Tag: New Orleans Saints (Page 42 of 55)

      Vikings’ Williams Wall and Saints’ Grant and Smith expected to be suspended four games

      May 23, 2009 /

      According to a report by Yahoo Sports, a federal judge has ruled that the NFL can suspend the five players that took StarCaps last season. The five players include Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of Minnesota, Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans, and free agent Deuce McAllister.

      A federal judge dismissed the claims of five NFL players who had been suspended last season for use of a banned diuretic in the diet supplement StarCaps. Among the five are four starting defensive linemen for the Vikings and Saints, including Pro Bowl defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams(notes) of Minnesota and starting defensive ends Charles Grant(notes) and Will Smith(notes) of New Orleans.

      All four are expected to sit the first four games of next season without pay. Their suspensions had been blocked last season while U.S. district judge Paul Magnuson heard arguments from the league and the NFL Players Association.

      The league had suspended the four defensive linemen and then-Saints running back Deuce McAllister(notes) last season after they tested positive for the diuretic Bumetanide, which flushes water from the body and is considered a masking agent for steroids. McAllister is currently unsigned, but also faces a four-game suspension.

      This is a massive blow for the Vikings and Saints. Minnesota loses the backbone of its defense, while New Orleans loses its two best pass rushers. A four game suspension only amounts to a fourth of the season, but it’s still enough to have a ripple effect that could carry throughout the rest of the year, especially if one (or both) of the teams starts 1-3 or 0-4.

      Perhaps the only good news for both teams is that they now have an entire summer and preseason to prepare for not having these players at the start of the season.

      NFL

      Saints considering Edgerrin James – but why?

      May 19, 2009 /

      According to a report by FOXSports.com, the Saints are considering signing free agent running back Edgerrin James.

      Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told FOXSports.com that the team is still considering making a contract offer to free-agent running back Edgerrin James.

      “We’ve spent some time evaluating Edgerrin,” Loomis said Tuesday morning. “We think he can still play. We’re going to continue to evaluate that and see where it ends up. We haven’t made a decision on Edgerrin yet.”

      James could be a nice fit in New Orleans, which didn’t draft or sign a replacement for the released Deuce McAllister. Loomis, though, expressed confidence that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush could carry the Saints’ rushing load. A five-game starter last season, Thomas scored nine times and gained 625 yards on only 129 carries. Bush generated 844 yards from scrimmage in an injury-plagued 2008 campaign.

      “Every time Pierre has had the opportunity to play, he’s performed really well,” Loomis said. “I think he was one of the leaders in the league in not getting tackled for a loss among running backs (in 2008). He’s not the big prototype back that Deuce was but we’re confident that Pierre can do some good things for us.

      I completely disagree that James would be a good fit. I know the Saints are trying to replace McAllister, but Thomas proved last year that he deserves more carries and the team still has to make sure that Bush gets his touches as well (at least until he gets hurt).

      If they want to add a bruiser for short yardage situations ala McAllister last year, then James isn’t the guy. And don’t forget that James wanted out of Arizona because he didn’t like splitting carries with Tim Hightower and feels as though he can still be a starter. Thomas has way more upside than James, so why eat into his carries?

      The Saints only had one draft pick in the first three rounds this year. Had they had more, there’s a very likely chance that they would have selected a running back like Beanie Wells in the first round. Why? I’m a little confused by the Saints line of thinking here with how well Thomas played last season.

      NFL

      Saints players arrested for indecent exposure, etc…

      May 3, 2009 /

      http://photos.nola.com/photos/tpphotos/1cdcebe9e078641ed3b5ffc81162caba.jpg

      I get to report on athletes breaking the law and making poor life decisions for the first time today. In order to sanctify this inaugural post let me chant the greats for a sec: Please inspire my words to come ye great muses Pete Rose, Michael Vick, Mike Tyson. Oh, and there are so many more I could add, feel free to do so in the comments. Something tells me it’d be a good way to let off some steam.

      – Right. So whatta we got today? Well, YAHOO! SPORTS has an article up about the recent arrest of two New Orleans Saints players, wide receiver Biren Ealy and tight end Kolomona Kapanui:

      Two women, who weren’t identified, were riding in a vehicle when they reportedly saw Ealy and Kapanui urinating in the parking lot of an apartment complex around 12:42 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

      One of the women told Ealy to stop. Authorities said Ealy turned around while exposing himself and began making lewd comments. Moments later, Kapanui allegedly exposed himself to the driver of the vehicle and made lewd comments, the sheriff’s office said.

      What? Oh man, I thought there’d be something a bit more severe than that coming. What gives here? Alright, I guess this has “intern” written all over it. So we got two professional football players peeing in public, alright I admit that’d get you a ticket. But at the same time, come on…I’m not alone in this am I? How many times have you peed in an isolated public area after a night of drinking? I see 3 guys doing that in downtown LA on my way to return books. I apologize if I’m thoroughly nonplussed by this.

      I suppose the real crime here, and the thing that makes this worse than writing your name in the snow, is the behavior of Ealy and Kapanui after they got busted. I don’t see the need for these two guys to get so sassy with the two people who were bothered by their illegal activities.

      Props to those ladies by the way. If I saw two drunk guys (who were both 6’3” and over 200 lbs) peeing in a dark parking lot late at night, I don’t think a confrontation would be my first instinct.

      Do I really need to get serious about this news though? If I fail to voice some personal rebuke of their behavior do I get in trouble too? I just don’t think it’d make any difference. There’s always gonna be morons out there that can’t behave beyond the level of a school bus full of kindergarteners (and no, that hasn’t happened to me while I was waiting for the light to change), I can’t expect every person who can play a sport to be a model citizen. But that’s certainly no excuse for the athletes who refuse to be one.

      In conclusion, let me just say this: In terms of athletes breaking the law, this incident gets filed under toilet humor and depressingly over-common. Though I can’t believe how hard I’d be laughing at the whole situation were I an anonymous passer-by.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Humor, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      65 Observations about the 2009 NFL Draft

      April 27, 2009 /

      I’m going to channel my inner Peter King and dole out a crap load of quick-hit thoughts on last weekend’s NFL draft, which by the way, was one of the more unpredictable drafts I have ever witnessed.

      Below are 65 observations from the 2009 NFL Draft. Why 65? I don’t know – don’t worry about it. Originally I came up with 62, but I know that some people freak out when things aren’t in round numbers, so I added three more. But the number 65 means nothing, so don’t waste time searching for its meaning.

      Obviously these are all my opinions and feel free to debate them. But before you do, I already know that it supposedly takes three seasons to fully grade a draft and that no prospect is a sure thing. Again, I’m projecting here – so lighten up and let’s strike up some good debates.

      1. Outside of the fact that he’s now a millionaire and could buy a small country, I kind of feel bad for Matthew Stafford. You know some halfwit fan or media member can’t wait to utter the comment, “For $72 million, he should have made that pass.” I hate the fact that money plays such a huge role in sports because when you get down to it, completing a pass, making a catch or kicking a field goal has nothing to do with how many zeros are on your paycheck.

      2. I know I’m not saying anything new here, but the rookie salary structure is a joke. When teams don’t even want a top 5 pick anymore because of the financial burden that comes with it, there’s a huge problem.

      3. The kid could turn out to be the next Ryan Leaf on the field, but Lion fans have to at least take comfort in the fact that Matthew Stafford is saying all the right things at this point. He did an interview with the NFL Network on Sunday and he talked about how he wants to be a starter right away, but also wants to learn and be patient in his development. From all accounts, he looks like he has a great head on his shoulders.

      4. If Tyson Jackson turns out to be the next Richard Seymour like Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli believes, then nobody is going to remember (or care) that he was taken with the third overall pick in a weak draft class.

      Continue reading »

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Official 2009 NFL Draft Post & Rumor Mill

      April 25, 2009 /

      As the NFL draft rolls on over the next two days, I’ll post picks, thoughts and stay on top of any rumors that I hear and post them here. Enjoy.

      2:55PM ET: Mike Mayock of the NFL Network claims that his “cell phone is blowing up” with reports that the Jets are trying to trade up to No. 2 for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

      3:19PM ET: According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins will select Connecticut cornerback Darius Butler at No. 25.

      3:22PM ET: The Rams could trade back into the first round for middle linebacker Rey Maualuga according to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.

      3:38PM ET: I’m shocked the Chiefs passed on Aaron Curry, but all the pre-draft rumors that said Tyson Jackson would be their pick were obviously dead on. Jackson is the best 3-4 end in the draft and obvious was a commodity.

      3:40PM ET: The Browns got exactly what they wanted with this trade. They weren’t in love with anyone at No.5 and managed to trade out. Great move – I wonder what kind of ransom the Browns got.

      3:42PM ET: Mike Mayock just made a great point about the Jets trading up to No. 5. What team did they want to get ahead of to go all the way up to No. 5?

      3:45PM ET: DE Kenyon Coleman, QB Brett Ratliff, S Abram Elam No. 17 and No. 57. A sleeper in this deal is Elam, who is one of the more promising safeties in the draft.

      3:52PM ET: The Bengals select OT Andre Smith – another low character guy for their low-character roster. He is a tremendous talent, but he comes with a ton of baggage.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football, MLB, NFL, NFL Draft

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