Saints sign Tony McDaniel

Hey folks, resident Saints fan here. Much respect to the posters here, and the mods that make this one of my favorite football sites.

I wanted to ask you guys about your one time player Tony McDaniel, who the Saints just signed. It looks like Nick Fairley might not make it this season due to his heart problem, and McDaniel is insurance in case Fairley can't go. What are your thoughts on McDaniel? Why didn't he get much traction in free agency, and why did you guys let him go? I am just trying to find out a bit more about him.

Cheers.
El Caliente

He is a solid rotational player. Can get some push occasionally in the pass rush. Better as a base defender. He is a true pro though and will play whatever role he's asked.

Should be a solid signing for you guys. Might get 1-2 sacks in the season. But will provide quality rotational snaps if that's the role he's tasked with.

Solid professional. Excellent run stopper with terrific wing span. He can still push the pocket. He'll be an asset if used right in a rotation. Those long arms on a 6' 7" frame are good for a couple of knocked down passes ..... even with limited snaps.

Good signing. He can only help.

First-rate run defender against single-teams. He's not a guy that fits a lot of defenses, probably. Really long, but not as quick as many 3-techs. And not an anchor weight to put up against double teams. In Seattle, he was a run-first 3-tech and occasional 3rd down interior pass rusher.

2016 was probably his best year. Assignment correct. Total pro. Teammates love him, called him "Big Amigo." He regularly bottles runners up at or close to the LOS. Good for a batted pass or stuff every two or three weeks. He's not going to chase anyone down, but his arms are insanely long, and he's good getting his hands up and/or on ball carriers.

He's a guy that might have been an occasional all-pro before the NFL became a pass-first league.

The_Z_Man":7gk3k9p6 said:

2013 was his best year. Last year he was getting long in the tooth. Couldn't get off certain blocks and wrap up runners. I remember watching a breakdown of a few games. He got killed in Green Bay, but that's understandable because footing was bad, and he was on skates all game long. Then he struggled big time against AZ (gave up two big runs to Johnson which led to 2 TD's and cost us that game and playoff seeding) and then again, had a bad day in Atlanta.

It's just 3 games, but he never had games that bad in 2013.

Click to expand...

How you put Johnson's runs on McDaniel is really beyond me. Especially the 33-yard one where Earl took a bad angle, Kam didn't correctly contain the week side, and Michael Bennett missed a tackle. McDaniel correctly stacked the strong side towards the intended run lane. This is 100% on the second line of defense.

The others were 1 and 3 yards. And he damn-near made a play in the back field on the 3-yard run.

Revisit the tape. You're tripping.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201612241 ... &tab=recap

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201612241 ... &tab=recap

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201612241 ... tab=videos

Sure got quiet in here.

:{)

Not earl. My bad. But it was the high safety.

All else stands.

More importantly, I hope you're okay.