Emptying out the notebook with some thoughts on the Saints.
1. One oddsmaker is betting that Richard Sherman ends up with the Saints. The website Bookmaker.eu lists New Orleans as the favorites to land the Seattle cornerback with +300 odds. Oakland is next at +400 and further down the list is the Seattle Seahawks with +800 odds. What does this mean? Nothing at all, unless you believe this sportsbook has a direct line to Airline Drive, which it almost certainly does not. But if you had to lay down blind odds, New Orleans makes sense as a favorite since Sean Payton said the team was going to acquire a couple cornerbacks before the offseason is over and has voiced public interest in obtaining New England cornerback Malcolm Butler. So, what are the real odds? It’d be surprising if the Saints haven’t at least reached out to find out what the bounty would be for Sherman. But for now, assuming the possibility is still alive, it might make more sense to wait and see what shakes out with Butler. He’s younger, cheaper (at least for now), and the Saints have a good feel for what he’s capable of after practicing with the Pats the past few summers.
2. It remains to be seen if the Saints will spend on another veteran or use a high pick on a running back. But with Adrian Peterson visiting, it’s fair to say the idea is at least somewhat intriguing to them. One line of thinking is that New Orleans doesn’t need to spend there and could just give the bulk of the carries to Mark Ingram. He did gain 1,043 yards on an impressive 5.1 yards per carry last season. Maybe he could handle a heavier load. Ingram often spoke about how he became more effective with more carries. But it’s also fair to note that he’s only played all 16 games twice in his career and that after coaching him for six seasons, Sean Payton probably has a pretty good idea of how to best use the running back. It’s also worth noting the only options behind Ingram are Daniel Lasco, Travaris Cadet and Marcus Murphy. Some depth is needed.
3. New Orleans got a good deal on Chase Daniel. The quarterback signed a one-year deal worth $900,000, which is fully guaranteed. He can earn another $3 million in incentives, that shouldn’t be reached if Drew Brees stays healthy. But Daniel will still get paid. He had $5 million in offsets remaining from his deal with the Eagles, which means Philadelphia still has to pay him $4.1 million. It’s a win-win for all parties on the local level. Not so much for the Eagles.
4. Luke McCown was about as good of a backup as you could ask for the past four seasons. He was smart, had a good command for the offense and seemed to have a great relationship with Drew Brees. He’s also going to be 36 and has battled some injuries lately. McCown could do well in a pinch, as evidenced by his start against Carolina, but Daniel (30) is younger, already knows the offense and has more upside. He can certainly serve as the backup, and it’s worth finding out what the upside is should something happen with Brees at some point.
5. Before we get into the next one, let’s be very clear: I’m not condoning any actions or giving anyone a pass for their actions. One thing that has come up frequently on Twitter with the Saints hosting Peterson and draft prospect Joe Mixon are questions about why New Orleans would even look at these guys after saying so often it wants the right kind of players in the locker room. It might sound weird, but an off-field incident doesn’t necessarily make someone a bad teammate. One of the reasons both guys are being brought in is to find out about them and figure out if there’s a fit. There’s a long way to go between a visit and an acquisition.
6. Two words keep coming up whenever you ask people about new defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen: Intense and energetic. You could see some flashes of that when he led defensive line drills during LSU’s Pro Day. It’s interesting because he was one of the last guys the Saints interviewed for the job and he won the Saints over. “He was outstanding. Very good, very thorough teacher,” Payton said. “I think we hired him and in 24 hours he had an apartment, he was in New Orleans. I don’t want to use the word young, but there is a lot of energy there and I think that group’s got to play better.”
7. Don’t worry about the coaching staff if they’re working late nights and start to doze off at the end of a long day. They don’t have to drive home. At some point the Saints installed a “sleep room” at the facility which consists of eight bunk beds and plenty of air conditioning. “It’s a little Google-like,” Payton said. “Pretty cool. It’s good.”
8. The preseason schedule comes out on Monday. It seems like a safe bet Houston will be on there since the two teams are expected to have joint practices in Metairie.
