New Orleans

[Infamous]

Saints will come out with some emotion and keep pace early, but their defense will be gassed in the second half and Lacy is going to pound them to death.

Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

That's really where the debate begins. I can't, myself, say for sure that Bulaga would've been the left-tackle-for-the-next-ten-years guy we thought or hoped he'd be when drafted. Is he a little slow-moving because of injury, or is he not what Ted thought, exactly?

Same with Perry. He's been healthy, knock on wood, yet he's not a full-time, effective outside linebacker. He's a niche guy, which is not what you hope for with a first round pick. Is that injuries which held him back, or was he never going to be that guy?

Same with Sherrod. Would he ever have been that Chad Clifton clone we hoped for? It's hard to say.

I used to think it was more a failure of these guys due to injury, but now, having them all be healthy yet not really playing like first rounders, I wonder.

Bulaga hasn't played as well as I thought he would when we drafted him, but lets remember we don't win the superbowl in 2010 without him. That alone + him being a decent player make him a fair pick. Perry and Jones I can't say the defense would be any better or worse if they were on the team or not. That says a lot. And Sherrod....I mean wow.

[Patler]

Wasn't Bulaga pretty much rock solid in 2011? He had some bad moments at the start of 2012, but then again was playing very well before the injury. With a serious hip injury in 2012 and an ACL tear in 2013, he might never be the same as he was, and/or he might not yet be fully recovered from the ACL. He could be a better player next year, even if never again what he might have been.