In our previous episode Kevin Held laid out the NIGHTMARE SCENARIO for 2012. This week Andrew Juge of the Saints Nation stops by and lays out such a beautiful dream scenario for 2012 Ralph says if it happens the Saints could never win again and he'd be fine with it. 

Before they indulge in dreams of Roger Goodell handing the Saints another Lombardi trophy, they discuss Jonathan Vilma's lawsuit against Goodell and if it means the NFL might be forced to show the evidence it has against the Saints. Andrew also wonders who will win the competition at kicker between Garrett Hartley and John Kasey.Plus, where will Sean Payton's loss be felt the most?

***WARNING - OCCASSIONAL PROFANITY***


 
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As frustrating as Drew Brees not being under contract has been for all parties involved, the one impressive part of the situation was both sides refusal to play the media game. Up until yesterday, the talks have remained incredibly tight lipped and private, with only hearsay tidbits being dropped by the media citing "sources familiar with talks". That all changed when Brees finally went public, though, and now the game has changed. Before it was all good faith negotiating. Now, the media has officially been brought in, which suggests the negotiations have reached a stage where Brees no longer believes he can attain his wants without the help of spin to the public to gain fan sympathy. To the Saints credit, so far they haven't taken the bait. no comments

When Garrett Hartley injured himself in 2011 forcing the Saints to seek outside help to get a kicker on their roster, I suggested that as good as Hartley was, he might be more trouble than he was worth. As I said back then, "If your kicker can't consistently give you 16 games every season then you're dealing with a serious problem". Well, for 4 straight seasons, Hartley hasn't been able to play a 16 game season as a kicker, including last year where he missed all 16 of them.

Fortunately for the Saints, John Kasay, while old and limited in kicking range, turned in an incredibly solid season. no comments

What more needs to be said than this??

Worst thing you can do against a champion is count them out Do you hear the world's opinion on the @Saints?#BringIt#UsAgainstTheWorld

— Jedidiah Collins (@JedCollins45) May 15, 2012

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When the Saints drafted defensive end Greg Romeus out of Pittsburgh in the 7th round last year, they knew they were getting a recovering injured player that may need to sit out his rookie season. Romeus was decorated in college, finishing with 4 sacks his freshman year, 7.5 sacks his sophomore year and 8 sacks his junior year. Unfortunately for Romeus, in 2010, he first suffered a back injury that would ultimately require him to get disc surgery, and he suffered a torn ACL later in the season when he tried to come back. He only played sparingly in two games his senior season at Pitt. Coming into the draft he was damaged goods and a shell of his former promising self. His measurables gave him a 1st to 2nd round draft grade before the injury because he is long, lean, tall, fast and explosive. Some went as far as to compare him to Jevon Kearse in terms of stature, build, and potential. A basketball star in high school, Romeus has also been touted as a superior athlete. So the Saints took a flyer on him in the 7th round, a round that's always a bit of a gamble anyway, with the hopes that he could recover from the two injuries and perhaps contribute to the team down the road. no comments

It's been 2 years since I've ranked the 32 starting quarterbacks so I thought I would give this another stab. 

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: I know most Saints fans won't like this, but I think Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL right now. I rate him slightly above Brees because he puts up incredibly numbers despite a much worse running game. He's also got more mobility in the pocket and can make things happen with his legs. He makes every throw accurately and he's the complete package.

2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: He's still in his prime and the numbers say it all. If anything, he's gotten better with age. Brees' footwork in the pocket, timing and accuracy are second to none, and I firmly believe he works harder than anyone in the league.

3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: Some may think I'm crazy to put him at #3, but I'm basing this on who is the best quarterback RIGHT NOW. Not on past accolades. Yes Brady took his team to the Super Bowl and yes he's still elite, but I rate him as just a hair behind Brees in accuracy and just a hair behind Rodgers in release/arm strength... and a good bit behind both in mobility. The guy is definitely a winner, and I think we can all agree that differentiating the top 3 is like splitting hairs. The bottom line with Brady is that he's no longer a spring chicken, though. no comments

The Saints are officially back to work with the first rookie minicamp now open and a roster of players was released with a few notable surprises. One is former LSU star linebacker Ryan Baker (pictured). I thought Baker had a decent shot at being a 7th round draft choice, and I figured he was a shoe in to get a rookie free agent contract somewhere. Instead, he's had to settle for a rookie tryout with the Saints while sharing the number 79 with another player. Probably not what he had in mind going into the process, but it would be nice to see him make a run at the practice squad. Unfortunately for Baker he's going to have to turn in nothing short of some incredible practices to get noticed because the Saints are incredibly deep at his position. When you don't have a rookie contract it's an uphill battle to get a chance. Unfortunately for Baker it could all be over by Sunday, and even if he doesn't make the Saints his best shot at getting noticed is to get some preseason game reps somewhere. Best of luck to him!
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In some ways, it's pretty amazing that Adrian Arrington still holds a roster spot on the New Orleans Saints. Despite being an afterthought in the receiver hiearchy and never getting much playing time, Arrington has managed to stick around. His odds of "making it" as a 7th round draft choice were slim to begin with, so there's something to be said for the fact that he's still hanging around and will enter his 5th training camp with the New Orleans Saints this summer. In 4 seasons with the Saints, Arrington has managed to get in just 5 games and he's amassed 9 career catches. At some point his promising potential has to become a lot less attractive if he doesn't turn a corner. He's now 26 and Robert Meachem is gone, opening up a top 4 spot for someone to slide in behind Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Devery Henderson. The time is now or never for Arrington to make his move if he wants to become a contributing player.
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When the "bounty gate" story broke, and when the suspensions of Gregg Williams, Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt were announced, the media, the majority of the NFL fanbase, and casual observers all stood behind Roger Goodell. Some went as far as to say his harsh penalties on the Saints were just the opposite, too light. People have called for Williams to be banned for life, for Payton and Loomis to be fired, for Payton to be banned for life... they've all been blasted in the public eye for lying, disobeying orders and their perceived "arrogance". When the appeal was heard and swiftly shut down by Goodell, no one really blinked, although some went as far as suggesting the penalties should be stiffer for wasting Goodell's time with an appeal. Defending the Saints' brass has been a hard sell, and the negative outcries against the Saints for the last couple of months had reached a pinnacle.

But then something weird happened. no comments

I don't feel very good all of a sudden:

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