By so far, the New Orleans Saints have not made any decision of the backup for starting quarterback Drew Brees. They want a veteran, experienced and humble quarterback for the role. Although they have a few options on their own roster, the team is still looking outside for more options.
However, as last season’s Super Bowl champion, the Saints are restricted by the NFL’s “final eight” rule for the uncapped year. So they will have to wait until July 22 before they can take actions with unrestricted free agents from other teams unless they allow another team to sign away one of their own restricted free agents. So at the moment, the backup role would be played by one of the three on-roster quarterbacks: second-year player Chase Daniel, rookie Sean Canfield and unrestricted free agent Mark Brunell. According to reports, the Saints are aiming at unrestricted free agents Josh McCown and Patrick Ramsey to sign when the signing restriction ends on July 22.
While Brunell is still negotiating for a new contract with the Saints and could take off his Saints jersey to sign with another team, second-year player Daniel is currently the top choice for the backup job and will get a lot of snaps in OTAS and minicamps. If he performs well and impresses the coaches enough before any stronger competitor comes in, he could be the new backup for Brees.
Showing posts with label New Orleans Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Orleans Saints. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Saints rookie OLB Coleman feels at home with Saints
As a New Orleans native, the New Orleans Saints rookie outside linebacker Harry Coleman has been comfortable with playing in special teams for the Saints. Remaining undrafted after the 2010 NFL draft ended, he was a bit disappointed but soon later he happily received a call from the Saints and signed a free-agent contract with them.
"Yeah, I was a little disappointed because everyone wants to get their name called," Coleman said during the New Orleans Saints' rookie minicamp over the weekend. "But I got my phone call, so it doesn't matter how I got here."
Actually, Coleman’s agent was talking to some other NFL teams about a possible contract when Coleman received the call from Saints. He knows well his client, who grew up as a true Saints fan, would not consider any other team as long as there was an offer from the Saints. So, without any problem, the contract was signed soon and Coleman put on the Saints jersey he had been dreaming of for all his life.
At the height of 6-2 and weighing 215 pounds, Coleman was an excellent outside linebacker during his senior year in the LSU although he played at that position for only one season. He is highly expected to boost the Saints’ weak side linebacker.
"Yeah, I was a little disappointed because everyone wants to get their name called," Coleman said during the New Orleans Saints' rookie minicamp over the weekend. "But I got my phone call, so it doesn't matter how I got here."
Actually, Coleman’s agent was talking to some other NFL teams about a possible contract when Coleman received the call from Saints. He knows well his client, who grew up as a true Saints fan, would not consider any other team as long as there was an offer from the Saints. So, without any problem, the contract was signed soon and Coleman put on the Saints jersey he had been dreaming of for all his life.
At the height of 6-2 and weighing 215 pounds, Coleman was an excellent outside linebacker during his senior year in the LSU although he played at that position for only one season. He is highly expected to boost the Saints’ weak side linebacker.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Saints WR Meachem may return in time for training camp
According to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, wide receiver Robert Meachem’s toe surgery would keep the player from attending some offseason workout program but he could be fine enough to participate in the training camp, which is due to open in late July.
All the things still appear to be under the control of the Saints, who decided last week to have Meachem undergo surgery to repair his injured toe on left foot. The second toe on the foot was injured during last season and had been bothering the Meachem all the time since then. Meachem appeared at the team’s practice facility on Monday and walked with the help of crutches and wearing a boot. He told reporters that the recovery was going on well, and Payton said it was hopeful that Meachem could wear back his Saints jersey for full practice before the training camp.
As the team’s leading receiver, Meachem finished last season with ten touchdowns, with nine being received and one being gained after he stripped Washington Redskins defensive back Kareem Moore. He is expected to return to help the Saints chase another NFL title in the 2010 season.
All the things still appear to be under the control of the Saints, who decided last week to have Meachem undergo surgery to repair his injured toe on left foot. The second toe on the foot was injured during last season and had been bothering the Meachem all the time since then. Meachem appeared at the team’s practice facility on Monday and walked with the help of crutches and wearing a boot. He told reporters that the recovery was going on well, and Payton said it was hopeful that Meachem could wear back his Saints jersey for full practice before the training camp.
As the team’s leading receiver, Meachem finished last season with ten touchdowns, with nine being received and one being gained after he stripped Washington Redskins defensive back Kareem Moore. He is expected to return to help the Saints chase another NFL title in the 2010 season.
Friday, April 30, 2010
CCU FB Fraser is invited to join Saints rookie camp
Former Coastal Carolina University fullback Tommy Fraser finally got his first call since the beginning of draft day, from the New Orleans Saints, to invite him for a tryout in the team’s rookie training camp. You know, after suffering the frustration for not being called during the draft, how excited Fraser was feeling for having a chance to compete for a job with the defending champion team of this season.
"[I] watched the draft with my family, I was excited. Not too much happened during the draft," said Fraser. "About 30 minutes after the draft, my agent called and let me know we were going to camp with the [New Orleans] Saints."
Although it seemed that no team held much interest in picking Fraser, he was still a popular choice among the undrafted free agents. Beside the Saints, Fraser also received interest from the Atlanta Falcons, but to work with the Super Bowl XLIV winners is just anyway a much better idea. So Fraser is now preparing for the upcoming training camp by working out double time to keep shape. According to the young athlete himself, what attracted Saints was his speed and ability to catch passes, which are most important factors in a good fullback. So he is confident that he is very likely to be officially given a Saints jersey after the camp that will last two and a half days.
If adding Fraser, the Saints will have four fullbacks on the roster beside ten-year veteran Heath Evans, Zak Keasey and Marcus Mailei, and the latter two actually do not have much experience of playing in real game and are considered to have less offensive skills than Fraser.
"[I] watched the draft with my family, I was excited. Not too much happened during the draft," said Fraser. "About 30 minutes after the draft, my agent called and let me know we were going to camp with the [New Orleans] Saints."
Although it seemed that no team held much interest in picking Fraser, he was still a popular choice among the undrafted free agents. Beside the Saints, Fraser also received interest from the Atlanta Falcons, but to work with the Super Bowl XLIV winners is just anyway a much better idea. So Fraser is now preparing for the upcoming training camp by working out double time to keep shape. According to the young athlete himself, what attracted Saints was his speed and ability to catch passes, which are most important factors in a good fullback. So he is confident that he is very likely to be officially given a Saints jersey after the camp that will last two and a half days.
If adding Fraser, the Saints will have four fullbacks on the roster beside ten-year veteran Heath Evans, Zak Keasey and Marcus Mailei, and the latter two actually do not have much experience of playing in real game and are considered to have less offensive skills than Fraser.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Saints could have better choice of backup QB with Bulger
After being released by the St. Louis Rams on Apr. 5th, 10-year veteran quarterback Marc Bulger is still available on market. And some New Orleans Saints fans suggest their team sign back the former 168th overall draft pick in 2000 to add a more reliable backup for starter Drew Brees.
Being picked by the Saints in the sixth round of 2000 NFL draft, Bulger did not wear the Saints jersey for long before being cut. He joined the Rams after being released by his second team, the Atlanta Falcons during the 2000 season. Comparing to another quarterback Tom Brady, who was drafted in the same year but thirty one picks later by the New England Patriots, Bulger has not had as brilliant career, but he still has had very impressive production during the ten seasons with the Rams. Actually, he used to be one of the top ten quarterbacks considering his completion percentage and yards per attempt from 2003 to 2006. He was also selected to Pro Bowl twice before his career went into descent because of injuries.
Bulger missed four games in 2007 season with a rib injury and a concussion. Meanwhile, All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace missed all but one games with a serious injury and the whole Rams’ offensive line was jeopardized so badly that the team has not had a winning season since then. With Pace leaving Rams for the Chicago Bears in 2009, Bulger had even less production with the damaged offensive line.
On the other side, the Saints have an offense that ranked top last season, and Bulger could fit in much better than second-year quarterback Chase Daniel and rookie Sean Canfield. What’s more important, his experience of leading the Rams would make him a perfect backup that could take over the duty of calling signal immediately once the starter has to leave the field with injury or something else. Therefore, it will make a very good point if the Saints decide to reunite with Bulger.
Being picked by the Saints in the sixth round of 2000 NFL draft, Bulger did not wear the Saints jersey for long before being cut. He joined the Rams after being released by his second team, the Atlanta Falcons during the 2000 season. Comparing to another quarterback Tom Brady, who was drafted in the same year but thirty one picks later by the New England Patriots, Bulger has not had as brilliant career, but he still has had very impressive production during the ten seasons with the Rams. Actually, he used to be one of the top ten quarterbacks considering his completion percentage and yards per attempt from 2003 to 2006. He was also selected to Pro Bowl twice before his career went into descent because of injuries.
Bulger missed four games in 2007 season with a rib injury and a concussion. Meanwhile, All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace missed all but one games with a serious injury and the whole Rams’ offensive line was jeopardized so badly that the team has not had a winning season since then. With Pace leaving Rams for the Chicago Bears in 2009, Bulger had even less production with the damaged offensive line.
On the other side, the Saints have an offense that ranked top last season, and Bulger could fit in much better than second-year quarterback Chase Daniel and rookie Sean Canfield. What’s more important, his experience of leading the Rams would make him a perfect backup that could take over the duty of calling signal immediately once the starter has to leave the field with injury or something else. Therefore, it will make a very good point if the Saints decide to reunite with Bulger.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saints made last choice in NFL draft with QB Canfield
The New Orleans Saints made their last choice in 2010 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon and Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield became the latest one putting on the black and gold Saints jersey, being the 239th overall new player drafted this year.
With a height of 6-3 1/2 and weight of 222 pounds, Canfield fits the last season’s Super Bowl champion team perfect with his size. Besides, the left-handed young man had been signal-caller during his college football career with his strong arm and ability to read coverage, both necessary elements of being a good quarterback in the professional NFL. The addition of Canfield is expected to add more depth on Saints’ offensive line and offer more backups to starter Drew Brees.
If it was in last year’s draft, there would have been many doubts on whether the Saints were wise enough in selecting Canfield, who missed the whole 2008 season because of a torn labrum. But the young player quietly proved what he was able to do with great performance in 2009. At this moment, it’s still hard to tell what a brilliant career he could have in NFL, but if given time and chances, the rookie does deserve high expectations.
With a height of 6-3 1/2 and weight of 222 pounds, Canfield fits the last season’s Super Bowl champion team perfect with his size. Besides, the left-handed young man had been signal-caller during his college football career with his strong arm and ability to read coverage, both necessary elements of being a good quarterback in the professional NFL. The addition of Canfield is expected to add more depth on Saints’ offensive line and offer more backups to starter Drew Brees.
If it was in last year’s draft, there would have been many doubts on whether the Saints were wise enough in selecting Canfield, who missed the whole 2008 season because of a torn labrum. But the young player quietly proved what he was able to do with great performance in 2009. At this moment, it’s still hard to tell what a brilliant career he could have in NFL, but if given time and chances, the rookie does deserve high expectations.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Saints guard Jahri will not attend workouts without long-term contract
Being one of the six unsigned restricted free agent, the New Orleans Saints veteran guard Jahri Evans made it clear that he will not wear back his Saints jersey to take part in offseason workouts if the team is unable to offer him a long-term deal.
According to Evans’ agent Jerrold Colton, the guard has not yet planned to sign the one-year, $3.168 million tender offered by the Saints because he is hoping for a longer contract that they think a five-year veteran deserves. According to former Collective Bargaining Agreement, Evans would have been an unrestricted free agent with advantages in contract negotiation. Unfortunately, as the owners voted to let the 2010 season become a season without salary cap, Evans instead became a restricted free agent when this offseason began. However, the starting guard in Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV win still acts as if he is a UFA.
“From my standpoint, there’s no question that Jahri – I believe he’s the best guard in the league or that he certainly is in the elite category,” Colton said. “Even though his status as a RFA doesn’t give him the ultimate leverage, we would not be interested in doing a long-term deal that doesn’t recognize his status as an elite player, if not the best guard in the NFL.”
Colton also told reporters that the Saints are showing intention to sign Evans back as they are still having discussions about the possible contract. What’s more, progress has been made and we may expect Evans to wear back his Saints jersey and return to New Orleans soon.
According to Evans’ agent Jerrold Colton, the guard has not yet planned to sign the one-year, $3.168 million tender offered by the Saints because he is hoping for a longer contract that they think a five-year veteran deserves. According to former Collective Bargaining Agreement, Evans would have been an unrestricted free agent with advantages in contract negotiation. Unfortunately, as the owners voted to let the 2010 season become a season without salary cap, Evans instead became a restricted free agent when this offseason began. However, the starting guard in Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV win still acts as if he is a UFA.
“From my standpoint, there’s no question that Jahri – I believe he’s the best guard in the league or that he certainly is in the elite category,” Colton said. “Even though his status as a RFA doesn’t give him the ultimate leverage, we would not be interested in doing a long-term deal that doesn’t recognize his status as an elite player, if not the best guard in the NFL.”
Colton also told reporters that the Saints are showing intention to sign Evans back as they are still having discussions about the possible contract. What’s more, progress has been made and we may expect Evans to wear back his Saints jersey and return to New Orleans soon.
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