JIMMY SMITH: No one will work harder on his rehabilitation than Deuce McAllister. But it’s going to be difficult to come back from two surgeries, one on each knee. The microfracture procedure, just recently revealed, is the more troubling of the two. Ordinarily, those could take up to a year from which to fully recover. He’ll be OK from the ACL because he’s had so long to recover. The next few weeks, perhaps six or so, will be crucial to see just how far he has come back from the injuries.

 

JIMMY SMITH: Well, Noel, you have to ask yourself about that depth first, and Jason David’s future. Speaking with Sean Payton last week at the owner’s meeting, I get the feeling he’s still committed to Jason David as a cornerback, despite his troubles last season. That being said, it’s awfully hard to see David as a starter again in 2008. Can he be a quality backup as a nickel back? Based on last year, it’s tough to say. Aaron Glenn is up in age and Mike McKenzie is coming off late-season ACL surgery. That leaves Jason Craft as a backup as well. So even though there’s some depth there, the quality of that depth is still unknown until it hits the field. If the Saints stay where they are, they should still get a good defensive lineman if that’s where they choose to spend the pick.

 

JIMMY SMITH: Les, it certainly seems that the Saints have created something of a pattern in their offseason free agent signings, going after older, veteran players. It remains to be seen whether Glenn or Dan Morgan, both dogged by injuries, will be sufficiently recovered to make substantial contributions this season. What’s also disturbing about Glenn’s signing is it was just a one-year deal, obviously because of his age and the uncertainty whether he can contribute to the Saints’ defense.

 

JIMMY SMITH: Certainly, Amis, you’ll agree that the Saints’ offensive line has performed well beyond anyone’s expectations the last two seasons. The team seems to have adequate depth at offensive line, with Zach Strief having the ability to play on either side. Some might think Strief is better than Jammal Brown. So I don’t think the Saints would go after an offensive tackle. But you never know. Mickey Loomis sat down on the first day of the draft and told the media that the last likely position the Saints would go after the rest of the way was running back, then he made a second-day trade, up, to pick Antonio Pittman. You just never know.

JIMMY SMITH: That’s an insightful question, Chris, but I believe your fears are unfounded. I don’t think you’ll see another free-agent signing in the defensive backfield. I do think they’ll give Randall Gay every opportunity to unseat Jason David for the starting job at right cornerback. Sean Payton seems to like what he has seen in Gay, his instincts, and he spoke highly of him during a conversation we had last week at the owner’s meeting. At the same time, Payton also said he thought David would have a better year in 2008. This is an area no doubt that everyone will be closely watching.

 

JIMMY SMITH: A double-team from David and Joel. OK. In fairness to last year’s draft, and this is certainly no defense of how it went top to bottom, it takes a while to accurately gauge the impact players will make coming out of college, usually three years or so. When Sean Payton says it’s easier to make a determination on a free-agent class, he’s correct. Robert Meachem was a suspect pick because of his injury situation and last year was basically a red-shirt year, and would have been anyway because the Saints were pretty deep at wide receiver. Based on what has transpired so far in the free-agency market, I see the Saints going after some help in the interior of the defensive line, where  Bryan Young and Hollis Thomas are aging and where there is the greatest need for depth.

 

JIMMY SMITH: If you’ve followed NFL drafts, Reniel, and from the sounds of your question you have, you know that anything can happen when teams start picking. Who would have thought the Texans would pick Mario Williams two years ago having Reggie Bush fall into the Saints’ laps? While speculation is just that, speculation, it’s possible that Gholston could drop down to the No. 10 spot. Whether he’s high on the Saints’ wish list, no one knows.

JIMMY SMITH: Chris, speaking of Mark Brunell, I’ve written this before: the scariest aspect of watching the Saints practice the last two seasons was seeing the drop off between the starting quarterback, Drew Brees, and his primary back up, Jamie Martin. We really won’t be sure about  Brunell until we see him on the field, but based on his resume, he should be a stronger understudy than Martin.

 

JIMMY SMITH: Nice to see the Matt Flynn fan club check in, Greg. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t see the Saints drafting another young quarterback. Sean Payton seems pleased with Tyler Palko’s up-side, so they’ll stick with him. Flynn might get a shot with some team as a free-agent, the same way Palko did last year with the Saints.

 

JIMMY SMITH: That’s a great question, Jose. But if the owners opt out, the uncapped season won be until 2011. Nevertheless, an uncapped year would be very difficult on small market teams such as the Saints, especially if some of the wealthier owners decided to spend freely on free-agents the way George Steinbrenner has often done in baseball with the Yankees. A salary cap helps to keep every one in line, and in some cases, keeps small market teams solvent. An uncapped season would be a scary proposition.

 

JIMMY SMITH: If we’ve learned anything about the Saints under Sean Payton, Tony, is that character counts. It’s highly unlikely the Saints would be interested in a troubled player such as Chris Henry, local ties or not.

 

JIMMY SMITH: Look back to last year, Jeff, and ask yourself if you thought the Saints improved themselves with their 2007 free-agent signings. You’ll probably say they did. Sean Payton admitted last week that Brian Simmons was a mistake. He still defends the signing of Jason David, though David’s performance was certainly sub-par. Kevin Kaesviharn began to get on the field more as the season went along. Of those major defensive additions, Kaesviharn was the most positive. All that’s a roundabout way of saying we just won’t know if the Saints have improved themselves defensively until games are played. Certainly on paper, you’ve got to like what they’ve done, even though getting Jonathan Vilma is recovering from knee surgery. The Saints aren’t giving up much for him, though, so it’s a low-risk deal. When healthy, Dan Morgan is a solid player. Bobby McCray should be a positive depth addition the way the Saints like to rotate defensive linemen. We’ll know more in December.

In speaking with Mike a month or so ago, John, he said he’s not rushing his re-hab but thinks he’s on schedule. The problem might be, though, that the injury was sustained so late in the season – the repair was done in December – that there might not be enough time to fully recover by the time training camp rolls around. Hopefully, he’ll be ready to go by the end of July, but it’s possible he could be limited for a while during two-a-days. We’ll know more at the end of May when we can see if he gets on the field for minicamp.

 

JIMMY SMITH: We’ve heard from the LSU folks with a Matt Flynn question, so Darrell your query about Matt Forte is timely. Yes, I can see the Saints taking a chance on Matt Forte. He’s a special player who embodies the type of qualities you want in a person and a running back. He’s big, fast, bruising and has good hands. He’d be a great fit in the New Orleans offense. If he’s still around when the Saints pick in round two, I think it would be a good addition.