Ideally, we want to get younger on D, but if the price is right, it wouldn't hurt to take a chance on Harrison and have him for a year or 2. The article the said it was a long shot to land him didn't really say why. I guess it comes down to whether we could sign him under the cap. Imagine if we did somehow land Harrison and then drafted Mingo. Could possibly be the 2nd coming of the dome patrol (although definitely not it's equal in any way).
First Nicks last year, now Bushrod. I HATE that, but don't blame anyone for leaving for more money. That said, he did protect our $20m a year QBs blindside, so definitely need to find a comparable replacement. (Like Pro Bowl right tackles grow on trees). And I was really hoping we could sign some of the defensive FAs available, but I guess that's off the table now.
Well that certainly makes things a lot more interesting. I was briefly listening to Bobby Hebert the other day and he was saying he'd like to see us get Sam Baker (currently ranked the #4 available LT by PFF, Bushrod is #3....they are #6 and #7 overall at OT) or Jake Long (ranked the #2 available LT and #2 overall OT by PFF), but only if we don't over pay for them
From an article by Fox 8 New Orleans In New York, the Giants will reportedly sign left tackle Will Beatty to a long term deal worth five years, $38.75 million with $19 million guaranteed. It's a deal that essentially averages out to $7.75 million a season. That's the number the Saints should use for Bushrod as both he and Beatty have comparable resumes. Profootballfocus.com (the best in the business when it comes to truly grading players) had Beatty ranked third in their free agent left tackles list. Bushrod was ranked sixth. ... If Bushrod wants more than what Beatty received, the Saints should let him walk. He's not worth it. But if Bushrod is good with that number, the Saints should lock him up. There's no sense in playing with Drew Brees' blindside if they don't have to. (and it is reported that Bushrod signed with the Bears for pretty much the same number... Jermon Bushrod has scored a five-year, $35.965 million contract with $17.715 million guaranteed with the Bears , averaging $7.193 million)
As for what PFF wrote about Bushrod, they say: Investing Pro Bowl money in Bushrod would be an unwise risk to take, but at the right price Bushrod is a serviceable starter. Season 2012 was not the year for Bushrod, that 2011 was. A year removed from being among our Top 15 tackles, Bushrod got off to a slow start and, after a midseason resurgence, didn’t finish the season well either. For a player whose greatest weakness in his tenure as a starter has been consistency that isn’t a good thing and he didn’t grade positively after the Saints’ Week 11 victory in Oakland. To his credit, though, Bushrod has made big and clear strides from some of the abject performances that were common place in his first two seasons as a starter for the Saints in 2009 and 2010.
This is what CBS Sports wrote about the money the Bears agreed to pay Bushrod: that's quite a chunk of change for a guy who hasn't always been consistent on a year-to-year basis.
Comments on Bushrod from Saints fans: Honestly Bushrod was a very medocre, slightly above average at best LT. If we find the right replacement, there shouldn't be a significant dropoff. correct. and Brees can handle pressure coming from the edges better than any other QB in the NFL. so not as critical a position as people think Losing Bushrod isn't a major blow. We made a half *** attempt to sign him, we would have tried much harder if we were really worried about it. Agreed. Bushrod isn't worth any more than $5-6 million tops for our team. Its good to see our management is not getting held hostage on overpaying for a product just because its a position of need. Its all about value per dollar. Bushrod is not worth what Chicago is paying. Its kind of like Flacco getting Brees money simply because they had no other alternative. If you do deals like that more then one or 2 times all of a sudden you are overpaying for the production on the field. Ultimately the most talented team in the NFL is the team that gets the most value per dollar spent. Doing one or 2 overpay jobs on a contract like Bushrod all of a sudden you have a team with less talent. I'm not surprised by JB's leave. Next man up. This team values guards before tackles, as evidenced by the effort to re-sign Nicks and subsequent signing of Grubbs, due to Brees' ability to feel pressure from the outside and step up. Interior pressure is way more trouble than any pressure a tackle might let by, due to Brees' need for clear passing lanes (He's not 6'5" after all.) Bushrod got 5 yrs $35.965 with $17.7145 guaranteed. Not overpaying, we must had not valued him much. (Paying him that much is) Too rich for my blood This hurts the Saints. But these things happen when you have no money. Have you watched Bushrod play? He constantly got helped, and was manhandled a lot when he didn't. Brees made him look a lot better than he is. Bushrod got overpaid regardless of the situation. I love him as a person because he personifies class, but he's an average NFL LT, maybe above average.
Being that my only memory of Charles Brown was went he got his ass handed to him all day by Chris Long of the Rams, I'm surprised to read these comments on Brown from Saints fans: I think if he can remain healthy he'll be an upgrade over Bushrod. Outside of that horrible showing against Chris Long, he's looked pretty solid to me. I think Brown can manage. I didn't think he was bad last year and didn't notice much of any difference between he and Bushrod outside of normal transitionary hurdles. His biggest problem is staying healthy. If he could do so and get some consistent reps he'd probably improve even more. Charles Brown will do just fine....injury prone?.....so was Ivory . Then one day he got through it, and did not get injured anymore. I predict the same will happen with CB. One day he will get through it, and I believe he will outperform Bushrod, which will not surprise anybody. Brown played well when he was inserted into the starting lineup, I guess all people can focus on is that fact he had some injuries... If the Saints dont think Brown, Jones or Harris can play the position we will draft a guy...but we have three tackles in line for a promotion. I think Brown is a better pass blocker than Bushrod but I'm not sure about his ability in the run game. His main problem is injuries, he can't stay on the field. If he can stay healthy for an entire season, our offense will be business as usual. I think getting 1st team reps will do wonders for him. We don't need him to be elite, heck he doesn't even need to be very good, he just needs to be average to slightly above average.
Falcons re-signed Baker to a 6 year deal, will be interesting to see how much they agreed to paid him Per FOXSports: Baker shouldn't come close to Will Beatty or Jermon Bushrod money ($7- plus million annually). ESPN: Baker earned the deal by turning in a 2012 season that was by far the best of his career. Baker had struggled with injuries and inconsistency through most of his first four seasons. PFF wrote this about Baker being a gamble: When Will Svitek went down with an injury in late August the Falcons lost their insurance policy on Matt Ryan’s blindside and some were starting sweepstakes on how long Ryan would last. However, just a year removed from being taken apart by Philadelphia, and benched soon after, Baker rebounded with a much improved season as a pass protector, even if his run blocking still left something to be desired. If you have a short memory you might be willing to invest in Baker as a left tackle, a five-year pro for whom the light finally came on. Well, that short memory could serve you well, but just to refresh, he earned a pass protection grade of -11.4 in 2011 and his run blocking in 2010 was even worse. His 2012 season shows that he can achieve his potential as a left tackle, but if you sign him to start you’d best have a decent insurance policy if his old form returns.
