Sean Payton reinstated to NFL, not interested in hollering at Gregg Williams

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was reinstated by the NFL this week, just days before the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
When asked if he had spoken about former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Payton told reporters: "I have no interest in talking to Gregg."
OUCH. This is a guy you won a ring with...
Anyway, Payton's season-long suspension due to Bountygate was hard to take, he said.
"It was more or less something you can't control. To dwell on it with the time that I had ... the first week or so, it was difficult," Payton said. "You felt a lot of different emotions. At that point, you have to move on from it. Regardless of how you felt, knowing there were eight months. You'd drive yourself crazy if you just continue to hold those thoughts, whether you thought it was fair or not."
The coach is looking forward to evaluating players at the Senior Bowl.
Will the Saints make a Super Bowl run next year?

Saints activate Vilma. Oh, yeah!

Jonathan Vilma, the New Orleans Saints' linebacker who has come to symbolize BountyGate, has been activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Bucs. OH, YEAH!!! And get this, Vilma is expected to play. The Saints had to cut reserve wide receiver Greg Camarillo, the big, lanky target breeze went to early in the San Diego game when Jimmy Graham was banged up, to make room.

Week 3: Saints come back on Texans, 40-33

These New Orleans will play with your emotions in the first half of games but make no mistake: They will be somewhere in the thick of it come January.
Ask the Houston Texans, who scored at will in the Super Dome only to come away with a 30-33 whupping.
The Saints had no answer for Andre Johnson in the first half, but they doubled him in the second, shutting him out (He finished with 128 yards).
Matt Schaub (373 yards, 3 TD, int) played like Peyton Manning out there but Drew Brees (270 yards, 2 TD, 2 INTs) played like Brees.
Brees was picked off twice trying to go to new reciever Jimmy Graham, but forgave him when he scored a touchdown and was pretty much relentless with the undersized defensive backs for Houston.


"I love the fact that we can have something happen on the field that's a negative [an interception] ... and instead of him getting down like some young players might and having that affect what happens later on, he comes out and make a couple huge catches," Brees said. "He's mentally tough, physically tough, he wants to be great and he wants me to be able to trust him and have confidence in him, which I do to the utmost."

To be sure the Texans left points out on the field, especially in the first half.


"Our red zone performance wasn't good enough against a team like that, or any team, for that matter," Schaub said. "We needed touchdowns. We settled for too many field goals. We had to find a way to put it in the end zone."

Will Reggie Bush run rampant in Miami?

The Miami Herald says the Dolphins are counting on Reggie Bush to be his USC self for the 2011 season. He was a good player for the New Orleans Saints but when it mattered and the game was on the line he oftentimes was down right terrible.

The Herald is asking the right questions though. "Can Bush handle a full workload? Can Thomas make an immediate impact as a rookie? Will Lex Hilliard or Kory Sheets make a jump as NFL prospects? Even coach Tony Sparano still has questions about what to expect.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/17/2363975/miami-dolphins-counting-on-running.html#ixzz1VR6RfrEJ

SEA DAT? Saints lose to Seahawks, Marshawn Lynch (video)

The New Orleans Saints got bumped from the playoffs with a 40-34 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

Before the game few spectators and commentators gave the Seahawks few chances of staying with the high-powered Saints, but all that is on paper.

In reality, the Saints were beat-up and broken down, shells of their former selves. They suited up without starting running backs Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory, safety Malcolm Jenkins and tight end Jeremy Graham.

By the third quarter of this one, Reggie Bush would be on the sidelines, saying that he had hurt "the same leg" that he broke earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks had nothing to lose, and came in confident and loose. The game came down to a stirring, theatrical 67-yard run by Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch. 

The word, "Beastmode" will forever be associated with this game.

The Saints, meanwhile, will have to regroup and retool and it will probably be without some of the people that got us here.

Steelers may Saints one dimensional, and pay for it (video)

Got to give it to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have one of the top defenses in the NFL, again. But fortunately they ran into New Orleans and Drew Brees, one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
Who else can throw an interception, lose the football on a sack fumble, and be hailed as a hero but Brees?
He did it Sunday night, throwing for 304 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Big Ben and Rashard Mendenhall did all they could to stop the Gold and Black, but on this night, a gloulish night, the Black and Yellow didn't have the magic. Saints win 20 - 10.

Cleveland Brown shock Saints 30-17 (VIDEO)

Last year it was the New Orleans Saints that caught teams by surprise, throwing care to the wind and dialing up all the gadgetry allowed on the gridiron.
The Cleveland Browns showed the world champs how it was done Sunday, amassing a whole 200 yards of offense and winning, going away, 30 -17, in the Super Dome.
Drew Brees had four interceptions, including two brought back for touchdowns by linebacker "Killer" Bowens.
Even former Saint Scott Fujita caught one of Bree's errant passes.
The Saints offense, going weeks now without Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, is anemic, incapable of any ground game and a desparate passing attack.
The only good news? Safety Darren Sharper is back after missing the first six games, and receiver Marques Colston finally surpassed 100 yards receiving and caught a touchdown.
But can the Saints still win the division?

Drew Brees speaks out against bullies (VIDEO)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees recently taped an anti-bullying message. Last year the Saints bullied a few people by the name of Kurt Warner, and Brett Favre, on the way to their first ever Super Bowl championship title.

Saints Are Banged Up, Bruised Up

The Arizona Cardinals are a good team, but last week's 10-point victory over the Saints exposed how banged up New Orleans is rather than how awesome the Cards are.

Drew Brees, with a gimpy knee, is struggling mightily without his two starting running backs, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

The screen plays that used to go for big gains have been null and void for the past two games.

The deep ball, which used to be a staple of the New Orleans offense, is gone.

Coach Sean Payton doesn't seem to worried about it all, according to a recent interview.

"You know how this league is. It's week by week," Payton said Monday. "Do I think we can play better? Yes. That's the thing that's encouraging; that's the thing that gets you here and started on the next plan and that's the thing that keeps you driven and motivated. We don't have to identify it as anything other than a setback. Any time you lose a game, we feel like it's disappointing, but what's most important is what you do about it."

Marques Colston showed up last week, but for most of the season he's been a nonfactor.

The defense is missing at least three starters, including Tracy Porter and Darren Sharper. Despite this, they are playing decent football, holding the Cards without a touchdown, except for a freaky fumble.

So, what's killing the Saints? Turnovers.

Brees had three of them Sunday. Against the Carolina Panthers they had two of them.

If we fix that, we'll be back on track.

Saints injuries just keep mounting

Saints quarterback Drew Brees has a brace on his knee.
Safety Darren Sharper was out even before the season started after undergoing surgery.
Running back Reggie Bush has a broken leg.
Pierre Thomas has knee and ankle problems.
Oh it goes on and on, that's just the big names.
The latest broken Saint? Safety Tracy Porter had knee surgery and will miss up to four weeks.
Can the Saints continue to compete with injuries mounting like they are?
Saints coach Sean Payton says it looks like the New Orleans has slowed down, but actually the defenses they are facing are dictating the way the Saints attack.
"Certainly we see people getting a little softer in their coverages and yet we still constantly are paying attention and looking for ways to get an optimum look to get behind the defense," Payton said in a recent interview. "But sometimes there are plays that when they come out of my mouth and Drew (Brees) calls them in the huddle, all of us are (thinking) 'shot' and then it ends up being a dump-off or a check-down. 

Will Panthers Catch Saints Sleeping?

Drew Brees has a sore knee. Pierre Thomas has a shaky ankle. We all know Reggie Bush is out for a while, and yet it's still game on.
The Saints, one week after losing a close one to the Falcons, better pick themselves up off the mat quick. The Carolina Panthers come to town.
While their record is 0-3, New Orleans would be foolish to sleep on a team that has had the best running back tandem in the league for three years now. And the Saints have yet to stop that run attack.
Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams single-handedly almost beat the Saints last year and have spit their season series in recent years.
As for the Panthers, coach John Fox is on the hot seat despite losing his franchise quarterback (who should have been gone a few years ago, but he's a Louisiana boy so I'll go easy on him).
Saints coach Sean Payton is watchful of the Panthers, for good reason.
"You have to pay close attention to the weapons," said Payton in a recent interview. "You have to look closely at their two halfbacks, to the experienced offensive line, Steve Smith. From a defensive perspective you study closely the scheme and what they do. It varies with who's behind center, but most importantly is identifying where the threats are and making sure that you know where those guys are on every play. If Clausen is able to hand off with success,  that changes his job description for the game."

The Return of Michael Vick

It took almost two years in prison. It took almost three years away from the game he grew up playing, but now Michael Vick is the NFL's poster child again.
What has he done to earn such distinction? He's recorded back-to-back wins for the Philadelphia Eagles in dramatic fashion, the first one a 35-32 barnstormer against the Detroit Lions. In the second game, named the starter earlier in the week, Vick completed 17 of 31 passes for 291 yards in a 28-3 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Where was this guy when he was in the NFC South facing the Saints?
Actually Vick played pretty good against New Orleans, nearly splitting the win total. Of course, that was when his cousin, Aaron Brooks took snaps behind center as a Saint.
But will Vick continue to play well? Will the NFL actually feature him in commercials and marketing campaigns as it did for six years before Dog Gate?
Time will tell. In the meantime, I'm glad the Saints don't have to face him this year. At least not in the regular season.