Tag: New Orleans Saints (Page 34 of 55)

NFL Week 12 MVP Power Rankings

Well, we can’t ignore what Drew Brees did to the Patriots on Monday night, can we? It doesn’t even really matter what Mr. Manning and Mr. Favre did. Oh, those guys are all bunched up here, but consider that in their biggest game of the season so far, the Saints’ Brees threw for 371 yards, 5 TDs to five different receivers, and zero picks in leading them to a 38-17 dismantling of New England in the Superdome. Yikes.

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—See above. Brees now leads the NFL in both QB rating (112.6) and touchdown passes (27). He’s even rushed for 2 scores for good measure. And oh yeah, the Saints are 11-0 and starting to think about Miami in February.

2. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Funny how Favre is not getting the love he should from sportswriters in the MVP conversation. Well that’s ridiculous, and you can count this writer among those who think he is extremely deserving. Against Chicago last Sunday, Favre threw for 392 more yards, with 3 TDs and no picks. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 24 TDs to 3 interceptions on the season, and his team sitting at 10-1 and in line for a first round bye.

3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Our apologies for dropping Peyton from #1 to #3 here, but he keeps flirting with disaster each week before bringing his team back. Sure, they are 11-0 just like the Saints, but we don’t feel particularly happy about those 11 interceptions so far.

4. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—800 yards in the month of November. 800 yards. Are you freaking kidding me? Apparently LenDale White was not in uniform against Arizona last Sunday because of being late to a meeting. I think it was more like Jeff Fisher didn’t want to make the mistake of putting White in the game for any reason, so he kept the guy in street clothes. And how about this sick run by the Titans?

5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—His numbers are damn near close to the guy he replaced in Green Bay, Mr. Favre…a.k.a. #2. 3136 yards, 22 TDs, and just 5 interceptions. Imagine if Rodgers (44 sacks) wasn’t running for his life most of the time.

Honorable Mention—Philip Rivers, Chargers; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Reggie Wayne, Colts; Cedric Benson, Bengals; Jared Allen, Vikings; Tom Brady, Patriots; Randy Moss, Patriots; Miles Austin, Cowboys; Vince Young, Titans; Andre Johnson, Texans; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Darren Sharper, Saints

Reggie Bush unlikely to be a Saint in 2010?

According to Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports, the Saints won’t bring back Reggie Bush in 2010.

Speaking of running backs, don’t expect New Orleans running back Reggie Bush, who is due to count for approximately $8 million against the cap next season, to stay with the team. One Saints insider said general manager Mickey Loomis isn’t interested in carrying Bush’s salary, even if there is an uncapped season. Bush’s cap number and secondary importance to the team could create conflict in a locker room where several players, such as wide receiver Marques Colston, are expected to cash in soon.

This isn’t a complete shock given that Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell have proven they can excel in Sean Payton’s offense. Plus at $8 million, Bush would be rather expensive for a back that can’t run between the tackles.

What’s interesting is that some team will no doubt overpay for his services because he’s a potential highlight reel. Nobody denies that he’s a great athlete, but he’s going to be overvalued if the Saints do decide to part ways with him after the season.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Are the Saints destined for 16-0?

Unless you’re a Colts or Vikings fan, when you watch the Saints play, it makes you realize how bad your team actually is.

The Saints carved up the Patriots on Monday night like a Ginsu knife slicing through warm butter. They racked up 480 yards of total offense, 367 passing yards and scored five touchdowns in route to a 38-17 blow out victory. The soon-to-be MVP award winner Drew Brees completed 18 of his 23 passing attempts for 371 yards and five touchdowns.

What’s ironic about Monday night’s game is that the Patriots must have thought they were looking in the mirror watching the Saints stroll up and down the field on them for four quarters. It was just three years ago that New England was humiliating opponents with the greatest of ease and compiling a perfect 16-0 regular season record.

In 2007, nobody thought the Patriots would lose and now I have a hard time believing anyone will knock off this Saints team. Sean Payton’s playcalling is impeccable, Brees is playing like a man possessed and the defense is incredibly opportunistic. New England was supposed to serve as the biggest test of the year for New Orleans and the game wasn’t even close outside of a 7-3 score in the first quarter (that was the first and only time the Patriots led).

The Saints wrap up the season with road trips Washington, Atlanta and Carolina, as well as home games against Dallas and Tampa Bay. With Chris Redman now under center for the Falcons, the only real threat to the Saints’ march to perfection is the Cowboys and New Orleans will play them in the Superdome, where they’re practically unbeatable.

Considering Minnesota is breathing down their necks for the top spot in the NFC, the Saints still have plenty to play for, which means we could be seeing the second 16-0 team in only three years.

Could Matt Ryan be done for the year?

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been ruled out for Atlanta’s game with the Eagles this Sunday at the Georgia Dome. The newspaper also reports that Ryan has suffered a turf toe injury and that he’ll be re-evaluated next week.

Depending on what grade the injury is, Ryan could miss anywhere from 1-2 weeks to 4-6 weeks. If he needs surgery, chances are he’ll be placed on injured reserve and he’ll miss the rest of the season. If he can avoid surgery, there’s a chance he could play in the postseason if the Falcons are lucky enough to make it that far.

I say “lucky” because not only is Ryan expected to miss significant time, but Michael Turner (who shouldn’t have been rushed back so soon after suffering a high ankle sprain) could as well. Turner hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday yet, but it’s probably unlikely that he’ll play after he re-injured his ankle (in a different spot this time) against the Bucs. Both Ryan and Turner missed most of Atlanta’s come-from-behind victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday, as did starting offensive linemen Sam Baker and Harvey Dahl. Chris Redman will start in Ryan’s place this Sunday, while Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling will receive extended carries in Turner’s absence. There have been no reports on Dahl and Baker’s status for Week 13.

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Saints looking for ultimate respect on Monday night

The New Orleans Saints have done everything right so far. They’re averaging over 35 points a game, they’ve played well defensively and they haven’t lost a game.

The Saints don’t need anyone’s respect because they’ve earned it to this point. But beat the Patriots tonight and they’ll go from Super Bowl contenders to Super Bowl favorites.

Even though they didn’t make the playoffs last season, the Pats are still the gold standard in terms of how teams measure themselves. Beat New England and you don’t need anything more in terms of confidence. Lose to New England and you might find out how far you still have to go in order to compete with the best.

Personally, I think the Saints will come out victorious tonight. While the Falcons and Panthers gave them somewhat of a scare, no team has come close to beating the Saints in New Orleans. The team feeds off the energy of the Superdome and it’s hard for opponents to reach the same emotional level that the Saints do when they play at home.

That said, Bill Belichick is still one of the greatest game planners in the game and if anyone is going to figure out a way to slow down Sean Payton’s offense, it’s Belichick. Even if New England doesn’t have the personnel to stop Drew Brees and company (which they don’t), Belichick will still put his players in the best position to win.

I’d be shocked if the game tonight doesn’t live up to its hype. It’s going to be fun to see if Belichick and Tom Brady can march into New Orleans and earn a win, or if the Saints will rise to the challenge and overcome the most elite team on their regular season schedule.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

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