http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2008/04/wrapping-up-the-nfl-owners-mee.html April 4, 2008 Wrapping up the NFL owners' meeting A few leftover scraps from the head coaches’ breakfast at the completed NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Fla.: •Eric Mangini spoke of NT Dewayne Robertson in the past tense: “Dewayne did a lot of good things for us at nose tackle.” Asked if a trade is imminent, Mangini said, “I wouldn’t say imminent, but there are things going on.” •Mangini also hinted the Jets could be in the market for a veteran quarterback. It came in response to a question about whether they might play a rookie QB in 2008 (Matt Ryan?): “I think it’s dependent on what happens in the draft. There’s a possibility we could bring someone else in in free agency. We usually carry three and sometimes four in the preseason. Right now, I think it’s between Kellen (Clemens) and Chad (Pennington). You have to wait and see what happens in terms of the draft and free agency.” •Saints coach Sean Payton, as far as I can tell, became the first person to speak on the record about the exact nature of Jonathan Vilma’s surgically repaired knee: “We feel comfortable that the knee is going to heal. I think the way it was best described was this dead surface of bone just chipped off and now has been replaced … They went back in and grafted some bone and repaired that little hole, if you will.” Payton made a great point: He equated the Vilma acquisition, in a trade with the Jets, to the Drew Brees signing from two years ago. If you recall, the Saints took a risk on Brees, who was coming off shoulder surgery. Obviously, that worked out well for the Saints.
"Saints coach Sean Payton, as far as I can tell, became the first person to speak on the record about the exact nature of Jonathan Vilma’s surgically repaired knee: “We feel comfortable that the knee is going to heal. I think the way it was best described was this dead surface of bone just chipped off and now has been replaced … They went back in and grafted some bone and repaired that little hole, if you will.” Payton made a great point: He equated the Vilma acquisition, in a trade with the Jets, to the Drew Brees signing from two years ago. If you recall, the Saints took a risk on Brees, who was coming off shoulder surgery. Obviously, that worked out well for the Saints." I wouldn't rate this aquisition on the same level as the Brees signing.. The facts are that it was a 50 - 50 chance that Brees would be a 100% or could even play at a high level after the shoulder surgery. The Saints imo just rolled the dice and lucked out mightily. Mangini has a defensive coordinators background and I would highly doubt that Vilma would have been traded if there was even a small chance Vilma could come back a 100%.. Now maybe the Saints will utilize Vilma in another capacity that takes advantage of what skills he still pocesses.. Time will tell. Marino1983
