Jets blog, the Jet Press, recently ranked Leonhard the 2nd-best free agent signing in Jets history, they had HOF RB Curtis Martin #1 Jimmy was another one of “Rex’s Guys”, brought to New York right away in 2009, along with Bart Scott, in an attempt to bring Rex’s system to a quick jump start on the field, which occurred as we all know. First in the league, and then third in the league in defense tells you all you need to know about that....Jim Leonhard was your hard-working, high motor, lunch pail type of player that endears himself to the fan base. He is a small in stature 5’8″, but that didn’t stop Jim from directing the defensive backfield and keeping the middle of the field clean. His stats have never been flashy, Jimmy has never been asked to perform with flashy stats. He has been asked to lead, which he does with gusto. Even though the ends of two seasons were lost to injury, Jim still makes this list. Why? How did the team perform without him? Immediately following Jim’s injury, the team was NEVER ready to play, and it showed. Just ask New England about it if you don’t remember. Jim Leonhard, very quietly, was a huge member of this list. And an obvious choice to be included here.
Saints blog: Leonhard could easily take the starting gig from (Roman) Harper, but for all we know Harper will respond well to the scheme change. The signing gives the Saints some impressive veteran depth in a secondary coming off a historically bad season.
Leonhard played in the AFC East for 6 of his 8 seasons in the NFL... from an interview with Leonhard: Who is the most fun to play against? Most challenging opponent? I think the most fun games are your division games. Being in the AFC, especially in our division (AFC East) you got Tom Brady, and then I go to Buffalo where I was for three years, and then I go down to Miami, which is never easy. You gotta like those games first and foremost, then you look at the rest of the conference where you got Indianapolis and you can play Denver. There are some very talented teams and very talented quarterbacks that don’t make it easy. ... in the AFC Championship games I’ve run into some very talented teams with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis – teams that were playing really well at the time and obviously made it to that Super Bowl.
Any time you get a chance to pick up a 32 year old quarterback who averages over 2 touchdowns and 400 yards per season, you have to do it.
Yahoo Sports: Scott Fujita retires as a Saint in the coolest way possible Saints website The New Orleans Saints announced Monday that linebacker Scott Fujita has signed a one-day contract with the team and will announce his retirement from professional football. The announcement was made by Saints’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis. “I’ve been fortunate to play in this league for a long time and for some great organizations, but there is no doubt that my times spent in New Orleans were some of the best years of my life,” Fujita said. “The way the team and the community embraced us when we first arrived, and the way they continue to do so, even today, shows how deep this connection is. I’m honored to be a part of this organization and so proud to retire as a New Orleans Saint.” “What better place to reach the end of the road than here at 10,000 feet above sea level, in the Peruvian Andes overlooking Machu Picchu with my dear friend Steve Gleason?” "I’m really excited,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis. “He was the first player acquisition that we made in 2006 once Sean Payton came on board. It was an important acquisition for us, getting a player of his caliber to come to New Orleans despite the conditions (post Hurricane Katrina) for a number of reasons" “On the playing field, he made a lot of huge plays yet always remained tremendously consistent. He was fantastic and always seemed to make big plays in the biggest games.” “He was the first free agent that we signed in 2006 and was a major part of what we’ve built and continue to build here in New Orleans,” said Payton. “He was a cornerstone of the foundation that we’ve built and we won a World Championship together. It’s been said that when you win a championship together, you walk together for the rest of your lives and that’s certainly appropriate to celebrate on a day like today.” “His dedication to Steve Gleason illustrates what type of friend, teammate and person he is and how valued his friendship is to those of us that have spent time around him.” Fujita's 4 years with the Saints were his longest tenure with any NFL team. as a Saint, he started 54 games and had 246 tackles, 5 forced fumbles, 4 INTs, 14 passes defended, 2 fumble recoveries, and 7.5 sacks
Saints holding rookie mini camp this weekend, Saints are one of the teams that decided to not let the press watch Here's a list of players being evaluated, lots of new names http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2013/05/some_interesting_names_taking.html Eric Norwood is interesting, he was freshman All-SEC, then All-SEC for three straight seasons, also an All-American Tons of draft pundits projected his ideal fit as a rush OLB in a 3-4, but the Panthers drafted him for their 4-3 and released him last fall. Since then, the Giants (another 4-3 team) had him over to try him out, but not sure if any other teams have For ex, here are comments from South Carolina fans when the Panthers cut him: Norwood belongs in a 3-4 Agreed! Exactly. He'll find a spot somewhere, I don't doubt that at all. naturally he's a rush linebacker in a 3-4 ala Ingram. He needs to be on a 3-4 team in the worst way. He was one of if not the best LB we have ever had. We will here Eric's name again on another team. I am confident. I will always remember number 40 rushing and applying pressure on the quarterback. He was truly one of the Gamecock greats and will forever be one no matter what team he goes to. He'll be a lot more useful as a LB in a 3-4 And from some fans of other teams: (Giants) He would be best suited for 3-4 Defenses (Panthers) his size and skill set is best for 3-4 olb, who focus on rushing the passer and playing the run and occasionally dropping in coverage. At only 6'1 he is quite undersized for a DE in any system, not saying he cant play it, just a little smaller. Does not have the skillset to play olb in a 4-3 system. (Cowboys blogger) we really like South Carolina LB Eric Norwood (for our 3rd R pick). We all know what a key position the edge rusher is in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme . As we detailed in our profile of Eric Norwood, he is a an excellent pass-rusher who should transition nicely to OLB. Draft pundits: better suited as a 3-4 OLB a.l.a. Larry English.... really should go to a 3-4 team and be used as a rushing OLB. As far as weaknesses go, pro scouts judge that Norwood will likely only be effective as an outside linebacker in 3-4 schemes. Norwood has been a pass-rushing terror for South Carolina ... Norwood is best suited as a rush linebacker in a 3-4 alignment
