Saints: Jimmy Graham

[CrazyCajun]

Green Bay had their future pushing Farbe off the bus, and Farbe only added to his own misery. Saints do not have the next Rogers, Brees, or Luck on their roster, and no free agents in that zone as well.

And if aaron Rodgers is sitting at 31... I'm sure the saints will take him. It worked out for the Packers... Doesn't mean it will work for the saints.

[cajunhawk]

The big mystery that I'm sure Loomis and Payton would love to know the answer to is...when does he start to decline. His numbers haven't fallen off, only interceptions have increased and that can be due to lack of offensive line play. Here is the conundrum. You get an offer that has very good draft pick compensation for Brees, but you think he still has 2-3 years left in the tank which would hopefully give you enough time to find his heir apparent. That's most likely what will happen this year. What if he doesn't have 2-3 years left in the tank? What if the decline starts this year, and you have no heir apparent, and no hefty draft pick compensation? It's a sticky situation to be in. Trading Brees will devastate the franchise for at least the next 2-3 years. Keeping Brees will only give you 2-3 more years of the Brees you paid for. There are massive risks on both sides. You can take the draft picks and send Brees to another team...and miss on every pick. You can also keep Brees and never find a suitable backup and be on the way back to the basement once Brees is all used up.

Me...I'll take strength in numbers. If someone is willing to give up a Herschel Walker type deal to get Brees now...take it. It won't be there in the upcoming years. The window is slamming shut...fast. The next 2-3 years will be painful, but if you draft appropriately, you should be able to build a very good team that can compete in the NFC. I doubt Loomis and Payton would pull the trigger if it was presented to them. The Saints seem like the types to kick the can down the road...and deal with it later. It's been that way with the team for years now. Given any opportunity to keep or trade Brees...they will kick the can down the road and hope they can figure it out 2-3 years from now. It's not a good position to be in. Destruction is a form of creation. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. It's not gonna be fun...but it's the most effective way to recreate what you had...especially when you haven't got anything ready to go when what you have fails.

[CajunT]

The big mystery that I'm sure Loomis and Payton would love to know the answer to is...when does he start to decline. His numbers haven't fallen off, only interceptions have increased and that can be due to lack of offensive line play. Here is the conundrum. You get an offer that has very good draft pick compensation for Brees, but you think he still has 2-3 years left in the tank which would hopefully give you enough time to find his heir apparent. That's most likely what will happen this year. What if he doesn't have 2-3 years left in the tank? What if the decline starts this year, and you have no heir apparent, and no hefty draft pick compensation? It's a sticky situation to be in. Trading Brees will devastate the franchise for at least the next 2-3 years. Keeping Brees will only give you 2-3 more years of the Brees you paid for. There are massive risks on both sides. You can take the draft picks and send Brees to another team...and miss on every pick. You can also keep Brees and never find a suitable backup and be on the way back to the basement once Brees is all used up.

Me...I'll take strength in numbers. If someone is willing to give up a Herschel Walker type deal to get Brees now...take it. It won't be there in the upcoming years. The window is slamming shut...fast. The next 2-3 years will be painful, but if you draft appropriately, you should be able to build a very good team that can compete in the NFC. I doubt Loomis and Payton would pull the trigger if it was presented to them. The Saints seem like the types to kick the can down the road...and deal with it later. It's been that way with the team for years now. Given any opportunity to keep or trade Brees...they will kick the can down the road and hope they can figure it out 2-3 years from now. It's not a good position to be in. Destruction is a form of creation. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. It's not gonna be fun...but it's the most effective way to recreate what you had...especially when you haven't got anything ready to go when what you have fails.

I think if Brees was 32 years old, some franchise might make that kind of offer for him. But it's not going to happen now, so you get rid of or renegotiate the contracts that prohibit you from improving and contending the next two seasons. IMO, that is the window with Drew Brees and it starts up front with protection.

The Saints have not drafted well in the premium rounds over the past four seasons and it has finally caught up wit them. Instead of drafting for depth and development like New England, the Saints have targeted specific athletes at the cost of trading away picks. They have an opportunity in this draft and free agency period to correct their mistakes, but they are more then just a few players away from a championship right now.

[BraveCajun]

The big mystery that I'm sure Loomis and Payton would love to know the answer to is...when does he start to decline. His numbers haven't fallen off, only interceptions have increased and that can be due to lack of offensive line play. Here is the conundrum. You get an offer that has very good draft pick compensation for Brees, but you think he still has 2-3 years left in the tank which would hopefully give you enough time to find his heir apparent. That's most likely what will happen this year. What if he doesn't have 2-3 years left in the tank? What if the decline starts this year, and you have no heir apparent, and no hefty draft pick compensation? It's a sticky situation to be in. Trading Brees will devastate the franchise for at least the next 2-3 years. Keeping Brees will only give you 2-3 more years of the Brees you paid for. There are massive risks on both sides. You can take the draft picks and send Brees to another team...and miss on every pick. You can also keep Brees and never find a suitable backup and be on the way back to the basement once Brees is all used up.

Me...I'll take strength in numbers. If someone is willing to give up a Herschel Walker type deal to get Brees now...take it. It won't be there in the upcoming years. The window is slamming shut...fast. The next 2-3 years will be painful, but if you draft appropriately, you should be able to build a very good team that can compete in the NFC. I doubt Loomis and Payton would pull the trigger if it was presented to them. The Saints seem like the types to kick the can down the road...and deal with it later. It's been that way with the team for years now. Given any opportunity to keep or trade Brees...they will kick the can down the road and hope they can figure it out 2-3 years from now. It's not a good position to be in. Destruction is a form of creation. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. It's not gonna be fun...but it's the most effective way to recreate what you had...especially when you haven't got anything ready to go when what you have fails.

Those are the two options the saints have at the moment. The main reason why I advocate keeping Brees, is that drafting a future top 5 qb is a crap shot. I would rather ride Brees till the wheels fall off. Brees is the only hall of famer type qb in franchise history. It may be another 3 decades before they find another one.

[CajunEXPRESS]

True dat.

[MetryCajun]

LOL to trading Brees. Franchises can wallow for a decade without a QB. We have one. About a dozen teams do not. When Brees retires or gets released it is certain the next guy will not be as good. Like many I think he is paid too much, but he is an elite playmaker. With a better OL I could see him having a better year in 2015.
Really curious to see what they do with the guards. Neither are worth the money, but they have drafted so poorly no replacements are viable.

[duggie85]

[Cajunjeb]

Off of Graham and Drew talk for a moment... Peanut is a free agent. Would love the Saints to get him. Veteran leader. Would be a starter opposite Browner (hopefully...)

[CrazyCajun]

Saints trade Grubbs to Chiefs for 5th round pick... Reports they are trying to trade Kenny Stills... Also reporting Brandon Browner deal almost done.

[cajunhawk]

I think if Brees was 32 years old, some franchise might make that kind of offer for him. But it's not going to happen now, so you get rid of or renegotiate the contracts that prohibit you from improving and contending the next two seasons. IMO, that is the window with Drew Brees and it starts up front with protection.

The Saints have not drafted well in the premium rounds over the past four seasons and it has finally caught up wit them. Instead of drafting for depth and development like New England, the Saints have targeted specific athletes at the cost of trading away picks. They have an opportunity in this draft and free agency period to correct their mistakes, but they are more then just a few players away from a championship right now.

Here is the problem. I don't think they can compete in the NFC as it is now. The AFC is basically 3 teams. Patriots, Broncos, & Colts. I would bet my last red cent that for the next 2 years those teams are locks to make the Super Bowl in the AFC. In the NFC...you have the Seahawks, the Packers, the Cardinals, the Cowboys, the Lions, and if Foles can be a decent QB the Rams. Where do you see the Saints fitting into that picture? At this point they aren't even heads and shoulders ahead of anyone in the NFC South and that's not good. It's not as easy as saying...well we have an elite QB. They aren't the only ones anymore. It's not as easy as saying...well we will fix the offensive line. Other teams already have beastly offensive lines in place. It's not as easy as saying...we will just fix the defense. Other teams already have defenses that I highly doubt New Orleans is capable of replicating in the next 2-3 years. Competing in the NFC for New Orleans is looking slim for a while.

So if you can't compete...you blow the ____ up and start over again. From scratch. Kicking the can down the road with Brees is only going to delay the inevitable. When Carroll came to Seattle , they were exactly where the Saints are now. Massive holes everywhere on a team that could only keep it's head above water...no chance of competing...and in the worst division in football. Hard work...and a ____ ton of luck...and look how everything has changed. It sucks...but it's part of life. Let the chips fall where they may.

[Ragin4U]

I think the thought process is to turn the Saints O into a more run heavy O. Not run heavy, just more runs. Getting rid of Graham and picking an interior lineman, looking at Spiller, etc. I think they are trying to keep Drew from throwing 45 times a game. If he drops back 10 times less a game, he gets hit 10 times less and his value as a passer is extended.

[cajunhawk]

Saints trade Grubbs to Chiefs for 5th round pick... Reports they are trying to trade Kenny Stills... Also reporting Brandon Browner deal almost done.

Desperation is a stinky cologne.