2012 NFL Free Agency: Previewing the New Orleans Saints

Hey guys and gals! Remember that time we beat the Saints and Vernon was all crying in Harbaughs arms and everybody was all like pumped up and thats super cute and Alex shut up all them haters and stuff?! Yeah, that was awesome. I remember that too. It was fun.

Well guess what. We get to play the Saints again! Hooray! Depending on some of the moves the Saints make in Free Agency, however, we may be playing an altogether different team.

The Saints ought to re-sign a few of the huge names on the offensive side of the ball. Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, and Carl Nicks are all FAs. Obviously the Saints are going to throw as many Mardi Gras beads as possible at Drew until he either flashes them or re-signs. And, should Drew decide that he wants more beads, the rumor is that the Saints will just slap him with a Franchise tag and try again next year.

With that done, I would imagine the Saints' FO will look toward re-signing Nicks (the Pro Bowl Guard) and favorite Brees target Colston. What the Saints do with Meachem will actually have interesting consequences for the 49ers, as this is the type of guy they may want to look at.

With this done, I think the Saints may just sit pretty pat on the offensive side. For what it's worth, the Saints' offense probably doesn't need that much work, except that they could buy every team in the NFL a turfed dome (amirite?1 lolololol!). Well, I mean, even great offenses should try to add more o-line, but this is just nitpicky.

The defensive side of the ball is a bit trickier, and I am actually really interested to see in what direction the Saints choose to go on this side of the ball, especially since they brought in Steve Spagnuolo. Spags has a reputation for loving his blitzes. We analyzed to death the Saints' blitzing abilities leading up to our showdown in the playoffs, and so it's not really worth repeating here, but they are weird. They don't have that one "go-to" sack guy. I can see them trying to add somebody at either the d-line or in the LB corps to try to generate some heat.

Another question they will have to answer this offseason is whether or not they want to re-sign CB Tracy Porter, and, if now, how they wish to replace him.

Exclusive Rights Free Agents: WR Adrian Arrington, OC Brian De La Puente, S Jon Amaya, LS Justin Drescher.

Restricted Free Agents: QB Chase Daniel, LB Jonathan Casillas, LB Ramon Humber.

Unrestricted Free Agents: QB Drew Brees, WR Marques Colston, WR Robert Meachem, WR Courtney Roby, TE John Gilmore, TE Tory Humphrey, OT Pat McQuistan, OG Carl Nicks, DE Jeff Charleston, DE Turk McBride, DT Aubrayo Franklin, DT Shaun Rogers, LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, CB Tracy Porter, CB Leigh Torrence, K John Kasay.