New Orleans Saints Review

Do you remember the 1999 Saints?  It was Mike Ditka’s last year coaching the team, and it was a total disaster.  After “da coach” was fired. the Saints brought in a young head coach named Jim Haslett to bring some fire to this lackluster squad.  The team was essentially rebuilt from the ground up that offseason in an effort to change the culture of a loser.

One of the first moves Haslett and his regime made was to bring in a little-known receiver out of Kansas City named Joe Horn.  The Saints signed Horn to a fairly lucrative deal, considering he had just 2 starts during a 4 season stint with the Chiefs.  Heck, the guy hadn’t even played college ball.

But, if you’d seen Horn in a Chiefs uniform, you knew why the Saints were eager to get him on their side.  Although he didn’t touch the ball a lot in KC, good things always seemed to happen when he got an opportunity to make a play.

During that 2000 season, Horn was one of the true leaders of a team that went from worst-to-first.  He led the way with 94 catches (only 59 more than his previous career high), 1,340 yards and 8 touchdowns.  He went on to amass 523 catches, 7,662 yards and 50 touchdowns in his Saints carer.

But Joe Horn was so much more than just numbers.  He was brash, he loved to talk and usually backed it up with his spectacular play.

The thing that separated Horn from the other prima donna receivers around the league was that, unlike T.O. or Chad Johnson/Ochocinco, we could all relate to Joe Horn.

As I mentioned above, Horn never played college ball.  He bounced around in places like the CFL trying to fulfill his dream.  To make ends meet, he worked in restaurants and factories.  He worked his tail off to get an opportunity with the Chiefs.  Even then, it wasn’t as if the team put him out on the field all that much.

So, when he got his chance in New Orleans, he squeezed every last drop out of it.  His antics were almost always entertaining, but when that ball was snapped, Joe Horn was all business.  Even the most casual of fans could see the intensity in the way he played the game.

And, when Hurricane Katrina hit, Joe was front and center.  He visited displaced residents and truly cared about their well being.  In his final chapter with the team, he was there for the resurrection of the city and the franchise.  He was there to help Sean Payton, Drew Brees and company take the Saints to their first ever NFC Championship Game.

So, it was great to see that the Saints signed Horn to a contract so that he could retire as a Saint.  This fall, he’ll enter the team’s hall of fame as arguably the greatest receiver the franchise has ever known.

Congratulations on a brilliant career, Joe, and thank you for giving it all on the field and in the community.

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Well, one move we all saw coming was the trade of left tackle Jammal Brown.  The Saints sent the former Pro Bowler, who missed all of last season due to injury, the the Washington Redskins for a conditional draft pick (see video analysis from Jeff Duncan of the Times Picayune below).

The other move was certainly more of a shock as the team released defensive end Bobby McCray.  McCray was a big factor in generating a pass rush on opposing quarterbacks during the playoffs last season.  Filling in for an injured Charles Grant (who was released earlier this offseason), McCray terrorized the likes of Kurt Warner and Brett Favre in the Saints’ first two playoff wins.

McCray was expected to compete for the starting position with newcomer Alex Brown.  It’s been rumored about that McCray was a bit tardy to a few team meetings and Super Bowl media day.  The coaching staff was also not thrilled with his on-field discipline.

For Jammal Brown, this ends a 5 year stint in New Orleans after being the team’s first round pick back in 2005.  He was a two time Pro Bowl selection, but also faced some criticism over the years.  I’ll chalk most of that up to Brown playing on some famously underachieving Saints teams.

He was a restricted free agent and could not come to terms with the Saints.  As the offseason wore on, it became apparent that a trade would be the best thing for both sides.  Brown will now get a fresh start on a Washington team that desperately needs him.

As for the Saints, it had been previously thought that the team would welcome Brown back and give him an opportunity to reclaim his starting job from Jermon Bushrod.  Now, despite some late season struggles, it would appear Bushrod has the inside track on protecting the blind side of quarterback Drew Brees.

Jeff Duncan’s New Orleans Saints Vlog: Insight on the Jammal Brown trade

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It’s wonderful to see that #23, Pierre Thomas, will be back with the Saints for at least one more year after signing his tender with the team.  The restricted free agent running back is still hoping to work out a long-term deal with the team before the season begins.  Receiver Lance Moore and safety Roman Harper are also expected to sign their tender deals this week as well.

Thomas is handling his contract situation the right way, at least by the Saints organization and the fans.  Instead of refusing to show up for training camp, etc., Thomas will now be a part of the team’s quest to repeat as Super Bowl champs.  All the while, he can work out a long-term contract that will be fair for both sides.

Now, there is that tough question of just how much Pierre Thomas should be paid for his services.  I’m certainly glad that it’s not up to me to decide such things!  Thomas wants to be paid like a top back, and the Saints seem more interested in something a bit less.  The fact that Thomas didn’t play hardball and hold out tells me that he feels that the two sides will make a proper compromise.

Thomas certainly performed quite well for the Saints and has improved every year.  The problem he faces is that, other than Drew Brees, there aren’t a lot of superstar players on this offense.  It really is a team effort and the Saints do not rely on just one running back, receiver or tight end.

It’s very conceivable that, given the chance, Pierre Thomas could be one of the top backs in the NFL.  But playing in an offense which spreads the ball around so evenly means that Thomas won’t likely get the chance to put up the superstar-type numbers that we see from, say, Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.

So it’s really a matter of balancing a player’s production while also taking his role on the team into account as well.  Hopefully, Pierre Thomas and the Saints can find a happy medium.

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