Saints At 49ers: Is It A Trap Game?

To all of my faithful Saints family--I must apologize for having neglected my blog for a week and a day.  But things got so hectic as the first game approached that I got caught up and found it hard to rebound.  After that, I came down with a terrible cold or the flu or something that has laid me flat on my back this week.  I want you all to know that I do appreciate you though and I want you to keep reading. 

I was so glad that our boys handed it to the Vikings--Yaaaaaay!!!  It didn't matter if they'd won by 5 points or 50, just as long as they beat those guys.  My friends Marylyn and Joan ran across a comment from one of their (Vikings) fans steady making excuses for THIS latest loss.  Like I told my girls, we are soooooo over the Vikes.  They are no longer our immediate problem nor are we theirs.  No more excuses, Vikings fans; the Saints beat you in the NFCCG and they beat you opening night---PERIOD---DOT--DASH!!!!!!

But what about these 49ers?  They were humiliated by their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks in a game I was sure the Niners would run away with.  It just goes to show that you can never take anything for granted.  We know that they have a workhorse in RB Frank Gore, but did y'all see Anthony Dixon in the preseason?  I'm too familiar with Dixon who played his college ball at Mississippi State; he often gave my LSU Tigers fits!  He's a physical young back that has a burst of speed and he's often tough to bring down.  I look for them to try to mix things up with him.  They're passing game is somewhat of a question mark, but I don't think it will be as terrible as in the game against Seattle.  I expect the big TE Vernon Davis to take most of that action, the way Minnesota utilized Shiancoe.  And y'all know we've got Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter ready to defend, so that's going to make it just that much tougher for them.  I think Jonathan Vilma and Sedrick Ellis will both have another big game because of the focus on stopping Gore and Dixon, but that will also force Alex Smith to try to make something happen vertically.  Hopefully, he'll be so pressured, he'll turn the ball over.

Our offense, on the other hand, should have a good day, provided the receivers can hold on to the ball this time and make the big plays.  The 49ers secondary is sort of thin and it should have problems matching up with the Saints three and four receiver sets.  Brees should crack 300 yards through the air for sure, but once again, the receivers have to hold on to the ball.  That can't be stressed enough.  As for our running game, we've got Evans and Nicks clearing the way for Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush (the X factor).  Bush might actually have a breakout game here if Coach Payton uses him correctly.  Running against SF is going to be tough, but I think our guards should provide enough of an opening for Thomas to post decent numbers.

I think that the Saints really need to be careful here, but I don't think it's a trap game for them at all.  They learned their lesson about taking situations for granted when they didn't practice right for the Dallas Cowboys last year.  I think it is going to be a tough game though--very physical and hard-fought, another defensive battle in week 2!  But if they limit the penalties and turnovers like last week, they'll be that much better.  They showed a lot of discipline and toughness against a very tough Vikings team.  Let's hope it carries over into the grinder they've gotta face Monday night.

That's it for now.  Please remember to check my daily posts at http://www.saintsgab.com/ .  And remember, let your life serve as a blessing to others.

Cheer On Our Saints With Class

Hey, all!  Tomorrow night is almost here!  Aren't you excited?  I am.  But I've gotta tell y'all, this week has not come without some dismay.  It has been just as hectic as it has been exciting for me.

I received probably some of the most insensitive and stupid comments from Vikings fans this week that I have ever heard from any football fans anywhere at any time.  And I've got to admit, one got away with me so bad that I wasn't able to respond to him graciously the way I had some of the others.  He really brought out the BiSH (as Mo'nique says) in me.  But thankfully, I was reminded by one of my loyal Saints fans to not feed the trolls--to let the game do the talking.  I had forgotten myself briefly.

But all that reminded me that people are people.  And unfortunately, some people are extremists--they take anything too far.  When you start launching personal attacks against people you know nothing about because you don't like the way a football game turned out, that doesn't say a whole lot for you.  Something is wrong with anybody that stupid.  But they are out there by the thousands; we've all encountered them from time to time I'm sure.  It's how we deal with them that defines who we are.

I said all that to say this:  our Saints are the defending Superbowl Champions.  That means that most (not all) fans of all the other 31 teams are going to wish them ill.  You're going to read, see, and hear comments that you may or may not like--that's the nature of the beast.  The key is not to take any of it personally.  If other people want to be stupid, let them.  Don't stoop low unless you wanna rub elbows with snakes.  Remember that your team wears the crown until someone else knocks it off.  The Saints have class and so do we.

I've made a resolution that I'm not going to watch any of the usual pregame "gossip" shows.  No Inside the NFL or NFL Total Access for me this week.  Dan Hampton's idiotic comment regarding Katrina was enough to let me know to just stay away from all of it because I know there is going to be a lot of anti-Saints inflammatory rhetoric being spit around.  I watch football because I enjoy the sport.  It's supposed to be fun and a good way to forget about problems for a few hours each week.  It's not supposed to be something that runs your blood pressure up or makes you want to battle with strangers because they cheer for a different team than you do.  It doesn't take much to siphon all the fun out of what's supposed to be a good time.  A healthy rivalry is okay, but the Vikings fans I've heard from this week have truly crossed the line.  And that's a real shame.

That's all I have for now.  Those of you who will make it to the Dome Thursday, represent proudly.  Be sure to make plenty noise; you know how ever important the 12th man is!  Remember who you are and who you represent--the Who Dat Nation!   Please, be safe and be smart.  As always, let your life serve as a blessing to others.  I really appreciate all of you so much.  And don't forget to check out my daily posts at http://www.saintsgab.com/

Did the Saints NFC Championship Victory Spark OT Rule Change?

I had a fellow write a comment to me on NFL Gridiron Gab (Saints Gab) that really ruffled my feathers.  Here it is in its entirety:

Comment:


"I wouldnt be surprised to see this game turn into one that the league will be equally ashamed of as the NFCCG, as evidenced by the overtime rule change and the change and new the head of officials. It's clear that players were directed to intentionally injure a HOF QB who was slicing them up, and I wouldnt be surprised to see a few helmets speared into Bree's legs, along with so,e "longest yard" football. McCray probably saved his knees by getting cut. Too bad you cant chop-block a defensive coordinator, Williams deserves it."

As inflammatory as it was, it got me to thinking.  I'd always felt in the back of my mind that the reason the NFL instituted that OT rule change was because the Saints beat the Vikings in overtime.  I doubt very seriously if things had been reversed, there would have been nearly as much outrage and controversy over it.  There were many who you can almost believe had their lives betted on a Vikings/Colts Superbowl.  For whatever reason, the Saints didn't fit into what they wanted to see.  I could be wrong, but I know that the rules governing overtime had been an issue for a while.  I think it's odd that they waited until this year to see the need to change it.  I just listened to a lot of the commentators like Deion Sanders and Rich Eisen who were vocal in their displeasure with how that game ended, saying things like "the best team didn't win (that day)".  And there was little argument to the contrary--though Jamie Dukes did put up quite a fuss with Eisen on the subject
.
 
Of course, the Saints shocked them all again by defeating Peyton Manning and the Colts in the Superbowl (which is something I doubt the Vikings would have done).  All of their predictions and speculations flew out the window at that point--our Saints did the unthinkable.  But the next thing you know, there is this OT rule change.  I know that it won't change the outcome of Superbowl XLIV; thank God for that.  Nobody can ever take that away from our Saints and us fans.  I just hate the way certain ones have tried to cheapen and diminish what was obviously predestined to be.  The Saints deserved to play in the Superbowl as much as any of the other 31 teams.  Can anybody tell me why they would be so maligned for doing what every other team in the NFL wishes they could do?  Whether you agree that some of the hits on Favre were dirty or not, you've still got to understand that that's what the officials are for.  There were missed calls both ways; it happens.  But to make it your team's life mission to go out and intentionally hurt anyone is simply barbaric.  I hope that isn't what Childress is coaching this week.  As for Favre in that NFC Championship game, people, remember that he did finish that game.  He wasn't injured so badly that he couldn't play.  He didn't lose it with his feet; he did it with his arm--and that certainly wasn't the first time that happened.
 
That's all I have for now.  This is going to be some week with the start of the regular season approaching.  If you haven't already done so, check out my posts at http://www.saintsgab.com/ and comment over there as well.  There are going to be some great giveaways over there throughout the season.  You can't win if you don't comment often.  Also, check out my friend, Andrew Juge over at http://www.bloguin.saintsnation.com/ for more great stuff on our boys.  Take care and be blessed.  And remember, let your life serve as a blessing to others.  Two Dat!

Saints 53-Man Roster Taking Shape

I've gotta tell y'all that I have been very busy the last couple of days.  News concerning players has been coming in by the truckload.  Trying to get a lot of it confirmed has been a job within itself.  Today will probably be the busiest yet because the rest of the cuts will be announced later on.  I'll be on top of it as best I can.  If I don't get to come back and post here, please check me out at http://www.saintsgab.com/ for the latest updates.  It gets kinda hard trying to keep up with work and two blogs, so y'all please bear with me.

Okay.  Let's get to it.  Yesterday's cuts brought with them some surprises.  I was shocked that the Saints released QB Patrick Ramsey.  Although I thought Chase Daniel clearly outperformed him in the preseason, I really thought the Saints would go with the more experienced player.  They typically like to do that sort of thing when it comes to choosing between a player with more experience and one who is virtually a novice.  Maybe they're stepping outside of their comfort zone this year to put a new twist on things, you know--so they'll still maintain the element of surprise which brought them marked success last year.  Congratulations to Daniel who is now officially Drew Bress' backup.

I was also shocked they cut Ladell Betts.  I really thought they'd brought him in for the reason of actually employing him in the running attack; I figured they'd keep four backs.  I'm surprised, but I've got to say, not sorry.  I wondered how productive Betts could have been anyway coming off of the devastating injuries he'd suffered.  There just wasn't enough time to evaluate him.   If Chris Ivory is healthy (and there's been absolutely no word on his status yet), the running game should be on track.  It has been confirmed that DeShawn Wynn has emerged as the fourth entity on that potent four-headed rushing machine that the Saints love to use.  Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Chris Ivory, and DeShawn Wynn are going to be something to watch.  I hope they can at least duplicate last year's success.

For those of you who haven't heard already, also cut yesterday were:  Kendrick Clancy, Bobby McCray, and Nick Leckey.  I wasn't terribly surprised by Clancy's departure because they just brought him in earlier this week.  I was hopeful though that maybe they had become concerned enough with the deficiencies in the run defense to actually try do something about it.  It's bad, people.  And with AP coming to town less than a week away, it's past time for concern.

I wasn't surprised Leckey was let go either because all reports have indicated that the Saints have been quite impressed with Matt Tennant.  But of all the cuts, I dreaded Bobby McCray the most.  But we have to trust that the Saints know more about what they're doing than what any of us think.

Reports have also confirmed the following so-called "bubble" players have made the team:  Chris Ivory, Adrian Arrington, Junior Galette, Usama Young, and DeShawn Wynn.  Unconfirmed reports also suggest that rookie DT Al Woods apparently made enough of an impression in the Titans game to secure his place on the roster.  When I hear something more definite, I'll let you all know. 

The Countdown Is On: Kickoff Is One Week Away

Well, y'all--we are exactly one week away from the kickoff of the 2010 NFL season!  I'm so crunk already that I can hardly contain myself.  With the last preseason game on tap tonight, the next one will be the real deal.  I can't wait.

For all of you lucky enough to be in or who can get to New Orleans, there will be plenty of fun activities to get you ready for the big day. 

• The Believe Again Bash will be held Saturday, September 4, 2010 in Champions Square from noon until 10p.m.  The highlight of the event will be a pep rally (courtesy of Verizon) led by Coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees.  There will also be appearances by more than 30 Saints players, live  music, and the Verizon Training Ground.  The event is free and open to the public.
• The Krewe of NFL Kickoff Parade will be the first of its kind in the NFL's 91-year history.  A celebration of our beloved Superbowl XLIV champions, the parade will include specialty NFL floats and throws (beads) in the parade. It will also feature Blaine Kern Studios signature floats, the area's finest marching bands, local residents, local chefs and former NFL greats from around the league.  The following floats commemorating the event will be on hand:

 Rex Streetcar Float, a New Orleans-themed float celebrating that night's match-up between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings.

 Lombardi Riverboat Float commemorating the Saints Super Bowl XLIV championship.

 Smokey Mary Train featuring local kids who are part of the NFL's PLAY 60 campaign, committed to making the next generation of youth the most active and healthy.

 NFL sponsors EA Sports, Visa, Snickers and Pepsi also will have floats celebrating Kickoff.

The Krewe of NFL Kickoff Parade travels through the heart of the French Quarter, stepping off at 6 p.m. ET on Esplanade Ave. and North Peters, heading downtown on Decatur and North Peters crossing Canal St. to Tchoupitoulas and ending at Julia Street.

 Fans may line up along the parade route to be a part of the celebration. Fans may check www.nfl.com/kickoff for the most up-to-date information about the parade and festivities.

For everyone who makes it out, please take plenty of pictures and share with the rest of us who'll be sitting at home wishing we could be there.  Enjoy and be safe.

IT'S OFFICIALLY GO BACK AND GET IT AGAIN TIME!  TWO DAT!!!!!!!!!

Also, see my daily posts over at http://www.saintsgab.com/ where I am now the editor and loving every second of it.  Be blessed.  And remember, let your life serve as a blessing to others.

The Status On Darren Sharper

The original trash talker, Darren Sharper, is still on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list with that pesky knee injury he suffered last year.  So, we know not to look for him to take the field against the Titans on Saturday either.  I don't know about y'all, but I really miss his colorfulness when it comes to  talking smack about other teams.  I guess you can do that when you can back it up like #42 can.

I'm worried though.  There has been so much speculation going on regarding the upcoming roster cuts that I honestly have no clue as to what might happen.  Although I think it unlikely that he'll be cut (or maybe I just don't want to entertain the notion), some believe that Sharper could be one who gets the axe when all is said and done.  That's an unsettling thought.  We've all seen what happens when depth in the secondary gets thin because our playmakers start getting hurt.  Nobody wants to think about it, but it happens.

Coach Sean Payton has stated, however, that there has been "progress in (Sharper's) workout."  There's so much open space in that statement that I don't know exactly what it means, but I suppose the operative word here is "progress".  I don't want to read too much into it, but I don't want to take anything for granted either.  When it comes to the Saints roster, conventional wisdom is out the window.

As for D Sharper, he's keeping busy.  He has rehab, of course.  But he's also been involved with a couple of public relations events.  About his status, he says he expects to be healthy in time for the regular season, adding,

“My goal is to be ready for that Vikings game. I think I will be ready."

Then he went on to say,


“It’s disappointing not being out there and watching film with yourself not on the tape. But I feel good and that isn’t me just saying that because (media) is asking me in front of cameras. I am happy with the healing process. Now it is just about getting in football shape.”

I hope that Sharper can get well and soon.  It would be devastating to a lot of Saints fans if he isn't wearing the black and gold this year (yours truly included).  I believe that he is making progress in his rehab and I know that he would like nothing more than to get back on the field.  Let's all pray for a complete and speedy recovery for him.

That's all I have for now.  Until next time, be blessed.  And remember, let your life serve as a blessing to others.

News About Vilma Is Encouraging

When I saw Jonathan Vilma go down in the game against the Chargers, I froze.  I knew immediately that it was serious when he couldn't get up right away.  As encouraging as seeing him get up and leave the field on his own was, I couldn't help feeling a sense of dread, mainly because at that point, there was no way to even speculate about what the injury was or how serious it might be. 

Later on, I learned that he'd suffered a groin injury.  That left me even more worried because I've seen how devastating those injuries can be to a player.  But that same night, I saw a photo tag on Facebook from #51 and later a statement from him stating that he's fine and not letting anything keep him from playing in the season opener against Minnesota.  It made me feel better to see that he was upbeat and still just as determined as ever. 

Well today I found out that he flew to Philadelphia to see Dr. Meyers for a second opinion.  The good news is he won't require surgery to repair the injury.  After being assessed, he can begin his rehab which hopefully won't keep him out of the game very long.  The even better news in all this is that he actually might be able to play in the season opener--God knows we need him there.

I suppose if I had to point out any bad news it would be that we won't likely see him in the final preseason game against Tennessee.  Any fan of his knows how hype he is on game day.  He gets up with it in him and it spreads like wildfire.  It won't be the same if he doesn't get us all "crunk" on gameday morning, but to have him doing it on September 9th is the most important of all.  I will continue to pray for a speedy and complete recovery for him and I know the rest of you will too.  We need him on that field--his leadership on the defense is second to none.

That's all I have for now.  I urge you all to go over to http://www.bloguin.saintsnation.com/ and see how Andrew Juge thinks the 53-man roster is going to play out.  I just don't have his flair for that type of stuff.  I think you'll find his take very plausible and insightful.  Let him know what you think; he likes that. 

And always remember:  let your life serve as a blessing to others.