New Orleans Saints Discussion

[NOLAFan]

What do you guys think about the anonymous? I personally feel that this guy is a moron. Spags has very little to work with on this team. The few bright spot on that defense, i feel, showed in the season. Jordan, the safety whose name i can't spell, Mack, White, and Lofton really showed their talent once the initial rough spots on transitioning to a new defense were worked through but those guys can't do it alone. For this pansy of a player to anonymously call out Spags and say its all on him and that all the blame can't be placed on the talent is crap. I fully place all the blame on the players for this defense. Harper has much as i love him and the few good things he has done, i think he needs to go. Jenkins also love him but he needs to either go back to CB or they need to get a competant safety to play next to him or i see him leaving in a year or two as well.

[CJSchneider]

Originally Posted by nobodyinparticular

Tell me a little about Joe Lombardi. He's listed as the Saints' QBs coach. I'm looking around for up and comers on the offensive side of the ball as the Raiders look to fill their OC position. Do you guys think he could become a coordinator?

The short answer is yes, he will move up. I hope he does it with the Saints. He was a TE in college (Air Force I think) then coached at VMI before coming to the Saints. He has been in NO for 5 or 6 years and you see what Brees' numbers have been like.

[Saints Dome Patrol]

So, it appears that our offensive line coach (and interim head coach) Aaron Kromer is leaving to become the new offensive coordinator (and offensive line coach) on Marc Trestman's staff for the Chicago Bears.

source: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/pos...romer-to-bears

Who do you think the Saints should target to replace Kromer? As you all Saints fans would agree, the offensive line has been one of the best units in the NFL the last few years. I hope that New Orleans finds a good fit so our unit doesn't drop off.

[zachsaints52]

Tony Sparano. Just no OC duties, strictly OL.

[NOLAFan]

Well this is surprising. http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news...d-3d9593410380

[Auron]

Yes I do admit that blind sided me as well, I thought we were going to give Spags another year due to the trying circumstances of last season. I guess Payton made his assessment and deemed otherwise.

Which I applaud him for. If you feel something is not right it's better to nip it in the bud and make the changes then stand put and let the problem grow. (In this case he felt the scheme Spags was running was not the right fit, and maybe his Coaching style/attitude rubbed off wrong within some of the people in the organization)

Now the next step is vital we need to find the right Defensive Coaches to fit our plans moving forward. Preferably a 3-4 Guy, with extensive Scheme knowledge to teach our players technique, and help them thrive in the new system. We also still need a replacement for Kromer at O-line Coach.

[Saints Dome Patrol]

Well, I wasn't surprised to hear about Steve Spagnuolo's firing, but I *was* surprised to hear about Sean Payton's announcement to switch the defense to a 3-4 alignment.

I was talking to diabsoule on the phone tonight, and we were bouncing around names for Spagnuolo's replacement when he mentioned that the Saints are switching to a 3-4.

I was like, "The last time I remember the Saints running a 3-4 was, when, back with the Dome Patrol...? Is that right?"

So, who do you think Sean Payton will bring in to try to fix the train wreck of a defense we had last season?

[Auron]

Originally Posted by Saints Dome Patrol

So, who do you think Sean Payton will bring in to try to fix the train wreck of a defense we had last season?

Just some possibilities:

Jim Tomsula, DL Coach. SF
Keith Butler, LB Coach. Pit
Ed Donatell, DB Coach. SF
Romeo Crennel, FA. Former KC HC.
Winston Moss, ILB Coach. GB
Reggie Herring, LB Coach. Hou

Some college guys at a glance Todd Grantham, UGA DC, and Kirby Smart, Alabama DC.

That's just throwing out some names, Payton looks like he's searching deep for this DC hire and won't leave any stone unturned.

[CJSchneider]

Any of those guys besides Romeo Crennel would be fine.

[diabsoule]

Originally Posted by Auron

Just some possibilities:

Jim Tomsula, DL Coach. SF
Keith Butler, LB Coach. Pit
Ed Donatell, DB Coach. SF
Romeo Crennel, FA. Former KC HC.
Winston Moss, ILB Coach. GB
Reggie Herring, LB Coach. Hou

Some college guys at a glance Todd Grantham, UGA DC, and Kirby Smart, Alabama DC.

That's just throwing out some names, Payton looks like he's searching deep for this DC hire and won't leave any stone unturned.

Jim Tomsula - This would be a risky hire since he hasn't coached anything other than DL since 2005. He seems to fit Payton's M.O. of hiring a young-ish coach but I just don't think it's going to be him.

Keith Butler - He won't leave Pittsburgh. Other teams have tried to pry him away and he's declined. His a native Pennsylvanian from the Pittsburgh part of the state and has been with the Steelers for years. He's not leaving.

Ed Donatell - He's probably the best secondary coach in the league but he hasn't been a DC since 2006. His defenses can lead the league in sacks and takeaways but not at the same time. He's been linked a lot to Philly to be Chip Kelly's DC. I question why someone of his supposed talents hasn't been tabbed to be a DC in the NFL since 2006.

Romeo Crennel - He's being paid $3.5 million to not coach next year by KC. If he took the job with the Saints he'd be paid $0. I doubt he'll do that. Would you?

Winston Moss - He's the assistant head coach/ILB coach for GB. He's been with them since 2006. I don't know about you but it seems that he's pretty damn loyal to McCarthy and GB and has a pretty sweet gig there.

Reggie Herring - Never has he ever been a defensive coordinator in the NFL - all he's ever done is coach linebackers and he's old as **** (relatively). I think that's a "no".

Todd Grantham - NO. Georgia may be a solid SEC defense but Grantham's NFL defenses were crap and progressively got worse each year.

Kirby Smart - Intriguing possibility. His only NFL experience came in 2006 when he coached the Dolphins secondary. We've seen how strong the Bama defenses have been but how much of that is attributed to Smart? We all know that Saban has a hand in how his defenses are coached and molded. I would like to see Smart coach on his own and away from Saban before hiring him to coach the Saints D.

Here's two that you didn't mention that I think will be strongly considered:

Eric Mangini - The Man-genius hasn't roamed an NFL sideline in 2 years but the defenses he did coach prior to his ESPN gig were typically pretty strong. He prefers an aggressive D, which is what Payton likes, and is widely considered to be a brilliant defensive minded coach. I think he's a very strong candidate.

Dom Capers - Everyone knows what he can bring to the table. He can build and mold strong 3-4 defenses and with his contract being up in GB I could see Payton reaching out to him, especially since he has Bill Parcells ties.

[Auron]

I think this Coaching hire is going to complete hit us by surprise. It's going to be someone we haven't been talking about, but I have no doubt that Payton is thoroughly doing his homework on this hire and he'll get someone highly qualified, with great Coaching potential.

[zachsaints52]

Rickey Jackson for DC!

[Naga114]

Hello,

There is a thing that has been bothering me for quite some time and I'd like some opinions.

We can all agree that the pass rush is horrible and despite first round talent in our D-line (Smith, Bunkley, Ellis, Jordan) we have one of the worst defense in the NFL.
Defensive linemen did/do not meet expectation or did/do not develop seemingly enough (Ellis, S. Rodgers, A. Franklin, Galette, Tez Wilson, Tom Johnson, McBride, Charleston, ...) maybe they simply suck or our scheme do not fit theirs abilities but I feel like Bill Johnson should be replaced by a better D-line coach.
As we are switching to 3-4 and will have a new coordinator, I'd like the Saints to hire a replacement for Johnson.

Cameron Jordan played realy good this year, Hicks did make encouraging plays, Hargrove played well in the SB year, I guess McCray was adequate enough so I guess that he did his job, but I want more and I don't feel confident with him.

Am I wrong and if not is there a good candidate ?

[Saints Dome Patrol]

First, let me be the first to welcome Naga114 to the Saints forum on DraftCountdown.com! It's always great to have another Saints fan here to go along with all the other members of the Who Dat Nation!

[Saints Dome Patrol]

Originally Posted by CJSchneider

Any of those guys besides Romeo Crennel would be fine.

CJSchneider, what do you have against Romeo Crennel, just out of curiosity?

Originally Posted by diabsoule

Jim Tomsula - This would be a risky hire since he hasn't coached anything other than DL since 2005. He seems to fit Payton's M.O. of hiring a young-ish coach but I just don't think it's going to be him.

Keith Butler - He won't leave Pittsburgh. Other teams have tried to pry him away and he's declined. His a native Pennsylvanian from the Pittsburgh part of the state and has been with the Steelers for years. He's not leaving.

Ed Donatell - He's probably the best secondary coach in the league but he hasn't been a DC since 2006. His defenses can lead the league in sacks and takeaways but not at the same time. He's been linked a lot to Philly to be Chip Kelly's DC. I question why someone of his supposed talents hasn't been tabbed to be a DC in the NFL since 2006.

Romeo Crennel - He's being paid $3.5 million to not coach next year by KC. If he took the job with the Saints he'd be paid $0. I doubt he'll do that. Would you?

Winston Moss - He's the assistant head coach/ILB coach for GB. He's been with them since 2006. I don't know about you but it seems that he's pretty damn loyal to McCarthy and GB and has a pretty sweet gig there.

Reggie Herring - Never has he ever been a defensive coordinator in the NFL - all he's ever done is coach linebackers and he's old as **** (relatively). I think that's a "no".

Todd Grantham - NO. Georgia may be a solid SEC defense but Grantham's NFL defenses were crap and progressively got worse each year.

Kirby Smart - Intriguing possibility. His only NFL experience came in 2006 when he coached the Dolphins secondary. We've seen how strong the Bama defenses have been but how much of that is attributed to Smart? We all know that Saban has a hand in how his defenses are coached and molded. I would like to see Smart coach on his own and away from Saban before hiring him to coach the Saints D.

Here's two that you didn't mention that I think will be strongly considered:

Eric Mangini - The Man-genius hasn't roamed an NFL sideline in 2 years but the defenses he did coach prior to his ESPN gig were typically pretty strong. He prefers an aggressive D, which is what Payton likes, and is widely considered to be a brilliant defensive minded coach. I think he's a very strong candidate.

Dom Capers - Everyone knows what he can bring to the table. He can build and mold strong 3-4 defenses and with his contract being up in GB I could see Payton reaching out to him, especially since he has Bill Parcells ties.

I was going to say, diabsoule, you already beat me to the punch of breaking down all the potential candidates that have been mentioned/rumored.

But that being said, I have heard reports that it is possible that the Saints are going to hire both Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini to join the Saints defensive staff. It seems, in essence, Crennel would be the defensive coordinator and Mangini would be the defensive backs coach.

I don't know how I feel about this. I know that both coaches were on Bill Belichick's staff and won three Super Bowls in New England, so it's not like they don't know how to coach defense. And of course, both of them are well versed in the 3-4 system.

The only thing I have questioning this could the dynamic of having two former NFL head coaches on staff on the defensive side of the ball. Could they both coexist together?

I wouldn't be opposed to someone like Dom Capers either, but he's old and I don't even know if he's actually still on staff with Green Bay or not. Last I heard, the media reported that Mike McCarthy and the Packers had to do some "soul-searching" after their disappointing finish in the playoffs. But what that means, I don't know.

All of you Saints fans here on the forum know that I wasn't really keen on the Steve Spagnuolo hire to begin with. But it's not like I'm intertwined with the Saints front office or anything and have a hand in the coaching searches or anything.

[zachsaints52]

So since the 3-4 switch how soon does Vilma get released?

[Naga114]

First, let me be the first to welcome Naga114 to the Saints forum on DraftCountdown.com! It's always great to have another Saints fan here to go along with all the other members of the Who Dat Nation!

Thank you Saints Dome Patrol.

I'd actualy be happy if we hire Crennel and Mangini. I think they are terrific coordinator and could fix some problems.

So since the 3-4 switch how soon does Vilma get released?

I don't think Vilma is gonna stay. He left the Jets because he didn't enjoy the 3-4 and he may be a cap casualty/

[zachsaints52]

Vilma will be released for sure, but I am wondering if we are going to drag it out. I would hope they wouldn't try to restructure, giving his low play on the Jets 3-4.

[wicket]

Originally Posted by Saints Dome Patrol

First, let me be the first to welcome Naga114 to the Saints forum on DraftCountdown.com! It's always great to have another Saints fan here to go along with all the other members of the Who Dat Nation!

let me be the second one and as a dutchman the logical following question is whether he is from the good side of belgium or the french side

[Naga114]

Originally Posted by wicket

let me be the second one and as a dutchman the logical following question is whether he is from the good side of belgium or the french side

Thanks, I'm from the Brussels so kinda "vlaams" but french is my native-language.

[wicket]

Originally Posted by Naga114

Thanks, I'm from the Brussels so kinda "vlaams" but french is my native-language.

fair enough

back on topic, i can see a reasonably plausible front 7 in starters with the current roster but damn every position has no backups even remotely worth playing time

[Saints Dome Patrol]

As an aside, I find it unique that the Who Dat Nation is really a Who Dat World... fans like wicket from The Netherlands, Naga114 from Belgium and Sveen from Scandinavia... quite cool, if you ask me.

As for the Saints defense, I don't know if the Saints' current roster could seamlessly transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense. I know there are parts of the puzzle there, but I doubt New Orleans could completely change their defense overnight.

[CJSchneider]

Originally Posted by Saints Dome Patrol

CJSchneider, what do you have against Romeo Crennel, just out of curiosity?

Well, don't get me wrong. The fact that Crennel was a D-line coach for so much of his career is a good thing. It is his performance as a HC that I am troubled with. Granted, he has been a HC of some teams where he inherited crap, but I think you can get used to mediocrity, and I'd prefer we just looked at someone without that particular blemish on their record.

[zachsaints52]

Jordan - Bunkley - Hicks

Galette - Lofton - Hawthorne (You say he can play ILB) Wilson

This is what I see since we will release Vilma and Smith as our starters. I also see Chamberlain will be cut since he strictly was a Spags guy. And hopefully ROMAN HARPER gets cut. (Sorry, I just strongly dislike his play.)

[Saints Dome Patrol]

Just saw this and thought y'all might be interested...
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf...iple_cand.html