Jets deal LB Vilma to Saints for pick
February 29, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets traded linebacker Jonathan Vilma to the New Orleans Saints on Friday for a fourth-round draft pick in April.
If Vilma reaches certain playtime incentives and signs a contract extension with New Orleans, New York would instead receive a second- or third-round pick in 2009. The Jets would then give the Saints their fourth-round pick next year.
Vilma, who missed the last nine weeks of last season because of an injured right knee, had his production decline the last two years after coach Eric Mangini took over and installed a 3-4 defensive scheme. With rookie David Harris‘ emergence as a playmaker at inside linebacker, Vilma became expendable.
“I enjoyed my four seasons with the Jets and thank them for the opportunities they gave me,” Vilma said in a statement. “But this represents a new chapter in my football career and in my life and I am truly excited and fortunate to be joining a team that just a little over a year ago was one win away from appearing in the Super Bowl.”
Vilma, who will be 26 in April, had 118 tackles after being the No. 12 overall pick out of Miami in 2004 and being named defensive rookie of the year. He led the NFL the following season with 187 tackles, earning a Pro Bowl selection while establishing himself as one of the league’s top young middle linebackers.
That changed in 2006, when the Jets switched defenses upon Mangini’s arrival from New England and Vilma had just 116 tackles. He played in seven games last season before injuring his knee at Cincinnati and had 39 tackles. Meanwhile, Harris appeared to be the perfect fit for the defense, racking up a team-leading 117 tackles, including 20 in Week 9 against Washington.
Vilma, a two-time defensive captain, was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 27. He would have been a free agent after next season, and reportedly was given permission to explore trade options with other teams.
He should become an immediate starter at middle linebacker as the Saints seek to solidify a defense that ranked 26th in the league last season after giving up an average of 348 yards per game. Unlike the Jets, the Saints play a 4-3 defense.
Mark Simoneau started at middle linebacker last season in New Orleans, flanked by Scott Fujita on the strong side and Scott Shanle on the weak side. Simoneau re-signed with the Saints on Friday.
“In talking with people that are familiar with him, it is clear that he is serious and passionate about the game, that winning is something that is extremely important to him and he has leadership skills that he backs up with his play on the field,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. “We are aware and comfortable with his progress in returning from the injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2007 season.”
Vilma recently wrote on his Web site that his knee was “doing fine” and that he had started jogging, but hadn’t done any sprinting yet.
“We’ve consulted with our medical staff and spent time investigating the particulars surrounding the injury,” Loomis said. “We’re confident that he will return to the standard of play that he set through the first 31/2 years of his career.”
During his four seasons with the Jets, Vilma started 53 of 55 games he played and had 460 tackles, 21/2 sacks, three fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles and 14 passes defensed.
It was a busy day for the Jets, who earlier made another change to their defense by acquiring former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kris Jenkins from Carolina for third- and fifth-round picks.
The Jets also signed defensive tackle Sione Pouha to a three-year contract extension. Pouha, who showed marked improvement last season after coming back from a knee injury the previous year, had one year remaining on his rookie contract.
Sara Gagnon
February 29, 2008
Pictures of Lori and John Gagnon’s little girl.
Mardi Gras 2008
February 29, 2008
Pictures from Mardi Gras 2008
Saints increase ticket prices for 2008 season
February 28, 2008
by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune
Thursday February 28, 2008, 6:48 PM
The Saints are raising ticket prices for the first time in two years, ranging from $3 to $65 per game, depending on the seat location.
About half the seats in the Superdome increased by $5 or less, and two-thirds of the stadium went up by $10 or less. But there were some hefty increases in club-level seating and the loge corner section.
The Saints will offer one fewer game in their ticket package this year because their Oct. 26 home game against the San Diego Chargers has been moved to London. Fans won’t be charged for that game. But they will be able to buy tickets or travel packages for the London game through the National Football League before they go on sale to the public.
The nine-ticket package includes two preseason and seven regular-season home games.
Season-ticket renewal invoices will be sent out this week, along with request forms for additional tickets and change of seat locations.
Tickets won’t be available to the general public anytime soon. The season-ticket waiting list is up to about 35,000 people, Saints officials said Thursday.
“We used the same rationale and logic that we did in restructuring (the pricing scale) in 2006,” said Ben Hales, the Saints’ vice president of marketing and business development. “We have that expectation and obligation to keep up with average ticket prices in the league. But that didn’t change our philosophy of trying to make sure that our stadium is accessible to as many people as possible.
“No one is ever happy when their ticket increases, but I think they understand the logic behind it. I’ll say this, I think our fans are better educated in NFL economics than probably any other market.”
Hales and Mike Stanfield, the Saints’ vice president of ticket and suite sales, said Saints ticket prices are still slightly below the NFL average, and the cheapest seats, at $18 per game, are among the lowest in the league.
Neither the Saints nor the NFL release their average ticket price. But according to figures from other teams and various independent sources, the league average was somewhere between $67 and $72 per ticket last year.
The Saints had the fifth-lowest average ticket price in the NFL last year at $56.42, according to the Houston Texans’ Web site. The Saints don’t release information on the number of tickets available in each pricing section, so it’s impossible to determine the exact average ticket price.
The Saints restructured their pricing scale when the Superdome reopened two years ago, creating 18 different pricing zones.
The $18 seats are in the upper terrace end zone. The most expensive seat is $240 per game in the club level between the 20-yard lines.
All club seats went up by $65 per game this season, but Hales and Stanfield explained that as both a price increase and a “price adjustment.”
Two years ago, they said the club seats were underpriced because the full array of club rooms and amenities weren’t in place yet after the Dome’s quick reconstruction.
The next biggest price increase came in the loge corner seats, which went from $85 per game to $130 per game. That decision was based on the high demand for those seats in both the waiting-list requests and the team’s ticket exchange program, club officials said.
“The idea is to make the demand as equal as possible and spread it around,” Stanfield said. He said he thinks fans have embraced the Saints’ staggered pricing program based on the feedback he has gotten during the past two years.
Although the team’s 2008 opponents have been determined, the dates of most of the games won’t be released probably until late March.
Favorite Pics of 2007 Saints Season
February 27, 2008
Submit your favorite pics of the 2007 Saints Season. My vote goes to Little John Gagnon for tackling the footlong!!
I’m going to eat this whole hotdog.
Wow this is a big hotdog.
I did it, I did it!!!
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, KO Out for the count!
Is this thing on? [tap] [tap] [tap]
February 22, 2008
Here goes a post from the Austin chapter of NOTailgaters.com.
Saints tender Thomas contract
February 22, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008By Jimmy Smith
The Saints have offered free-agent middle linebacker Zach Thomas a contract, league sources confirmed Thursday night.
Thomas, cut last week by the Miami Dolphins, visited the Saints on Wednesday, two days after he visited the New England Patriots, where he also was offered a contract.
Thomas’ agent Drew Rosenhaus, who told The Miami Herald about the Patriots’ contract offer, did not return phone calls Thursday night, nor did Saints Coach Sean Payton.
A 12-year veteran, Thomas is the Dolphins’ all-time leading tackler. He missed all but five games for Miami last year with a concussion and post-concussion migraines.
Thomas, 34, indicated he would like to play for a contending NFL team, one “that makes sense for me,” he told The Miami Herald.
Rosenhaus said earlier in the week that he would continue negotiations with the Patriots.
The Saints obviously are intent on upgrading their linebacking corp. On Tuesday, former Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan, also a Rosenhaus client, visited New Orleans.
Thomas also was scheduled to visit with the Dallas Cowboys later this week.
The Saints signed middle linebacker Brian Simmons last year during the free-agency period, but he could not take away the starting job from Mark Simoneau. Simoneau is an unrestricted free agent this year.
Teams can sign free agents beginning next Friday.
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