June 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Officially Tom Benson owns and runs the New Orleans Saints. Unofficially it's Drew Brees' team. Three years after Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton made the prescient decision to sign Brees, he clearly has become more than just a franchise quarterback. He's the franchise. Loomis and Payton call the shots. Benson signs the checks. But Brees is the face and force of the organization. No Saint in the 43-year history of the franchise has brokered more power. In fact, Brees arguably wields more clout than any player in today's NFL, perhaps as much as any athlete in American professional sports. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Chris Paul enjoy similar perches in the NBA, where superstars with ..."
June 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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La'Roi Glover introduced himself to the NFL in 1997. His career actually began a year earlier when the Oakland Raiders selected him in the fifth round of the draft and then unceremoniously released him a year later. But his official introduction came in Week 5 in East Rutherford, N.J. The then-unknown Saints defensive tackle gave a veteran Giants offensive line fits for four quarters in a 14-9 New York win. As Glover exited the field through the tunnel at Giants Stadium, he felt a tug at his jersey. "Who the hell are you?" Glover recalled a couple of Giants veterans asking. "I don't know who you are, but you're a good player. Keep it up." Glover did just that. Over the next dozen ..."
June 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Maybe Marques Colston simply was due for a little misfortune. Having given him so much, maybe the football gods figured it was time to balance the scales and take away something. Something like, say, enough of Colston's health to dilute his dominance and basically spoil his 2008 NFL season, after blessing him with enough talent and circumstance that he rose from obscurity (the No. 252 overall pick in the 2006 draft, the fourth-from-last player drafted) to stardom (168 receptions in his first two seasons, an NFL record, for 2,240 yards and 19 touchdowns). "You're going to face adversity in any season, and last year was just my turn," Colston said. "There's really not much to learn from ..."
June 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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La'Roi Glover introduced himself to the NFL in 1997. His career actually began a year earlier when the Oakland Raiders selected him in the fifth round of the draft and then unceremoniously released him a year later. But his official introduction came in Week 5 in East Rutherford, N.J. The then-unknown Saints defensive tackle gave a veteran Giants offensive line fits for four quarters in a 14-9 New York win. As Glover exited the field through the tunnel at Giants Stadium, he felt a tug at his jersey. "Who the hell are you?" Glover recalled a couple of Giants veterans asking. "I don't know who you are, but you're a good player. Keep it up." Glover did just that. Over the next dozen ..."
June 21
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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It is said two things in life are guaranteed -- death and taxes. Former Saints coach Jim Mora believes he has discovered one more certainty. "I don't think there's any question that Willie Roaf will end up in Canton, Ohio," Mora said. "He is a definite Canton guy, no question about it." That's the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, where the crème de la crème of NFL players are enshrined at the end of their illustrious careers. Roaf, who played the first nine of his 13 NFL seasons in New Orleans before his retirement from the Chiefs in 2005, will become eligible for induction with the Class of 2011. Roaf, 39, already belongs to the Saints Hall of Fame (2008) and Arkansas Sports ..."
June 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The Saints put a wrap on their most productive offseason program of the Sean Payton era Thursday, leaving 41 days until players report to training camp July 30. "I was pleased not only with the OTAs and the minicamp, but most importantly the offseason lifting program," Payton said after the last of 12 organized team activities that included a scavenger hunt in the French Quarter. "The goal for these guys during this whole offseason is 40 workouts, and we were above 90 percent of the team that had gotten 40 workouts. That's clearly the highest that we've had since we've been here." Payton put his team through a spirited hourlong workout indoors, then addressed the group one last time ..."
June 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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With 54 interceptions in his 12-year career, new Saints safety Darren Sharper has left plenty of victims in his wake. One of them is new teammate Drew Brees, who recalled in vivid detail his first encounter with the four-time All-Pro. "It was unbelievable," Brees said of a play in 2003, when he was with the San Diego Chargers and Sharper was with the Green Bay Packers. "He was blitzing off the edge from the free safety position. And I'm throwing just this little quick pass to David Boston out there. I catch the ball in the shotgun and literally just catch the ball and throw it as fast as I can. And he jumps up and tips the ball into his lap." Sharper went on to fumble the ball, which was ..."
June 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but Saints defensive back Usama Young is trying to prove conventional wisdom wrong. Young, 24, is making the transition from cornerback to free safety heading into his third NFL season, and the switch seems to be paying off. Saints Coach Sean Payton singled him out Monday as a player who has "jumped out at us" over the past month of practices. "I think that move has really helped him," said Payton, who offered the compliment without being prompted by the media. In fact, Payton was answering a question about rookie safety Chip Vaughn's development when he switched subjects midstream to offer his opinion on Young. "As you ..."
June 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis will be the first to admit that he didn't bring his A game last year. "I'd say a B-minus," he said Monday when asked to grade his rookie season. "I felt like I came in and fit in the system. I felt like I gave all that I had with the tools that I have last year with things moving as fast as they did. "But this year is a whole new year. Last year doesn't matter anymore. You have to take a step up that ladder and get better." Ellis might be asked to take multiple steps up the ladder of success, especially early on if starting defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant, as expected, are forced to serve their four-game suspensions to open the season. ..."
June 14
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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It appears free-spirited tight end Jeremy Shockey will be allowed to dance to the beat of his own drum in New Orleans as long as he stays in step with Saints Coach Sean Payton. And while the team's unofficial Shock-jock has made a few missteps, most notably one in Las Vegas two weeks ago that caused quite the Internet rage, he remains on Payton's good side as the team's offseason program winds down. "I like the player, and I think he's going to be a key part of what we do this year," Payton said Wednesday. "We'll go from there. I think, in the end, it's always the proof is in the pudding anyway. For me, you just got to go with your gut on a decision like that." The decision that Payton ..."
June 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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It's safe to say that Saints guard Jamar Nesbit is watching with great interest the ongoing StarCaps case against teammates Will Smith and Charles Grant. The NFL suspended Nesbit for four games last season after he tested positive for using a diuretic that contained a banned substance, bumetanide, the same substance Smith, Grant, former Saints running back Deuce McAllister and Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are accused of using by the league. The five players are appealing their four-game suspensions. Meanwhile, Nesbit must live with his. "Before all this, you could Google my name and everything came up squeaky clean," said Nesbit during minicamp at the team's ..."
June 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints officials appear to be in no rush to fill the void created by the abrupt -- and somewhat mysterious -- retirement of weakside linebacker Dan Morgan on Monday. Coach Sean Payton said he plans to stand pat with his current group of linebackers -- Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, Scott Shanle, Mark Simoneau, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Troy Evans, Anthony Waters, Marvin Mitchell and Jonathan Casillas. Linebacker Stanley Arnoux, the team's second of two fourth-round draft picks, remains on the roster. But he is expected to miss the season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered on the first day of rookie minicamp May 8."
June 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Rookie punter Thomas Morstead admitted he was "pretty sore" after Tuesday's practice. It wasn't supposed to be a heavy work day for him and fellow punter Glenn Pakulak. But during warmups, their friendly rivalry started to escalate. "We just started banging balls back and forth for about 20 minutes, trying to one-up each other," said Morstead, whom the Saints drafted in the fifth round out of Southern Methodist to challenge the incumbent veteran. "So it's been a fun competition, but I probably shouldn't do that regularly." "Hey, I've got to show him that the old dog still needs to eat too," said Pakulak of the spontaneous showdown. "He's going to have to earn it." It's far too early to ..."
June 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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For the second time in 13 months, Saints linebacker Dan Morgan has retired, and this time his decision is final, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and Coach Sean Payton confirmed Morgan had informed them via phone messages of his plans to call it quits after seven NFL seasons, though neither had spoken to him as of 6 p.m. Monday. Morgan's decision is somewhat puzzling since he had gone through the team's offseason program, first four organized team activities and the first minicamp practice Friday. That afternoon, he suffered a strained calf and never was heard from again until Monday, when he left a message with team officials that he planed to ..."
June 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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This week has been a nonstop cram session for Saints rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who squeezed in three final exams and three final papers to finish school at Ohio State a week early. He said he was up all night Thursday studying before he took his last test Friday. Then he traded in his textbooks for his playbook and boarded a flight to New Orleans. "I was watching some film on the plane," said Jenkins, who arrived around 9:30 p.m. "As soon as I got to the hotel, I got some water and just got in the playbook some more before I took a nap. So I'm kind of low on sleep right now." The frantic pace was worth it for the Saints' first-round draft pick, who put an exclamation point on ..."
June 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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f nothing else, the Saints' new-look defense will be diverse this season. They lined up in several formations over the course of their three-day minicamp, including a healthy amount of 3-4 alignments. In one of their dime defensive packages Sunday, the Saints went with three linemen, two linebackers and six defensive backs. "It's a trial-and-error thing right now," said veteran safety Pierson Prioleau, who spent seven of the past eight years playing under new Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in Buffalo, Washington and Jacksonville. "We're just trying a whole lot of new things right now. We're a long way from home. So we don't really even know what we're going to do in this ..."
June 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Opportunity knocks whenever a team changes coordinators and schemes. A new system means a fresh start. A new staff means a new set of eyes and opinions. Many Saints players are going to capitalize on the aggressive new scheme defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is installing in New Orleans. But the primary beneficiary appears to be Roman Harper. At this weekend's minicamp, the Saints' fourth-year safety spent more time in the offensive backfield than he did in the defensive one. He blitzed off the edge, through the "A" gap and from the second level. He attacked the line of scrimmage in run support and flew to the flats on check-down passes. And from time to time he also dropped into ..."
June 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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One might use the word "winner" to describe Saints fullback Heath Evans, formerly of the New England Patriots. But the 6-foot, 250-pound rock of a man is quick to put that description in context in light of the Patriots' 17-14 upset loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. "I got there in '05," he said Saturday between minicamp workouts at the team's training facility in Metairie. "I don't have a ring (the Patriots earned the last of their three Super Bowl titles after the 2004 season). I'm part of that illustrious 18-1 team. "I have a taste in my mouth that's bitter, and I crave success more than anybody in this locker room. Losing the Super Bowl like we did is tough. Being 18-1, ..."
June 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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He didn't demonize the media. And he joked at the appropriate times. He was candid and downright engaging -- about everything that is except the Vegas incident. "You know what they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," Shockey said. "That's the past. I'm looking forward to the future." When pressed, he blocked the follow-up interrogators with the skill and force of a Pro Bowl left tackle. "I'm not here to talk about what he heard, she heard, he said, she said, . . . like that," Shockey said. "Let's talk about what's going on now." If it were only that easy."
June 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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First-round draft pick Malcolm Jenkins will make an earlier impact than expected with the Saints. He will be on the practice field this morning after finishing his final exams early at Ohio State this week. "That's pretty important," Saints Coach Sean Payton said of the rookie cornerback, who wasn't expected to be back until the final week of organized team activities June 15-19. "That gives us Saturday, it gives us Sunday and that gives us all these OTAs coming up, and he's already been at the rookie minicamp. I think the learning curve for him will be smaller than it would have been had he had to wait longer." Jenkins participated in the Saints' rookie minicamp last month, but NFL ..."
June 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Still clinging to a chance that their four-game suspensions might get overturned in court, Saints defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant went about their business Friday on the first day of minicamp. Each worked exclusively with the first unit and will continue to do so until Saints Coach Sean Payton deems a change in the depth chart is necessary. "I know in the back of my mind, if I don't produce, they're going to get rid of me," Grant said between the morning and afternoon workouts at the team's training facility in Metairie. "I know that. It's a business. "But I also know the team's got my back. I'm one of the tenured players on this team. From the GM to the owner to the head ..."
June 5
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb showed off his versatility Wednesday afternoon, lining up at quarterback and teaching five-step drops to more than 100 aspiring young football players during the second annual OL4NO Youth Football Camp at the team's practice facility. "I'm sure Drew (Brees) is cringing at the thought," joked Stinchcomb, who feigned offense when asked if the linemen offer instruction on all positions, or just their own. "Why would you assume it's just offensive line? We are highly trained athletes," Stinchcomb said. "I think we start 'em off with offensive line drills, just because that's our forte. But we try to work every position group." That's probably a good ..."
June 5
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Even before Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey was rushed to a hospital in Las Vegas last month for apparent dehydration during a pool party, he was No. 1 on our list of players to watch this offseason. Now he's also No. 1 on our list of players to hear from, assuming he agrees to face the media firing line during this weekend's minicamp. The Saints will hold five mandatory full-team practices the next three days at their training facility in Metairie. Two are open to the public weather permitting (today at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 10:15 a.m.). To preview the much-anticipated injection of spring football, we compiled our list of the top 10 things to watch, and it starts with the polarizing ..."
June 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints fans did their part, now the ball is in the court of Saints owner Tom Benson and his entire organization to do theirs. For the fourth consecutive season, Black and Gold fans ensured a sold-out Superdome (capacity 70,000) this season by purchasing all available 10-game season-ticket packages, leaving team officials and players humble and proud to call New Orleans home. All games have been sold out at the Superdome since the Saints returned to play in New Orleans in 2006 after spending much of the previous season in San Antonio in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Saints open the season at home Sept. 13 against Detroit. "This is a reflection of the great fans in the Gulf ..."
May 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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At the conclusion of an organized team activity last week, Saints running back Pierre Thomas fired off a spirited message to management. "I don't take it personally," Thomas told a handful of reporters. "If they want to bring somebody in, bring 'em in. I'm just going to beat 'em out. That's how I've got to think about it: I've got to beat 'em out. If I don't beat 'em out, then it's on me. "I'm going to fight to stay here. I'm going to fight to be that back that they want. I'm going to try to show them that they don't need to bring anybody else in. That's the kind of confidence that I want to put out there. I'm trying to tell myself that also, that I can do that." Thomas wasn't finished. ..."
May 28
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The legal maneuvering continued Wednesday in the ongoing StarCaps case involving Saints defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant, former Saints running back Deuce McAllister and two Minnesota Vikings players. The NFL Players Association filed an appeal with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in Minneapolis, which in essence attempts to overturn a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson. He dismissed a federal lawsuit Friday against the NFL that was brought by the union on behalf of Smith, Grant, McAllister and Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. All five players are facing four-game suspensions for violating the NFL's drug policy Magnuson threw out ..."
May 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey is "100 percent and feeling great" after being hospitalized Sunday for dehydration, and he will participate in the team's upcoming mandatory minicamp, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. "He's doing fine," Rosenhaus said Tuesday. "You guys will see him next week. If I have anything to add, I'll call you back." Rosenhaus hung up before fielding additional questions. Offseason workouts resume Monday for veterans, who have the week off after the Memorial Day holiday. All players will be required to attend minicamp June 5-7 at the team's practice facility in Metairie. First-round draft pick Malcolm Jenkins cannot attend because Ohio State is holding classes. ..."
May 25
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey was rushed to a hospital in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon, team spokesman Greg Bensel confirmed. Bensel said he spoke to Shockey on Sunday evening, and that Shockey was out of the hospital and doing fine. Bensel said Shockey was just dehydrated. According to a report by the entertainment Web site TMZ, Shockey was found unconscious at around 2 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel and taken to a nearby hospital. Sources at the hotel told TMZ that Shockey was at Rehab -- the name of the Sunday pool party at the Hard Rock. The call went out to the Las Vegas Fire Department, and he was taken out via stretcher."
May 24
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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If you're a rich superstar athlete, how would you spend your weekends in New Orleans? Would you fete your wife and friends at one of the city's fine restaurants? Or maybe a quiet evening at home with your 4-month-old son, Baylen? If you were Drew Brees you would do some of that, but you'd also find time for other endeavors. On Friday night, the Saints star quarterback was on the stage at Tulane's McAlister Hall, where he delivered the keynote speech at the commencement ceremony for the first graduating class in Lusher Charter School history. Nattily attired in a double-breasted steel-gray suit, Brees was as calm and collected behind the podium as he is under center on Sundays. He held ..."
May 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The buzz around Saints receiver Robert Meachem has quieted considerably heading into his third NFL season. But if Thursday's practice was any indication, he might be ready to crank up the volume. Meachem emerged as the unexpected star of the first organized team activity that was open to the media this season, stealing some of the spotlight from the new-look defense. With starting receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore still nursing injuries, Meachem ran with the first team and made several impressive catches. His most spectacular grab came on a deep ball against new cornerback Jabari Greer, who would have been flagged for pass interference on the tight coverage if it were a game. ..."
May 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Three days of organized team activities hardly constitute a comeback for Saints' weakside linebacker Dan Morgan. But it's a start. "It's exciting getting back out there and mixing it up with the guys and playing football again," Morgan said Thursday. "I feel good. Every day I just feel better and better and more comfortable being out there. "The Saints have been great through the whole process. I definitely appreciate that they want me back and are giving me this second chance. Hopefully I can help them out and we can go on and win a Super Bowl." Morgan, 30, is trying to make a comeback in New Orleans after giving up his body and soul for seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers. This is ..."
May 21
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The specs of a renovated Superdome, along with photos and a video of a reconfigured lower bowl and a trendy bunker club lounge, caught the NFL owners' attention during Tuesday's 15-minute presentation by a New Orleans delegation to bid on Super Bowl 2013. And as they have in the past to builders of stadiums, the owners showed their appreciation for Louisiana's planned $85 million upgrade by awarding the Crescent City the 2013 championship game. Although New Orleans was a sentimental favorite and beat out Phoenix and South Florida for the game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said a renovated Dome played heavily into the owners' decision. "The competition is so great for this," Goodell ..."
May 20
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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A lot of people will take credit for landing Super Bowl XLVII and rightfully so. It takes a village to land one of these things, and New Orleans leaned on an impressive team of leaders to secure the city's 10th Super Bowl. There must be XLVII people who played key roles along the way. Saints owner Tom Benson tirelessly lobbied fellow owners. Saints executives Rita Benson LeBlanc, Dennis Lauscha and Ben Hales worked their contacts. Doug Thornton, Ron Forman and Gov. Bobby Jindal hammered out a fair and equitable long-term lease agreement with the team under intense pressure. Jay Cicero, Sam Joffray and the rest of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation team worked diligently for ..."
May 20
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The long and brilliant career of kicker Morten Andersen came full circle Tuesday with his unanimous election into the Saints Hall of Fame. For Andersen, 48, New Orleans is expected to be the first step along the road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. His first year of eligibility (with the Class of 2013) coincides with the playing of Super Bowl XLVII in the Crescent City in February 2013. Based on the numerous NFL records he established during 25 seasons, a first-ballot selection is not out of the question. "I had the greatest 13 years of my life playing for the Saints," Andersen said during a news conference at Impastato's Restaurant in Metairie. "It went by very, very ..."
May 20
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist Peter Finney
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It was 1975. In a slowly moving automobile on Poydras Street, I remember sitting alongside Dave Dixon, a man whose dream was about to open its doors to an uncertain future. By that time, a spidery web of steel had grown into a huge mushroom. And there was Dave, looking over at the Superdome, with one of those misty-eyed smiles that never left the face of a Hall of Fame dreamer. "That son of a gun was built to stand the test of time," Dixon said. "I think it will wear well." It has. Tuesday's vote by NFL owners to award a seventh Super Bowl to the home of the Saints in 2013, more than anything, was a tip of the hat to a stadium and a city that have survived, hand in hand, the darkest of ..."
May 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The Saints signed free-agent defensive end Anthony Hargrove on Monday and released defensive end Josh Savage. "He's an interesting player," Coach Sean Payton said Monday while playing in the annual Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic at Chateau Golf"
May 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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When members of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation were drafting the bid to land the 2002 Super Bowl more than a decade ago, the process was a lot simpler. Foundation President Jay Cicero and his staff were competing with one city. His budget was $5 million. And he wasn't overly concerned with the competition coming up with some last-minute plan to wow the NFL owners. Times have changed. On the eve of the NFL owners annual spring meetings, where the owners will vote to award the 2013 Super Bowl to either New Orleans, South Florida or Phoenix on Tuesday, Cicero said it's no slam-dunk that New Orleans will get to host its record-tying 10th Super Bowl. Though the sports foundation ..."
May 17
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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No one was happier than Reggie Bush when Saints officials weren't able to orchestrate a deal to get former Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells in the NFL draft. "The fact that we didn't draft (one) speaks volumes to what they are looking from me this year," Bush said Saturday during a break in his youth football camp at Tulane. "I don't know how much my role is going to change, but I think it's going to step up a lot more, especially in the leadership role position. That obviously, naturally, will increase. "I'm excited about the task, and it's going to be a great task." The depth of Bush's role this season will depend largely on his health and how he rebounds from a ..."
May 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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No ruling was made Thursday in the federal court case involving Saints players Will Smith and Charles Grant, former Saint Deuce McAllister and Minnesota Vikings players Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, who are appealing their suspensions by the NFL after testing positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide last season. Attorneys for the players and the NFL argued for more than two hours in a pre-trial hearing before U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson. Both sides are seeking a summary judgment before the case goes to trial June 15. Magnuson said his decision would be "relatively soon," according to reports out of Minnesota. The players seek to overturn four-game suspensions they received ..."
May 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The Saints just confirmed that fourth-round draft pick Stanley Arnoux ruptured his left Achilles tendon during the first practice of rookie minicamp Friday morning. He is expected to miss the entire 2009 season, according to a league source, but the Saints said they won't announce a recovery timetable until a later date. Arnoux will have surgery at some point next week. The rookie outside linebacker from Wake Forest apparently suffered the injury while running toward the ball during the practice, which was held outdoors on a natural grass surface. The 6-foot, 232-pounder, was expected to compete for playing time at weakside linebacker and on special teams for the Saints this year. The ..."
May 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Saints safety Chip Vaughn was talking Friday afternoon about how lucky he and former Wake Forest teammate Stanley Arnoux were to be spending their rookie years together in New Orleans. He said former college teammates around the league were jealous of their good fortune. Meanwhile, in a cruel twist of fate, Arnoux was in the Saints' training room, learning the full extent of the injury he had suffered in that morning's practice -- a ruptured Achilles tendon that will sideline him for his entire rookie season. Arnoux still will be around, and they still will be able to support one another through their shared but separate experiences. But now, Vaughn will have to carry the Demon Deacons' ..."
May 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The message defensive coordinator Gregg Williams delivered at his first meeting with rookie Saints defenders was short and direct. "Knock 'em the (. . .) out!" Mission statements don't get much clearer than that -- simple and to the point. In one five-syllable directive, the Saints new defensive coordinator set the tone for his defense and made it known what he expected from his troops during the five-practice minicamp. "I loved it," said rookie safety Chip Vaughn, a fourth-round draft pick from Wake Forest. The read-and-react era of Saints defensive football officially ended Friday, the first on-field work of any kind for Williams as a member of Coach Sean Payton's staff. ...
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May 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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When Collin Mooney previously was seen in New Orleans, a trail of Tulane defenders were strewn behind him at Tad Gormley Stadium on a picturesque Saturday in October, seemingly helpless as Mooney shredded the unit for 187 rushing yards and four touchdowns during the Green Wave's homecoming. Those were the salad days, and odds are slim they'll be repeated, that he'll be given the chance to run like that for the Saints. He's an undrafted, free-agent rookie fullback, invited to New Orleans' rookie minicamp to try out for a spot on the team. The chance is none that he'll be running for the Saints, or any other NFL team, the next two years. Mooney played at Army. He has another commitment ..."
May 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Coach Sean Payton declined to elaborate on which players passed the "eyeball test" for him on the first day of rookie minicamp Friday at the Saints' practice facility on Airline Drive. It was too early to start projecting which of them can make the Saints' 53-man roster, so he didn't attempt. The Saints' top two draft picks, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and safety Chip Vaughn, made a good first impression in brief chats with the media. They said all the right things, showed a fiery attitude and a willingness to work. Vaughn, in particular, seemed fired up to be here and to help the team wherever it wants to stick him, at either safety spot, on special teams or all of them. CASILLAS ..."