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Eye ON THE SAINTS |
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June 2009
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October 2008 ArchivesPaul Davis over at bleacherreport.com has a swell idea for the NFL to make up stealing a home game from New Orleans this season - give the Saints a Thanksgiving game next year. It's not a bad idea. The only problem is we're dealing with the NFL. Common sense doesn't cut it. ...The New Orleans Saints found themselves a new punter and kicker today. Of course, that could all change in a couple of weeks when and if the new kickers don't do well. But as of now, it's kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Glenn Pakulak. Hartley is a rookie out of Oklahoma who originally signed with Denver. A two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection, he was 47-of-58 on field goals and 169-of-176 on extra points in his c... For the second time in three weeks, the NFL has named Drew Brees the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, this time for his performance against the Chargers. Brees also won the award two weeks ago and was the NFC Player of the Month in September. I smell a season MVP if the team goes at least 9-7. ...Head Coach Sean Payton didn't have any new information on the allegations that three of his key players have tested positive for a banned substance. He again called it a 'league matter' and said that usually the suspensions are meted out a week in advance. He said he had no idea about a timetable or where the issues stood. ...According to the NFL standings, the New Orleans Saints are one of only 5 teams in the NFL that has not won on an opponent's turf this season (though they admittedly won a neutral-site game Sunday against San Diego. The rest of the motley crew are the Chiefs, Bengals, Lions and Texans. ...I know things change from year to year and what look to be tough opponents one year turn into easy opponents and vice-versa. But this article in Bleacher Report has to make Saints fans worry about 2009. Currently the Saints will have home games against Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta - all proving to be good teams. But the... Despite losing the London Bowl, Vic Carucci of NFL.com figures the Chargers have a better shot at the postseason in their weak AFC division than the Saints do in their ultra-competitive NFC South. ...That's what ESPN's Pat Yasinkas wants to know after he watched Deuce McAllister re-emerge, only to face the possibility that he won't be playing for a while. ...
A Colorado TV station is citing a league source as reporting that Saints players Deuce McAllister and Will Smith are among a half dozen or so players who have recently tested positive for a banned substance under the league's steroid policy. The report from Josina Anderson of FOX31 in Colorado quote... Let me clear this up for everyone who thinks that I am crying, lighten up, this is a little diary of our experience in London as well as the Saints. ok Teddy and Sir Andrew. FYI, I am the executive sports producer, Joe Frisard. We woke up this morning and if you want any news of the Saints-Chargers game don't read the local papers. Not a peep about the game from the 3 papers that are offered at our hotel, but we did find a story in... OK, here is another update on how today went. By the way sorry that some readers of my last blog thougth I was crying, I guess no one has any sense of humor. By the way to our boy Kris, he's not the only one who suffered during Katrina and Ike, I lost my home and everything I owned as did many friends and relatives. Now back to the Saints, today they practiced at Arsenal's training ground which was windy and much colder than in the... When we last left you we were finishing up our stories for the day before going to get something to eat. The night didn't begin well, we got back to our hotel and the power was out. A little tough to get cleaned up or change clothes in pitch black darkness. I was able to brush my teeth but that was about it. Luckily, I didn't feel or smell that bad. We ventured to the tube or train and headed towards China Town and t... If you're like me, you're interested to see what the blokes in London are saying or writing about this thing they call American Football. As of Wednesday afternoon, not a whole heck of a lot. A look through the British tabs pulled up these stories: A story in the London Mail chronicling... Today the team hit the practice field for the first time since arriving in London. They are actually staying at a nice hotel/resort outside of London in a city called Watford, about 45 minutes to an hour outside of the city. The place is surrounded by a golf course and hills with a tiny European road leading up to the main building. The practice field is nestled in between several trees and for the media to get to it we needed to walk throu... Here is another update from us in London. Today is colder than the previous two days, about 50 degrees but the sun is out right now at 9:30 AM London time, 3:30 AM back home. The Saints changed their practice location for today, instead of practicing at Arsenal's practice ground, they will be practicing at what's called The Grove, just beside the team hotel. According to the team release they are only making selected players available to sp... Here is another update from across the pond from the channel 4 sports staff covering the game. The Saints spent their day sightseeing and we were expecting to see more of them at the designated locale the NFL and team gave us, unfortunately most of them either went their own way or decided to rest up. We did, however, run into a few of the team personnel and some players like Jon Stinchcomb and Kevin Kaesveiharn for a short time. They seeme... Pete Prisco says the Saints head coach misused time and management at the end of the first half in the loss to Carolina and he takes issue with the team having Drew Brees in the game chucking passes down 30-7 with seconds remaining. ...ESPN's Pat Yasinskas says that one day after an upset Jeremy Shockey let loose with some frustration following the Saints loss in Charlotte a more upbeat Shockey was talking about turning things around. ...According to reports, in the Sporting News, Reggie Bush will have surgery on his knee (scoped) and could be out for several weeks. He is not likely to make the trip to London. ...When someone thinks of Drew Brees, they mostly think of accuracy and football smarts, not necessarily the deep ball. ...It's amazing how the rout of a very bad team suddenly has everyone talking about how dangerous the Saints are. Overlooking the fact they've blown several games late, the talk is about how they 'could' be 5-1 with some made field goals.
Reggie Bush missed his second straight day of practice with a swollen knee while Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey are getting more practice time, according to the Sun Herald's Larry Holder. ...Jake Delhomme has engineered 15 game-winning drives, 10 of which have come in the final two minutes of a game. His most recent two came to open the season, bringing the Panthers back in the final 2½ minutes to beat San Diego 26-24 and helping Carolina defeat Chicago 20-17 in the final four minutes. So when New Orleans (3-3) plays Carolina (4-2) on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C., no lead will be safe unless it's a two-score advantag... ESPN did it. And now so did SI.com. They ranked NFL stadiums, factoring in ticket prices, atmosphere, players and other things and the Superdome and Saints came in 15th, which I guess is not bad. In fact, it's average, what with 32 teams in the league. So, fans, are y'all average? Tell us what you think. ...Saints quarterback Drew Brees was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 after his team's 34-3 win over the Raiders. Brees finished the game after going 26 of 30 for 320 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He leads the NFL in passing yards and is on pace for an insane 5315 yards, which would smash Dan Marino's 1984 mark of 5084 passing yards. Here are the rest of the results: AFC Post Practice Report Limited in practice were TE Jeremy Shockey (hernia), CB Aaron Glenn (ankle), S Kevin Kaesviharn (back) and WR Marques Colston (thumb). In regard to Bush sitting out with knee swelling, Sean Payton had this to say: Former Saints head coach Jim Haslett has admitted he made a mistake in 2002 by playing an injured Aaron Brooks instead of a healthy Jake Delhomme in the team's final three games. The Saints lost those final three and Brooks struggled mightily. Delhomme went to Carolina where he led the Panthers to a Super Bowl berth, Haslett was canned a few years later after never making th... The good news for the Saints after beating Oakland 34-3? They moved up in ESPN's latest NFL rankings. The bad news? They only moved up to No. 18 after beginning the weekend ranked at No. 22. ...I'm not necessarily sure I agree that what Sean Payton has done thus far - guide a team a team that should be at least 5-1 to a 3-3 record - has warranted throwing his name in the stack for NFL Coach of the Year, but Dallas Morning News writer Rick Gosselin thinks Payton should be in the conversation. I certainly see whe...
The Saints were absent in a top 10 list of what sports franchises Forbes thinks is likely to move. But New Orleans isn't out of the woods yet, as the Hornets found their way onto the list despite last year's big run into the playoffs. ...Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards had a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown in a huge Monday night upset over the New York Giants. His inspiration? Saints runningback Reggie Bush. "I watched Reggie Bush a couple weeks ago, and I said I just want to be like Reggie, so I came out there and got it done." >> Continue reading: Braylon Edwards wants to be like Reggie? NOTE: You'll have to scroll a ways down Williamson's column for his gushing on the Saints offense. ESPN blogger Bill Williamson's beat is the AFC West, but he was so impressed with the Saints dismantling of the Raiders Sunday that he labeled the Saints offense 'ridiculous' (as in extremely talented) and wonders what they will do wh... (4th Quarter) It should be noted that McCray gave the Gator chomp after the fumble. This will be my last transmission until the end of the game as I prepare to go downstairs for post-game interviews. Sain... Michael White of the San Francisco Chronicle says that the Raiders don't intend to challenge Reggie Bush on punt returns this week. ...According to The Advocate's Sheldon Mickles what the Saints lack is a killer instinct. ...Saints runningback Reggie Bush, who kept the Saints in the game Monday night with two electric punt returns, has been named the Week 5 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Clinton Portis and Ben Roethlisberger were the offensive player of the week for the NFC and AFC, respecitvely. Gary Brackett was the defensive player of the week for the AFC and Antoine Winfield, who blocked a kick and forced a fumble against the Saints, earned those... This is starting to feel eerily similar to the underachieving Jim Haslett teams following the Saints first playoff win. Those squads were always touted as being full of talent and offensive weapons, like this one. ...Though we've been told it was taken down it appeared the Saints tweaked the NFL a bit by using a shot of the obvious, but uncalled face mask penalty on Reggie Bush at the top of their web site Wednesday. I've got to side with the Saints on this one. ...From Bradley Handwerger: Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston ran receiver routes in practice Wednesday, though neither participated in team drills. Cornerback Mike McKenzie did not practice, but speculation is that he is just resting. Randall Gay and Jason David were working with the first unit. Safety Kevin Kaesviharn and Offensive Tackle Jon Stinchcomb did not practice. IR: Martin Gramatica, Tracy Porter, Olaniyi Sobomehin Signed: Taylor Melhaff, TE Sean Ryan, DE Jeff Charleston, T Montavious Stanley Waived: TE Buck Ortega Signed to practice squad: CB Darrell Hunter, LB Pago Togafau Released from practice squad: S David Roach, LB William Kershaw The NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports that Saints' cornerback Tracy Porter has been placed on IR, meaning that he is out for the season. ...METAIRIE - Saints rookie cornerback Tracy Porter had surgery to repair a dislocated wrist, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday. Porter injured his wrist in coverage when the Vikings completed a touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian on third-and-16 at the New Orleans 33. Porter got up slowly and had to be helped off the field after the play. "We'll be able to have announcement about it soon in regard to the time frame," ... This is on the second page of Mike Freeman's story on CBS Sportsline.com, and it's a few paragraphs down, but he says the Saints are 'soft' and that's why they can't win games when they get physical. Calling a team 'soft' is perhaps the second biggest insult in sports behind saying someone 'choked.' Freeman says the Saints have loads of talent, but tend to cower when they get hi... CBS Sportsline columnist Mike Freeman offers his apologies to Reggie Bush, not for the fact that the Saints lost and squandered one of the best individual performances in team history, but for the fact that he had once trashed Bush's abilities. ...
Pat Yasinkas of ESPN was pretty harsh on the Saints after the loss to Minnesota. He said they wasted Bush's amazing effort and he is critical of Sean Payton and asks whether the Saints were premature in extending his contract earlier this season. ...Saints quarterback Drew Brees said the team lost the game over 'stupid stuff' and that they beat themselves. "I felt we were the better team," he said. "Without those turnovers, we win the game." ...
Head coach Sean Payton basically said that players who continue to get false start penalties will be getting reduced playing time. In his post game press conference, he also said that all the great things, like the defense limiting Adrian Peterson to few yards, and Reggie's two great returns don't mean much when you turn the ball over and get penalties like the Saints did. ...Game over interesting play-calling, that's how. i'm no expert, but I wonder why Saints head coach Sean Payton pulled away from the run game at the crucial time. Instead of using the run and running the clock down, he called for two passes and both were incomplete. Then Martin Gramatica missed a lead-taking 46-yard field goal attempt. Then Minnesota drove down for a 30-yard... ESPN.com tries to rank each NFL team's fans. They say Pittsburgh Steelers are the best, with the Packers and Browns closely following. The Saints, though, ranked just 15th of the 32 teams. Here's the excerpt: "Bourbon Street is close by and that means the tailgate parties start Saturday afternoon. The party atmosphere fuels the Superdome. Wh... ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas makes the argument for Brees to be among football's top quarterbacks. He says Tom Brady is disqualified because of injury and Manning, who hasn't been his usual Superman self, doesn't make the cut. He think the battle is between Brees and Jay Cutler, who is busting out this year along with receiver Brandon M... Bernard Berrian, a offseason pickup and one of the Minnesota Vikings' top options at wide receiver, could miss tonight game after being listed as questionable. His absence could be a big boost for the Saints, who perennially struggle against the big play. Berrian is one of the faster wideouts in the league. And if receiver Sidney Rice... From the Associated Press: The Minnesota Vikings will probably be without standout middle linebacker E.J. Henderson this week. The swelling in Henderson's two dislocated toes has not subsided since he suffered the injury to his left foot in Sunday's game against Tennessee. He is wearing a walking boot to immobilize his foot and was not present for practice with the team Thursday afternoon. Vikings medical staff can't pr... Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline says it really is no contest, Drew Brees is the league's MVP so far. Prisco says Brees is on pace to set a league record for passing yards and completion percentage. While there is a long way to go, I don't think it is too huge of a leap to say that in Drew Brees and Chris Paul, the Saints and Hornets have two of the best in the NFL and NBA...
New Orleans rookie defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis went through individual drills during practice Thursday, but went into the locker room with a right knee injury. Head coach Sean Payton said medical staff was looking at the knee and didn't know anymore of that. Payton said Ellis felt his knee kind of "click" during practice. ----- New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month fo... A lot of people saw the Week 5 matchup against the Vikings on Monday Night as a huge test for the offensive line, since perennial pro-bowler Jared Allen joined the already solid squad in the off season. But so far, local papers say the team has disappointed, recording a sack in only two of their four games. That's good news for the Saints, who would love to get into a s...
Sean Payton said Monday during his weekly news conference that he had to find a way to get offensive penalties under control, specifically false starts. Wednesday, early in practice, Payton stayed true to his word - an undisclosed offensive player jumped early and the head coach punished the offense by making them run a lap. It was the first time Drew Brees said he can remember being forced to run during practice in a long time. ...At least, that's the opinion of Michael David Smith of AOL Sports, who observed Bush's output in the San Francisco win. Now, granted, Smith picked Bush's worst game of 2008 so far, and you can never discount how valuable Bush is as a decoy, but I think that's his point, that when a guy who was so exciting, is now a decoy, a dump off ... |
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