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Eye ON THE SAINTS |
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June 2008
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Tom Planchet: September 2006 ArchivesSports Illustrated's Don Banks says that every year some team rises from nowhere and he states the case that the Saints could be this year's team to do just that. ...Maybe Scott Cody was right. All of ESPN's experts pick the Panthers to top the Saints, except for Joe Thiesmann, who, coincidentally, saw the Saints in person last week. ...Sports Director Jim Henderson says Sean Payton is more in touch with New Orleans and its fans after three games then Jim Haslett was in six years here. ...Yes, half of CBS Sportsline's experts are picking the Saints to win at Carolina that's a lot of respect for a team everyone picked to finish last in the division against the team most picked would finish first AT the preseason favorite's home. ...FOX Sports has shown the Saints a than some of the other big sports outlets, ranking them 11th overall and AHEAD of the Falcons. ...
Yes, it's come to this already, the Saints are now seen as a measuring stick for a team struggling to get on track. Oh, fans are also asking the Charlotte sportswriter if the game in New Orleans was fixed. Wow! ...Linebacker Dan Morgan and tight end Mike Seidman won't play against the Saints on Sunday. ...Saints linebacker Scott Fujita was honored as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Falcons and quarterback Michael Vick. Fujita led the Saints in tackles, with eight and had one of the team’s five sacks of Vick during the emotional 23-3 win over the Falcons Monday Night. ...Even in France, the performance of the Saints, their fans, and the Superdome rang out triumphant. ...CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco gives the Saints an "A" in his weekly grading system. ...Slowly, but surely, the Saints are inching their way up the ESPN power rankings though most locals will probably still contend they are underrated. ...
CBS Sportsline's Michael Freeman says the script couldn't have been written any better for the Saints' return to New Orleans. ...ESPN's Michael Smith said that not only do the Saints have their team back, they have a pretty good team too. ...When the opposing head coach says that he even felt a little bit good for the city whose team had just crushed his, it tells you where the emotion was. ESPN's announcers - both the game crew and the myriad of analyst crews - had a hard time keeping their good feelings for the city and the fans in check. After a rocking pre-game show, and an emotional pre-game ceremony, the Falcons had to feel like the Washington Generals against the Ha... Visiting with the ESPN game announcers, film producer and director Spike Lee had a grim outlook on the city's immediate future. While he was excited about the evening, Lee said the fans were so excited about the Saints because it was basically all they had. He said that after the excitement of the game, the fans would go back to their trailers and he lamented that so little progress had been made on rebuilding. ...ESPN's Michael Smith, who grew up in New Orleans before heading for prominent newspaper reporting and ESPN television jobs, says the game tonight is a very big deal. ...ESPN's Tony Kornheiser says his days in New Orleans have been a real eye opener. ...Last year for the Saints was a season unlike any in NFL history says Brett Martel of the Associated Press. ...Michael Vick and Reggie Bush's similarities outnumber their differences, at least so says Larry Holder of the Biloxi Sun Herald. ...Sports Director Jim Henderson gives reasons the Saints can beat the Falcons and reasons why they can't. ...Former Louisiana resident Warrick Dunn, who has done community work and purchased homes for poor families in Louisiana in the past is looking forward to this week's game and he remains concerned about New Orleans. ...USA Today's Skip Wood says the Saints first contest back in the Superdome is more than just a game. ...Want a ticket? You'll need to get one from someone who already has one, because there will be no single game sales this year. ...Former Saint and Falcon great Morten Andersen is returning to compete in the rivalry he has seen from both sides. ...ESPN's lates have the Saints up seven spots to number 17 overall. ...Buoyed by their early season success and with the natural storyline of the team returning to the Superdome for the first time in nearly two years the Saints are expecting a media blitz similar to a championship game. ...Head coach Sean Payton is trying to heep a rein on high expectations after his team has started 2-0. ...ESPN's Len Pasquarelli says the could run away with the NFC South, especially if they can complete a 3-0 start against the division with a win in New Orleans Monday night. ...After blowing a 13-0 lead to the Saints and falling to 0-2, the media in Wisconsin is down on the Packers. ...Accusations that running back Reggie Bush took money and gifts while at USC, don't ring true for former teammate LenDale White, according to Los Angeles Times Reporter Sam Farmer. ...Head Coach Sean Payton said that you'll go a long time before seeing a team win a game with three straight turnovers to start the game on the road. He said his team showed character in coming back. ...Michael David Smith of the New York Sun says 25 touches a game is too many for Reggie Bush. What do you think? ...Sports Director Jim Henderson says Sean Payton is happy with last week's ball distribution. Meanwhile, Henderson thinks Colston is promising, but still unproven. ...From the Saints media relations dept. The team has picked up another fullback, this time from Green Bay. ...Jason Logan wonders if the Packers can get any worse. ...Current Packer and ex-Saints coach Mike McCarthy recalls his time with the Saints especially that magical 2000 season. ...The Saints signed fullback Corey McIntyre and placed Keith Joseph on Injured Reserve, essentially losing him for the full season. ...Scott Garbarini of the Sports Network says that despite the hoopla over Reggie Bush, the Saints are more than a one-man team. ...Several Cleveland area papers are very down on the Browns after their loss to the Saints. ...Sports Director Jim Henderson said that as bad as it was, Hurricane Katrina may have actually been a positive for the Saints franchise. ...Ken Murray of the Baltimore Sun said that Bush's debut easily outdistanced that of top pick Mario Williams. ... |