Link: Roman Harper Joins Robert Lester in Carolina Secondary
- Thread starter RTR91
- Start date
They released several players (Roman included) because of cap space. They were able to replace Roman with Jairus Byrd.
They replaced him with a 3 time All-Pro who also led the AFC in interceptions twice in the last 4 years. Byrd is also 4 years younger than Harper. I love Harper, but this definitely wasn't a "bad," move.
FWIW, I think this is a good move for Harper. I think he fits in much better with the Panthers style of play.
Also Carolina picks up a bunch of Alabama fans, two Bama boys locking down the deep coverage together. I'll certainly be watching Carolina next season. Of course, i'll change the channel when the offense is on the field. Nothing to see there.
This was an outstanding move by the Saints made even better for them by the fact that a division rival picked him up. The 2014 version of Roman Harper is not the same as Roman in his first several years in the NFL. He's a liability against the pass at this point in his career.
Yeah sadly (for him) he was on the receiving end of "The Catch III" against the 49ers in the 2012 playoffs when covering Vernon Davis. I'm sure he still has 1-2 good years left.
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Despite his age, Harper still appears to me the surest tackler on the Saints team. We saw this in the playoffs. However, he is a step behind his younger self. The Saints, like Denver and New England, are upgrading their defense to take on the Seahawks and the Niners. The Seahawks set a blue print last year that everyone will want to emulate. Great secondary play is key, and the Saints got a top three safety in Byrd.
I think tagging Graham and letting so many defensive players go was a mistake. I know Harper was replaced by a good player, but he wasn't the only starter let go. I think they just went all in on offense and let too much go on D to replace.
Agreed that they needed cap space. I just think they are spending too much on offense to field a good defense considering most of their released guys were on D. Too much to replace; that's all I was referring to. Plus, now Graham is unhappy because he wants a lot more money than he'd get with the tag (I think he's even fighting the tag as a TE and is trying to get a WR label since it's like 3x more money). A lot of veterans let go to make sure you have enough room for an all-pro TE is not a great strategy IMHO.
They definitely let a lot of defensive players go, but I'm not sure how much some of those guys were going to contribute this year due to age and injuries. Will Smith and Vilma are big names players, but both neither played in 2013 due to injuries. The move I didn't like was trading Sproles to the Eagles.
Good move for Harper - glad he cashed in for a few more years. I'll have a hard time rooting for the Panthers b/c of the exact reason you're implying above.
Roman did well for the Saints but took continual criticism because those Saints/LSU fans simply don't like Bama players. Mark is facing the same thing now and has since he's been there. Personally, it wouldn't bother me if the Saints never drafted another Bama player.
I'm very happy to see him in Carolina! I know he will do well and we are in dire need of safety experience. I hope he and Robert own those spots!
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