From WWL's website: The Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert Bobby Hebert says he likes the pick, “You look at the depth and who gets hurt, who's healthy, who's available, when you’re winning in the trenches. The one thing..we’re still structured, whether it's 2020, I think even 2021. Drew Brees ‘aint retiring. When he steps up in the pocket, we have to know we got the right damn tackles. So we’ve got to protect the interior." Hebert was emphatic that you have to trust Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton, "Who’s won more games than the Saints the last three years? In the last three years we had two 13-3 seasons. Now you want to win a Super Bowl. I like that winning formula. People want to replace Drew Brees. No, they are trying to protect Drew Brees." Voice of the Saints Zach Strief “There's a general lack of understanding of just how hard it is find those guys. They don't just suddenly appear, they don't. Listen, is this the pick that you say this is the piece that's going to put them over the top. No. But, the Saints don't think they need a piece to put them over the top." WWL College and pro football analyst Mike Detillier "I know the Michigan coaches really spoke about how well he could pass protect. They thought he could get a little bit more physical as a run blocker, but as a pass protector...this tells me you're worried about protecting that step up ability of Drew...to step up in a pocket and make that throw."
In 2017 I had never heard of Alvin Kamara and Ryam Ramcyck. There were other players I wanted to see pick in those spots and I was highly critical of Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton at the time. Turned oug pretty well though. Still, LB was a greater position of need than center. When Murray came off the board I was sure the Saints would pick Queen.
My snap reaction without trying to analyze is to agree with you, and a lot of that has to do with the bias of wanting to see the Saints pick LSU players. But let's be honest; while there are a large number of LSU products out there who are at the top of the game, can anyone name a team that has won the Super Bowl that has had even one Tiger in a key role? I'll answer myself...until this year (Mathieu is a defensive leader for the Chiefs) no, there hasn't been. And staying with Mathieu, I'll throw this out there....if Mathieu's playing free safety for us, he doesn't make the mistake Williams made on the Minny Miracle and we win that game, but even believing we had the best team in the NFC that year, that doesn't guarantee we would have beat Philly the following week or New England in the Super Bowl. Bottom line; Payton's apparent anti-LSU bias is not costing the Saints championships. Now, our LB situation....the only thing that bothers me is Anzalone's questionable durability. But with a starting group of Anzalone, Davis and Alonso, with Robertson as a versatile 4th guy....that's a strong group, and again, that presumes Anzalone staying on the field. Would Queen have made us better? Absolutely, but its not like the position is an obvious need. As for taking Ruiz, after reading what a number of beat writers are saying, I may have to bite the bullet and go watch last year's playoff game again. I think they're right, but I think I need to be reminded that we lost that game primarily because Minny's defensive line dominated us in the trenches, especially right up the middle. And I see a lot of guys saying Ruiz' strength is pass coverage. I watched a scout video last night that showed him repeatedly doing an expert job in pass coverage, and by that I mean quickly recognizing where the attack was coming from, and adjusting appropriately. The center's job in pass coverage is rarely a one-on-one block, and Ruiz is excellent at helping one side get its block and then switching to the other side to get a second help. Finally, I have to be consistent, and I know my spur-of-the-moment reaction last night was to be pissed off. But I've been bitching for 2 years about LSU not addressing its apparent lack of depth in the offensive line. Well the Saints have had to shuffle players there constantly over the last few years. O-linemen ain't sexy picks, but championships are won in the trenches. And @shane0911 's opinion of the Saints being a consistent shit-show in the draft is just dead wrong. At #24, there simply was not one guy out there about who you can say, "that's it; (name) is the piece of the puzzle that's been missing." Given that as a fact, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.
But they drafted McCoy last year and he played well. OK, they weren't going to ddraft Queen but there a still some good WR's on the board. They are still thin at the position despite signing Sanders. And they would have beaten Philly. Matchups favored the Saints.
I wish the saints had a second round pick or two, lots of receivers out there still. FU’s Jefferson and Tejas’ Duvernay
Kristian Garic on WWL said this morning he thinks we'll try to move into the 2nd round and target a receiver.
They are a draft day shit show, have been for years and it isn't stopping any time soon. Alvin was a good get, blind squirrel found a nut. They build with free agents because they just can't draft worth phuck
Dude, come on man. Corey Webster for the hated Giants. Joseph Addai for the hated Colts. Ryan Clark for the hated Steelers. Last but not least, Kevin Faulk for the hated Patriots. They even put him in their Hall of Fame. These guys weren't backups. They were significant. All of the others I really don't remember.
