re: Our Weakest Positional Group

I really think that Hill can give us ~80% of what Graham gave us last year (~700 yards, 7TDs), and that's excluding what he gives us on reverse handoffs. We need to do produce on the outside. People forget that, despite having a really good offense in 2013, Sproles and Graham had something like 60% of our receiving production. Spiller is a better runner than Sproles, but not quite the receiver. Hill isn't on Graham's level, even if he can be an above average receiving TE. We need Colston, Cooks, and whoever else to produce.

That's easy to say, but our "great" 2013 offense involved a lot of Graham and Sproles doing work after the catch. I have no doubt that our offense will be top 10, but there will be some very frustrating games. We really need a playmaker on the outside (Cooks is mostly an inside/slot guy, unless he can quickly become Steve Smith).

This is false. They accounted for 36% of the receiving yards in 2013. Colston and Stills accounted for 31%.

And Sproles had Rivers and Brees throwing him the ball. Spiller had shite throwing him the ball. Anyone who thinks Spiller can't at least match what Sproles did in this offense is crazy.

Also Thomas had more than 100 yards more yac than Sproles did on only 6 more receptions in 2013. Sproles averaged about 7.5 yac to Thomas' 8.5.

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This is false. They accounted for 36% of the receiving yards in 2013. Colston and Stills accounted for 31%.

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Can you find out the percentage of total team receiving yards accumulated by RBs/TEs that season? I'd bet it was #1 in the league. I would look it up myself, but I have no idea where to begin.

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Anyone who thinks Spiller can't at least match what Sproles did in this offense is crazy.

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Spiller will be better than ever with the Saints. But he's not as diverse a player as Sproles. Sproles could run routes as well as most slot WRs. Ditto Bush. Spiller is a bit chunkier of a player. Again, I think he'll be awesome with us, but he's not the receiver that either of them are. He can handle about 75 more rushes per year than either of them, though. Hopefully the risk of his running the ball (something we didn't use nearly enough with Sproles) opens things up for him in the passing game.

Given that Graham was our leading receiver by about 300 yards and the fact that Sproles and Thomas finished 4th and 5th in receiving yards I have no doubt we finished first in the league in yards to backs and TEs that year.

But that fact means little as that stuff changes year to year. Our super bowl year our top 3 receivers were Colston, Henderson, and Meachem. In 2006 it was Colston, Henderson, and Bush.

The point is the positions do not matter. It's the players that do. The top five are the guys that matter most. We have Colston, Cooks, Watson, Hill, and Spiller and that group is about par for the course of what we've had over the years.

I will say the one thing we do lack is a consistent deep threat. Perhaps Morgan or Cooks can fill that role but we'll have to wait and see.

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You are seriously underestimating Spiller's versatility

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I don't really question his versatility but his durability is another story. Hopefully his health isn't really a concern here.

I like Hill at TE actually though. I think he could be a real sleeper this year.

Watson... meh. I don't see him being all that vital. I mean his name has only come up on here recently it seems like. Why is that? I have a couple of good guesses.

WR is a legit question mark heading into this season. I hope the guys answer the bell.

still not real sure what to think about all of our moves as a whole. Maybe they are really are going to continue to shake things up. It could be more than just bringing new faces here.

a change in identity is looking likely to me.

probably wrong though.

frick it.

Watson's name comes up because he has been second in the TE pecking order the last two years(was second in receptions both years). The offense is only built to have so many balls going to the TE and Jimmy was gobbling up the majority (more than has gone to TEs prior to 2011).

I'm not saying Watson is going to have the 60 catches he's had in the past but he is more than capable of getting around 40 (double what he has had here) now that Jimmy isn't getting 150 targets every year. And I think Hill will get about as many balls (maybe a few more) as Watson but will likely have more yards as he is more of a vertical threat.

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You can say what you want about position, but we have fairly little proven receiving talent at any position right now.

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Just watch how Spiller will open up the underneath & seam routes for our other receivers. I think you are focusing too much on targets, previous production & numbers in general while completely overlooking what the addition brings from a strategical standpoint.

Payton's going to be able to use Spiller as a chess piece just as he used Bush & Sproles before him. When you have a receiver out of the backfield that you motion out, you can force linebackers & safeties to have to shift in his direction. It may just be a step or two presnap but that shifting will open up other areas of the field for other receivers. This is going to be a perfect match in philosophy for big bodied targets like Coleman, Jones, Colston & Toon as long they can consistently catch the passes in their direction.

What we really need is the ground to take off. That will set up the deep ball off of play action especially out heavy formations. This is something that the offense thrived at from '09-'11 but has struggled with the last two seasons.

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Guy was nothing but money yet people still doubt him

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I think it was the drops that have people doubting him. It was uncharacteristic of him to drop so many passes. Plus he's never been a burner & many fans feel he may have lost a step now. He'll be ok as long as he recovers from his case of the drops.

Also Moore & Colston were under the radar players when the Saints brought both of them. Nobody expected much of either so I don't understand why people want to sleep on Coleman & Jones. Coleman at 6'6 should be able to be used the same way Jimmy Graham was used.

I also think some fans are buying into NFL Network & ESPN's doom & gloom outlook for the Saints offense without Graham. They fail to realize this offense was potent far before Jimmy stepped on the scene in 2010.

we need a Dwayne Allen type of TE and Watson isn't it.