New Orleans Saints Review

The Saints should celebrate Darren Sharper's performance by bringing him back in 2010.

It’s hard to believe that it’s even a question, after the great 2009 season that veteran safety Darren Sharper put up. But the Saints must make the determination on whether or not Sharper and his 9 interceptions belong in the team’s secondary next season.

It has already come out that the Saints won’t use the franchise tag on Sharper, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t sign him to a deal.

The predicament the Saints face is not Sharper’s 2009 stats, but his 2010 age (he’ll turn 35 in November). Sharper wants a multi-year deal, but the Saints may not be so sure. While it’s true that most NFL players don’t continue playing into their mid 30’s, Sharper wouldn’t be the first safety to do so.

I’m reminded of Rodney Harrison, whom the Saints (and a host of other teams) had a chance to sign back in 2003 after he was let go by the San Diego Chargers. There was talk at the time that most teams thought the veteran was simply too old to play at a high level. The New England Patriots picked him up and never regretted it as Harrison played 6 seasons with the team.

Hall of Fame corner/safety Rod Woodson also played productive football well into his 30’s, and long after the Pittsburgh Steelers let him go.

During the Saints’ Super Bowl season, Sharper showed no ill effects of age or injury. His leadership and play-making skills looked as great as ever. He was a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ aggressive system and took advantage of opportunities to make game-changing plays.

Putting his advanced age aside for a moment, it’s hard to find any other legitimate argument that Sharper doesn’t belong as the starting free safety on this team. It’s not as if the team has his replacement waiting in the wings. And play-making safeties don’t exactly grow on trees. Did anyone watch the Steelers play without Troy Polamalu this season?

General manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton may see this as a tough decision. Yes, the odds are against Sharper being as productive in 2010 and beyond. It’s hard to imagine him, or anyone else putting up 9 interceptions per season. Still, it’s also hard for me to believe that he won’t still be an effective player in this system. And his veteran presence would surely be missed just as much as his on-field attributes.

Loomis and in particular Payton are known for rolling the dice and making gutsy calls. Here’s hoping they take a gamble on Darren Sharper leading the Saints defense again in 2010.

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Well, lazy and busy at the same time, if that’s possible.  But don’t worry Saints fans, I haven’t forgotten about you!  I’m working on getting some offseason interviews.  Hopefully, there will be a few Super Bowl champions appearing on the site sometime soon, keep you fingers crossed for me!

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Sounds good to me! After so many years of taking crap from people, it is COOL to be a Saints fan!!!

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I can’t stop smiling!  It’s still a little bit surreal to think that our Saints are really Super Bowl Champions.  The parade, Drew Brees appearing on just about everything…it’s finally our time to shine!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely splurged on plenty of Super Bowl items.  I want a piece of history, but no I don’t think I’ll buy any of that endzone turf they’re selling

There’s already a lot of talk about what the team will look like next season.  There will be plenty of time to think about that.  I just want to savor this a little longer.

The draft should be interesting (it is nice to have the 32nd pick for once!).  Where do you think this team needs help?  I’d be inclined to say left tackle, but that all depends on Jammal Brown’s status.  No disrespect to Jermon Bushrod because I think he did his best, despite being put in a tough position.  But Brown has proven himself to be capable of playing at a high level.  If he’s ready, then I can’t imagine the Saints going in another direction.  If his health is a serious question mark, then that may be something to address in the draft.

Other spots to consider could be defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker and safety.  The Saints are pretty solid in most areas (they did just win a Super Bowl, after all), but I don’t think Sean Payton will turn down some added depth.  Just something to chew on.

As for me, I’m going to get away from the computer and figure out what I’m going to do with no football to watch!

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Watching NFL Replay last night was a blast.  Frankly, I can’t get enough of watching the Saints win the Super Bowl!  One guy who really stood out to me on the replay was cornerback Malcolm Jenkins.  He really made some big plays out there and was very aggressive.  He was someone I didn’t really mention in my review of the game, but #27 deserves some credit.

What I also came to realize is that this was such a team victory.  It wasn’t just Drew Brees or Pierre Thomas or Tracy Porter.  There were so many guys in all 3 phases of the game who made big plays.  Sometimes you lose sight of those things when you’re watching the game live.  It was such an exciting game and definitely worth a second look.  I’m sure they’ll replay it over and over, plus there is also the DVD

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