The Times-Picayune’s NFL power rankings
September 14, 2008
The Times-Picayune’s NFL power rankings – New Orleans Saints Beat – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com
Posted by Brian Allee-Walsh, The Times-Picayune September 14, 2008 7:50AM
Categories: NFLFROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Top 10/Week 2
In one of the most stunning opening weeks to an NFL season in recent memory, the AFC took a major hit in the power rankings. Of the five teams in last week’s top 10, only New England and Pittsburgh survived and the Patriots lost quarterback Tom Brady to a season-ending knee injury. The top two teams _ San Diego and Indianapolis – both lost at home and are supplanted by Dallas and Pittsburgh with New Orleans breathing down their necks. Despite beating Jacksonville in Week 1, Tennessee failed to crack the top 10 because quarterback Vince Young is out with a sprained knee and bruised ego and will be replaced by backup Kerry Collins today at Cincinnati.
Last week in parentheses
1. COWBOYS (4) Dallas takes over the top spot by default after meltdown by San Diego and Indianapolis and injury to Tom Brady.
2. STEELERS (8) A healthy Willie Parker makes Pittsburgh a legitimate Super Bowl threat.
3. SAINTS (5) Faced with early season adversity after losing WR Marques Colston to injured thumb.
4. GIANTS (6) Despite key losses on defense, the G-Men still look solid from stem to stern.
5. CHARGERS (1) No excuses for letting Carolina steal one in final seconds at Qualcomm Stadium.
6. EAGLES (9) Should no more about Andy Reid’s team after Monday night’s divisional showdown in Big D.
7. COLTS (2) At least Peyton Manning had an excuse for his performance. The defense has none for its woeful effort against Da Bears.
8. PACKERS (10) One game does not make a career for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
9. PANTHERS (16) Big win in San Diego for Carolina and embattled Coach John Fox. Chicago up next.
10. PATRIOTS (3) All eyes on Matt Cassel as he steps in for Tom Terrific against Brett Favre and the J-E-T-S.
ON THE CUSP: Bears (20), Bills (18), Jaguars (7), Titans (12), Cardinals (16).
Bottom 5/Week 2
32. RAIDERS (28) Many more pathetic performances like the one in primetime against Denver and Lane Kiffin could find himself out of a job.
31. 49ERS (29) Might be two games off the NFC West lead after two weeks of the season.
30. LIONS (27) Had no answer for Atlanta running back Michael Turner.
29. RAMS (24) Another year, looks like another lame defense in St. Louis.
28. BENGALS (22) Explain how Baltimore’s slow-footed rookie quarterback Joe Flacco scores on a busted play from 38 yards.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Chiefs (32); Dolphins (30). Looks like both teams will be picking high again in the 2009 NFL draft.
For the love of the game
September 13, 2008
Time seemed to have passed Mark Brunell by last season. Washington’s starting quarterback as recently as November 2006, Brunell was demoted to third string by coach Joe Gibbs after that season and never played …
http://www.topix.com/nfl/new-orleans-saint…
Sunday at the Superdome: New Orleans Saints game is WON
September 13, 2008
Reggie Bush gave the Saints the lead aginst on a sizzling 42-yard touchdown catch-and-run midway through the fourth quarter.
http://www.topix.com/nfl/new-orleans-saint…
New Orleans Saints’ injuries: Simoneau out for season
September 13, 2008
Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune September 12, 2008 4:53PM
Categories: Saints
Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneSaints linebacker Mark Simoneau out for the season.The Saints placed linebacker Mark Simoneau on injured reserve with a lingering back injury that will require surgery. They also ruled out three starters for Sunday’s game at Washington – linebacker Scott Fujita (knee), safety Roman Harper (hamstring) and cornerback Randall Gay (hamstring/illness).
Tailback Aaron Stecker (hamstring) has also been ruled out, along with receiver Marques Colston (thumb) and defensive tackle Antwan Lake (groin), who were ruled out earlier in the week.
Simoneau could not be reached for comment, but his closest friends on the team said it’s at least a positive that he has some resolution to the issue.
“It’s tough with gray areas that linger like that. And you never want to mess with your spine,” Fujita said.
To replace Simoneau on the roster, the Saints will activate defensive end Josh Savage from the practice squad.
Simoneau’s absence likely will mean a permanent role on the team for rookie linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who was activated from the practice squad last weekend. But the Saints did bring in some young linebackers for tryouts Friday afternoon, Payton said.
It’s still not clear if the Saints are ready to activate veteran corner Mike McKenzie, who is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament. He has been fully participating in practice and preseason games for more than a month now, but the Saints kept him on the bench in Week 1.
As for Fujita, veteran backup Troy Evans is his likely replacement. Evans is primarily a special teams player, but he has filled in occasionally on defense during his seven years with Houston and New Orleans. He had three tackles against Carolina when Fujita was out for a game last October.
Harper almost certainly will be replaced in the starting lineup by Josh Bullocks — though Bullocks likely will line up at free safety, with fellow starter Kevin Kaesviharn sliding over to replace Harper at strong safety.
The most likely candidate to replace Gay in the starting lineup is veteran Aaron Glenn, who served as the Saints’ third cornerback last week against Tampa Bay.
New Orleans Saints’ injuries: Simoneau out for season
September 12, 2008
Saints linebacker Mark Simoneau out for the season. The Saints placed linebacker Mark Simoneau on injured reserve with a lingering back injury that will require surgery.
http://www.topix.com/nfl/new-orleans-saint…
DeShazier: There’s no doubting Payton’s move with Thomas
September 12, 2008
Posted by John DeShazier, The Times-Picayune September 12, 2008 9:43AM
Categories: NFL, Saints.
John DeShazierMaybe the smartest move by Sean Payton in a week full of smart ones was to release Hollis Thomas. Turn loose the veteran defensive tackle now, because the Saints coach knows his team will need Thomas later.
Obviously, it’s a calculated gamble on a couple of fronts.
First, Thomas might not sit around waiting for the Saints to call him after he spends the next month or so rehabilitating his torn triceps. The best offer might not come from New Orleans and while it’d make the most sense for Thomas to rejoin a team with which he already is familiar with the defensive system and the players, it might not make the most dollars. And if you think an NFL player ought to take a little less salary for his services, check and see when last he signed a deal that guaranteed the full salary.
Second, as much as we love Hollis, he loves to eat. It’s a risk hoping that a guy that big (330 pounds constituting his accepted playing weight), who before this offseason hadn’t established a reputation as a workout warrior, will maintain all the progress he made last offseason during so many idle hours. It’s hard enough for players to stay in shape during the regular season; Thomas’ season won’t begin for another month.
But it’s a move that had to be taken if the Saints were going to have any chance of having Thomas at their service this season. Placing him on injured reserve would’ve guaranteed Thomas wouldn’t play this year, and that tradeoff wasn’t good enough considering the amount of help Thomas could provide in the 10 games he’s projected to play.
Maybe this is a completely biased assessment because of a personal affinity for a guy it’s hard not to like, but Thomas, when healthy, can’t be any worse than the Saints’ second- or third-best defensive tackle.
All things considered, he probably tops the list and the coaching staff was as pleased as it could be that Thomas heeded the team’s advice, went to Duke University and accepted the challenge of changing his eating habits to maintain an effective playing weight. Say what you will about athletes being paid to stay in shape, but it’s not often that an old dog will try a new trick to stop eating treats.
By letting him go, the Saints keep him in play. And the reason they keep him in play – the reason he wasn’t placed on IR when the team announced its 53-man roster entering the regular season – is because he can help.
It’s a calculated risk, sure. But one that had to be taken.
Ricky being Ricky
Honestly, you’d think Ricky Williams would’ve learned by now to not enter into any contract negotiations without competent representation.
He signed the mother of all bad rookie contracts with the Saints in 1999, when Leland Hardy of the newly-formed sports agency fronted by Master P let Williams put his name on a six-year, $68 million deal that was based on incentives he couldn’t reach unless he was Superman.
Being the Saints’ only draft pick that year, because Coach Mike Ditka infamously traded away every Saints draft pick that year and the team’s first- and third-round picks in 2000 in order to move up and pick Williams at No. 5, he could have demanded every one of those dollars (and more). And he could’ve gotten almost every cent, because he basically was all the Saints had to show for an entire draft.
Well, after that fiasco, he hired Leigh Steinberg, who got him a sweet deal in Miami. It was a sweet deal Ricky infamously (there’s that word again) walked out on; he has owed the Dolphins $8.6 million since 2004, the signing bonus he was ordered to repay after quitting on his team on the eve of training camp in 2004.
Rather than play this season and become a free agent for the first time in his NFL career, Ricky signed a one-year extension with the Dolphins through 2009. His salary this season could be $2.2 million; next year, it will bump to $3.3 million and none of the money is guaranteed.
Now, we know that Williams infamously (one more time) has gained the reputation of being a player who doesn’t mind taking a puff or two from the kind of cigarettes you won’t find behind the counter at Walgreen’s. Since the NFL strictly is testing him for his admitted marijuana use and any other drug use (he has been suspended multiple times for failing to adhere to the league’s substance abuse policy), we only can assume it’s a natural high that again led him to undervalue himself so drastically.
“I trust my gut feelings about it,” Williams said. “I thought about it, I talked to my family, I talked to my financial advisers, and my only concern was if I had a pretty good year, then I might feel like I was under compensated. I brought that up to (team president) Bill (Parcells), and he agreed, and we came to an agreement.”
And the franchise, of course, only had Williams’ best interests at heart.
Granted, there probably already is an arrangement in place to forgive Williams’ debt. He probably doesn’t have that kind of money lying around and the Dolphins probably are willing to let him keep it if he does, as long as he runs hard and stays out of trouble.
But the point in hiring an agent is to let him do his job. And since Steinberg, by all accounts, hadn’t failed Ricky you’d think he would’ve had enough sense to let Steinberg do his talking. Otherwise, why pay Steinberg?
First-and-10: Week 2 Saints lagniappe
September 12, 2008
First-and-10: Week 2 Saints lagniappe – Jeff Duncan on Saints – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com
Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune September 11, 2008 4:49PM
Categories: SaintsToday marks the debut of what will be a weekly Thursday staple of the Insider blog: the first-and-10 column. It’s basically a mid-week All Saints Things Considered, some offbeat lagniappe to The Times-Picayune’s regular weekly coverage of the team. Enjoy.
First (take) …
I like how defensive end Will Smith has become the de facto “enforcer” of the team. He came to the defense of Kendrick Clancy on Sunday when ex-teammate Jeff Faine was giving Clancy “the business” on the pile at the end of a play in the second quarter.
Smith basically ground Faine into the bottom of the pile after seeing him do likewise to Clancy.
Smith’s actions incited a pair of Bucs linemen to retaliate. As is often the case, right tackle Jeremy Trueblood was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct and penalized 15 yards.
The penalty essentially killed a promising Bucs drive and they were forced to punt. Veteran move by Smith.
Smith’s aggressiveness sometimes gets the best of him and results in an ill-timed personal foul penalty or three. (He ranked among the league leaders last season in personal foul penalties). But it’s a trade-off the Saints are willing to accept.
Every team needs an enforcer like Smith. His offensive counterpart, by the way, is left tackle Jammal Brown, another take-no-prisoners type.
Together they form the best one-two enforcer punch since Joe Johnson and Kyle Turley roamed the Superdome sideline.
… And 10 (more observations)
1. Casual locker-room observation of the week: Reggie Bush is much more outgoing in the locker room this year and that’s a good thing. In his first two seasons, Bush was extremely guarded — almost standoffish — especially around reporters. But he’s loosened up considerably this season. Whether it’s intentional or just plain old maturity, he’s clearly more comfortable in his surroundings.
2. Casual locker-room observation of the week, Part II: The Saints love Sonic. It amazes me that the team gets all this nice, catered food at the cafeteria each day yet they send the rookie players out for fast-food lunches whenever possible. They bum-rushed the bags of free Sonic burgers and fries in the locker room like a pack of wild jackals today. Crazy.
3. Off-the-field note of the week: Deuce McAllister said the top of his chimney at his Luling home got blown off during Gustav. Jon Stinchcomb said the gutters of his Kenner home were damaged. Devery Henderson’s family in Opelousas made it through the storm OK but they’re still living without power. No one was complaining, but it shows you these guys are human, too. They’re dealing with a lot of the same issues we all are these days albeit with deeper pockets. “It’s all about perspective,” Stinchcomb said. “All of our perspectives changed after Katrina.”
4. Quote of the week: “Nah, man. Did you ever see Shawshank Redemption? Don’t you know we’re all innocent in here.” – Tight end Jeremy Shockey denying that he was fined last week for his emotional outburst on the field.
5. Didya know of the week: On one of those red-zone plays, Tampa Bay’s Greg White sacked Drew Brees for a 6-yard loss, making it the first time Brees had been sacked in the red zone since 2006. He wasn’t sacked once in 84 red-zone passing attempts a year ago.
6. Stat of the week: After ranking among the league leaders in dropped passes the past two seasons, the Saints didn’t drop a pass in Week 1. The balls that did hit the ground – one by Marques Colston, another by Bush – were caused by solid break-ups by the Bucs’ defense.
7. Strange stat of the week: The Saints ran only four plays inside the Bucs’ red zone last week, all in the third quarter. That’s what happens when you score touchdowns from 39, 84 and 42 yards out.
8. Something I liked from Week 1: Nice to see Sean Payton recognize director of operations James Nagaoka, equipment manager Dan Simmons and video director Dave Desposito with game balls. Most Saints fans have never heard of these guys but they are keys parts of the football operations engine. It’s nice to see them rewarded for their hard work during a tough week in Indy.
9. Something I didn’t like from Week 1: The tackling from the secondary. Not to be Debbie Downer, but for all the praise the defensive backs received for their pass coverage they nearly squandered it all with their poor tackling. Josh Bullocks and Tracy Porter each missed a pair of key tackles in the second half. Randall Gay and Jason Craft also missed tackles. Saints opponents undoubtedly saw that on film. Look for them to test Porter until he can prove his tackling skills are NFL-worthy.
10. Fearless prediction for Week 2: Pierre Thomas or Reggie Bush will get their second career 100-yard rushing game this week. The Redskins yielded 154 rushing yards to the Giants last week and look for the Saints to try to exploit that weakness.
New Orleans Saints Sept. 11 practice report
September 12, 2008
New Orleans Saints Sept. 11 practice report – New Orleans Saints Beat – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com
Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune September 11, 2008 2:06PM
Categories: SaintsApparently, defensive tackle Hollis Thomas was released with an injury settlement rather than placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, making him eligible to re-sign with the Saints or any other NFL team this season.
Saints Coach Sean Payton explained that the Saints decided to keep that window open, even if it meant possibly losing Thomas to another team. If Thomas had been placed on injured reserve, he would not have been eligible to return this season.
Payton said the Saints will stay in touch with Thomas as he continues to rehab from his torn triceps, with the possibility of bringing him back down the road.
…
Linebacker Scott Fujita (knee bruise), safety Roman Harper (hamstring), cornerback Randall Gay (hamstring/illness), linebacker Mark Simoneau (back), defensive tackle Alvin McKinley (foot), receiver Marques Colston (thumb) and defensive tackle Antwan Lake (groin) did not practice Thursday. Tailback Aaron Stecker (hamstring) was limited.
Colston and Lake are the only ones who have been ruled out for Sunday’s game with the Redskins so far. But missing both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices is never a good sign, so Fujita, Harper and Gay should all be considered questionable at best.
If Gay is out, veteran Aaron Glenn would be most likely to replace him in the starting lineup. Troy Evans would be Fujita’s primary backup, and Josh Bullocks would move into the starting lineup at free safety, with Kevin Kaesviharn sliding over to strong safety to replace Harper. The official injury report will come out Friday.
McKinley, the veteran tackle who replaced Thomas on the roster Wednesday, hurt his left foot during his first practice with the Saints – a frustrating development, Payton admitted.
Reshuffled secondary for the Saints
September 12, 2008
Reshuffled secondary for the Saints – Jeff Duncan on Saints – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com
Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune September 11, 2008 1:10PM
Categories: SaintsA quick update from Thursday’s practice:
Roman Harper and Randall Gay were out again. That left the starting defensive backfield as Aaron Glenn and Tracy Porter at cornerback and Kevin Kaesviharn and Jason Bullocks at safety.
It’s unclear if that lineup will hold up for Sunday’s game against the Redskins, but I’d count on it since neither Harper or Gay worked on Wednesday and Thursday, the two main days of game-plan installation.
One other interesting note, the new guy, defensive tackle Alvin McKinley, was sidelined. He joined Gay and Harper on the exercise bike.
Not sure what that’s about. None of the Denver media outlets reported McKinley with an injury when he was released on Sept. 2.
We’ll get the word from Saints Coach Sean Payton when he addresses reporters after practice today.
Colston takes a lot of production to sideline
September 12, 2008
Posted by John DeShazier, The Times-Picayune September 11, 2008 9:36AM
Categories: SaintsThe one player the Saints can’t afford to lose is Drew Brees. Few teams are as dependent on their quarterback as is New Orleans on Brees, and few quarterbacks deliver as well or as consistently as has Brees for New Orleans.
But Marques Colston isn’t that far behind Brees on the can’t-do-without-him list. And chances are we’ll see just how valuable he is during the next four to six weeks, during which he’s scheduled to be sidelined after having surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left thumb.
Losing a No. 1 receiver isn’t always as simple as saying other guys will pick up the slack, even in an offense as sleek as the Saints’. It’s not as easy as saying second-year receiver Robert Meachem (finally) will be activated for a game, tight end Jeremy Shockey will have an expanded role, Coach Sean Payton will tweak the play calling and the Saints’ offense will continue to be as efficient as it has been, or close to it.
Probably, the truth is a little harsher than that. Now – on paper and via accomplishment – the Saints have no receiver who will command the kind of respect Colston does. They don’t have one who has the reputation for making the tough, in-a-crowd catch or one that has had a single 1,000-yard receiving season in the NFL. Colston has two.
Colston’s 1,202 receiving yards last season represented 27 percent of the team’s 4,423 receiving yards, and his 11 touchdowns represented 39 percent of the 28 that Brees threw last year.
Now, I’m not suggesting the Saints won’t be able to throw the ball and Brees won’t have anyone to throw touchdowns to. He passed for more than 300 yards in the season opener and threw three touchdowns to players not named Marques Colston.
New Orleans still has a few weapons to turn to. Reggie Bush out of the backfield or in the slot very well could be the team’s best option at receiver. Shockey obviously will help; he’s a four-time Pro Bowler. Devery Henderson is a nice deep threat, though an inconsistent catcher. Lance Moore is fearless and has good hands. David Patten came on strong at the end of last season. Meachem, we’ve heard, has the tools if not the know-how.
So the well isn’t dry, and it would be misleading to suggest that it is. But it has a few buckets less water now than it did a week ago.
At least now, Meachem gets to put on a game jersey. It’s a shame that it took an injury to Colston for it to happen, but that speaks volumes about how much faith Payton has had in last year’s first-round pick. If he hasn’t been good enough even to dress for the first 17 games of his NFL career, the chances of him playing a significant role in Colston’s absence seem pretty remote.
Colston, we know, is an impact player. The Saints won’t exactly fall apart in his absence, but they sure as heck won’t be nearly the same without him, either.
Home, sweet home
You get the feeling LSU fans would rather walk on glass, dine on unseasoned crawfish and sleep in a Tulane jersey rather than watch the Tigers play anywhere other than Tiger Stadium. So, for all involved, it’s a fabulous thing that LSU will be playing North Texas at home Saturday night, where the Tigers belong.
It’s a sign that the campus and city are bouncing back – maybe not quite as quickly and thoroughly as everyone would like, but nonetheless bouncing back. And it’s a sign that Hurricane Ike is far enough away that school officials feel comfortable allowing the game to be played at Tiger Stadium.
That’s not to celebrate the fact that Ike appears poised to hit another city, and hit it hard. No one wants the storm to pass without causing significant damage more than the weary residents of southeast Louisiana, who’ve spent the last couple of weeks watching The Weather Channel with crossed fingers and packed suitcases.
Rather, after having last week’s game against Troy postponed and rescheduled for Nov. 15, it’s just a chance for LSU and Baton Rouge to get back to doing what they normally would be doing. And for LSU fans to do that, too.
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