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Eye ON THE SAINTS |
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June 2009
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October 2006 ArchivesSean Payton said his team got "too cute" at times in the red zone. I assume he's referring to Reggie Bush's ill-advised pass into double coverage, resulting in a costly interception in the end zone. Read more. ...You read that right. The Saints are ranked ninth in the NFL, according to ESPN, between the Ravens and Bengals. Read more. ...So I guess he’s human after all. Saints coach Sean Payton, a man who seemingly could do no wrong since the moment he arrived, finally had a bad day; his team losing miserably to the Baltimore Ravens, 35-22. Read more. ...Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said he went after Reggie Bush's ankle on purpose in retaliation for what he said was a cheap shot early in the game. ...Sports Director Jim Henderson has some fun playing the blame game after the team's loss to the Ravens. ...Saints running back Reggie Bush says his ankle injury is one he's played with for weeks and that he'll definitely play this coming week against Tampa. ...Steve McNair at one point was seven of eight passing, including five of six on third down. He’d have a tough time being that accurate in seven on seven drills in practice. Fred Thomas, Mike McKenzie, and Jason Craft got shelled like targets at a shooting range. Read more. ...Saints linebacker Scott Fujita was disappointed that fans bailed on the Saints in the second half and he is asking them to stay, according to the Biloxi Sun's Larry Holder. ...While Drew Brees and Reggie Bush didn't want to attribute any of the Saints problems to the bye week, and while head coach Sean Payton didn't want to use it as an excuse, Payton did say that whatever the Saints did to prepare off the bye week didn't work. He said the schedule he used was going to be 'thrown away.' Brees said that during his career he's played some of his best games coming off of byes, but also had some bad ones... Reggie Bush told the media after the game that his ankle is only sprained and that he will be fine. Bush was tackled late in the game against the Ravens and a large lineman fell on his ankle. He left the game and the field and appeared to be in some pain, though he did walk off the field on his own power. Bush wore only a sock over his injured ankle when addressing the media after the game. ...Hey, the headline kinda speaks for itself, doesn't it? Read more. Not only can you see the projected Saints-Ravens score, but you see what 'Madden 07' says about every other game this weekend. ...How Sean Payton is changing the culture/attitude of the Saints with a few well-placed--and maybe even hokey--motivational statements around training camp. Read more. ...During the Saints bye week I watched as many NFC games as I could and came to a fairly surprising conclusion: the NFC is wide open. Read more. ...
The Sun's Jamison Hensley said the Ravens won't feel bad if they beat the Saints. Head coach Brian Billick likens beating the Saints to 'beating up Mother Theresa. ...Steve McNair who is recovering from a mild concussion, says he is 'in' for the game with the Saints Sunday, in a report from Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun. ...From the Associated Press: Saints quarterback Drew Brees has in the past played one week after getting a concussion in a game, so he understands how it might interfere with Ravens quarterback Steve McNair's ability to play this Sunday. ...
Count Sean Payton among those coordinators (past or present) who know what it's like to either have their duties either scaled back or to lose their jobs outright. Payton said he understands Ravens head coach Brian Billick, who recently fired his offensive coordinator, knows the offensive side of the ball and will do just fine calling the plays. Read more... The Saints first injury report of the week listed running back Deuce McAllister as probably for Sunday's game. ...Larry Holder of the McClatchy newspaper groups says Sean Payton put in an extra practice on what is normally an off day in an effort to keep his team sharp ...The Saints success and the NFL’s new ability to change some games to prime time late in the season may cause the team to have some starting times moved. That hasn’t happened yet, but the Saints game with Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in three weeks will now be played at 3:15 pm instead of Noon. The move was necessitated when the NFL switched a game between the Bears and Giants on that same date from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night... ESPN has the Saints rated fifth in the entire NFL in the latest power rankings. ...According to the Baltimore Sun, Steve McNair should play against the Saints this Sunday after suffering a concussion and sprained neck in the Ravens last game. Read more. ...Lewis, known to many as 'Beer Man,' was taken off the physically unable to perform list recently, leaving the Saints with the decision to either keep him on the roster or release him. Read more. ...From the Shreveport Times: The Houston Texans set themselves up for this second-guessing back in April and six months later the questions have only intensified. Critics continue to pick apart the NFL’s newest franchise and its most-recent No. 1 overall draft selection while the city of New Orleans and its Saints appear to be the greatest benefactors. >> Continue reading: Reggie Bush - Mario Williams draft debate continues That's what the USA Today is saying, that Drew Brees is a winner once again. Maybe not flashy, but a winner. ...A giant question mark heading into the season, the Saints offensive line has more than held their ground through six games, surrendering only six sacks. Read more. ...One year after appearing in the Super Bowl, the Raiders offered Sean Payton, then the quarterbacks coach with the Cowboys, a chance to coach the boys in silver and black. Read more. ...Alan Barra of the New York Sun sparked some strong reactions by Saints fans when he questioned how good the team was and said that he was tired of every publication saying the team would save the city. ...Kick return specialist Michael Lewis is now eligible to return to the active roster from the physically unable to perform list, but the Saints have a couple more weeks to decide whether to bring him back, waive him or place him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. ...
Alan Barra, a columnist for the New York Sun, said he's tired as the overused sports-as-metaphor cliche seems to have everybody stuck on the Saints and the city's plight this season. Read more. ...
With a seemingly overwhelming number of Saints fans screaming, "Super Bowl, baby!" the Lafayette Daily Advertiser cautions, don't look to the end of the road just yet. Read more. ...Sorry Terrell Owens, but Drew Brees has had the biggest impact as a free agent acquisition in 2006. Read more. ...All aboard the bandwagon, national sports media! ESPN has ranked the Saints 7th overall (behind New England, ahead of Carolina) following their 27-24 victory over the Eagles. Read more. ...From the Associated Press: Payton could be seen giving high-fives to fans near end zone sands following Sunday game, a sign of his approval of the Louisiana Superdome crowd's participation in the victory. ...With everything going seemingly against them at the outset of the season, the Saints are this year's 'Cinderella Story.' Read more. ...On ESPN.com, all five experts answer this week's burning question about whether or not the Saints are for real in the affirmative. ...Yet another sign that people believe the Eagles 'lost' more than the Saints 'won' Sunday's game. John Fischer of Philadelphia.about.com talks about the Eagles' collapse. ...'The Saints are Coming' sounded like a perfect anthem for the boys in black and gold, said Sports Illustrated's Don Banks. But after their week 6 comeback against the Eagles, one thing is clear: the Saints have arrived. Read more. ...Bad teams without a leader will often crumble and after the game curse missed chances and bad calls. (i.e.: Jim Haslett and Aaron Brooks. ) Good teams have good players that make plays to regain momentum. Cue Joe Horn and Drew Brees. Read more. ...The columnists at the Philadelphia Inquirer believe the Eagles beat themselves Sunday. Phil Sheridan says as much, though he does say the Saints are for real. Meanwhile Bob Ford seems to believe that the Eagles had a letdown. ...Saints head coach Sean Payton praised the Saints crowd in the game against the Eagles, saying that at least twice in the game the Eagles went from 3rd and 8-type of situations to 3rd and 13. 'I'm proud of the city and I couldn't be happier with the crowd.' Payton had asked for extra crowd noise after the Tampa game. ...Sean Payton said he planned to do all along what he did in the game's final minutes. He said he didn't want to leave any time on the clock and when he realized the Eagles were out of timeouts, he wanted to run the clock down to three seconds and give Philly no time at all on the clock. ...Advocate sports writer Sheldon Mickles points out that the Saints have started 4-1 or better four times prior to 2006, with the team making the postseason only one of those years. The team has maintained a 'one game at a time attitude' throughout the year. Read more. ...
The Philadelphia Daily News calls Westbrook 'The Original Reggie Bush'. ...From the Philadelphia Inquirer: Each week, coaches around the NFL talk about the passion of the Philadelphia fans. Yet there are few better authorities on the subject than first-year New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. That's because he used to be one of them. Read more. ...Hollis Thomas, a 10-year veteran of the Eagles and new defensive tackle for the Saints, kept his thoughts close to the vest when asked to talk about his past relationship with his old team. Read more. ...As an efficient signal caller, Drew Brees has a winning pedigree at all levels of the game, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read more. ...From the Associated Press: Whether Devery Henderson will return to the lineup after a two week absence because of a shoulder injury remained in question Wednesday, but his status had been upgraded from questionable to probable. Henderson has participated in the past For the Eagles, Donte'... According to a poll on the Philadelphia Eagles website, the overwhelming majority of the fans show the Saints a lot of respect. 65 percent said the Saints were a good team or a dangerous team worthy of respect. Only 21 percent said they were playing over their heads or were over-rated. 14 percent said they only worry about the Eagles. ...Don Benevento of the Philadelphia Courier Post writes that defensive end Darren Howard couldn't wait to get out of New Orleans. And he says that New Orleans loss is Philly's gain. ...Ex-Saints receiver Donte Stallworth, who had a big impact in the Eagles first few games before injuring his hamstring is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game. ...In a new feature on ESPN.com, Gary Horton of Scouts Inc. ranks each NFL quarterback based upon their performance of that particular week. For this past week, Brees finished 11th out of the 28 QBs who played on Sunday and Monday, behind Brad Johnson (Vikings) but ahead of Tom Brady (Patriots). ...Eagles safety Quintin Mickell expects an emotional return to the city he grew up in when he comes back to New Orleans for the first time since Katrina. ...The Saints have re-signed veteran safety Jay Bellamy to replace the injured Roman Harper. ...Jonathan Sullivan, the first round draft pick by the Saints a few years ago, who was best known for eating in the press food line during a road game, was let go by the Patriots this week. Sullivan never suited up for New England. ...Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Eagles credit ex-Saint Darren Howard for the defense's resurgence this season. Howard, returns to the Superdome to face his old team Sunday. ...Posted by: Bill Dicken at October 9, 2006 11:12 AM I don't know what crowd noise he was listening to but the 12th man was there and doing a extremely fine job. It didn't consistantly compare to the Monday n... Donovan McNabb is back and the AP's Dave Goldberg says he's better than ever with the weight of T.O. from around his neck. ...Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune laments a fine Buc defensive effort on Reggie Bush that will be forgotten because of one tremendously big play. ...Head Coach Sean Payton said he expected more out of his team and more out of the crowd at Sunday's game. Payton said the crowd did a fantastic job on third down, but that he needed them more on other plays. He said his expectation level was high for the crowd. ...Head coach Sean Payton said the Saints deliberately decided to use Reggie Bush more on punt returns in this game and that he challenged Bush to do better than he had. 'I said we needed to do a better job returning punts and I told Reggie that he needed to do a better job,' said Payton after the game. Payton said they challenged Bush to get up the field with punt returns. It had seemed that Bush had done a lot of dancing in an e... From the Tampa Tribune: Bucs coach Jon Gruden usually responds to questions about the shotgun offense with a detailed account of the reasons he chooses not to use it. His response to those queries this week was much different. Read more. ...In their weekly 'Winning Edge' (a.k.a., game prediction) the experts at CBSSportsline.com say the Saints will not only beat the Bucs but cover the spread as well. Read more. (Note: Registration required). ...From the Associated Press: As Tampa Bay began defending its NFC South title a month ago, Sunday's game in New Orleans was widely seen as one the Buccaneers were supposed to win. Much has changed in a matter of weeks. Read more. ...Bruce Gradkowski's family is flying from the Pittsburgh-area to watch him play in the Dome on Sunday. Read more. ...Jeremy Trueblood , a second round pick out of Boston College, will start at right tackle for the Bucs this Sunday. Read more. ...Ralph seems to believe that the honeymoon ends this Sunday for Sean Payton and Saints fans. Read more. ...Beyond the obvious (players get extra time to recover from injury), Sean Payton doesn't see the Bucs' bye week as being that much of an advantage when they come to the Dome on Sunday. Read more. ...From the Associated Press: This is obviously a first in Reggie Bush's many spectacular years of playing organized football -- four whole games without a single touchdown. So when does Bush expect to break through? He doesn't really want to talk about it, nor does his coach. Read more. ...From the Associated Press: Wide receiver Devery Henderson was at practice on Wednesday but his status remains uncertain for the Saints' return to the Superdome on Sunday. Officially, he was listed as questionable. Safety Brian Scott will not play because of a hamstring injury. The same goes for Curtis Deloatch, who recovered Steve Gleason's blocked punt for a touchdown in the Saints' 23-3 victory over Atlanta on Sept. 25. Delo... From the Associated Press: If things don't go well for the Saints at home against Tampa Bay this week, the practice schedule won't be the problem. Last week, the Saints were taken out of their normal weekly routine coming off of a Monday night game. They lifted weights and watched film on Tuesday, which is their normal day off, then were given Wednesday off instead. They didn't start preparations for last Sunday's game... From the Associated Press: Through four regular season games, Bush, receiver Marques Colston, guard Jahri Evans and safety Roman Harper have played so regularly that veteran teammates like quarterback Drew Brees say they have stopped thinking of them as rookies. Except for in one respect, that is. "They still have to get the chicken for the guys and get the doughnuts and carry the pads in and all those things,"... Clayton, a receiver with the Bucs, has fond memories of winning a national championship with LSU. Read more. ...Tampa QB Chris Simms will make his first public appearance since having his spleen removed. ...In what has to be a joke or just an attempt to register the site in case coach Payton falters in a few years, some jokers have started fireseanpayton.com. AOL Sports puts the situation in perspective with a wry reference to whom may be running that site. ...Jon Gruden is warning his team about the noise level they'll find in the Superdome. ...Tampa Coach Jon Gruden discusses his team and the upcoming game with the Saints. He says the atmosphere in the dome will be unlike any other his team will see this year. ...Saints fall from 11th to 16th with a three-point loss to the Panthers. Like ESPN, the Saints are the lowest ranked 3-1 in the league. They even trail the Steelers (1-3). What gives? Read more. ...Maybe it's a sign of respect earned after a hard fought loss on the road, but the Saints dropped only one spot this week, down to 15 on ESPN's Power Rankings chart. And while the people behind the list seem to be very high on Drew Brees right now, the Saints are also the lowest ranked 3-1 team in the NFL. Read more. ...Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Jon Gruden addressed the local media on Monday to answer questions about his team's gameplan for Sunday's match against the Saints, the team's third string QB, the health of Chris Simms and the progress of new starter Bruce Gradkowski. Read more. ...Courtesy of NBCSports.com: Wide receiver Marques Colston was picked fourth from last by the New Orleans Saints in this year's draft out of Division I-AA Hofstra. Four games into the season, he is a starter with three touchdowns, tying him for first place among NFL receivers. Not a bad start. He talked to NBCSports.com's Tim Woitkun about his transition from relative unknown to recognizable weapon. >> Continue reading: Q&A: Marques Colston - the Saints hidden jewel With one of the hardest schedules in the league, the Saints have a big obstacle to hurdle. Read more. ...Roy Lang III of the Shreveport times says the city so near the Texas border will have a hard time all season deciding whether to show the Saints or Cowboys games. Traditionally, it has been Cowboys territory, but Shreveport is in Louisiana. Since 1992 the teams have made it easy for the station for it's been that long since they bo... Charles Chandler of the Charlotte Observer says things aren't coming easily to the NFL's top draft pick. ... |
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