NFL: Lofton, Saints agree to 5 year deal.

[Beef]

And lofton was in the bottom of pass rushers and coverage LBs plus he lead the league with giving up 5 TDs to guys he was covering.

Its a given that Dent and Tatupu will not stop the run like Lofton but if they can cover and rush the passer better, then the trade off is worth it.

Not sure what your problem is with this, Radical. Dent was a beast in the SEC and obviously the FO knows and sees something you don't.

[phocis850]

Good luck Lofton. He was always a good leader of the D here.

[Radical]

(03-25-2012 12:02 PM)Beef Wrote:  And lofton was in the bottom of pass rushers and coverage LBs plus he lead the league with giving up 5 TDs to guys he was covering.

Its a given that Dent and Tatupu will not stop the run like Lofton but if they can cover and rush the passer better, then the trade off is worth it.

Not sure what your problem is with this, Radical. Dent was a beast in the SEC and obviously the FO knows and sees something you don't.

What were Lofton's grades by PFF? By the numbers, Tatupu did horrible in pass coverage and rushing the passer, while also being inferior to Lofton as run stopping. Look at every scouting report of Lofton and compare them to Dent's. Dent is a poor-man's Lofton who excels at Special Teams.

As is, there's nothing to like about the current situation.Either Dent has to be a flash and play above and beyond himself or Lofa returns to his pre-09 days. It's a, "in TD I trust" moment.

[Beef]

I posted a link earlier from PFF showing Tatupu being one of the top LBs in rushing the passer and Lofton wasn't even good enough to qualify for the list.

[swanlee]

I like Lofton but he was a liability in coverage and his knee's are going to shorten his NFL career. I think team just didn't bother running against us cause they could always convert 3rd and longs and Lofton was apart of that issue which inflated our run D cause our pass d was so bad.

With better coverage at the LB spot things will balance out and we will come out ahead by getting off the field more after 3rd downs.

Plus Spoon is going to be our defensive leader anyway. I'm totally ok with TD letting him go rather than over pay for him and obviously Nolan did not think he was worth breaking th bank over.

People may flip out over the lack of big names being signed so far but you can't argue that TD is making financially wise decisions, he is not panicking or over paying people, we will be able to make moves when we really need to.

[FullMetalFalcon23]

(03-25-2012 01:44 PM)Radical Wrote:  What were Lofton's grades by PFF? By the numbers, Tatupu did horrible in pass coverage and rushing the passer, while also being inferior to Lofton as run stopping. Look at every scouting report of Lofton and compare them to Dent's. Dent is a poor-man's Lofton who excels at Special Teams.

As is, there's nothing to like about the current situation.Either Dent has to be a flash and play above and beyond himself or Lofa returns to his pre-09 days. It's a, "in TD I trust" moment.

I agree with you to an extent except I believe this is also Smith and Nolan also. Smith just let the Defensive leader who he picked leave. Now admittedly Spoon seemed to naturally be usurping that role last year with his dynamism and vocal nature. I'm not saying he should move to middle by any means. But in terms of a defensive leader and the intelligence required to operate a defense Sean has it having done this in college. He's adjusted to the pro game and I believe he will be able to do it again. You see how natural he's played this season with the game slowing down for him I think he will be even better this year.

I know losing Curtis sucks to an extent but also it has been shown how good Nicholas has been on his snaps. I think in our nickle packages we'll see Spoon and Nicholas out there both apt at stuffing a run and sharp in the pass game. Now in 3 LB sets you book end Lofa or Akeem with those 2 guys it means whoever is in the middle going to have to work hard to keep that middle zone. For that I prefer Lofa.

Again it seems as though we have been preparing for Lofton to possibly go since last year. A lot of people questioned why we took an MLB so high with the depth we had, and this appears to be the answer.

[ChrisD]

Those of you saying Lofton was a big loss because he was an incredible tackler and run stopper, well simply put you obviously haven't seen much (if at all) of Akeem Dent on video. The guy is amazing. He's versatile for different schemes. The guy can hit hard, and make a sure tackle. He has pass rushing moves, oh and quite honestly while he's not the best in coverage (Neither was lofton) I still believe he's an UPGRADE in coverage on Lofton. Honestly, I see a lot of guys assuming that Tatupu is going to be our starter, I'm not even close to buying into the fact that he will beat out Dent.

Let's not forget Dent was a 2nd round pick for a reason. Don't sleep on him. Trust me, this guy will be solid if not great.

[NCFalconfan]

Very happy about this. Anyone who remembers my many game day chat rants about Lofton (concrete feet) knows I was not a fan. Our passing numbers vs the Taints should improve instantly.

[DaMeatTrough]

(03-25-2012 02:15 PM)ChrisD Wrote:  Those of you saying Lofton was a big loss because he was an incredible tackler and run stopper, well simply put you obviously haven't seen much (if at all) of Akeem Dent on video. The guy is amazing. He's versatile for different schemes. The guy can hit hard, and make a sure tackle. He has pass rushing moves, oh and quite honestly while he's not the best in coverage (Neither was lofton) I still believe he's an UPGRADE in coverage on Lofton. Honestly, I see a lot of guys assuming that Tatupu is going to be our starter, I'm not even close to buying into the fact that he will beat out Dent.

Let's not forget Dent was a 2nd round pick for a reason. Don't sleep on him. Trust me, this guy will be solid if not great.

Yes, let's not forget Dent was a second round pick for a reason.

[ggp]

(03-25-2012 11:47 AM)Radical Wrote:  So... a 2nd year player with no defensive experience that by all reports is a less talented Lofton and a guy with an injury history that was garbage the last time he played 16 games... Oh boy, can't wait.

Akeem Dent has defensive experience.....college. This is the same experience Lofton had only four short years ago. Tatupu was a cap casualty that suffered from an injury that is healed.

While the combination of Dent/Tatupu may not seem as good as Lofton, the best informed expert in the league (Nolan) decided to let Lofton go. We had the willingness and ability to fit Lofton under our cap. TD took Nolan's advice and allowed Lofton to leave. I am going to give Nolan and TD the benefit of the doubt.

I thank Curtis for his service to this team and I wish him health and wealth.