This article makes me sick because I have to be a little nice with the Saints, but Fontenot is more than qualified to be the next Falcons general manager. Rumors are circulating in the national media that Fontenot will be paired with Joe Brady, and it’s a duo I can definitely discuss myself with. A little background on Fontenot:
Fontenot has been with the AINTS for over 18 years, which was undoubtedly their best years. He was very involved during his time as a scout and with player staff.
While the cap situation in New Orleans for 2021 is actually a garbage fire, Fontenot mostly handles the evaluation and exploration of players for pro leagues and future opponents (and he is good at it).
Advantages:
Player Acquisitions
It is noteworthy that Fontenot wears many hats, mostly the director of Pro Scouting. He has a serious eye for talent and he acquired players in positions that the Falcons sometimes struggled with.
Looking at free throws, DeMario Davis becomes one of the best WILL Linebackers in the game after leaving the Jets – even at 32 years old. Fontenot’s also recently helped pull Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins out of the bag. The Saints rarely hand out bad contracts to freelancers, and the Falcons had several bad problems during the off-season.
Explore future opponents
Even while Drew Brees is completely rostered and Taysom Hill is very limited, New Orleans is finding a way to win games in the regular season. They will have their hands full with Tampa Bay this weekend, but Fontenot’s job is to evaluate the talent of the other teams. He did well; the Saints always seem to come in and adapt with a solid game plan. As much as I fool New Clowns, they’ve been in a position to win playoff games for the past three seasons (which suffocated them). Most of it has to be attributed to Sean Payton, but Fontenot has been doing it for 17 years. Adjustments and game planning after the first half have been problematic for Atlanta over the past year, to say the least.
Experience
Even though he is 17 years as a housekeeper in the NFL an impressive achievement, especially for one organization. This is Fontenot’s sixth year as director of Pro Scouting. He’s seen by far the best years of New Orleans football, and I would say he had a share in putting on Drew Brees, which led to their only Lombardi trophy 11 years ago. Even if Joe Brady’s “readiness” is questionable, Fontenot knows this game inside and out.
Cons:
Compensation chooses to New Orleans
New Orleans will have two compensatory third-round picks to hire a minority candidate. I have no legs with the rule itself, and hopefully they don’t load up again with two good players using the picks. Regardless, if you really believe Fontenot is the man, you have to roll the dice.
Saints current hat situation
If you missed our endless jokes about it on Twitter, the Saints are about $ 20 million more than the cap for 2021 – and that is if it does not fall. Retiring Drew Brees will ease the pressure, but they have a lot of work to do. Kwon Alexander may need to be cut already. I expect Mickey Loomis will make magic work and get the situation under control, but it still kicks the can down the road. I would not necessarily say that this situation Fontenot does, but it is worth noting. Either way, I can not blame a man that he paid to keep his best players and that he was going to do everything with Drew Brees. With a team with such a good band as Atlanta, he faces a long task ahead. I have listed some cut out candidates Fontenot to give a little breathing, but the shell situation will be difficult following a COVID-19 season.
Short leash with fan base
I will keep it short because it is more theoretical than in practice, but if a man comes from New Orleans and trades Julio Jones and gets a bad return or does nothing within the first few seasons, fans will be heated that he comes from the Saints. Just say.
Unknown role at College Scouting
Look, the Saints are pulling well. Look no further than the 2017 NFL Draft, the one that the Falcons infamous. Getting a multi-year Pro Bowl right-hander in Ryan Ramczyk, superstar RB Alvin Kamara, a solid EDGE in Trey Hendrickson, CB Marshon Lattimore, and safety Marcus Williams in one draft is pretty impressive. Even guys in recent concepts like Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz have been good to New Orleans. Not to mention – Michael Thomas was included in the second round of the 2016 draft, one of the best left-wing attacks in football in Terron Armstead was drafted in 2013 (third round), and Cam Jordan was placed in 2011 (24th overall) taken. New Orleans made the choice count on the draft board.
Okay, that made me feel rough. Fontenot, however, is about acquiring PRO talent. As a scout, I’m sure he’s a contributor to checking out college players. At the moment I do not have the information to say that he had a big impact in this regard.