The Final Cut: Part II

Ok now I’m going to cover the Saints defense, but before I get started I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the performance of Rod Harper who may have just slid himself in above Courtney Roby last night with that punt return for a TD and a few nice grabs. Also, I have to point out that in my last blog I mentioned that Joey Harrington was a lock to make the team. This is not completely accurate due to the pending suspensions Charles Grant, Will Smith and Garret Hartley. This means that the Saints have to bring extra defensive ends and an extra kicker in order to have players at those positions for the first four games. This creates a roster squeeze. In this respect Harrington’s veteran status hurts him because ordinarily you would put your 3rd string quarterback on the practice squad. However, Harrington is 30 years old and has accrued too many NFL seasons to be placed on the practice squad. This makes Harrington a likely candidate for a cut tomorrow. Another element that may alter how the final roster shakes out is the season ending injury to Billy Miller last night. You always hate to see an injury like that in such an insignificant game. And it couldn’t have happened to a better guy. In all of my dealings with this team Billy Miller was by far the most affable guy in that locker room. His presence will definitely be missed in the locker room. Best of luck to him. Now on to the defensive roster.

Defensive End- Charles Grant and Will Smith are locks at this position. However, Charles Grant really needs to produce this year when he comes back off of suspension, otherwise you may start to hear rumblings about him being cut this coming off season. Bobby McCray is treated like a starter in this defense due to his ability to rush the passer on 3rd downs. This means the saints must decide between Charleston and Spicer for the final defensive end position. The veteran Spicer has played in a Gregg Williams defense so he likely has the advantage in this situation.

Defensive Tackle- Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy are the week 1 starters at this position. Anthony Hargrove has shown himself to be a 3rd down pass rushing specialist much like McCray so he is pretty much an alternate starter and a lock to make the roster. The remaining positions come down to Demario Pressley and Remi Adoyele. Adoyele's play late last season and throughout camp and the preseason give him the nod here.

Linebacker- The Saints will start Fujita, Vilma, and Shanle at linebacker. Troy Evans is a lock because he provides the Saints with versatility and he is a great special teams player. Dunbar showed his potential last night against the Dolphins with 13 tackles and forced fumble as well as a fumble recovery. Marvin Mitchell will also make the roster as a solid back up at the middle linebacker spot and a solid special teams performer. The final spot in this unit will come down to Waters and Cassilas. Here it would make sense for the Saints to hold on to Waters and place Cassilas on the practice squad.

Cornerback- The Saints will go with Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, Randall Gay, and Malcolm Jenkins. Leigh Torrence is the man on the bubble in the corner group. Gregg Williams likes versatile players in his secondary so it may come down to Prioleau and Torrence for a roster spot. If Prioleau can play the saftey as well as the corner, Williams may elect to stick with Prioleau. Torrence may have a shot at the practice squad if he has not been in the league too long. Danny Gorrer will likely be in the group of players cut Saturday.

Safety- At the Safety position, Darren Sharper and Roman Harper will be the day one starters. Usama Young and Chris Reis have likely locked up back up spots and they will both play major roles on the Saints special teams. Pierson Prioleau may be the odd man out at this position. He was brought in, in large part to help teach the rest of this secondary how to play a “Greg Williams Style” defense. Now that the preseason is over and it is time to trim the fat off of this roster, the Saints may decided he has done enough teaching. The rookie Chip Vaughn will likely be placed on IR because he simply has not had enough time to prove himself. Although he claims that his injury has healed, the Saints can’t risk waiting to see if he can clear waivers in order to be placed on the practice squad. This would be the only way that the Saints would be able to allow him the opportunity to make the active roster at some point this season

Punter- Thomas Morestead already got the nod at punter when the Saints cut Glenn Pakulak. This was really a no brainer after we spent a draft pick on a punter.

Kicker- The Saints will have two kickers on the roster for at least the first four games with Garret Hartley suspended, John Carney will step in and fill this role.