New Orleans Saints: NFL's most fascinating team in 2013 season
By Adam Schein
Columnist, NFL.com
Published: July 9, 2013

VIDEO: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-am/0ap2000000215310/Brees-First-normal-offseason-i...

It's becoming an annual tradition here at NFL.com. Each summer, I seek out the league's most fascinating team for the upcoming season. I try to find a team that has intriguing storylines and potential drama, a team that has both a very high ceiling and a relatively low floor. Last offseason, I picked the Seattle Seahawks. This time around ...

Meet the 2013 New Orleans Saints, also known as the most fascinating team in the NFL.



Are they a seven-win squad with one of the league's worst defenses? Are they a 12-win bunch that should be taken as seriously as -- or more seriously than -- the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and New York Giants (other teams with elite, Super Bowl-winning combinations at quarterback and head coach)?

In New Orleans, of course, the fascination begins with the head man. Welcome back, coach. I can't wait for the Sean Payton Redemption Tour -- scowling, muttering, fist-pumping and generally swashbuckling his way through a wild ride.

Payton is a football junkie, and he was without his vice last year, serving a season-long suspension for his role in Bountygate. The Saints suffered. The league wasn't the same. Payton is a true difference maker, as one of the most intense, colorful and bold coaches in the NFL today. You know it was painful for him to miss a season. I thought the Saints would take a bit of a step back without Payton, but I didn't think they would crumble.

New Orleans missed his cocksure demeanor and accountability. Drew Brees and the offense missed his aggressive style and the rhythm of his play calling. Payton establishes an attitude and doesn't care what the pundits think. Go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Saints' own 35? Why not?! Payton was just forced to spend a year away from his passion, which gives you the sense that he's going to be even more intense and even more aggressive in calling offensive plays and managing the game. The Saints thrive on his mindset, even when it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. I think this season is going to be a 16-game reminder of what we missed last year.

Offensively, the Saints have the pieces to compete for another Super Bowl title. They have that aforementioned sensational pair at quarterback and head coach. I can't wait to see Brees and Payton working together again. Despite posting some gaudy numbers last year, Brees didn't enjoy as stellar a season as we're accustomed to seeing from the veteran star. You can chalk it up to Payton's absence or his own offseason holdout. In 2013, I think Brees is primed for a run at league MVP.

VIDEO: http://www.nfl.com/videos/new-orleans-saints/0ap2000000213801/NFLAM-Inside-the-S...

General manager Mickey Loomis has stockpiled incredible offensive talent around his franchise quarterback. Tight end Jimmy Graham is a freak, one of the most dangerous weapons in the entire league, and here's the scary part: I don't think the former basketball player has even reached his peak yet. Loomis stole Graham in 2010 NFL Draft. The very next offseason, Loomis pilfered Darren Sproles in free agency. The jitterbug is a terror in New Orleans' offense, and his explosiveness will be on full display yet again with Payton back as the maestro. Pierre Thomas is solid. Mark Ingram should be, the Saints hope, better. Meanwhile, Marques Colston anchors an underrated receiving corps, where Drew Brees' favorite target is the open target. One potential concern: The offensive line has gone through some personnel changes over the last few years. It will be interesting to see how this group jells.

Still, the bottom line is that I have a ton of confidence in this offense.

I do not have the same feeling with the Rob Ryan-led defense. Not even close.

 

Ryan has never coordinated an elite defense. I thought this was a head-scratching hire by the Saints. Suddenly, they want to play more of a 3-4. Unfortunately, they've drafted for a 4-3 through the years. Can Will Smith make the transition to outside linebacker after spending his entire career at defensive end? It's a major question, which is a common theme with this unit ...

How much does Jonathan Vilma have left in the tank? He loathed playing the 3-4 with the New York Jets (before getting traded to New Orleans). Are the cornerbacks good enough to deal with the top-flight receivers in the NFC South and on the rest of the schedule? Precedent says no. Can Ryan generate a consistent enough pass rush to help them out?

And of course, the overriding question: How will Ryan get along with Payton? Coupling those two attitudes, it certainly won't be boring. Neither man is known for shyness.

Finally, look at the schedule. I know: This is a pointless exercise. But it truly adds to the intrigue -- particularly, the opening stanza.

New Orleans kicks off the season at home against the rival Atlanta Falcons before hitting the road to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Are those should-win games for the Saints? Will they get both? Will they even win one? Before a bye in Week 7, New Orleans hosts the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins prior to roadies against the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots. Are the Dolphins more talented than the Saints? The Bears and Patriots are very similar to the Saints. Does this all add up to 4-2? 3-3? 2-4? Better? Worse? You could make very intelligent arguments all around.

Here's what I believe: Brees and Payton will be back with more swagger and carry the defense (which will be awful early ... before getting a bit better down the stretch). I think New Orleans should bounce back and win 9 or 10 games. These Saints will lose games you think they should win and win games they are expected to lose. Tampa Bay is very close, but New Orleans is the second-best team in the NFC South behind Atlanta. At least that's what I believe.

Here's one thing I know: It won't be boring in New Orleans.

When it comes to the 2013 Saints, fascination abounds.

Follow Adam Schein on Twitter @AdamSchein.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000216918/article/new-orleans-saints-nfls-m...

I have a good feeling about The Giants this year.

Photos from my seats:

The 2 Super Bowl teams seem to never make it back the following year so again the door is wide open. Broncos seem to be the chalk in AFC but I'm not buying that. Giants do have a real shot with a team at the right age to take a run. Packers will be right there too. I believe the NFC champ wins it this year. My Stillers?..9-7 as the OLine remains weak.

Nellcote wrote on Jul 13^th, 2013 at 9:21am:


57 minutes should be enough to handle the Bills.

Gimme Shelter wrote on Jul 13^th, 2013 at 1:18am:

I would like to nuzzle you.

For all you Iggles fans, I found your last championship win -- when Eisenhower was president!  The good news is that team led by Norm Van Brocklin was the only one ever to beat Lombardi in the post-season.  Revel in the memories!

Zack wrote on Jul 14^th, 2013 at 10:12am:

THAT'S POSTIN !

" just don't know if I can get as emotionally involved this time...that was a brutal 4th quarter "

My buddy still can't talk about it.

Goes into a trance...eyes roll back in his head...speaks in tongues.  Very odd.  First time I have ever seen him disturbed by the start of camp. 

And you can say whatever about Big Ben -- he played with a broken collar bone.  That's no bullshit!   
I would defy anyone here to (1) break their collar bone, and (2) play in an NFL game.  Anyone? 

No fucking way, cuz it really hurts and you will die of pain.
Ben did it.
I gotta respect that.

Some Guy wrote on Jul 18^th, 2013 at 4:17pm:

49 days tater.

Lindy's Sports Magazine got
Houston vs Denver in AFC Championship Game
Atlanta vs Packer in NFC Championship Game
With The Broncos beating the Pack in Super Bowl XLVIII
They Got A 50 50 percent rate of success rate
Let the games begin!

Zack wrote on Jul 19^th, 2013 at 6:03am:


Well you certainly have the best looking Center in the league! any chance I could take a few "snaps" at QB?...

I guess looking at the entire photo...a 3 wide set comes to mind!

Some Guy wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2013 at 10:13am:

He gonna get paid!

Some Guy wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2013 at 10:13am:


My boy is Big Ben....Matty Melts Under Pressure better pull a Flacco this year.

I think it's worth mentioning here that the Niners have every possibility of domination this year...

munichhilton wrote on Jul 28^th, 2013 at 7:47pm:



RIGHT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not fucking around this season.

Before you know it, the game will find a permanent home in Omaha.

So it begins.

I always like when Art was on a talk show!
He Was A classic!

" Before you know it, the game will find a permanent home in Omaha. "

Some Guy wrote on Aug 5^th, 2013 at 4:14pm:

Some Guy wrote on Aug 5^th, 2013 at 5:07pm:

Joey Grove?

it's over.

gimmekeef wrote on Aug 7^th, 2013 at 7:00am:

Dude, we made it! The Home Team plays The Bengals tonight!

I don't think I've ever been this happy.

Some Guy ?

God doesn't pick sides but thanks for all the prayers and shout outs NFL players...He's a Niner through and through...and threw...and

We face the Ravens, who won the Super Bowl last year this Thursday night. We will give the starters a little more playing time while taking a good look at the rookies.

NFL officially bags old paper ‘Aints’ for plastic




  A Saints fan celebrates the official tossing out of the old Aints paper bags, which fans used to wear during the team's dog days. Or dog years. Or dog decades.

By Rudy Matthew Vorkapic
The Levee insaintity writer


The Aints officially have been sacked.

The NFL is restricting the size and types of bags fans can bring into stadiums in 2013, meaning should the Saints ever return to the futile play that marked nearly all of the team’s pre-Super Bowl history, fans will be forced to wear clear plastic bags over their heads with “Aints” written on them instead of brown paper bags.


A Saints fan celebrates the official tossing out of the old Aints paper bags, which fans used to wear during the team's dog days. Or dog years. Or dog decades.
In announcing the new bag policy for 2013, the NFL acknowledges that if Saints fans ever wear plastic Aints bags over their heads in numbers as large as they did for nearly 30 years when fans used to show up to games wearing the brown paper ones, we “could be looking at a massive death toll from asphyxiation.”

Some fans see the new bag policy as further vengeance by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell against the team and its fans over “Bounty-gate.” Others believe it is the league’s tacit acknowledgement the team has become an NFL power under coach Sean Payton.

Saints fans in 2010 performed a ceremonial second line to put the Aints to eternal rest in the hearts and minds of fans after the team’s Super Bowl victory, but the NFL’s action makes it official.

The only bags that can be taken into game venues beginning this season are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC that doesn’t exceed 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches, including one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags.

When the Saints went 1-15 during the 1980-81 season, late local legend and Saints broadcaster Buddy Diliberto coined the phrase “Aints” and initiated paper bags over fans’ heads.

Saints commentator and former quarterback Bobby Hebert, who paraded in the city in a dress after the Super Bowl win to honor the late Buddy D’s promise to do the same if the team ever won the big game, said of Diliberto’s Aints legacy: “I think he’d be happy to say ‘Bag Dat!’”




http://nolevee.com/?p=2596

Some Guy ?

Edith?

sirmoonie wrote on Aug 11^th, 2013 at 8:59pm:


Read it in a cookbook about God...no sides for him...just the main course...also no asparagus, no reason given...

Sonic Drive-In creates New Orleans Saints-themed Who Dat burger



By Todd A. Price, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune
August 22, 2013 


Every true New Orleans Saints fan has a little Who Dat in their heart. Now they can get some in their belly as well. Sonic Drive-In, the Oklahoma-based fast food chain, will sell a burger whose bun carries a "Who Dat!" logo.

According to the company, "Who Dat!" will be printed on the upper bun with "edible food coloring." Unfortunately, Sonic could only provide a Photoshopped mock-up of the black and gold burger, which also has Tabasco-spiced mayonnaise, "Onion Tanglers" and pepper jack cheese. Each order comes with a pack of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning to use as you see fit.

The Who Dat burger goes on sale Aug. 26 at nearly 35 locations in the state. It will remain on the menu for the rest of the year.


http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/08/sonic_drive-in_creates_new_orl.html...

2 weeks from Christmas!

Preseason sucks.  This needs to end.

Pats getting destroyed by Lions.  Long year coming up for Pats fans.  Loss of Welker is huge.  And Hernandez still has friends on the outside who don't like whitey.

Where do the best footballers come from ?

He's baaaaccck!  Iggles fans, take cover. 

Yes, Robert Griffin III will start Week 1

Not that there was any doubt, but Robert Griffin III is starting Week 1.

Griffin, who has been saying all offseason that he’ll be ready to go for the start of the season, will indeed be the starter on Monday, September 9 when the Eagles visit Washington. That’s the word from Adam Schefter of ESPN, who reported the widely expected news this morning.

Although he has missed the entire preseason, all indications have been that Griffin made outstanding progress after suffering a torn ACL in Washington’s playoff loss to Seattle. Dr. James Andrews compared Griffin’s recovery to that of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who tore his ACL a year before Griffin and managed not only to return for the 2012 season but to be the league MVP.

The season opener comes just over eight months after Griffin suffered the knee injury on January 6. That’s a quick recovery, but Griffin says he’s running as well as ever. We’ll get to see for ourselves next Monday night.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Aug 28^th, 2013 at 10:57am:

Lets hope ESPN can make it another week without creaming their RGIII pants. Like he is the only player in the league.

Tebow got smelched by Patriots.  Ironicalism, seeing as there are alleged rumors that it had to do with his faith in Jesus/god.  But the NFL media won't report it, because they are in league with the opposition.

Glad Colt McCoy made the team...he's far better when he ain't so nervous...BJ looked fly as well!

gimmekeef wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2013 at 12:21pm:


He's a good Texan with heart...just some bad luck and high nerves...beats Seneca Wallace!

HTTR!

Edith?

http://youtu.be/nxiIjWKMWPg

Let's all resolve to putting up some large green on games this year.  Even if you don't have a job, there are ways to get $$$/ducets off the books.  Off the rack.  Off the moof.  Off the chisel.  Off the clock.  Off the choke.  Off the guac.  PM me, if interested.

SCL..Is that saloon doors I see or my Steelers OLine?

Some Guy wrote on Sep 5^th, 2013 at 4:55pm:


Not at all.  Absolutely nothing with particulates, and very seldom anything in vapor form.  It's just a personal preference.  In general, I like cigarette and/or marijuana smokers more than non-smokers.

No kidding.  This is exemplar of everything that's wrong in America.  Ding dongs, bon bons, protons, hardons.  The Big Fat.  Even infects America's game.

sirmoonie wrote on Sep 5^th, 2013 at 5:59pm:


I know you don't smoke weed, I know this; but I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do.

sirmoonie wrote on Sep 6^th, 2013 at 7:35am:


I have you starting on my Fantasy postin' team.

Colleagues,

This is an important link!  http://506sports.com/

Regardicals.

sirmoonie

Some Guy? Edith?

Very entertaining game down in Nawlins.  Edith, it looks like your boys are back if they can tighten up that D. 

Tough one, SG.  Not a very creative call on fourth and goal though.

More disappointing than finding out Bruno Mars will play the SuperBowl Halftime Show.

New York Giants:

How do you play this game?

I'm convinced the last words I utter on planet earth will be...."Fuckin Giants" 

On a positive note, they fought hard and made it a game despite 6 turnovers.