Saints Gab

We continue to highlight a few things the Saints said in Tuesday’s Media Day in preparation for Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Garrett Hartley

On his feelings before kicking the game-winning field goal against the Vikings:

“Just was telling myself, you know, I guess subtle things. I missed a kick versus Tampa, which I kind of rushed myself on. I didn’t get to follow through and so I was just going to kind of relax a little bit more and really just make sure I’m getting through the ball and things work out. John Carney has been such a tremendous attribute to me learning. I’m 23, I know I’m young. I have a lot of learning and maturing to do and he’s definitely helped me with that on an astronomical level. Just coming out there, just telling myself to come through the ball, slowing down my approach. Whenever it came off my foot, there was no question in my mind that that ball was going exactly where I wanted it to go.”

On his feelings about being in the Super Bowl:

“It’s just an amazing feeling to be out here, knowing that we’re competing for a chance to be world champions. Honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

Saints Owner Rita Benson-Leblanc

On being a female executive in the NFL:

“There are many women that orchestrate a lot of things behind the scenes and through ownership or support. I’m very proud of the other women that I’ve seen come before me and are young now. At the Super Bowl, I always get to speak to some of the other female relatives and some of the other owners and really encourage them to get involved, even if it’s just a short internship to get them familiar with the family business. I think that’s very strong in the NFL, as we encourage families to work. You see coaches and players and corporate executives come and go, but unless you really have that oral history and sense of family tradition, those are the values that you really need to stay strong. Then, you balance that with the other pieces. But I think that’s really, really important to the NFL. There’s always a long-term thought process and responsibility to our community and our country, but also to grow fans internationally.”

Jabari Greer

On facing the Colts offense:

“It’s a good offense. They have been able to be successful up to this point. They are one of the best offenses in the NFL. Fortunately we go up against a good offense every day in practice. We understand that in every game there is an opportunity to make a play. In these types of games, it amplifies. You have to step up and make a play. This is a good offense; a good quarterback, a good receiving core, a good offensive line. We realize it’s going to be a challenge.”

Marques Colston

On Brees’ confident in Colston since Day One:

“I felt exactly the opposite. I felt terrible coming out of minicamp. To be honest, I really didn’t think that I was going to be on the roster too much longer. I got into training camp and was able to do some good things. I’m sitting here now.”

On the turning point of the season:

“It might have to be right here in this stadium. We were down 24-3 to the Dolphins. Just to see the look of everyone’s eyes and the sideline and to really know what we had on the sideline. No one was wavering in their confidence that we were going to win that game.”

Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins was a game of two halves. The first half was one that the Saints would have just soon forgot existed as first downs seemed as elusive as a desert mirage; as a result, New Orleans found themselves down by 21 early in the second half. Then they woke up. They would score 36 second half points as they rallied to defeat the pesky Dolphins 46-34 at Land Shark Stadium.

Things were bumpy initially for New Orleans as by their fifth offensive play, they had committed three penalties. Miami would capitalize as running back Williams scored twice in the opening period from 4 and 68 yards – sandwiching a 46-yard field goal by Saints kicker John Carney – giving the Dolphins a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter.

The scoring for Miami would continue as a 32-yard FG by kicker Dan Carpenter followed by an 8-yard TD run by Ronnie Brown would pad their lead to 24-3; Saints quarterback Drew Brees would punch it in from a yard out, narrowing their deficit to 24-10 with 2 ticks left in the first half.

The third quarter found both teams exchanging scores as New Orleans safety Darren Sharper grabbed a Chad Henne interception and scored from 42 yards, narrowing Miami’s lead to 24-17; Carpenter would kick a 33-yard FG 8 minutes later, giving the Dolphins a 27-17 edge. Brees would connect with wide receiver Marques Colston on a 10-yard scoring pass, reducing their deficit to 3 with 1:09 left in the period. But Williams would score another rushing TD from 4 yards out, extending Miami’s lead to 34-24 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Saints would explode.

They would score 22 unanswered points in the final period as RB Reggie Bush dashed into the end zone from 10 yards out (very acrobatic, I might add); Brees would run in for a score at the 8:35 mark of the game, giving New Orleans their first lead of the game. Carney would boot a 20-yard chip shot then defense would get involved as cornerback Tracy Porter took a Henne intereception 54 yards for a score, sealing the win for the Saints.

Brees, despite the win, had his worst game of the season, going 22-of-38 for 298 with a passing TD but 3 INTs but also rushing for 2 scores; Henne didn’t do any better as he went 18-of-36 for 211 yards and a pair of INTs. Mike Bell led all Saints rushers with 80 yards on just 12 carries while Williams led the Dolphins’ rushing attack with 80 yards and 3 TDs; Ronnie Brown added 48 yards and a score.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey led all Saints receivers with 4 receptions for 105 yards while Colston caught 5 passes for 72 yards and a score; Devery Henderson caught 4 passes for 71 yards. Brian Hartline led the Miami receiving corps with 3 receptions for 94 yards while Greg Camarillo added 55 yards on 5 receptions. The Saints won the game with a price as defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a sprained right knee. New Orleans (6-0) looks to remain undefeated as they return home to host division rival Atlanta next Monday night while Miami (2-4) goes to New York next Sunday to face the Jets.

Saints WR Marques Colston finally is feeling 100 percent for the Saints, and today’s Times-Picayune reports that the WR is set to have a big season for the team and QB Drew Brees:

Marques Colston figures he’s as healthy right now as he’s ever been at this time of year since joining the Saints. “I feel great,” he said. “It’s probably the first offseason that I’ve gone away (from organized team activities) feeling 100 percent.” Probably, he’s right, even though that includes offseason knee surgery this year.

Although the New Orleans Saints got their first road win against a struggling Kansas City Chiefs team, the team faces a long road ahead if they want to make a run for the playoffs. This was a game that the Saints were expected to win and they did not disappoint.

However, the Saints still could not get a 100-yard rusher against the worst rushing defense in the league and the defense showed that their lack of a pass rush has been because the secondary doesn’t cover man-to-man very well. Rather than being something to crow about, this game showed that the season isn’t yet over. The real tests still lie ahead.

Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 266 yards, completing 25 of 36 attempts, making one touchdown and one interception. He now has 3,251 yards this season and, with a 325.1 yards per game average, is predicted to throw for 5,201 yards. He was helped by good field position most of the game thanks to a solid special teams effort. Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen threw for 235 yards, completing 19 of 38, with two touchdowns and one interception.

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Saints wide receiver Marques Colston has a torn ligament in his left thumb and may miss as much as six weeks. His thumb was injured when a helmet hit his hands while he was attempting a catch. Colston had surgery on Tuesday to reattach the ligament.

Colston has been the number one receiver for the Saints over the last two years. The team has an additional five wide receivers on their roster and will have to rely on veterans David Patten and Devery Henderson. The Saints also have last year’s first round draft pick, Robert Meachem, who will be start as a backup Sunday.

Colston had three catches for 26 yards in last Sunday’s victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last season, Colston had 98 catches for 1,202 yards.

Over his two-year career, Colston has 168 catches for 2,240 yards and 19 touchdowns. No other NFL receiver has had as many catches over two seasons. He is followed by Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald with 161 catches.

Coach Payton is expected to make a public statement about the injury today at 1:30 p.m. central time.

The New Orleans Saints enter Sundays game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not knowing if their defense has improved from their dismal performance in 2007, but it will take only 60 minutes to tell Coach Payton, the NFL, and Saints Fans every were the answer.

On paper the Saints have improved in every area but one, the secondary. No one has stepped up and taken CB2 starting position. Mike McKenzie returning from a season ending knee injury in 2007, quietly showed he is ready this preseason, and let every defensive coordinator know not to throw his way!

The other corner back job is still up for grabs, and a regular season audition will continue to take place. Randall Gay, the Saints free agent pick up from the Patriots this off season looks to have the first audition on Sunday. He has shown the same flaws that Jason David has by allowing long completions in all of his preseason appearances, but has the most experience with talent at this point. Rookie Tracy Porter has been good, but still has a lot of learning to do.

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After last week’s poor performance by the Saints’ defense, the team gave its fans reason to hope by holding the Bengals to only 165 yards, 0 touchdowns, 4 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. The tradeoff for the team may be the injuries suffered by two major parts of the offense: Marques Colston who was injured in the first half with bruised ribs and Reggie Bush who left with a bruised thigh.

Perhaps the most symbolic of the defense’s efforts was the bloodied nose of Cincinnati’s QB Carson Palmer at the end of the second quarter when he was sacked by safety Kevin Kaesviharn. The Bengals offensive line gave up only 17 sacks last year but the Saints were able to get three in the first half alone.

The starting defense created pressure that made it difficult for Cincinnati to get anything going. The Bengals were only able to get 94 yards in the first half, four first downs, and crossed into Saint’s territory once. CBs Mike McKenzie and Tracy Porter were effective, limiting Carson Palmer’s options. McKenzie, who had just come back from a torn ACL, almost intercepted a pass on the Bengal’s first drive but the ball touched the ground. Porter forced a fumble on the Bengals’ first possession that was recovered by Cincinnati but set the tone for the rest of the night. Newly-acquired DE Bobby McCray and Kaesviharn each had 1.5 sacks.

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After sitting out of Friday afternoon practices, officially because some sort of knee issue, Marques Colston is having an MRI tonight at MBMC (Mississippi Baptist Medical Center).  It is unconfirmed what the nature of the MRI is, as the Saints organization has not announced it to the public yet.

If you have been watching the New Orleans Saints for awhile, you’ve gotten used to disappointment: twenty years before the first winning season, five playoff games before the first victory, only needing to win one more game out of the last four to get into the playoffs. Their history is full of times where they got the special guy (be it coach or player) who was going to make the difference. “This time, I know we’re gonna make it!”

The team is better now, maybe the best they’ve ever had. Drew Brees has shown that he is an exceptional quarterback. Marques Colston has come from nowhere to put up two solid seasons. Some of you may think that Reggie Bush is over-hyped but I say that the challenge is figuring out the best way to use his talents. Deuce McAlister (may his knees still work once he has left us) has better stats than any of our running backs ever. The defense is a little different, but has shown promise and the talent has improved.

Last year, the conventional wisdom was that the Saints would make it to the Super Bowl. Everyone knew that Chicago would not be as lucky to get in again with Rex Grossman at the helm and the NFC had few other contenders. As you know, the Saints didn’t even make it to the playoffs. The team that surprised everyone in 2006 surprised everyone again in 2007.

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These notes were taken by James Blake and Jean-Paul Bergeaux while personally attending the Saints Training Camp practices. They are raw scribbles and are not meant to be grammatically correct. They may not be perfectly correct and sometimes may not even make sense to the “casual Saints fan”. With that disclaimer, here we go!
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Some notes as the practice started. Henderson, McKenzie, Porter, Bullocks and Blythe were all in shorts on the sidelines as the players warmed up. Deuce did what I think is his normal trainer stretching on the sidelines to warm up.

*First drill was punt returns with Coach O working the DL on one side and OL and QBs doing snap practice on the other end. Brees was practicing with Goodwin, Brunell with Lehr and Palko with Rob Hunt.

Punt returners were Moore, Green, and Bush with Devery hanging out with them but not dressed, so just listening.

As the players were jogging around, you could hear a coach yelling “Come on David Roach! You ready to be a gunner today?!?!”

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