BBQ Dry Rub
March 27, 2008
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
Brees likes moves made in offseason
March 26, 2008
Saints QB says 2007 ‘part of the learning process’
Wednesday, March 26, 2008By Mike Triplett
If you’re curious what kind of guy Drew Brees is, this nugget should tell you all you need to know:
When Brees arrived in New Orleans over the weekend, he was excited to find out that the team got new carpet in the locker room.
“As simple as that sounds, you walk in, you see it and you’re like, ‘OK, it’s a new year,’ ” said the Saints’ eternally optimistic quarterback, who was eager to get back to work after a few months of recharging and globetrotting.
Brees said he even missed the media because, “We have exciting stuff to talk about now, expectations and free agents and all that stuff.”
As expected, Brees was thrilled with the Saints’ offseason moves — the new additions, plus the players who returned — and his expectations for 2008 are higher than ever.
“What do you think?” Brees said when someone asked if he expected to be back in the playoffs this season. “Absolutely. There’s no doubt. Any expectation less than that, you might as well leave the building right now.”
The Saints fell short of their goals with a disappointing 7-9 season last year, but Brees said he didn’t see that as a hiccup, but as “part of the learning process.”
“I think you have to go through an ’07 in order to achieve the things we want to achieve long term. I believe that’s what’s happened in my career,” said Brees, who was selected the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year after a bounce-back performance with the San Diego Chargers in 2004. “My worst year, individually and as a team, was back in ’03 in San Diego, and we went from 4-12 to then 12-4 the next year. My mind-set was that it made us so much mentally stronger, and I think that’s what will happen here.
“The only reason we’re going to be able to accomplish what we’re about to accomplish in ’08 is because of what we went through in ’07.”
Brees is personally delighted to be healthy at this time of year. Every year since 2004, he has been rehabbing one injury or another, some more serious than others.
He is pleased the Saints kept the offense almost fully intact, because he said there is a level of “ESP” between everyone when you’re on the same page for so long. He admitted that it was disappointing to lose center Jeff Faine to a mega-contract in Tampa Bay. But he is happy for Faine and has faith in replacement Jonathan Goodwin.
Brees has high hopes for the defensive newcomers, namely linebacker Jonathan Vilma, whom he called “special” and “dynamic.”
And he believes the Saints can get a boost from rehabbing tailback Deuce McAllister and second-year receiver Robert Meachem, among others who weren’t able to contribute much in 2007.
“This is always an exciting time,” Brees said. “Obviously once the season ends, everybody wants to get away and should get away. It’s a good time to clear your head, spend time with family and refresh. After a few weeks, though, you start thinking about that time in March, you’re keeping up with free agency. That’s when it starts to get exciting.”
Brees stayed busy throughout the winter. He took a trip to Phoenix during Super Bowl week, played in his first Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament, vacationed with his wife in China, went on a USO tour in Okinawa, Japan, with Saints tight end Billy Miller and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards and traveled to Hawaii last week for the NFL Players Association meetings.
The USO tours have become a staple of Brees’ offseason. Last year, he went to visit troops in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and he said it was a rewarding experience.
This year, he got to visit the beach his grandfather stormed in on when he was a marine in World War II. Brees spoke with his grandfather on an international phone while walking past the same landmarks his grandfather described.
“It was kind of an emotional moment,” Brees said. “I said, ‘What were you thinking, Grandpa?’ He said, ‘Well, I was 19 years old at the time. I was just trying to live to be 20.’ It puts things in perspective as to what those guys did back then and what our soldiers do now. That’s why I feel so strongly about those USO trips.”
Brees’ appearance at Pebble Beach was his first, because in the past he had always been playing in the Pro Bowl or rehabbing an injury. It was a great and terrible experience at the same time, because he and professional partner Jeff Overton missed the cut in a tie-breaker. They both bogeyed the par-5 18th hole at Poppy Hills on Saturday, when a par would have sent them into the final round.
“It was extremely disappointing,” Brees said after a deep sigh. “I felt like I lost a football game. Seriously, I was that disappointed.”
Brees, a single-digit handicap, also will take his skills to the TPC Louisiana today in the Zurich Classic’s pro-am.
2007 New Orleans Tailgaters Photos
March 26, 2008
CNNSI’s Peter King has Saints trading down DRAFT day
March 25, 2008
Peter King has the Saints trading from 10th spot to 15th?
What do you think?
T-minus 33 days ’til Draft Day, and I’ll give you my guess (and let’s be honest– we’re all guessing) about the top of the draft. By top, I mean the top 10.
1. Miami. Virginia DL Chris Long. If Bill Parcells is going to guarantee anyone $33 million, it’s going to be a 24/7 football player who he’d trust to marry one of his daughters. And Chris Long is as trustworthy as they come, in a personal and football sense.
2. St. Louis. Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston. The Rams got 5.5 sacks last year from their defensive ends. That’s 5.5. Total. Their best one, Leonard Little, is 33 and coming off toe surgery. There might be no team in the NFL needier at the rush spot than this team, and Gholston is tailor-made to come off the edge on the carpet of the Rams’ home dome.
3. Atlanta. LSU DT Glenn Dorsey. Trust me. The Falcons’ new GM, Thomas Dimitroff, is a very big Dorsey fan. And for all you out there who say, “No! You can’t take a guy with a bum leg with the third pick in the draft,” I would advise you to remember two things. One: Dorsey never missed a game due to injury in his LSU career. Two: Anthony Munoz was flunked on his pre-draft physical by 14 teams. Fourteen! And he only went on to be one of the greatest offensive tackles in the last 40 years.
4. Dallas (acquired in trade from Oakland). Arkansas RB Darren McFadden. Count me among those who think the Jerry-loves-Darren stuff is very real. If it costs Jones the 22nd and 28th pick in the draft, it’s fine with him. Imagine the Cowboy offense with McFadden. The best 1-2 punch at running back in football, hands down. Very good young quarterback. Good-enough receivers. Very good 1-2 punch at tight end. A left tackle who can hold speed rushers off the quarterback. Dallas could be Patriot-like on offense next fall with McFadden.
5. Kansas City. Boston College QB Matt Ryan. Just a hunch, though they’ll have trouble passing on Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.
Strange thing here. At the combine, Carl Peterson told me the Chiefs loved Ryan, but there was no way they could take him because of their needs elsewhere. (Offensive line, I’m guessing.) Then they sent half the front office to his workout the other day at BC. Methinks Carl does not want to be the man to pass on the guy he thinks will be a franchise player. The other thing this does is buy coach Herman Edwards one more year of rebuilding. Even if the Chiefs go 5-11 this year, they couldn’t whack Edwards until after they got a really good look at Ryan.
6. New York Jets. Michigan OT Jake Long. You and I and everyone else who does these things believe there’s no way Long lasts ’til number six. And he probably won’t. But funny things happen in unpredictable drafts like this one.
The benefit for the Jets: If D’Brickashaw Ferguson continues to be a C-plus left tackle, Long could play the right side this year, then the coaches could decide who’d be the best left tackle in 2009. But here’s my view if Ryan’s there: The Jets will hold an auction and try to get two first-day picks for this slot.
7. New England. USC DT Sedrick Ellis. Go back to those not-so-thrilling days of the 2007 playoffs. The man who is supposed to be the difference-maker on the New England defense, end Richard Seymour, played 12 postseason quarters against a decent but hardly murderers’ row of left tackles — Khalil Barnes (Jags), Marcus McNeill (Chargers) and David Diehl (Giants). Seymour’s pass-rush line from those 12 quarters: zero sacks, zero quarterback hits. Seems like Seymour’s gone pretty unscathed for that three-week no-show, which I would think, in Boston, would be something like Manny Ramirez having zero extra-base hits in three playoff series.
So I’m sure the Patriots want someone to collapse the pocket and a corner, not necessarily in that order. But I would be stunned if the Pats did not go for the best available front-seven player with this pick that it obtained from San Francisco via a trade in last year’s draft.
The Pats are in an interesting spot. Don’t put it past them to trade up if they’ve decided Gholston or Dorsey is the guy they simply have to have. Even if they sit at seven, they’ll likely get one of the four most highly regarded linemen — Chris Long, Dorsey, Gholston or Ellis. And if those four are gone, maybe USC outside ‘backer Keith Rivers is there for them. In any case, New England should come out of the top 10 with a premier front-seven player.
8. Baltimore. Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Ravens have no corners of the future, which, with a risk-taking defensive boss like Rex Ryan, is going to get them killed. Rodgers-Cromartie not only will have to make the jump from mid-major football to the NFL, but also he’ll have to be ready to play opening day, with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed jumping down his throat if he screws up.
9. Cincinnati. Florida DE Derrick Harvey. Five names here. Glen Collins. Pete Koch. Jason Buck. John Copeland. Justin Smith. What do they have in common? They are the five first-round defensive end picks by the Bengals in the last 30 drafts, and none made it big. Not a one of them made a Pro Bowl. Now that the underachieving Smith is gone, it’s time to find an edge force again.
10. Detroit (acquired in a trade with New Orleans). Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall. Matt Millen deals up from number 15 to get a 227-pound back with 4.4 speed … and coming off a 1,600-yard season with every defensive eye on him every snap. Nice back for the plastic grass of Ford Field.
QB Brunell relishes chance to play for Saints
March 22, 2008
NFL veteran says New Orleans ‘headed in the right direction’
Saturday, March 22, 2008By Jimmy Smith
When veteran quarterback Mark Brunell suddenly found himself on the open NFL market after being released by the Washington Redskins at the outset of the free-agency signing period, he suddenly had the opportunity to travel the country on a recruiting trip of sorts.
Payton said this week Brunell would be matched against last year’s third quarterback, Tyler Palko, also a left-hander, for the spot as Brees’ backup.
“There’s no one slated at any spots,” Payton said. “(Brunell) is a veteran player who I think gives us experience, a guy who has won and played at a high level. He’ll face competition from a guy like Tyler Palko.
“Those things are healthy. Mark’s a guy who’s familiar with the system we run, and I think will benefit our team and we’re better having him.”
Brunell — who’ll wear No. 11, his old college number, and not the No. 8 he has worn as a professional and that was worn here by Archie Manning (“I want no part of that,” Brunell said, laughing), said the Saints’ offensive cupboard is overflowing, which made his decision even easier.
“Drew is surrounded by a lot of talent, and a lot of guys who play hard and give it their all on the field,” Brunell said. “If you’ve got guys like that around you that have a lot of talent who are willing to really sell out and play well, that certainly helps you. It’s just a great group of guys, and I couldn’t be happier about being around that group. It’s a good locker room with some very good football players.”
He could have sat and listened to sales pitches from teams looking for a solid, worst-case-scenario backup, taken his time, eaten a few meals on someone else’s nickel, and strung out the bargaining process by playing one team, or one city, against the other.
Apparently, it wasn’t necessary.
“This is it, one visit, and it was a great visit,” Brunell said this week after arriving in New Orleans to begin working in the Saints’ offseason conditioning program. “I had a great time with people I know are just good people. I could really tell that this organization, this team was headed in the right direction.
“I had a real good feel about it, from Coach (Sean) Payton, to everyone here. I had a really good visit.”
Preparing to enter his 16th NFL season, Brunell understood that wherever he’d end his career, it probably would be as an understudy to a younger quarterback whose best years were ahead. He could perhaps fill the role of tutor/mentor to another youngster on the roster who’d be groomed to one day take over the offense.
The days of being the main man and leading a team to the playoffs, or a championship game, as Brunell twice did with the Jacksonville Jaguars, likely were in the past.
“I was looking for the best football situation and opportunity to come in and obviously be in a supporting role,” Brunell said. “And I tell you what: everything that I thought about, everything I was looking for, I found in the Saints. So I was very pleased that they had interest, and I certainly was very interested and I’m glad it worked out.”
In his career, Brunell has been quietly efficient. He has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 31,826 yards and 182 touchdowns with 108 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 84.2.
By comparison, Drew Brees has a career rating of 87.9, has completed 63.7 percent of his passes and thrown 134 touchdowns against 82 interceptions. Since joining the Saints, however, under Payton’s offensive direction, Brees has completed 66 percent of his passes, throwing for 54 touchdowns, 29 interceptions, 8,841 yards and has a rating of 92.5.
It’s the kind of wide-open system that makes the sales pitch a little easier.
“First of all,” Brunell, 37, said, “it’s good to have a head coach who’s a good guy, a proven coach who cares about his players and obviously has had a lot of success. Him being an offensive-minded guy, I’m looking forward to working with him and all the coaches.
“All the players I talked to love the offense, and from what I can tell, it’s a quarterback-friendly offense. Obviously Drew has done real well with it, and I’m looking forward to learning it and doing it out on the field.”
Colston’s not thinking contract right now
March 21, 2008
Saints WR becomes restricted free agent after 2008 season
Friday, March 21, 2008By Mike Triplett
The Saints’ entire 2007 season seemed like a sophomore slump.
In Year 2 of their current regime, the Saints were a huge disappointment, falling to a 7-9 record amid Super Bowl-level expectations.
But receiver Marques Colston was hardly to blame. After his out-of-nowhere breakout performance as a rookie in 2006, he was even better last season, growing into one of the NFL’s most reliable offensive weapons.
He caught 98 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns, playing especially well in December. He also played hurt through most of the year, participating in all 16 games despite nagging back and knee injuries.
“I really didn’t have too many questions about myself,” Colston said Thursday. “I think right around this time last year, I spoke about not being really concerned with the outside views of things. And I kind of came into the season just wanting to get better every day, and I think I did a pretty good job with that.
“I knew that if I came out and tried to get better and worked hard every day, that there would be a similar result.”
Now, of course, nobody has any doubts about Colston, the 6-foot-4, 231-pounder from Hofstra who was drafted late in the seventh round.
The only question is whether or not the Saints can hold on to him long term.
Colston, 24, is set to become a restricted free agent next year. And this year, he’s still being paid like a late seventh-round draft pick. His scheduled salary is $445,000.
It would make sense for the player and the team to work out a contract extension this offseason — especially if that means avoiding a contract holdout closer to minicamp or training camp. But neither side has shown much interest in talking about it.
“It’s not even really something I’ve thought about to this point,” said Colston, who admitted it would be nice to get something done and not have to worry about it, “but that’s the business we’re in. So I’m really not concerned about that right now.
“My major concern is getting my knee healthy and my hand healthy, and hopefully everything plays itself out right.”
Colston injured his hand during the final game of the season at Chicago, but it’s not expected to be a lingering problem.
He had arthroscopic surgery on the left knee that bothered him throughout last season, but he also said that shouldn’t affect him too much. He expects to be full speed in his training by next month.
“Unfortunately I’m a vet to the surgeries, so I know exactly what it takes. I’ve just got to be patient with it,” said Colston, who has kept up his conditioning on the stationary bike, among other methods. “I had a lot of irritation going on in there throughout the season. Now’s the time to clean it up and get healthy.”
It’s hard to imagine, but a healthier, more mature Colston should only continue to improve. And the Saints’ offense should once again establish itself as one of the NFL’s elite.
The Saints have every player back from last year’s offense, with the exception of center Jeff Faine, who likely will be replaced in the starting lineup by veteran backup Jonathan Goodwin.
Colston said he was happy to see the Saints re-sign fellow receivers David Patten, Devery Henderson and Terrance Copper in free agency.
“It was great to see all the guys back. We’ve got a great group of guys on the offensive side,” Colston said. “We showed flashes of what we’re capable of last year. For whatever reason, we weren’t able to be consistent with it. But I don’t see any reason why we can’t get back to that 2006 form.
“I’ve got the feeling that everybody’s back here trying to prove a point and trying to get back into championship form.”
Saints sign offensive lineman Lehr
March 21, 2008
Ex-Buc will compete for job as starting center
Thursday, March 20, 2008By Jimmy Smith
The Saints signed unrestricted free-agent center/guard Matt Lehr to a one-year contract, his agent said Wednesday.
Lehr, entering his eighth NFL season, considered an offer from the Denver Broncos before deciding to come to New Orleans, where he could compete for a starting spot with center Jonathan Goodwin to replace the departed Jeff Faine.
Faine signed a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team for which Lehr played last season.
“The opportunity to basically be with a team on the rise was important,” Lehr said Wednesday. “And everybody knows the Saints have one of the best quarterbacks (Drew Brees) in the game. It’s an explosive offense.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a couple of the coaches there from former teams I played with.”
Lehr, a fifth-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 2001, stayed with the Cowboys through the 2003 season, the first that Saints Coach Sean Payton spent in Dallas. Defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs was also a member of that Dallas staff.
He has started 48 of the 85 games he has played in the NFL. He started 16 games for the Cowboys at guard in 2003 and 26 games over two years for Atlanta.
Lehr fills a need for veteran depth on the offensive line. Goodwin, also a player who can fill two positions, will likely now face a challenge from Lehr for the starting center’s job.
Lehr’s agent, St. Louis-based Bob Lattinville, said Wednesday that Lehr signed a one-year contract. Lehr had joined the Bucs last year during free agency after a stint with the Atlanta Falcons.
“We’ve had a good conversation with Mickey (Loomis, Saints general manger) and (offensive line coach) Doug Marrone,” Lattinville said.
Loomis declined to comment.
The Broncos had expressed interest in Lehr before the recent firing of General Manager Ted Sundquist, and Lattinville waited to see if the Broncos still had interest.
Lehr served a four-game suspension in 2006 when he was with the Falcons for violation of the NFL’s steroid policy.
Lehr said the Saints told him he’d be given an opportunity to compete for a starting job.
“They said straight up the best five were going to start,” Lehr said. “I’ll get a chance to compete for a starting position. In order to stay in this league you have to be able to do more than one thing, especially if you want to stay in this league longevity-wise.
“I’ve heard a lot about the O-line coach there. I just want a chance to become a better football player and help out the team as much as possible.”
Lehr, 6 feet 2, 304 pounds, did not make any starts for the Bucs last season, but he did play in every game.
He said the Saints were a better fit than the Broncos.
“New Orleans was a much better situation for me,” said Lehr, who’ll arrive this weekend and begin participating in the team’s offseason conditioning program Monday.
REALITY CHECK
March 19, 2008
The Saints’ star runner lost some of his sparkle during his sophomore season. Now, Reggie Bush looks to rededicate himself to football and slow his Hollywood lifestyle
Wednesday, March 19, 2008By Mike Triplett
Saints tailback Reggie Bush had a front-row seat in the New Orleans Arena on Monday night for Hornets guard Chris Paul’s latest show-stopping performance.
The two young superstars live near each other downtown and have become friends. Bush said it has been great to watch Paul and the Hornets thrive this season.
But he also said it has put a lot of pressure on him to keep pace.
“Now I’ve got to come out and have an equal or better year,” Bush said. “I’ve got to get the crowd chanting M-V-P.”
Those kind of lofty expectations are nothing new for Bush, the former Heisman Trophy winner, No. 2 overall draft pick in 2006 and anointed savior of the Saints.
But now, for the first time in his football life, Bush has hit a bump in the road. Last year, he suffered through his first losing season at any level and missed games with a knee injury, also a first. And he faced more doubt and criticism than ever about his ability to succeed in the National Football League.
“I’ve had plenty of time to reflect,” said Bush, who turned 23 this month. “I missed the last four games. That really hurt me because I never really had to miss any games before. I had a lot of time to think and just go through what approach I want to take this year and how I want to go about this year and getting to that elite level of athletes.”
That approach is an increased focus on football and the Saints, specifically, throughout the offseason. He arrived for the start of the team’s offseason workout program Monday and plans to stay throughout most of the spring and summer.
Last year, Bush spent most of his offseason in Southern California. He stayed dedicated to his training, he said, but he realized it’s not the same as being around teammates and coaches every day.
“Last year I kind of felt like I could still do the same things out there that I could do here. I was (doing so), but it was also a little different,” he said. “Sometimes you can get your teammates in the film room, and with the coaches you get to go over little things that you can’t get when you’re not here at the facility.
“I definitely feel like there’s a lot that I want to accomplish this year. I’m a competitor, and I’m just trying to do everything I can and get every little edge to compete and to make myself better.”
Focusing on football
Bush said that will extend off the field, as well.
He has lived the superstar life dating to his days at the University of Southern California, attending Hollywood events and appearing in dozens of commercials. This year, he plans to cut back on some of those things.
“I’m taking a whole different approach this year in just how I go about my business and my life,” said Bush, who admitted he was humbled after a 7-9 season. “Cutting a lot of stuff out in my life and (simplifying) everything. As football goes and in every aspect of my life, I’m just trying to cut everything down. Cut a lot of stuff out. Cut a lot of people out, and just focus on football.
“These last two years, I definitely learned a lot. I feel like I’m maturing, and I feel like that’s what it’s all about. Maturing and learning. Going through life’s experiences. And football, it’s the right thing to do is to be here and working out with my teammates.”
That approach will no doubt be appreciated in the locker room.
A humbling season
Bush has always been respected by veteran teammates as a hard worker and a sensational talent. But some, like quarterback Drew Brees and fullback Mike Karney, suggested last year that he needs to learn how to be more professional in his approach.
Bush seems to have taken that advice to heart.
Receiver David Patten said he doesn’t think Bush needed to be humbled because he never carried himself like he was “The Man.” But he did say that last season offered a reality check about how difficult it is to succeed in the NFL.
“I think the expectations for him were so high, people were disappointed,” Patten said. “But at the same time, he’s still a baby. He’s still a puppy. He’s still learning the game. And whenever he hits his stride, the sky’s really the limit.”
“I think this league can humble all of us, players, coaches,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “So a guy like Reggie, his standards are real high for himself. He’s a guy that’s been successful; he’s used to winning. And it’s not by accident that success has followed him. He’s a tremendous competitor. And he’s a guy that I think will work extremely hard to improve this offseason.”
Bush gained 581 yards rushing and 417 yards receiving last year with six touchdowns. But he was never able to produce consistently as the team’s featured back after starter Deuce McAllister went down with a season-ending knee injury in the third week of the season.
Bush also ranked among the league leaders in dropped passes, with 10, and fumbles, with eight, three of which were lost.
A dangerous weapon
Several factors, in addition to increased maturity and understanding of the game, should help Bush rebound in 2008.
For starters, he’ll be healthy again. Bush’s knee started giving him problems around midseason, forcing him to miss practice time and lose some of his explosiveness.
He also won’t be thrown into an unexpected role this year, like he was after McAllister’s injury. One way or another, the Saints’ coaches will figure out how to better share the offensive load, whether it’s a healthy McAllister or backups Aaron Stecker and Pierre Thomas taking more handoffs.
The coaching staff will work hard to figure out the best way to use their unique offensive weapon. Bush is dangerous as a runner, receiver and return man. He was especially effective in the second half of his rookie season, when the Saints’ offense was at its peak.
“I like to mix it up, because it gives me a chance to do different things from different positions, and it gives me different looks. I feel like in that respect I’m more dangerous,” said Bush, who is looking forward to returning more punts this year. “It’s going to pose more threats to defenses when I’m split out wide or returning punts and kicks. Also, having Deuce in the backfield and with (receiver Marques) Colston, we’ve got so many weapons, that we can’t help but win in that sense.”
Saints expect big turnout at offseason workouts
March 18, 2008
Payton says Bush will take part in conditioning drills in N.O.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008By Jimmy Smith
Near-perfect attendance — including previously reluctant running back Reggie Bush — is expected at the Saints’ offseason conditioning program that commenced Monday with a team meeting at the club’s Airline Drive practice facility.
Coach Sean Payton said that, with the exception of several players who were attending an NFL Players Association meeting in Hawaii, turnout for Monday’s session was “near 100 percent.”
Payton said that Bush, who last year worked on his own in Southern California, would be a regular this offseason in Metairie.
“He’s planning on being involved in all of our offseason, which is encouraging and good,” Payton said. “It’s important for him, especially with running backs and the pounding they take, to be real diligent in the weight room.”
Last year, Bush participated in the on-field organized team activities later in the spring, but made only rare visits to the lifting and running portion of the offseason program. He missed the last month of the season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Payton said the team, not singling out Bush, knows the importance of the conditioning program as the start of building toward next season.
“We’ve got an outstanding facility, we’ve got good weather,” Payton said. “We’ve got a lot of things that are conducive to training. I think our team in general understands the foundation you begin to put together starts in the offseason. It’s not one single player. I think Reggie as well as the rest of the guys understand the significance of this time of the year and how it helps you as you move into the start of the season.”
Bush had a disappointing season as the primary back in the Saints’ offense after Deuce McAllister tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Week 3. Bush rushed for 581 yards on 157 carries and four touchdowns and caught 73 passes for 417 yards and two scores.
Payton, in a group setting with the New Orleans media for the first time since the day after the 2007 season ended, touched on a variety of subjects, including his team’s recent acquisitions via free agency and trade, logistics for the team’s regular-season game in London against the San Diego Chargers in October, the status of last year’s No. 1 draft pick receiver Robert Meachem and McAllister.
On if the team’s defense is improved by the addition of linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Dan Morgan, cornerback Randall Gay and defensive end Bobby McCray: “I think we’ve begun the process. We talked at the end of the season about areas we felt we needed to improve upon. You’re constantly looking at your roster and looking at ways, either through free agency or the draft, that eventually will help your final 53. Jonathan is one of those guys we’re excited about. Hopefully, he can help this club. That’s the big reason for us bringing him here.
“(Gay) and (McCray) are guys who should be able to help us. I think the most important thing is just having a vision for the player and what the player’s strengths and weaknesses are and how he fits to what you’re doing.”
On Meachem: “Medically, he’s been cleared. I’ve been encouraged with the feedback I’ve gotten with the way he’s running. I think any lingering effects from his knee from a year ago have all but disappeared. That’s encouraging. . . . He’s cleared and full speed ahead.”
On the recovering McAllister (ACL surgery) and the decision to defer a roster bonus until next month: “I think Deuce and the organization have a great relationship. I think it’s both sides mutually coming to a decision. I think Deuce said it best. I think it’s in the best interest of both parties to push that date back. He’s working hard with his rehab. I saw him today, and he looks good. It was certainly a decision both parties felt good about.”
On the acquisition of quarterback Mark Brunell and the future of former backup Jamie Martin: “Mark’s a veteran player. It’s no secret we were actively pursuing a few veteran quarterbacks. We were fortunate to sign Mark last week. That being said, I had a chance to visit with Jamie last week, and it probably negates his opportunity here.”
On the team’s plans for London: “I think the one thing that we’re planning that’s a little different is leaving right after our game Sunday to get over there for the full week as opposed to leaving later in the week and trying to get adjusted.”
VILMA’S HEALTH: Vilma spoke with reporters and updated the health of his surgically repaired right knee. “I plan to spend as much time as I can here in New Orleans,” said Vilma, who arrived Sunday night. “Of course, I’ve been rehabbing down in Miami and I have a trainer down there, so both trainers will be talking with each other and deciding what’s best for me.
“I don’t want to give a percentage, but I’ll say I’m right where I need to be. It’s been progressing very well and I haven’t had any setbacks, knock on wood.”
New and improved(by CNNSI DON BANKS)
March 17, 2008
3. New Orleans Saints
Teams that consistently win in this league are brutal in their self-assessment of their own weaknesses. The Saints obviously didn’t get it done on defense in 2007, and that’s why they went out and made an early move at each line of defense, adding middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, cornerback Randall Gay and defensive end Bobby McCray.
McCray’s signing could be pivotal. The former 2004 final-round selection had 10 sacks as recently as 2006, and his addition allows the Saints to shift Charles Grant inside to tackle, from where he can apply some much-needed up-the-gut pressure. With Will Smith at the other end, the Saints will put a pretty athletic front four on the field, reminiscent of the three-defensive-end approach that produced such great results for the Super Bowl-winning Giants last season.
I’m also impressed by New Orleans’ foresight in re-signing so many of its own key role players, such as Devery Henderson, David Patten, Aaron Stecker, Jamar Nesbit, Billy Miller, Brian Young and Mark Simoneau. Linebacker Dan Morgan adds depth at weakside linebacker, and the team on Thursday upgraded its backup quarterback slot by signing veteran Mark Brunell as Drew Brees‘ understudy. Only the loss of center Jeff Faine in free agency registers as a potential setback this offseason, even though New Orleans feels Jonathan Goodwin represents little drop-off at the position.
What they still need: Another cornerback to further strengthen the pass defense, or a run-stuffing defensive tackle who wins more than he loses at the point of attack. The Saints, at No. 10 in the draft, are probably going to finish just out of the money in terms of top defensive tackles Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis, so a top-ranked cornerback (Leodis McKelvin, Aqib Talib or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) in the first round makes more sense.
How much better?: From 7-9 to 11-5.
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