November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
It wasn't a good sign when St. Louis running back Steven Jackson burst into the Saints' secondary for a 30-yard gain on his first carry. It was even more troubling that the Saints went into halftime against the struggling Rams tied at 14, thanks to 100 yards rushing by Jackson. But the Saints can credit their adjustments on defense -- specifically their ability to tackle Jackson -- for helping them escape St. Louis with a 28-23 victory to remain undefeated. For the third consecutive game, Jackson, 6 feet 2, 235 pounds, powered his way to more than 130 yards. He had 134 against Indianapolis, 149 at Detroit, and he finished with 131 against the Saints. But after that 100-yard outburst on ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
Yes, the journey is getting tougher. But admit it. You're getting spoiled. You were sitting there, wondering how many touchdowns your heroes would make against a team that had given up 29 and managed to make only eight in its first eight games. That one statistic was enough to make you feel sorry for the St. Louis Rams. Then they kicked off Sunday, and you were introduced to a guy most of you Who Dats never heard of. On your fantasy list of running backs, I'm guessing Steven Jackson ranked somewhere down there, after names like Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, DeAngelo Williams, Ricky Williams, Jamal Lewis, Brandon Jacobs, Ronnie Brown, Frank Gore. In some cases, that's how it is ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
OFFENSE 2 fleur de lis. The big plays and the big mistakes canceled each other out in this one. The Saints' offense scored three touchdowns (a Reggie Bush run, a Bush catch and a pass from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem). And Bush and Meachem broke loose for runs of 55 yards and 41 yards on non-scoring plays. But the Saints also turned the ball over three times (two Brees interceptions and a fumble by Marques Colston at the goal line). And they failed to make a first down on their final three drives, which kept the Rams alive. The Saints finished with 203 rushing yards, but tailbacks Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell combined for 67 yards on 19 carries (a 3.5 average). DEFENSE 2 fleur de lis. ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
Saints officials provided few details on the extent of cornerback Tracy Porter's left leg injury but based on his body language as he left the locker room Sunday, it appears to be serious. With the aid of two crutches and a helping hand from assistant trainer Reggie Stone, Porter limped to a waiting cart, which whisked him off to a team bus and eventually the two-hour flight home to New Orleans. Porter looked up from under his hooded designed sweatshirt and declined comment. He left others to speak for him. "Nothing right now," Coach Sean Payton said moments after the heavily favored Saints remained unbeaten with a riveting 28-23 victory against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
He continued his recent struggles Sunday, throwing as many interceptions (two) as touchdown passes against the St. Louis Rams. He now has thrown one more interception (seven) than touchdown passes (six) in his past four games after throwing 13 scoring passes and just two interceptions in his first six games. Brees was sacked once and completed 18 of 26 passes for 223 yards for an 89.1 passer rating. "We're not content with where we're at and the way we've played these last few weeks," said Brees, who threw a laser to wide receiver Robert Meachem for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. "We as an offense need to close the game out when we're given the opportunity. We didn't do that ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
This story's getting awfully familiar, isn't it? The Saints went into St. Louis on Sunday, didn't play their best game, coughed up the ball too much, allowed too many rushing yards and suffered another costly injury on defense, yet they still escaped with a 28-23 victory. New Orleans has been flirting with disaster for so long now that it might want to consider buying an engagement ring. But at 9-0, the Saints remain perfect in the one area that matters most. "I don't know if satisfaction is the right word. But we're excited; 9-0 is a great place to be. What's even more exciting is how much better we can play," Saints offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb said while trying to put another ..."
November 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
The Rams may look harmless, with a 1-7 record and a sputtering offense that has them averaging an NFL-low 9.6 points per game. Still, the Saints -- who are averaging a league-high 37.9 points -- don't need to search very hard for motivation heading into this afternoon's game in St. Louis' Edward Jones Dome. Two years ago, these same Rams were 0-8 when they visited the Superdome and dominated the Saints in a 37-29 victory in a game New Orleans trailed by as much as 34-7. When asked what lesson the Saints learned from that experience, Coach Sean Payton said, "I think it's the lesson that's existed as long as this league's existed. If you're not ready to play a game, you can get beat and ..."
November 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
Called "The Greatest Show on Turf" during their Super Bowl-winning 1999 season, the Rams in recent seasons pretty much have become a comedy show. St. Louis (1-7), which didn't play last week, snapped a franchise-record 17-game losing streak with a 17-10 road victory against Detroit on Nov. 1. Against the Saints, the Rams will be trying to snap an eight-game home losing streak. First-year coach Steve Spagnuolo came to the Rams from the Giants with credentials as a top defensive coach. He built the unit that was the backbone of New York's Super Bowl championship team two seasons ago. In St. Louis, Spagnuolo has plenty of work to do. The Rams went 2-14 last season and 3-13 in 2007. This ..."
November 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"
The Green Bay Packers came close to reacquiring safety Anthony Smith on Friday but lost out to the Jacksonville Jaguars because of the National Football League waiver system. An executive in personnel for an AFC team confirmed what had been reported on nationalfootballpost.com, that Jacksonville was awarded Smith over a claim put in by Green Bay. The waiver system at this time of year is based on inverse order of the standings. At 3-4, the Jaguars had claiming priority over the Packers, 4-3. If Smith had been awarded to the Packers, they would have had to remove a player from the 53-man roster. A good guess is that the club would have released one of three backup safeties: Matt Giordano, ..."