15 Jan 11 New Orleans Saints Tommy Polley Colby Bockwoldt Baltimore Ravens Scott Fujita

It seems like a reasonable question to ask of the New Orleans Saints' player personnel people: Gee, guys, how come you didn't draft a linebacker back in April?Because the Saints already had a lot of proven talent at that position?Wrong answer.Weakside linebacker Colby Bockwoldt did start all 16 games last season and Indianapolis Colts jersey
seems to be improving with age. Free agent pickup Scott Fujita (who spends a lot of time explaining to reporters that he's not Japanese) was a solid performer for the Dallas Cowboys last season, where his position coach was new Saints' defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs.After that, though, it gets ugly. Two of the team's best linebackers in 2005, Ronald McKinnon and T.J. Slaughter, took a hike as free agents. James Allen, who was just beginning to blossom into an everyday player, tore up his knee in pre-season condition drills and is lost for the upcoming season.Courtney Watson, a Notre Dame product for whom the Saints had high hopes, didn't fit into Gibbs' defensive schemes and was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Eddie Moore, a linebacker New Orleans thought would be a better fit. Problem was, Moore failed his physical, so Watson came back -- only to be told by head coach Sean Payton to skip the rest of pre-season drills and spend his time trying to find another team that wants him.Let's see. That leaves ...Alfred Fincher, a second-year man out of Connecticut who was atop the depth chart at middle backer when June began, played in seven games last season and made eight tackles.Anthony Simmons, signed during the off-season as an outside linebacker, didn't play at all, nursing a wrist injury and Jacksonville Jaguars jersey
an acrimonious divorce from the Seattle Seahawks.Jay Foreman, a more recent free agent pickup, didn't play in 2005, either, after being released by the Houston Texans.And then there are three undrafted rookies.Is it too late to trade for Brian Urlacher?Well, yes. But the New Orleans Saints did grab a possible life preserver on June 2 when they signed Tommy Polley away from the Baltimore Ravens. The former Florida State star had 95 tackles and four sacks for the Baltimore Ravens, filling in for the injured Ray Lewis for part of the season.Apparently, the Ravens were concerned about Polley's toughness -- which seems odd, since he was runner-up for the Brian Piccolo Most Courageous Player Award as a Seminole senior. Tough or not, though, Polley has good speed and the ability to slide up and down the line of scrimmage Kansas City Chiefs jersey
while also participating in a meaningful way in pass coverage. As a second-year man with the St. Louis Rams, he tied for the lead with four interceptions.Right now, then, it looks as though Polley will have to play himself out of starting in the middle, and he'll be flanked by Bockwoldt and either Fujita or Simmons. Maybe they shouldn't burn their bridges with Courtney Watson quite yet.Get more New Orleans Saints insight