A lot can change between now and the start of free agency and I sure don’t see any way the New Orleans Saints let quarterback/King Drew Brees walk away. I also think there’s a pretty good chance tight end Tony Gonzalez can return to the Atlanta Falcons if he chooses. Same for cornerback Ronde Barber with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and maybe even Jeremy Shockey with the Carolina Panthers.

But all we know about those guys at the moment is they’re not under contract for 2012. We’ll do much more on free agency as it gets closer but I’ve got the complete list of every NFC South player presently not under contract for 2012.

I’ll list them by team here and we’ll only go with the guys who have at least four years of service and can become unrestricted free agents. We’ll deal with restricted and exclusive-rights free agents at another time.

New Orleans Saints: John Kasay, kicker; Drew Brees, quarterback; Shaun Rogers, defensive tackle; John Gilmore, tight end; Aubrayo Franklin, defensive tackle; Marques Colston, receiver; Pat McQuistan, offensive line; Courtney Roby, receiver; Leigh Torrence, cornerback; Jeff Charleston, defensive end; Turk McBride, defensive end; Robert Meachem, receiver; Jo-Lonn Dunbar, linebacker; Carl Nicks, guard; Tracy Porter, cornerback.

Read more here.

By Pat Yasinskas

During the Countdown Live chat throughout Saturday’s playoff game between New Orleans and San Francisco, many of you were wondering why the hit on Saints running back Pierre Thomas by 49ers defensive back Donte Whitner didn’t result in a penalty.

Thomas

It was clearly a helmet-to-helmet hit. The play came deep in San Francisco territory in the first quarter. Thomas fumbled the ball as soon as he was hit and the 49ers recovered.

Read more about the hit here.

Now that the season officially is over for all four NFC South teams, we can start looking ahead to the 2012 draft.

Take a look at this Insider post by Steve Muench, which talks about two undersized quarterbacks — Boise State’s Kellen Moore and Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson. Both are listed at just a shade under 6-foot.

Any time you talk about undersized quarterbacks, you have to start with New Orleans’ Drew Brees, because he has proven that you don’t have to be 6-4 or 6-5 to succeed. Brees is listed right at 6-foot, and that might be a bit generous.

But Brees is a perfect fit in coach Sean Payton’s offensive scheme. The Saints obviously don’t believe you need a tall quarterback, because backup Chase Daniel also is listed at 6-foot.

Read more of Pat’s story here

Former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has agreed to join the St. Louis Rams, according to the NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora. The St. Louis Dispatch also confirmed that Williams has agreed to join the Rams.

Scott Threlkeld/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams

The move has been anticipated in recent weeks, since Williams’ contract was set to expire with the Saints and his close friend Jeff Fisher was hired as the Rams’ head coach.

Read the rest of the story here.

This isn’t a huge surprise, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that New Orleans offensive coordinator Gregg Williams is expected to leave the Saints and join Jeff Fisher in St. Louis.

Williams worked for Fisher in Tennessee and the two are close friends. Williams’ contract with New Orleans is expiring and there had been speculation he would join Fisher. Williams joined the Saints in 2009 and his trademark opportunistic defense came up with lots of turnovers as New Orleans won the Super Bowl that season.

Read more of Pat’s story here.

Well the season is over.. it was a tough lost BUT we still support our town! And guess what Superbowl 47 is in the Superdome!

And Charles C J Moreau posted a great picture from 2AM at the airport where our fans.. the best in the NFL were out in force supporting the Saints when they returned from San Fran.

The Who Dat Nation would like to wish Pierre Thomas a speedy recovery from that hit, Pierre is one of the best carries we have but it sure looked like he was knocked out with that hit to the head.  Get Better P!

Time to start working on locking up Drew and a few other key players and let’s get better!!

WHO DAT !!!

By Pat Yasinskas

Thoughts on the New Orleans Saints’ 36-32 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday at Candlestick Park.

What it means: You can’t defy conventional wisdom. In a game that will go down as a postseason classic, the Saints broke almost every rule and tradition. But they still lost in the end, as tight end Vernon Davis scored a touchdown with 9 seconds remaining. That capped a game that had four lead changes in the final 3 minutes, 53 seconds. The Saints came painfully close to proving they could win on the road, outdoors and in the postseason. They almost showed you can turn the ball over five times and still win. They also came close to proving wrong the old adage that defense wins championships. But there were no miracles this time.

Read more of Pat’s story here.

By Pat Yasinskas

Drew Brees is capable of many great things. But you can’t go to the miracle well 63 times in a game and expect it to produce every time.

That was proved Saturday as Brees and the New Orleans Saints lost 36-32 in a divisional playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.

History will tell us this was one of the best games in playoff annals, coming as it did with four lead changes in the final 5 minutes and San Francisco’s winning touchdown with 9 seconds remaining. History will be right, because this game was exciting all the way around.

But the surrounding hysteria might get in the way of history, so let’s go ahead and go on the record with one very important item that cannot be overlooked: You can’t go deep into the postseason with Brees and Brees alone.

Read the rest of Pat’s story here.

LanceMoore16: Can’t even put into words how this feels. To end such a great yr like this and having to watch it all from the sideline. Sick.

ChaseDaniel: Tough loss to swallow. I couldn’t imagine being a part of any other organization. I love my team!

j_bushrod7475: At the end of the day.. I’m proud of our team… We were so damn close… Thanks for the support all year!!

thomasmorstead: #WHODATNATION Thanks for all the prayers, love, and support all season long, you are the best fans in the world. #WHODAT We will be back

ZachStrief: Can’t thank all of the #whodat nation enough for their unwavering support. Wouldn’t be where we are without you. We’ll be back stronger.

iwillsmith: It’s always difficult to absorb defeat. This was a hard fought, disappointing end to a GREAT season.But I’m still proud of my TEAM. #whodat

robyslyfe: I’m done respond’n to ignorance, clearly I’m jus as frustrated as y’all..proud of this TEAM & Organization..I’m still scream’n #WhoDat