FanHouse TracyPorter

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

New Orleans Saints 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (7): Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
Round 2 (40): Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana
Round 5 (144): DeMario Pressley, DT, North Carolina St.
Round 5 (164): Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska
Round 6 (178): Taylor Mehlhaff, K, Wisconsin
Round 7 (237): Adrian Arrington, WR, Michigan

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.

... and after all of that talk, Jeremy Shockey is still a Giant.

It was the Saints second-round pick, 40th overall, that has been linked to Shockey for, about, forever now. Each second that ticked off the clock reduced the chances of a trade being worked out, and with about 30 seconds left the Saints decided to hand the card in themselves for cornerback Tracy Porter.

The fact that the pick came in so late leads me to believe that the teams were furiously trying to work out a deal until the end. But Saints GM Mickey Loomis is a stickler; he sets a price and is tough to budge from it. I'd have to imagine the sticking point was an '09 pick -- Roman Harper, the original dealbreaker, was no longer necessary once the Giants drafted Kenny Phillips. The Saints have no third- or fourth- round picks this year to offer the team additionally, and I'd find it hard to believe both sides would have let the deal fall through over a fifth-round pick or later.

This doesn't necessarily mean Shockey will remain a Giant this year -- Randy Moss was dealt on Day 2 last year. I'd imagine these talks will continue into the summer for '09 compensation, but the longer the talks go the less leverage the Giants have.