5 or 7 point underdogs against the Cowboys. It doesn't matter though.

Whether the Hoosiers walk away from tonight's game with a victory or loss doesn't take away from a season that can only be considered a success in Bloomington. After all, the last time Indiana played in a bowl game was in 1993 when we were all singing along to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Harrison Ford was still looking for the one-armed man.

Indiana would lose that Independence Bowl to Virginia Tech by a score of 45-20.