vorbis

watching that tape, the game of football doesn't seem particularly complicated to a guy like lee ward

lots of posts in this thread would make @PFTCommenter very proud. HOT TAEKS

Loomis doesn't make the football decisions. Loomis is the money man, basically. He's an accountant by trade. It's what he went to school for. It's what he's done all of his life. It's why he usually gets away with manipulating the cap. He's great with numbers.

Football decisions, I would assume, ultimately go through Sean Payton. Loomis tells him what money would work, Payton does what he sees best.

I don't see either one going anywhere and I wouldn't want them to. Loomis is a good GM and Payton is a great coach. They make a very good team. Part of the reason I want Gayle to win the whole battle with Benson is because Loomis won't work for Rita, and Payton is leaving if Loomis leaves.

They've left some to be desired in some aspects, drafting in particular. Hopefully that changes with the front office changes this offseason. But for the most part have brought stability and a winning environment to NO. Loomis has Bensons full trust, as he runs the Pelicans as well. I don't think you'll see either leave for quite some time.

what about when Tom is gone, even if Gayle takes the reins do you think that will affect the ability of Loomis to flash big signing bonuses or convert future salary to guaranteed money in restructures as a way to massage the cap? I mean, I don't know if anybody knows for sure, but Benson is still doing quite well financially as far as I can tell, and he's still able to facilitate his money man being aggressive with the cap, which as we know requires cash on hand. good god this is theoretical. that's the offseason for you.

@saints4life25, other saints fans in this thread

where are you as a fan at with the loomis situation. yes he's got a good track record in some areas but he also really misjudged some roster decisions this year and had to pay the piper by hemorrhaging cap assets. would you rather this fire sale be done at his direction or a new person?

same with the coach i guess. i actually agree that the offense will still be fairly productive without graham but it seems like such a waiting game for the defense to catch up year after year, with the exception of one or two seasons where it all came together.

it's not often you see a roster reset like this without cleaning house in the front office and leadership. i mean, i really don't think loomis is going anywhere anytime soon but what is the fan sentiment?

2 year 2.3M contract, very little guaranteed.

year 1 900k

year 2 1.4M

prove it contract

either he becomes a huge asset on 4-phase ST and doesn't bring the game to a crashing halt in other phases or he's gone. low first year salary so there is no risk at all in carrying him through camp and preseason. if he earns next year's salary there will be no complaints about paying him.

remember at post-season presser both rivera and gettleman talked about possibility of full-time ST aces. here is a ST prospect with tools. there will be others, including some UDFA and guys who are brought in closer to camp. the best players will be rostered.

good pickup, but they've got to stay healthy to really make some noise. also let's not downplay the talent of McCoy or LDavid. they are excellent players and absolutely have the ability to shape a game vs the panthers *if other things go as planned*

come on. brees is a god in New Orleans. they would burn down the dome if he was traded. this is not happening. 

good lord. Saints are desperate. not really sure I like this deal for either team, to be honest. (not that I'm brokenhearted about it though)

And what mental headaches are you talking about? In his first 4 yrs he didn't cause any problems. And his teammates like him so you can't even say it's a locker room thing

the headaches caused by a $13M player going on exempt list for 14 games

also don't discount the possibility that Bell is just talking about being a UFA and having an uncertain future now. 

good dude, loved in the locker room, but didn't match the expectations the Panthers have for a 2015 tackle. so it goes. hope for the best for this guy. hyperbolic kvetching by Panthers fans aside, he belongs in the NFL.

maybe let's chill with the "crazy bitch on drugs" talk. all you've got is Hardy's 911 call and he has a lot of motivation to exaggerate her state. nothing concrete says that he wasn't a "crazy SOB on drugs" himself at the time. I hope Hardy is cleared just like you guys but it really looks skeezy to see everyone getting their confirmation bias all over the place in a domestic violence situation.

i'm sure there's still lots of juicy details to come out. i wouldn't exonerate Hardy just yet. but it's clear this is a complicated situation that will require professionals to unravel.

i want to give a big big ups to nate chandler who made the squad as a tackle. talk about stepping up, changing positions, and gaining competency in training camp. that's a solid football player.

refreshing to see dead weight and old hurney experiments trickle off the roster. improving the bottom 3rd of the roster is improving the roster.  somehow i knew horton was going to make it. he was doing everything right.  i liked how steady melvin white was in the run game. folkerts looked great in training camp practice videos FWIW.

my guess at practice squad from this crop of cut players:

roh DE

lester S

shaw WR

walker DT 

maybe mobley T.  

rest will probably come from other cut lists.  really think all of the waived/injured guys will be injury settlement/out of here.  the team is moving on. players like brandon williams and folkerts prove new GM isn't afraid to pick up guys off the street for specific roles.  i think this is an exciting time to watch the roster fill with more skill and production.  fewer "hail mary" roster spots means more consistency week to week IMO.