SB Nation - Marvin Mitchell

Cowboys @ Saints Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:04:05 -0000

DeMarcus Ware's status for tomorrow night's game against the Saints is still uncertain. He looks like a game-time decision. Both he and FS Ken Hamlin are listed as questionable.

Jerry Jones on Ware:

"The good news is that, aside from his soreness, he certainly does physically have the ability to play," Jones said. "We'll just determine that as to how he’s feeling at game time."

Wade Phillips had hoped that Ware's status would be determine before the Cowboys left for New Orleans. That didn't happen. Ware is listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Saints.

Make the jump for the rest of the injury report.

DC.com on Hamlin:

Hamlin had limited participation all week in his return from a high ankle sprain. Though questionable, head coach Wade Phillips has seemed confident Hamlin would play for the first time since Nov. 15. Alan Ball has been starting in his place.

Strong safety and the Cowboys' leader in special teams tackles, Pat Watkins, is out with his sprained knee. He is not expected to be back during the regular season.

FB Deon Anderson, probable, did not go at today's walkthrough practice due to illness, but he is expected to play.

TE Martellus Bennett (concussion) has returned to practicing a full basis, but is not eligible to play until next week. He will be out against the Saints.

CB Terence Newman (knee) and SS Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) are also still listed on the injury report, but are fine and will continue to start.

As for the Saints' injuries:

DT Sedrick Ellis (knee) looks like a game-time decision for now; he has missed two days of practice this week.

CB Jabari Greer (groin) will be out.

K Garrett Hartley (hip), OT Jon Stinchcomb (knee), TE Jeremy Shockey (toe), and DE Bobby McCrary (back) all returned to practice yesterday and are expected to assume their normal roles.

Here are the rest of their injured:

Receiver Lance Moore (ankle, hamstring) and tailback Mike Bell (knee) practiced fully.

Ten other players were limited -- tailback Pierre Thomas (hip), guard Jahri Evans (foot), guard Carl Nicks (back), offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod (thumb), center Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), cornerback Tracy Porter (knee), safety Usama Young (hip), linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee), linebacker Scott Fujita (knee) and linebacker Marvin Mitchell (hamstring).

Saints @ Falcons: Official Thursday Injury Report

Saintsational — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:42:10 -0000

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Practice Report
	OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
	Thursday	CB Jabari Greer (groin)

	DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	LB Scott Fujita (knee), CB Jabari Greer (groin), LB Marvin Mitchell (hamstring), CB Tracy Porter (knee)
	Thursday	RB Mike Bell (knee), LB Scott Fujita (knee), LB Marvin Mitchell (hamstring), CB Tracy Porter (knee)

	LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	RB Mike Bell (knee), RB Reggie Bush (knee), T Jermon Bushrod (thumb), TE Darnell Dinkins (foot), DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), G Jahri Evans (toe), CB Randall Gay (hamstring), C Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), RB Lynell Hamilton (shoulder), DE Bobby McCray (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle, hamstring), RB Pierre Thomas (quadricep), LB Jonathan Vilma (knee), S Usama Young (hip, calf)
	Thursday	RB Reggie Bush (knee), T Jermon Bushrod (thumb), TE Darnell Dinkins (foot), DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), G Jahri Evans (toe), CB Randall Gay (hamstring), C Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), RB Lynell Hamilton (shoulder), DE Bobby McCray (back, knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle, hamstring), TE Jeremy Shockey (hamstring), RB Pierre Thomas (quadricep), LB Jonathan Vilma (knee), S Usama Young (hip, calf)

ATLANTA FALCONS

Practice Report
	DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	G Harvey Dahl (ankle), CB Chris Houston (hamstring), C Todd McClure (knee), TE Justin Peelle (head), QB Matt Ryan (toe), RB Michael Turner (ankle)
	Thursday	G Harvey Dahl (ankle), CB Chris Houston (hamstring), TE Justin Peelle (head), QB Matt Ryan (toe), RB Michael Turner (ankle)

	LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), T Sam Baker (elbow), WR Michael Jenkins (ankle), T Will Svitek (ankle), WR Roddy White (knee)
	Thursday	DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), T Sam Baker (elbow), WR Michael Jenkins (ankle), C Todd McClure (knee), T Will Svitek (ankle), WR Roddy White (knee)

	FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	CB Christopher Owens (shoulder)
	Thursday	CB Christopher Owens (shoulder)

Saints @ Falcons: Official Wednesday Injury Report

Saintsational — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:37:02 -0000

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Practice Report
	DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	LB Scott Fujita (knee), CB Jabari Greer (groin), LB Marvin Mitchell (hamstring), CB Tracy Porter (knee)

	LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	RB Mike Bell (knee), RB Reggie Bush (knee), T Jermon Bushrod (thumb), TE Darnell Dinkins (foot), DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), G Jahri Evans (toe), CB Randall Gay (hamstring), C Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), RB Lynell Hamilton (shoulder), DE Bobby McCray (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle, hamstring), RB Pierre Thomas (quadricep), LB Jonathan Vilma (knee), S Usama Young (hip, calf)

ATLANTA FALCONS

Practice Report
	DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	G Harvey Dahl (ankle), CB Chris Houston (hamstring), C Todd McClure (knee), TE Justin Peelle (head), QB Matt Ryan (toe), RB Michael Turner (ankle)

	LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), T Sam Baker (elbow), WR Michael Jenkins (ankle), T Will Svitek (ankle), WR Roddy White (knee)

	FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	CB Christopher Owens (shoulder)

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Rams

saints-nation — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:15:20 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

about 1 month ago: St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) is stopped by New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant (94) as Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, left, looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in St. Louis. The Saints won 28-23. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

View full size photo »

Below are the grades for the Saints' Defense and Special Teams @ the Rams.

Saints vs Rams boxscore

Saints vs Rams coverage

Saints vs Rams recap

Will Smith: B- (2.78) Smith registered yet another sack which also forced the ball loose, but unfortunately the Saints weren't able to recover. The Rams ended up scoring on the next play on a long pass to Avery. He's been getting better and better this season rushing the passer. Against the run he was mediocre. He finished with just 2 tackles.

Charles Grant: B+ (2.41) Grant was terrific against the run for the second straight week. He finished with 5 tackles and was present on many of the stops the defense made against the run in the second half. 2 of his tackles were plays where he beat his blocker and was able to meet Steven Jackson in the backfield for a loss. His play was aggressive and his tackles were hard to break. He even had a couple of decent pass rushes, and I felt he deserved a half sack on the sack given to Ayodele.

Bobby McCray: B- (1.96) McCray showed some nice ability against the run for once, and this time he got more pressure on the quarterback. Just one tackle for McCray in the game, but I at least saw him involved, active, and always in pursuit. A promising performance given how invisible he's been.

Anthony Hargrove: C (2.42) Hargrove did finish with 4 tackles, and his pressure on Marc Bulger was good, but he's still a little light to play the run effectively. He was pushed out of the way often and mauled on several of Jackson's big runs.

Remi Ayodele: C (2.09) Ayodele got a coverage sack, and just 1 tackle. He was surprisingly pretty good rushing the passer and he pancaked Bulger on another play just as Bulger released his pass. Otherwise, he was eaten alive on running plays and did a poor job of playing at the point of attack. Sedrick Ellis needs to get back in the lineup healthy because the last three weeks watching the Saints attempt to stop the run have been painful.

Scott Fujita: C- (2.53) Fujita was feeling things out early and he seemed rusty in his first game back from a calf injury. He was juked a couple of times by Jackson and allowed him to run through weak arm tackles at other times. As the game wore on, though, he seemed to get better and better as he adjusted back to the game speed. He was in the right place for most of the game and played well in coverage. He finished with 4 tackles, and I hope he'll play more like he did in the second half for all of next week.

Scott Shanle: B (2.81) Nice to see Shanle bounce back and play a pretty solid game. Like Fujita, he was pushed around a little early and seemed to be too tentative in his reads. He did make a couple of terrific open field tackles on a very hard to bring down Steven Jackson, though, and those plays could have been massive gainers if Shanle doesn't come up with the tackle. His tackling technique is very sound, and it's nice to have a linebacker you can trust. True to form he also did a good job in coverage. He finished with 6 tackles including one for a loss.

Jonathan Vilma: B- (2.93) Mixed bag for Vilma. He did have 8 tackles and seemed to get better as the game wore on, but he also had a number of opportunities to make plays where Jackson made him look like a backup. Vilma did a good job on a blitz of hitting Bulger, and almost got a sack at one point but Bulger released the pass as he was going down. Vilma also missed a couple of assignments in the passing game, allowing Daniel Fells to make plays.

Marvin Mitchell: B- (2.45) Mitchell had 2 tackles, including one which was a vicious hit. Overall he didn't make mistakes and looked good against the run and pass in limited duty.

Tracy Porter: C (3.11) Before Porter left the game with an injury, he was having a forgettable game. Assigned for a large part of the game to cover rookie Brandon Gibson, who had no catches on the season going into this game, he was beat all too often. On the play he was injured, he was not only beat but completely blew the tackle. Porter finished with 2 tackles. The news that his injury is only a strain is huge, though. The Saints need him desperately, and the fact the he should be back in time for the stretch run and the playoffs is crucial.

Randall Gay: D- (2.67) Gay was beat on two touchdown passes to Donnie Avery and the Rams in general picked on him all day. He looked slow and despite good coverage on the second touchdown he showed terrible ball skills. Gay did finish with 4 tackles on the day. Gay in my estimation is best used in the slot as a physical corner. I know the Saints were short handed, but matching him up against a burner like Donnie Avery was a terrible matchup. I heard whispers of Jason David comparisons (ahem, Saintsational) and that is going a little too far. Just because he can't run with Donnie Avery it doesn't mean he has no clue out there. Gay will be fine, just a rough day for him lined up against a receiver that is as fast as just about anyone. Next week against Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton I think Gay will look better.

Malcolm Jenkins: C+ (2.92) He was ok, not great. He finished with 2 tackles and put nice pressure on a couple of blitzes. He did have one devastating hit on Bulger that the Rams' quarterback barely got up from. He also had a big "defended pass" late in the game, where he ran with Avery before getting hit in the back with the ball. One thing I was impressed by was a running play where it was Jackson, a blocker and Jenkins, and Jenkins did a good job of sticking his head in there and trying to take out Jackson's legs. He slowed Jackson down enough to make it an easy tackle for his teammates. Malcolm is pretty physical for a corner.

Roman Harper: B+ (3.26) Another solid game from Harper. He's becoming a pretty steady performer for the Saints, and brace yourselves because he actually looked good against the pass. He was around the box a good amount, especially in the second half, and finished with 8 tackles. He did a good job, mostly, of limiting Jackson's effectiveness at the second level. He had a key pass breakup late in the third quarter on a 3rd down in the red zone forcing a Rams' field goal, and he was involved on the hail mary attempt breakup.

DeMario Pressley: B (2.84) He was pretty good against the run. Sure he was pushed around at times and somewhat responsible for the yardage Jackson amassed, but he looked aggressive and I liked his hustle. Given the fact that Pressley is essentially a red shirt rookie that's only in his second game as a pro, he's performed admirably. He had 5 tackles including 2 for losses.

Pierson Prioleau: C+ (2.67) Prioleau gave up a couple of passes but also laid some nice hits. He finished with 3 tackles and helped the Saints out when they were so thin on the final drive in dime coverage.

Usama Young: B+ (3.33) At times Young looked like a harder hitting, faster version of Darren Sharper. He had a terrific break on the ball on his interception, and he also defended another pass showing nice anticipation. He finished with 4 tackles and had some nice hits. His grade could be better, but he took a couple of bad angles on Jackson at the second level and did a bad job of wrapping up at other times which allowed the Rams to gain more yardage.

Leigh Torrence: C (2.00) Torrence did finish with 4 tackles, and showed pretty good coverage specifically on a deep ball late in the game, but in general he played too far off his man allowing easy throws underneath. He was beat at least twice on slants. He was responsible for Gibson once Porter left with an injury and he did very little to slow him down.

John Carney B- (2.67) No field goal attempts and Carney finished 4 for 4 on extra points. I'm sure some of you are thinking: well, he did everything we asked him to do, why doesn't he get an A or an A-? Well, first off, the best I'd give him for that minimal of a contribution is MAYBE a B+, but couple that with the fact that the Saints were forced to punt once and go for it another time on 4th down because Carney's leg strength was unreliable and there you have it. As much as I like Carney and trust his accuracy, it's a bummer that we don't have an option we currently trust with the game on the line and the ball at our opponent's 35 yard line.

Thomas Morstead D+ (2.89) Morstead didn't have any touchbacks on kickoffs, but his depth was ok. His punting performance was actually pretty dismal. He averaged just 37.3 yards on 3 punts, and netted just 20.6 per punt if you count 2 touchbacks and a 10 yard punt return. On his last punt he blasted it out of the end zone, but it sounded like there was a coaching mix up and he was just following instructions.

Courtney Roby A (2.88) Roby took one to the house to open the second half and break a 14-14 tie. His speed hitting the hole on that return was impressive and no Ram ever had a chance at him. I'm happy to see Roby solidify his standing as the team's returner. I also liked that on a deep kickoff later in the game, he didn't let the big play go to his head and he downed it for a touchback. He also came close to making a nice play as a gunner on a punt that bounced inside the 5, but punt returner blew him up before he had a chance to down the ball prior to it going in the end zone. Glad he didn't get hurt on that play, it was a vicious hit and we need him.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar: B (2.83) Dunbar threw an awesome block on Roby's return, and he was credited with a tackle as a gunner. I could have SWORN I remember him making two tackles, though. None the less, he was involved downfield and had a good day on special teams, so I thought I'd give him his props.

My Defensive Player of the Game: Roman Harper
My Special Teams Player of the Game: Courtney Roby

Poll

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Usama Young

108 votes

Jonathan Vilma

20 votes

Roman Harper

102 votes

Charles Grant

55 votes

285 votes | Poll has closed

Saints Mid-Season Defensive & Special Teams Player Grades; Jabari Greer and Thomas Morstead awarded MVP

saints-nation — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:34 -0000

by Bill Feig - AP

View full size photo »

Below are the Grade Point Averages of each player that's played significant time in the New Orleans Saints' defense and special teams through the first eight games of the 2009 season, ordered from highest GPA to lowest:

DEFENSE:

Jabari Greer 3.46 (8 graded games)

Roman Harper 3.25 (8 graded games)

Tracy Porter 3.25 (8 graded games)

Darren Sharper 3.21 (8 graded games)

Malcolm Jenkins 3.11 (3 graded games)

Randall Gay 3.00 (6 graded games)

Jonathan Vilma 2.96 (8 graded games)

Pierson Prioleau 2.84 (2 graded games)

Will Smith 2.79 (8 graded games)

Scott Shanle 2.79 (8 graded games)

Sedrick Ellis 2.78 (6 graded games)

Jo-Lonn Dunbar 2.78 (3 grades games)

Scott Fujita 2.75 (4 grades games)

DeMario Pressley 2.67 (1 graded game)

Marvin Mitchell 2.34 (2 graded games)

Charles Grant 2.29 (8 graded games)

Kendrick Clancy 2.17 (2 graded games)

Remi Ayodele 2.10 (6 graded games)

Bobby McCray 1.86 (7 graded games)

Troy Evans 1.67 (2 graded games)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Thomas Morstead 3.08 (8 graded games)

Courtney Roby 2.71 (7 graded games)

John Carney 2.67 (8 graded games)

Below are the number of Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Game awards handed out in my Player Grades posts:

defense:

Darren Sharper 3

Will Smith 1

Roman Harper 1

Tracy Porter 1

Jonathan Vilma 1

Jabari Greer 1

special teams:

Thomas Morstead 2

Courtney Roby 2

Malcolm Jenkins 2

Robert Meachem 1

John Carney 1

Based on the numbers alone, I'm choosing Jabari Greer as the Mid-Season Defensive MVP. If Jahri Evans isn't a popular pick, then picking Greer over Darren Sharper should be even less of one. Keep in mind that while Sharper has had about 4 INCREDIBLE games and others that were pretty good, Greer has been steadily very good every single week. On special teams, I think Morstead getting the MVP is a no brainer. What do you think?

Poll

Who Is Your Mid-Season Defensive MVP?

Jonathan VIlma

30 votes

Will Smith

14 votes

Darren Sharper

321 votes

Jabari Greer

54 votes

Roman Harper

8 votes

427 votes | Poll has closed

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades vs. Falcons

saints-nation — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Bill Feig - AP

about 1 month ago: New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper (42) intercepts a pass in front of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) in the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. The Saints defeated the Falcons 35-27 to remain unbeaten. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

Browse more photos »

Below are the grades for the defensive and special team players.

Falcons vs Saints boxscore

Falcons vs Saints recap

Will Smith: A- (2.72) He was awesome and this was arguably his best game of the season. Smith was a constant menace to the Atlanta passing game, repeatedly beating his man around the edge to apply pressure. He finished with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a defended pass and induced a holding penalty when he was clearly headed for a sack. Honestly, I felt like holding calls could have been made against Smith at least 3 other times. The "defended pass", by the way, was originally ruled a sack and forced fumble, but reviewed and changed to an incomplete pass. He was helpful at times in run support, but that area of his game was perfectible.

Charles Grant: D+ (2.19) Forgettable performance from Grant who was invisible for the majority of the night. Several of Michael Turner's big runs came off his edge. He did a poor job rushing the passer and was largely neutralized. He finished with 3 tackles.

Bobby McCray: D+ (1.95) The only redeeming value in this performance for McCray is that he showed decent pressure on Atlanta's final 2 drives. Other than that, he recorded no tackles and had another very quiet game. Time for him to step up and make a play, already.

Anthony Hargrove: C (2.33) Hargrove was decent rushing the passer and bad against the run. He finished with 4 tackles, a sack and laid a devastating hit on Matt Ryan as he released the final pass intercepted by Sharper. The Falcons ran the ball several times right at Hargrove and his size limitation showed. He was pushed around at the point of attack and made it obvious the Saints miss Sedrick Ellis on running plays.

Remi Ayodele: D- (2.06) Ayodele had just one tackle despite playing a significant amount of time in the game. He was manhandled by the Falcons' big line, and allowed Turner to escape his grasp several times. He looked slow and confused in many different sets. By far his worse game of the season. Run defense is supposed to be his specialty, but Michael Turner was allowed to run free and hurt the Saints defense immensely. Very poor performance from Ayodele.

Kendrick Clancy: C- (2.17) Clancy showed good pressure once on a passing play, and got involved a couple of times in run support. He seemed to push the pile with average results when he was in. Overall he didn't get much action in the game. Maybe he was a little rusty, but it seems clear to me he's a better option right now than Ayodele. Just 1 tackle on the day for the backup tackle.

Scott Shanle: D (2.81) By far Shanle's worst game of the season. He's been so solid and sound each and every week, it was a big surprise to see him struggle. He registered his very first tackle very late in the 3rd quarter, falling on top of a stumbling Tony Gonzalez downfield. He ended the game with 3 tackles. In the passing game he was stiff and missed a couple opportunities to deflect passes. He was a step slow getting to his assignments and he was pushed around in run support. He was useless against Michael Turner's runs. It seemed like anytime there was an opportunity for Shanle to make a play, a blocker would wipe him out contention. He did not absorb hits the way he usually does.

Jonathan Vilma: B- (2.91) Vilma finished with 6 tackles and was active. He was one of the few players that got involved in trying to slow down Michael Turner. That said, he over-pursued on at least three plays inside, allowing Turner to bounce out wide and gain big yardage. He was not dominant like he was at Miami, and got push around from time to time. His grade would be worse, but he came up with one of the biggest plays of the game tipping a Matt Ryan pass that went into the hands of Tracy Porter for an interception. At that point Atlanta was in scoring position down 24-28, so Vilma came up with a big play at the most crucial of times.

Marvin Mitchell: C- (2.34) Marvin made two critical mistakes early that could have landed him an F grade. First he got beat severely by Gonzalez on a passing route, falling down to allow the hall of fame to be tight end to get yardage after the catch. Later, he jumped offsides on a big 3rd and 4 to give Atlanta the automatic first down. Some of you may have noticed Payton going over to him and letting him know that was twice (showing the number two with his fingers) Mitchell had screwed up and hurt the team. After that, though, he came back to make a terrific open field tackle on a punt return, and he helped in run support. He finished with 3 tackles.

Jabari Greer: B (3.52) Greer was tough as usual. He was assigned to Roddy White all day and defended many passes. He came up with a game turning interception which he ran back 48 yards for a touchdown before halftime. He did give up a 68 yard bomb to White, though, later in the game to get the Falcons back in it. On that play it looked to me like he was pushed in the back and the coverage overall was actually pretty good, so while he got beat it wasn't egregious. Later, White almost had another touchdown which would have tied the game, but a review showed the pass hit the turf. Not only was Greer beat there, but he could've been flagged for pass interference. White had just 4 catches, but they went for 108 yards and a TD. Overall it was a tough player to guard for Greer, but Jabari handled it pretty well and made a huge play. He finished with 6 tackles.

Tracy Porter: A (3.24) Porter looked fantastic tackling and was very solid in pass defense. His crucial interception with the Falcons driving down 24-28 was one of the biggest plays of the Saints' young season. Despite his limited size he was aggressive in helping his teammates bring down both Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez. He made no real mistakes in the game, and he finished with 6 tackles.

Randall Gay: B- (3.00) Gay had 3 tackles and had pretty good coverage on Tony Gonzalez on occasion. He helped his teammates and didn't make any major mistakes.

Roman Harper: B+ (3.19) A solid performance overall from Harper. He was in the box and he was the only one that didn't seem scared to hit Michael Turner. He was all over the field and finished with 8 tackles. His grade could've been better, but he was bullied by Tony Gonzalez on passing plays, and he over-pursued like Vilma at times allowing Turner to bounce outside. The one play that really disappointed me was when he watched Turner get stacked up by about 4 Saints players, and instead of piling on and bringing the runner down - he saw Turner break free of the pile for a big gain. He needs to stay aggressive through the whistle, but overall he had a good game and didn't make major errors against the pass like he sometimes does.

Darren Sharper: B- (3.19) Sharper had a horrendous angle on the first touchdown run by Michael Turner. As good as he can be at times, let's not fool ourselves into thinking this guy doesn't have limitations too. He's definitely lost a step from his heyday. He's still a major upgrade over past free safeties regardless. He finished with 4 tackles, a dropped interception, an interception on a desperate hail mary pass, and a blitz where he pummeled Matt Ryan and caused a big incompletion on 3rd down. Still, his tackling wasn't always great and he was bullied by Michael Turner downfield with stiff arms. All of that aside, 7 interceptions in 7 games is just RIDICULOUS.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar: B- (2.50) Dunbar was great at times, and mediocre at others. He was extremely aggressive against the run and very active. Sometimes it got him in trouble, and other times he made good plays. He finished with 4 tackles. If Fujita misses another game, I think I prefer Dunbar over Evans at linebacker. He may make some mistakes due to lack of experience, but his hustle and fierce effort is refreshing. Evans may contain better, but he just doesn't have the athleticism or skill of Dunbar.

John Carney: D+ (2.52) He made 5 extra points, though two were just inside the upright and a little close for comfort. His only real "test" was to hit a simple 37 yard kick and he let the Falcons back in the game by missing it. I wonder if Garrett Hartley may get a harder look after that miss?

Thomas Morstead: C+ (3.09) Morstead got less depth on his kickoffs than usual. Most of them fell either a yard deep or inside the 5. He punted twice with a 44.5 yard average and got good height on his punts. The coverage did an ok job of bailing him out, but it wasn't his best game.

Courtney Roby: B (2.72) Roby didn't get many chances early because of the depth of the kickoffs by Atlanta, but I was impressed that he showed intelligence and restraint in downing each of them. It's good that he didn't force what wasn't there. When he did return kicks, he showed good burst and speed. He averaged 29.3 yards on 3 returns, and had a long of 35 yards. He gave the Saints decent field position when he could. He also had a tackle on coverage.

Defensive Player of the Game: Tracy Porter
Special Teams Player of the Game: Courtney Roby

Poll

Who Was Your Pick for Defensive Player of the Game?

Jabari Greer

110 votes

Tracy Porter

79 votes

Jonathan Vilma

31 votes

Will Smith

186 votes

406 votes | Poll has closed

Counting on Dan Morgan Scares the Crap Out of Me. An Un-Loyal Saints Fan and Proud of it.

Hap Glaudi's Ghost — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:15:08 -0000

Yes, the flaming car crash that a fair amount of you believe this column to be is back. The cat-loving, foul-mouthed rants will continue. If you are looking for stats, game breakdowns, and hardcore Saints articles Dave and the crew cover that ground and why improve on perfection? My column will always be different. I'm here to push, question, possibly annoy. But mostly try to get you to laugh, think and discuss. So far I'm batting a thousand.

Of course, for my last column the discussion was, "How do we get Ghost to contract a serious disease, get hit by a bus, and most importantly, sleep with the fishes." I felt the love and it was appreciated. Anyway, this week I'm more depressed than Kurt Cobain. When I saw the headline Saints Linebacker out for Season with Achilles Injury my initial thought was, "Dan Morgan injured himself again putting on his pants or maybe eating breakfast?" Sure that sucks but it isn't like Morgan has ever actually played a down in a Saints uniform.

Except it wasn't Morgan. It was rookie Stanley Arnoux! $%^& and #$%%! So now the only talent upgrade the Saints can really count on at linebacker is Dan Morgan and some undrafted rookie free agents.This is a huge problem. Sure Jo-Lonn Dunbar has proven a key special teams guy but I doubt he'll be pushing for serious playing time. Quick, tell me a big play a Saints linebacker made last year who wasn't named Jonathan Vilma? [Cue Jeopardy music!] Scott Fujita's interception against the Bucs and the one in Chicago are all I can think of. Not very comforting, is it? Scott Shanle is just a guy. He is just an average starter. If the Saints had a good pass rush or a decent secondary I'd be fine with Shanle. The Saints as of today have neither of those two things.

Yes, it was probably asking a lot of a rookie fourth round pick to be the answer at outside linebacker but at least Arnoux would have been a possibility. It's like dating. Sure I might go on three crappy dates with guys who will never in a million years be my future husband (no one deserves that fate) but three crappy dates is way better than being home on Saturday night. I'll never find my future ex sitting at home eating ice cream and watching ‘Sex in the City'. Same thing applies to the Saints. They are running out of options to get better linebacker play. Options are key here people. Going into every season I try to predict how the Saints will do by how many questions they have. Serious questions. Not, "Who will be the fifth receiver?" questions.

This year my questions are:

Who will be the Saints short yardage/power back and will he be successful?
Can the Saints create a significant pass rush?
Who will play free safety and will they play well?
Will the linebackers not named Jonathan Vilma be any better?

Every one of those questions I can give you a plausible answer except one.

Question #1 answer: The Saints have six possible options for the power back option. Obviously if you read my first column you know I think the Saints should have done more to address this but they at least have a bunch of different guys to try. I actually really like Herb Donaldson but hey if Thomas can't get it done at the start, try them all. Just don't let P.J. Hill out in the Quarter if he becomes a huge success. Hey P.J., we'll start a Hill drunken taxi fund if you can convert 3rd and short and become a goal line touchdown thief.

Question #2 answer: Gregg Williams might be able to light a fire under Charles Grant and Will Smith and his schemes traditionally land QB's on their butt.

Question #3 answer: Darren Sharper's prime may be so far behind him that he can't even remember when it was but if he is a bust the Saints still have Usama Young and Chip Vaughn to try and solve the problem.

Question #4 answer: If the Saints want to upgrade the outside linebacker spots they have Dan Morgan and who? Mark Simoneau is always getting blown up. Marvin Mitchell and Troy Evans have been around long enough to prove they are not a solution. Nevermind injuries which haven't stopped since the first week of the 2008 season. Now the Saints don't have a solution if the linebackers suck or get injured. Bad. Why do the football gods hate us? Dave, is it time to hire a voodoo priest or sacrifice a goat in the Poydras Street endzone to end the injury plague?

If this post seems less angry, obscene, and tamer it's not because Dave told me to change or get lost. No, I'm definitely a bi-polar Saints fan and injuries just make me sad. I thought it sucked when Tom Brady got injured. I mean we wait all year for football and then players start dropping like pounds off Lindsay Lohan. And for no other reason than bad luck our favorite teams are screwed. Plus, the football season is less interesting when stars get injured. If the Saints are going to suck, I don't want the excuse of injuries. Nothing kills my football buzz like injuries...I'm such a freaking girl. This injury crap needs to stop or I might go on some expletive laced journey that makes poor Dave's head explode.

Comment of the week that drove me to drink, go on a shopping spree and go crazy all at once.

An un-loyal Saints fan and proud of it!

While reading each and every one of the loving, supportive comments from my last article, I began thinking about one of the things that I always find interesting, and that is someone questioning someone else's fandom. What makes a true Saints fan?

This comment got me thinking: "If the Saints make you that mad, and sounds like you're a fan when we win but not when we lose, maybe the Saints are not the team for you. You might need to refrain from buying tickets to a game if you can't take it when they lose and when things don't go your way...Keep the Faith!!!"

Let me say right off the bat that this isn't personal. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and thanks to this reader for inspiring this section. See Dave, I wasn't mean at all so don't tase me bro! Here's the thing though: why do certain fans make loyalty the main condition of how good a fan someone is? I can be a Saints fan however I want. I don't have to like everything they do, agree with every move they make and I don't even have to be rational about it. The mere mention of the name Alex Molden causes me to have flashbacks like some Vietnam Vet. If I'm less of a Saints fan because I lost my head when they took Molden over Eddie George and still haven't gotten over it, then so be it (I personally blame Jim Mora Jr. for convincing Daddy Mora to take Molden so I hate freaking Mora Jr. And now that he coaches the Seahawks I have a perfectly good reason to hate Seattle. I love football and its ability to allow me to hate new things every year).

Nothing drives me crazier than someone railing, "You aren't a true hardcore fan. If you don't support the Saints 100% of the time we don't need you." I think being called a ‘loyal fan' is insulting. ‘You might need to refrain from buying tickets to a game if you can't take it when they lose and when things don't go your way.' Oh really? So I guess I should just have sunshine flying out my butt despite the fact the Saints have had a winning record at home in exactly two of the last ten years? I'm not even loyal to my political party or my job much less a football team. I've had season tickets to the Saints for 20 years and I've seriously considered dropping them twice. Does that not make me a ‘real Saints fan?'

If Benson hadn't canned Ditka I would have dropped. If Mora hadn't quit I would have dropped. The Saints don't have my unconditional financial support. Hell I've openly rooted for them to lose. Yep. And if I deem the conditions right I'll do it again. One of my absolute favorite moments as a fan was watching Detroit beat the Saints on Christmas Eve 2005. It was awesome. The Saints needed to lose to have any chance at drafting Reggie Bush. I thought having a chance at Reggie was way better than some meaningless win over the Lions. I can still see Joey Harrington hitting Roy Williams on a fourth down miracle pass. So sweet. Of course I only root against the Saints when they are eliminated from playoff contention and I feel the head coach needs to be unemployed. If the Saints are 6-6 in November this year and you think Sean Payton needs to go coach Tulane, knock yourself out rooting for a train wreck.

I'll be honest, if I grew up in the 1970's I might not be a Saints fan. They were like a rotting fish: bad owner, crappy coaches, and horrible players. They had Archie but that was it. If I was currently a Raider fan I don't know if I could stand it. To know you have no hope until Al Davis dies must suck. Either get a new team or root for the old man to keel over are not appealing choices are they? My gosh, it makes me almost feel sorry for Raider fans. All sports leagues market loyalty as a badge of honor. If you think it is great, fine. Just don't think it makes you any more special than me just because I ripped my Roman Harper jersey in half after the Chicago game and wanted Gary Gibbs' head on a stick. I love the Saints but if loyalty means watching them suck with a smile on my face and never insulting coaches, players and GM's (Bill Kuharich can suck it) then I'm an un-loyal biatch!

This week's Saints video that will keep you buying tickets till 2025

Oh Steve Walsh, you douche and weak armed destroyer of playoff dreams. That the Saints traded a first, second and third round pick for you instead of just signing Bobby Hebert ranks as one of the Saints top five worst moves and that's saying a lot. The Saints, after all, hired a freakin' astronaut as a GM. I'm guessing the Saints could have used those picks to help build an offense to go along with the Dome Patrol. Sometimes I wish I was a man who could just adjust his junk and say "Screw it!" to make me feel better. Saints' screw ups eat at me like a cancer. Anyway, old Steve did lead the Saints to this awesome win over the Goats in 1990 to clinch a playoff spot. Enjoy.

Saints 2009 Position Battles: Linebacker

Saintsational — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:00:18 -0000

Continuing on with our roster breakdown position by position we now come to the linebacking corp. This position has had one heck of a makeover this off-season. With so many more talented players battling it out this year, the Saints are sure to see improvement from the middle of their defense. Let's take a look at who they've got.

Here's a quick glance at all of linebackers currently on the Saints roster:

Player	Height	Weight	Age	Experience
Jonathan Vilma	6'1"	230	27	6
Scott Fujita	6'5"	250	30	8
Mark Simoneau	6'0"	245	32	10
Scott Shanle	6'2"	245	29	7
Dan Morgan	6'2"	245	30	8
Stanley Arnoux	6'0"	232	22	R
Jo-Lonn Dunbar	6'0"	226	24	2
Troy Evans	6'3"	238	31	8
Marvin Mitchell	6'3"	249	24	3
Anthony Waters	6'3"	238	24	3
Jonathan Casillas	6'2"	226	21	R

There is quite a crowd ready to fight it out for a final roster spot this year. The Saints will start off with eleven possibly candidates and will probably need to cut it down to about six, possibly seven.

Vilma and Fujita are probably the only two players on the list that are a lock to make the team. Both are undeniable leaders of this position group both on the field and in the locker room. Moving on to the other returning players we come across Scott Shanle and Mark Simoneau. Simoneau missed all of last year and as the oldest player at the position, I think he's reached the end of the road with the Saints. Payton has been trying for years to get rid of Shanle but the little bugger just won't go away. With all of the talent added to the roster this off-season, I think Payton has finally improved the weak side. I hope Shanle is gone but we've been wrong about this before.

Dan Morgan is an enigma whose play just can't be predicted. If he remains healthy he could be one of the biggest improvements to this entire defense. He's that good. But he also hasn't played in a year and he may trip over a few cobwebs. Morgan says he's in the best shape of his life so all we can do is believe him. He definitely makes the team if he doesn't die during training camp.

I think Troy Evans had better shine on special teams. That's been his specialty (pun sort of intended) and it might be his meal ticket this year.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Marvin Mitchell are the young returnees. Both show a lot of upside, particularly Dunbar, but competition hasn't been this tough in recent years. These guys are big contributors on special teams so they're always a consideration. Either of these guys could surprise coaches with a bit of hard work. Dunbar seems to be a favorite of fans and coaches.

Your guess is as good as mine regarding what kind of production to expect from Anthony Waters. He certainly won't start but he'll be battling with Marvin Mitchell for a spot as Vilma's backup. Because of Mitchell's special team contributions, I don't see Waters beating him out.

Then there are the new guys: Stanley Arnoux and Jonathan Casillas. Arnoux comes in as a fourth round pick so expectations are only moderate. Working his way into a starting spot will be a bit of a long shot but the hope is that he will become a quality player with a little coaching and time. I think the Saints keep him around as a backup on the outside. Casillas, though probably the most highly touted rookie free agent, still has his work cut out for him in training camp. If he lives up to the hype then the Saints got away with robbery. Helping out on special teams will definitely give him the best chance at cracking the roster.

To be sure, this is going to be one of the most intriguing position competitions during training camp this year. What do you think is going to happen? Who are you most intrigued by? Will there be any surprises?

Poll

Which linebacker will be the biggest surprise?

Stanley Arnoux

100 votes

Jonathan Casillas

148 votes

Dan Morgan

370 votes

Anthony Waters

23 votes

Jo-Lonn Dunbar

103 votes

Marvin Mitchell

14 votes

758 votes | Poll has closed

Saints Free Agent Review - Linebacker and Secondary

Saintsational — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:09 -0000

The next big happening of the NFL off-season will be the beginning of the free agency signing period on February 27th. With that in mind, I figured we could take a look at all of Saints players who will become free agents this year. The coaching staff definitely has some tough decisions ahead of them. Let's try to put our finger on what the organization might have in store for these players.

First, a little briefing on the different levels of free agency, courtesy of the official NFLPA website.

Free agency rights depend on the number of "accrued seasons" the player has at the time his contract expires. An accrued season is a season in which the player has been on "full pay status" for six (6) or more regular season games. There are three categories of free agents:

1. Unrestricted: In a capped year, a player with four or more accrued seasons has unrestricted free agency rights. Five or more accrued seasons are required for unrestricted free agency in an uncapped year (1993 or the last year of the CBA). An unrestricted free agent may sign with any team. If the unrestricted free agent is not signed by June 1, his old club may offer him a contract with a 10% raise over his prior year's salary, and thereby obtain the exclusive right to re-sign him after July 15 if he has not signed elsewhere by then.

2. Restricted: A player with three but less than four accrued seasons (four but less than five in an uncapped year) can seek offers from other clubs after his contract expires, but he has only 60 days to do so (from around March 1 to mid-April). If he gets an offer, his old club must choose between matching it and retaining him, or letting him go to the new club in return for draft choice compensation. The draft choice compensation varies depending upon the offer the old club gives the player prior to becoming a restricted free agent.

3. Exclusive Rights: A player with an expiring contract who has less than three accrued seasons can only sign with his old club, provided that he is offered a one-year contract at the minimum salary for the upcoming year. If the exclusive rights free agent gets no such offer, he is completely free.

The first group of players we'll take a look at our the linebackers and secondary. The biggest priority on this list is, of course, Jonathan Vilma. But it's our secondary that needs help the most and quite a few players will have a chance at new deals. Let's see who will probably be around next season and who might be leaving the Saints when free agency begins.

Linebackers

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Marvin Mitchell

ERFA

As an exclusive rights free agent, the Saints only need to offer Mitchell the minimum salary to keep him on the payroll in 2009. Mitchell is still young and has upside so at that price I expect to see him around next year to compete for a spot.

CSC says: Keep him!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Jonathan Vilma

UFA

I will cancel my season tickets and shut down CSC if Vilma is not re-signed within the first five minutes of the free agency period. There is no need to go at length on this topic. Vilma is the leader of this defense. Gregg Williams is in love with him. Only because of loop holes surrounding his trade does Vilma not already have a contract. This one is a lock.

CSC says: Keep him!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Troy Evans

UFA

Evans contributed minimally last season at linebacker but he's valuable on special teams and that can sometimes be enough. It shouldn't cost too much to keep him around and I think he's one of those hard-working underdog types that coaches love. Definitely worth another look.

CSC says: Keep him!

Secondary

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Aaron Glenn

UFA

2009 needs to be the start of a new era for the Saints defense and an aging, injury-prone Glenn shouldn't fit into those plans. Other teams may not be interested either. It might be time for him to think about retiring to Florida and catching the early bird specials.

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Terrence Holt

UFA

If the Saints actually do draft a safety or two this year, it might get a little crowded in the backfield and Holt may be out of a job. Personally, I could care less about the future of Holt.

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Michael Lehan

UFA

Lehan was a late-season pick up to help fill a roster spot amid the Saints' ridiculous amount of injuries in 2008. I've never even seen this guy play. Have you?

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Leigh Torrence

RFA

Torrence is in the same boat as Lehan above. It won't cost much to keep him but I doubt he'll provide the much needed help this secondary craves so badly.

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Chris Reis

ERFA

The hard hitting Reis impressed enough in camp last year to earn a spot on the roster. The Saints will probably offer him the minimum and let him try and impress them again. He's great on special teams and could make for a valuable backup.

CSC says: Keep him!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Josh Bullocks

UFA

You are the weakest link. Goodbye. In all seriousness, if the Saints want to make a real stab at improving their secondary, particularly the safety spot, Josh Bullocks must go. Consider it addition by subtraction.

CSC says: See ya!

Poll

Other than Jonathan Vilma, signing which one of these players should be the Saints top priority?

Chris Reis

18 votes

Troy Evans

14 votes

Aaron Glenn

3 votes

Marvin Mitchell

18 votes

None of the above

36 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

Dolphins @ Saints: The View from Section 108

Saintsational — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:00:08 -0000

I know pre-season games are usually sloppy and sometimes boring, particularly the final one, but man, this was awful. 99 total yards of offense?!?! Obviously this wasn't our real team, but c'mon! That said, the good news is that the defense still seemed to look pretty good and last weeks performance against Cincinnati may not have been a fluke. Heck, even Jason David played well. All of the attention and work the Saints have put into that side of the ball seem to be paying off. If that's the case and this continues, then we should definitely expect big things this season. I am officially excited again!

Here are my initial observations from tonight's game. Don't kill me if I am way off. This game was so hard to watch I stopped paying close attention. I did stay till the bitter end however, which I can't say for a majority of the fans.

Well, Payton lied to us again! No Shockey. He dangled that carrot in front of our face then took it away right at the last minute. I guess we will have to wait until next week to get a look at #88.
Deeeeeeuuuuuuucccceeeee! I said from the beginning that I wanted to see consistent improvement and growth in Deuce's play, and I think we have seen that these last three weeks. After catching a screen pass, he had a nice little run that included a shimmy and a shake to juke a defender. The knee must be doing pretty well. One thing we haven't seen from him though is that ability to bust up the middle and move the pile.
Staying with the running theme, the offensive line certainly wasn't giving our runners much help. Jamar Nesbit did not have a good game. I was frustrated when we couldn't punch the ball into the endzone on the goal line. Fortunately, Brunell hit Moore on 4th down.
I hate to tell all of you Jason David haters out there, but he may very well have saved his arse tonight. He actually looked pretty good. After one punt he brought down the returner after a few other Saints whiffed. Half the fans cheered and half of them booed following the play. On another punt, he timed his hit perfectly as the returner caught the ball. As I was typing my notes about his improved play tonight and his great special teams contributions on my iTouch, he intercepted the ball. As he walked off the field he pointed skyward and threw up his arms and hands. This was a different JD from games past. Does this mean it's simply a problem of motivation with him? Can he really play at a high level but choose not to because of laziness? We know the team would rather not take the cap hit by releasing him and tonight may give them reason to keep him around. Prepare yourself Saints fans. Hey, maybe this is the turning point and David will actually become the player we thought we were getting last year to help improve this defense.
In case you needed a little more reassurance about McKenzie's health, this game should have spelled your fears. He again looked good in the first quarter making a nice pass breakup and almost picking off a pass yet again. I know we acquired Ellis and Vilma and they will be important cogs in this defense, but I think McKenzie's contribution and value on this team is overlooked. Take away McKenzie and this defense looks a lot different and gives up a lot more big plays.
I noticed Aaron Glenn out on the field telling telling the other cornerback to adjust their position a couple of times immediately before the snap.
I am really excited about Sedrick Ellis. He may have a legitimate shot at being defensive rookie of the year if he keeps this up. Man Child knocked the ball loose to force a fumble and cause a turnover, which will be crucial in the regular season. He also got himself a sack. Not bad for one quarters worth of work.
Palko looked like crap (I am biting my tongue, not using the word I really want to use). With a limited number of roster spots up for grabs it wouldn't surprise me to see Palko put on the practice squad or cut outright. I would much rather keep a wide receiver or cornerback who is going to contribute on special teams then Palko.
Devery dropped another one. How much longer are we going to have to deal with this? I am hoping only another day or two.
Lance Moore looked solid. I said it last week and I will say it again, I think Lance Moore replaces Devery. He definitely deserves to be higher then Devery on the depth chart. He did what I believe is now his signature celebration, a double bow to the crowd, after scoring his touchdown.
Linebackers Marvin Mitchell and Jo-Lonn Dunbar both looked pretty good out there. Mitchell led the team in tackles tonight and also notched a sack. They both definitely helped their cause as far as making this team. Time will tell.
Not looking so great for Mehlhaff. His kickoffs looked okay but he missed his field goal attempt. I believe that is the first miss by either him or Gramatica, the later now having the slight edge. This game might have sealed his fate.
None of the receivers really stepped up and I think most of that has to do with Palko. Although Copper led the team in receiving, not sure whether he makes this team.
Lynell Hamilton didn't look as impressive as last week. Again, either did the offensive line's run blocking.
It was nice to get a chance to sort of forget about all the crap associated with the impending doom of Gustav for about 3 hours. I have been stressing out all day about it, but the second I got to my seat, all is forgotten. It's truly is amazing how that works. Saints football is the ultimate panacea. The Dome was significantly more empty then the last home pre-season game against Houston. Not sure if its because of the hurricane threat or whether everyone knew this game wasn't going to be too great.
Some teenage girl in the next section over was crying the whole game because she either got into a fight or broke up with her boyfriend. Either that or the reality of Jason David being on this team for another year and Devery dropping yet another pass finally sunk in and was too much to handle. I feel you sister.
My camera ran out of batteries so I couldn't take a picture of it, but they were selling these gigantic turkey legs still on the bone, medeival times style. I think that is new, as I haven't seen them before. Needless to say, it is hilarious to see people noshing on and waving around a giant turkey leg in the dome. Just plain weird.
There was this incessant buzzing noise during the game, like a flourescent light about to go out, that was driving my friend nuts all game. Didn't bother me.

Getting there!

Kinda hard to see but it was fairly empty last night.

UFO? Nah, it's the roof. This one's for Stu.

The one on the right is mine! They look a little lonely. I think we need to get them a friend this year.

Roll Wave!!

Pre-Snap.

Huddlin' up.

The bad guys.

Bad quality but it's actually the forced fumble by Big Sed.

Check out Payton in his "serious" stance again. They haven't even walked up to the line yet.

More Meachem.

I sit behind the whistle head guy.

The brass band walking through the concourse. I think this is so cool. I know a lot of teams probably have/do special, quirky and interesting things at home games that reflect the team and the city, but I am curious to know whether any of them are culturally relevant. Only in Nawlins!

Dude!? Really? Was your Aaron Brooks jersey dirty? You're killin' me!

Here is the roll call from last nights open thread. Glad to see NYSaint make his open thread debut.

Name	# of Posts
satchmo26	18
NYSaint	10
xen-cuts	10
Steve the fan	6
asaint	4
jjwest11	1
stujo4	1

On a much more serious note, I am not sure what is going to happen with Hurricane Gustav or what I will have to do. I am hoping to avoid evacuation. In the event that happens however I may not be able to post. Actually, I may not be able to post if I don't evacuate either. I will try and let you know what my decision will be and how it will effect CSC. If I can't do my job and post regularly, I ask that you all step it up and maybe try to put up FanPosts and FanShots to keep everything fresh. Between work, CSC and now Gustav, my stress level is through the roof. More on this later. Keep your fingers crossed. Happy freakin' Katrinaversary!

Poll

How do you feel about this game?

I could go either way.

3 votes

Doesn't matter. This game shows us nothing.

25 votes

I saw a lot of positive things.

7 votes

You call that a game?

15 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation - Marvin Mitchell

Cowboys @ Saints Injury Update

Saints @ Falcons: Official Thursday Injury Report

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

ATLANTA FALCONS

Saints @ Falcons: Official Wednesday Injury Report

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

ATLANTA FALCONS

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Rams

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Usama Young

Jonathan Vilma

Roman Harper

Charles Grant

Saints Mid-Season Defensive & Special Teams Player Grades; Jabari Greer and Thomas Morstead awarded MVP

Who Is Your Mid-Season Defensive MVP?

Jonathan VIlma

Will Smith

Darren Sharper

Jabari Greer

Roman Harper

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades vs. Falcons

Who Was Your Pick for Defensive Player of the Game?

Jabari Greer

Tracy Porter

Jonathan Vilma

Will Smith

Counting on Dan Morgan Scares the Crap Out of Me. An Un-Loyal Saints Fan and Proud of it.

Comment of the week that drove me to drink, go on a shopping spree and go crazy all at once.

This week's Saints video that will keep you buying tickets till 2025

Saints 2009 Position Battles: Linebacker

Which linebacker will be the biggest surprise?

Stanley Arnoux

Jonathan Casillas

Dan Morgan

Anthony Waters

Jo-Lonn Dunbar

Marvin Mitchell

Saints Free Agent Review - Linebacker and Secondary

Linebackers

Secondary

Other than Jonathan Vilma, signing which one of these players should be the Saints top priority?

Chris Reis

Troy Evans

Aaron Glenn

Marvin Mitchell

None of the above

Dolphins @ Saints: The View from Section 108

How do you feel about this game?

I could go either way.

Doesn't matter. This game shows us nothing.

I saw a lot of positive things.

You call that a game?