tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54858516806290527552013-05-13T17:23:14.050-05:00wnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-49032037212290184802013-05-13T17:05:00.001-05:002013-05-13T17:05:18.047-05:00

The Saints have filled their 90-man offseason roster following this past weekend's rookie minicamp. There are some familiar names in the Saints' additions following the minicamp, signing half a dozen of the players who were there on a tryout basis. Former Southern Illinois defensive back Korey Lindsey, 5'10, 194, is among the additions, a product of Scotlandville High just outside of Baton

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-39960755690585581762013-05-10T22:47:00.003-05:002013-05-10T22:47:54.827-05:00

Third round pick NT John Jenkins has signed his rookie deal as he and a host of other rookies and free agents reported to Metairie for the Saints' rookie minicamp. Like all draft picks, Jenkins got a four-year slotted contract from the Saints. Jenkins is the last of the Saints' five draft picks to sign, ending a trend of the Saints' classically signing their draft picks as training camp

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-5506311738480257792013-05-10T08:22:00.000-05:002013-05-13T17:23:14.063-05:00

The Saints have inked four of their five 2013 draft picks on the eve of the opening of their rookie minicamp this weekend. First round pick DB Kenny Vaccaro, third round pick OT Terron Armstead, fifth round pick WR Kenny Stills and sixth round pick DE/OLB Rufus Johnson signed their four-year rookie contracts as prescribed by the NFL's CBA. Because he was a first round pick outside of the top

wnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-45627537883367678432013-04-30T14:10:00.003-05:002013-04-30T14:10:49.893-05:00

According to updated numbers provided by the NFLPA following the draft, the Saints have just over $3.1 million in salary cap space following the trade of RB Chris Ivory to the Jets, and prior to the Saints signing any of their draft picks. The undrafted rookies signed are also unlikely to impact the salary cap figure, as the cap only counts the top 51 contracts on the roster.  NFL teams will

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-30727860027721240092013-04-28T00:00:00.002-05:002013-04-28T16:05:01.860-05:00

In-town product QB Ryan Griffin of Tulane highlights the list of undrafted rookie free agents that the Saints are scrambling to sign now that the 2013 NFL Draft has concluded. In addition to a five-man class of draft picks, the Saints will add undrafted free agents in advance of a May 9th-11th rookie minicamp. Tulane QB Ryan Griffin - 6'3", 227, 5.20s 40 Not to be confused with a TE from UConn

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-79686742088061826212013-04-27T17:11:00.000-05:002013-04-27T17:11:51.021-05:00

Saints GM Mickey Loomis had a few interesting bits as the seventh round wrapped up and with the Saints' draft class complete.  The Saints had an NFL-low two third day draft picks. Unrestricted veteran free agents OLB Scott Shanle, DT Sedrick Ellis and WR Devery Henderson are "probably not part of our plans right now," Loomis said. Minutes earlier, head coach Sean Payton said that the door is

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-17720430300678745952013-04-27T16:00:00.002-05:002013-04-28T00:02:15.368-05:00

15th selection in the sixth round, 183rd overall 6'5", 272 pounds, 4.75s 40 An obscure star  from the Lone Star Conference went the juco route from Kilgore JC to Tarleton State University, out of Dallas, TX.  Fourth overall draft pick Lane Johnson also played at Kilgore JC before transferring to Oklahoma. The Lone Star Conference defensive lineman of the year and a member of the 2012 Don

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-11668923690537649312013-04-27T14:22:00.000-05:002013-04-27T15:48:42.476-05:00

11th selection in the fifth round, 144th overall 6'0", 195 pounds, 4.38s 40 The second Big 12 Kenny the Saints have drafted, Stills was the fourth fastest wide receiver at the combine and was an immediate starter for three seasons before leaving Oklahoma early. In fact, like Vaccaro, Stills wore jersey #4, was raised by a single mother in a family with five kids, and was a four-star recruit out

wnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-71659175682383898172013-04-26T22:00:00.003-05:002013-04-26T22:00:41.471-05:00

"It's been kinda busy in this last round," Payton said, an understatement for the flurry of two picks and two trades the Saints made in the middle of the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. "Mickey [Loomis] for the better part of the past couple weeks has been working with the people in New York.  It came to fruition after our first pick in the third round," Payton said.  The Saints selected

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-55843815539755956372013-04-26T21:20:00.000-05:002013-04-28T00:01:53.185-05:00

The Saints picked twice in the middle of the third round, once with their own pick and the second acquired from the Dolphins after Mickey Loomis traded back into the third round. With their second third round pick, the Saints took Georgia NT Johnathan Jenkins, just seven picks after they selected Arkansas-Pine Bluff OT Terron Armstead. The Saints also traded RB Chris Ivory to the New York Jets

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-65707490492515560472013-04-26T21:12:00.002-05:002013-04-26T22:08:45.264-05:00

20th selection in the third round, 82nd overall 6'4", 346 pounds, 5.20e 40 The Saints entered the draft with critical needs at two positions, left tackle and massive 3-4 nose tackle. In the span of a few minutes at the bottom of the third round, the Saints addressed both. Without a massive run-stuffer on the roster and facing a transition to the 3-4, the Saints early on appeared in need of a 3-

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-63853820847447013192013-04-26T20:40:00.001-05:002013-04-26T20:40:45.663-05:00

13th selection in the third round, 75th overall 6'5", 306 pounds, 4.71s 40 Terron Armstead was on our mock draft radar before a combine-record 4.71 40 yard dash made him a familiar name for every NFL fan and sent his draft status skyrocketing. An experienced small school prospect from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Armstead played very well in the East-West Shrine, so well he was invited to the Senior

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-12689061369824291722013-04-25T23:30:00.000-05:002013-04-26T21:21:00.875-05:00

15th overall selection in the first round 6'0", 214 pounds, 4.63s 40 The Saints selected experienced safety Kenny Vaccaro in the first round, signaling that the combo of Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins, the Saints' starters at safety for the past three years, may soon be broken up.  Veteran Harper has an intractable contract, meaning he will almost certainly be on the Saints' roster in 2013.

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-4058145927548376972013-04-24T23:02:00.000-05:002013-04-25T23:23:29.558-05:00

We'll follow up our final mock draft with another project based on two projected trades, including a complete projected seven-pick draft class for the Saints. The Saints trade with Jets. Jets get: RB Chris Ivory. Saints get: 5th round pick (141st overall) The Saints trade down with the 49ers. 49ers get: 1st round pick (15th overall) Saints get: 1st round pick (31st overall), 2nd round pick

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-15800431058250789912013-04-24T21:48:00.002-05:002013-04-25T23:23:43.400-05:00

A most unpredictable first round awaits us on Thursday night, with last year's record 19 trades in the first round likely to be topped as teams jockey to draft four-year contracts at key positions. Locking down a franchise left tackle or quarterback with a four-year first round draft pick contract could save the franchise millions in the short term. Unlike in years past, the Saints appear to be

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-63352366595733899132013-04-23T15:39:00.002-05:002013-04-23T15:39:52.981-05:00

Mickey Loomis on Tuesday admitted that runningback is a position of strength for the Saints, and that they have had conversations with multiple teams to make a trade the position. But Loomis said that there is "no deal imminent" for RB Chris Ivory, 25, who will enter his fourth NFL season in 2013. The Jets visited with RB Chris Ivory, perhaps the most tradeable of the team's top five

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-73848847904318563352013-04-22T22:55:00.000-05:002013-04-22T22:55:35.322-05:00

The Saints signed a familiar face off the free agent market today in a truly unique signing in NFL history. Former Saint LB Scott Fujita, a Super Bowl XLIV Champion with the team and the first free agent to sign with the club post-Katrina, signed a one-day contract today to retire with the Saints. Get this - in an offseason where Denver DE Elvis Dumervil couldn't fax a contract in on time from

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-81625032884769306102013-04-21T13:37:00.000-05:002013-04-21T13:37:08.235-05:00

On Friday, Saints RB Chris Ivory signed his one-year, $2 million restricted free agent tender offer with the Saints. Ivory visited with the Jets over the past week, and the two front offices have mutual interest in trading Ivory, the most tradeable of the Saints' four quality runningbacks (not including promising second-year Travaris Cadet). A trade may not happen until day two or three of the

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-66602156944322512872013-04-18T20:44:00.001-05:002013-04-18T21:34:41.991-05:00

The Saints face a tough schedule including two difficult road trips in October and late November that will define the Saints' season. Back-to-back weeks in Chicago and in New England in October will set the tone going into the Saints' week seven bye.  Then, the Saints play at the Falcons on a Thursday and in Seattle eleven days later on a Monday night, two prime time games that will set the

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-81896598392066837252013-04-17T18:21:00.002-05:002013-04-24T21:04:38.173-05:00

Will the Saints pick up a star of that caliber with their first round pick in 2013? Given the Saints' short draft class, a trade out of the #15 spot would be advantageous to filling a rebuilding defense with young, cheap players. If the Saints keep the pick and make a pick at #15, it would be the first time ever the franchise has picked at that spot. The 15th overall pick has returned some

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-64173264193147512472013-04-15T18:22:00.003-05:002013-04-16T10:16:24.645-05:00

The Saints have signed veteran QB Seneca Wallace, one of the more exciting players of the 2002 college football season and a backup for the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks since. Wallace, who will 33 in August, drew attention from the Seahawks and Raiders this offseason, but those teams opted not to sign him.  He has now joined the Saints on a one-year contract expected to be at the

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-73996843554572606002013-04-11T17:35:00.001-05:002013-04-11T17:35:27.312-05:00

The Saints have signed recycle-bin free agent Jason Smith to a one-year contract, expected to be at the base veteran minimum. In March, we described Smith as an outside shot to help fill the Saints' empty depth chart at left tackle, a once-promising player in need of a "why not" contract. The second overall pick in the 2009 draft, Smith took a surprising plummet, descending the Rams' depth

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-84379505481578005492013-04-08T16:19:00.001-05:002013-04-21T11:39:31.074-05:00

The Saints have signed former Broncos S Jim Leonhard to a one-year free agent deal, adding experience to the safety position where the Saints have two veterans and a host of unseasoned backups. Leonhard was a reserve defensive back and "safety" punt returner for the Broncos last year, averaging only 5.9 yards/return on 15 situational attempts. On defense he collecting 12 tackles and two

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-18144097294737830272013-04-05T10:38:00.000-05:002013-04-16T10:12:57.677-05:00

The Saints' four-game preseason schedule has been announced, including a nationally televised FOX game in Houston on August 25 against the Texans at 3pmCT. In years past, the Saints and Texans have played each other regularly in the preseason, often holding joint practices before the game in the host city.  Last year's Texans-Saints preseason game was a rare thriller, with a 24-24 halftime

wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5485851680629052755.post-53122512498989905582013-04-03T06:00:00.000-05:002013-04-27T00:06:13.629-05:00

The free agency defection of Jermon Bushrod was a mild surprise, but the lack of movement and development at the position is more concerning - the Saints are without a depth chart at left tackle right now. Understandably, the front office is "losing sleep" over the situation, where understudy second-round pick Charles Brown has so far been unready for the leading role in the stage production of

wnoreply@blogger.com0