From Rotoworld:
Saints coach Sean Payton revealed Wednesday that CB Randall Gay's Week 12 hamstring injury is "significant."
The Saints may consider placing Gay on injured reserve with Mike McKenzie playing so well. Gay has been New Orleans' nickel back for most of the year.

It is times like this when you are very thankful for some quality depth in the secondary.  Hopefully it is not the case.  But the recent signings of McKenzie and McAlister are looking even more brilliant.

Courtesy of NFL.com

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Happy belated Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there.  This was my first year as a father and my wife bought me a gift that i thought i would share with you.  Soon to adorn the wall in my basement, once i get it put in a shadow box frame, is a signed Deuce McAllister jersey.  I think my expression didn't change for about half an hour when i opened the box.  I think the first words out of my mouth were "holy crap". 

Can't wait to explain to my son why Deuce is such a role model in life.  

As as aside, how are the wedding plans coming along Dave?  Nervous?  Only a handful of days left! 

Good morning Saints Faithful!  As for the title of this post, i'd still love to resign Deuce, but was kidding about the LB move (better state the fact before i am labelled as a wingnut).

In case you weren't aware, NFL.com has a segment where they line up various players and have an open chat forum with the fans.  Well PT was yesterday.  I assume that they do questions in order or sort out duplicates as my question wasn't asked (i asked about Deuce's impact oh him and how he felt the extra size he put on is helping/hindering his performance).  However it seems that both of my questions were touched on by others.  So if you want to know PT's various thoughts from the fans i have included the Q&A courtesy of NFL Live Chat (my vote for most ridiculous question goes to the fellow who asked the first question):

NFL.com

Pierre Thomas will be with us shortly. Thanks for sending in all your questions.

 

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Let's go. I'm ready for your questions.

Frank D., New Orleans, LA

03:10 PM ET

How much do you think you rating is going to go up in Madden '10?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

I really don't know about that one. Hopefully, my breaking tackles rating will be up to 90. I don't know, that's a good question. Hopefully they'll rank me as a 90.

Ben B., Rochester,Ny

03:10 PM ET

What other team do you fear most in the South?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

I really don't fear any one of them. I don't fear them at all. The one I think that gives us the most competition is a tie between Carolina and Tampa. Sometimes Carolina gives us a good battle and I know Tampa, we go at it a lot. They are both tough teams.

Ross, New Orleans

03:11 PM ET

Who Dat Pierre! Its an honor to have the opportunity to chat with Deuce Jr haha. The family and I are pulling for you 100% buddy. I know it's only June, but has Gregg Williams been earning his money with the defense so far?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Oh yes, definitely. He's definitely earned his money with the defense. He's put in a lot of work, he's got these guys running around, attacking the ball. The things they are doing now is unbelievable, they are flying around, coming after us. It seems like they are looking for blood. That's their main goal is to go after everybody.

Buster, H-Town

03:12 PM ET

who the fastest offensive player on the Saints team?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

That might be a toss-up between Reggie Bush and Devery Henderson. Devery has some good speed, but Reggie has speed and quickness. I think Reggie might beat Devery. His first step is real quick. Robert Meacham is right behind them. I know Devery is one of the fastest guys on the team if we are running long distance. He's always got that deep ball.

Rhodri Jones, Tredegar, Wales

03:14 PM ET

Hi Pierre. As an undrafted player what is the biggest thing you have learned about yourself on getting to this point in your career ? Thanks and good luck.  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

The biggest thing I've learned about myself is that I'm capable of doing anything. I'm capable of learning anything you put on me, to go out there and apply and accomplish it. I'm not afraid to try and go out there and give it a shot. The sky's the limit and I'm going to go and do whatever it takes to be successful.

Cody V, New Iberia, Louisiana

03:15 PM ET

We have one heck of a schedule this year, playing all teams in the NFC East and the AFC East. Is there any team that you look forward to matching up against?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

One team I'm really looking forward to playing is the Cowboys. You hear about the Cowboys, the history, the record, all the legends who have played on the Cowboys. I always wanted to play against them, plus I have a college buddy who plays for them now (CB Alan Ball). I don't know what it is about Dallas, but I want to go after them and test them out. That's probably the biggest team I want to play.

John B., Houston, TX

03:17 PM ET

Who were your favorite NFL players to watch when you were just a young kid?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

When I was really young, I didn't know too much about it. But as I got older, I learned about Walter Payton. As a kid, just playing in the backyard with some of my friends, they called me little Barry. I hung around with an older crowd, because I was really shifty on my feet, and they didn't even call me by my name, they called me "little Barry, we want Little Barry on our team". I really followed him. His leg power, that's what really drove him. Emmitt Smith and Terrell Davis also had big legs. That's what you need, those big legs, so you can drive and get that extra yardage. That's what motivated me to work out and get that leg strength. Barry Sanders had to be my role model growing up.

Ken, NJ

03:19 PM ET

What's your relationship like with Reggie Bush? How do you feel about splitting carries with him?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Off the field, we hang out. We've traveled together before. Reggie is a cool guy. I look at him as one of those guys you have to get to know. Don't judge a book by his cover. I've heard some people say he might not seem like a nice guy and he's quiet, but once you get to know him, he's a really nice guy. We go out, we like to go bowling. We like to talk smack and have fun. On the field it's the same. We talk and communicate out there and help each other. It's a competition, but it's a friendship. When all is said and done, you are going to remember that friendship and the experiences you have with guys. You are going to remember games, too, but you are going to remember the friendships.

Wayne Ellis, Letchworth, UK

03:21 PM ET

Did you enjoy the experience of playing at Wembley last season and do you think the NFL should continue to host games overseas?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

It was a wonderful experience. Especially going to London and seeing a different culture. I never thought I would go overseas, especially to a place like London. But going over there and learning their culture, and getting to know them, was great. Come to find out there are a lot of Saints fans out there. It made me feel comfortable. I had a great time. The experience out there was unbelievable. It reminded me of playing at the Supderdome. The crowd was loud. Words can't express how wonderful it was. It was so beautiful.

J.Till , New Orleans

03:23 PM ET

What do you love most about New Orleans? Would you like to finish your career as a Saint?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

It has to be the food. The food here is unbelievable. It's so good. And the people here are so friendly. That's what I tell a lot of people. Die-hard fans. The best fans any team could ask for. They support you 100 percent. If you on a losing streak, they are still there to support you. Even if we do lose, they are going to have a bad week, but they'll have your back and that next Sunday they'll be right there to support you and cheer you. You hear about Gumbo, the city is like that, you never know what you are going to get.

Michael S., San Diego

03:25 PM ET

You say you don't fear Atlanta. Man don't cash checks you can't pay  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

I'm not saying Atlanta isn't tough, but they are a rival. So I think it's more of a fun, exciting game. Really fun to play those games. They do give us tough games, though. But I just think the past couple years, Tampa and Carolina have given us the hardest games. I put the Atlanta game No. 1 on the schedule in terms of my interest, because that's a fun rivalry game, it gets me pumped up.

Kris, MA

03:26 PM ET

If you could have any Quarterback handing you the ball, past or present, who would it be?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

That's a tough one. I'd say it's a toss-up between my QB now, Drew Brees, and Joe Montana. Drew is an unbelievable quarterback. I could see him making the Hall of Fame. He's exciting, he's fun to be around. And Joe Montana, seeing the things he did in San Francisco is unbelievable. He's one of the best and Drew is on his way to being one of the best. I gotta stay with my boy Drew, but that's a tough one.

John, New Orleans

03:28 PM ET

Who's the one defender you'd love to hit straight up and let them feel what its like for a change?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

I love competition. One of the defenders is Brian Dawkins. I heard some stories that he can come down and really deliver a blow. I've seen him hit some people before and it was like Whoa! I wonder if I could get him. Instead of him getting me, I would like to see if I could get him. That's one defender I'd like to go against.

Tyler, Missouri

03:30 PM ET

Who's the most cocky player you've ever played against?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

That's kind of a tough one. I never really listen to those guys. I block everything out. I hear them talking, but I don't listen to them. We never really get to cocky on the field. It's more cracking jokes. But if I'm watching tv, it looks like Ray Lewis is the one who seems to talk a lot. But when I'm out there playing, I just play, I don't listen to that.

DJC, North Carolina

03:33 PM ET

You appear to be very grounded. Who is or was your inspiration while growing up?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

My mother. She took care of me and my sister. She taught me everything I know. She taught me how to go out there, play hard and never give up. When I was little, I never wanted to go to practice and work hard, but she told me I needed to go out there and work hard and give it my best and have fun. That's the most important thing. She always drove me to be my best. There's really nothing else I could ask for, she's been everything to me. She's had my back since I was little and I first started. She was my biggest inspiration. She worked so hard day-in, day-out, to provide me and my sister what we needed.

kelly klarkson, baton rouge LA

03:35 PM ET

heyy...ma and my friend have arguements all the time over which is better f-ball or b-ball, whats your opnion  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Aww, common. You know football is better. Football is No. 1.

Chris, New Jersey

03:36 PM ET

Hey Pierre, my grandpa passed away recently and he was a huge saints fan, i would love to see you guys do well this season, from your point of view how do you think you guys as of now?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

I believe that if we stick to what we are being taught right now on offense and defense, we can go out there and do exactly what we need to do to get to the playoffs and work extra hard to get to the Super Bowl. Right now we are on the right track, learning the plays and assignments. We have to go out there and accomplish everything set in front of us. We can only beat ourselves and that's what we have to eliminate. Correct all the mistakes we made last year. If we do that, we'll be a tough team to beat.

Cody, Tennessee

03:37 PM ET

If you could play any other position, which one would it be and why?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Well, I've always played defense, but I never got the chance to. The position I really wanted to try was defensive line. But I'm a little guy, so I knew that would never happen. So in reality, linebacker, maybe outside linebacker. The reason why is because I'd get a chance to sneak in and maybe get on a blitz and sack the quarterback, or attack the running back. Or I might be able to pick off a pass and maybe take it to the house. The linebacker position seems like the most fun.

Mason, Maine

03:39 PM ET

Do you feel that football is best played in the elements or in a dome?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

I think both have their good points. It's a toss-up. There are times where I think playing outside is a lot of fun. Sometimes playing in the snow can be fun, being cold is the bad part about it, but it can bring excitement. Playing in the rain can also being fun, too. I always like playing in the rain, because I feel I can cut better in the rain and can make players slip and fall. But playing for the Saints at the Superdome, it's so exciting. Everything is so locked in. When that crowd gets loud, you can hardly hear anything. It turns up the intensity level inside, I don't know what it is, but it makes you want to play harder, run faster. When you hear the crowd it's unbelievable.

Charles, Champaign Ill

03:42 PM ET

Hey pierre..How bad do you wanna come back to Champaign and run the table with Juice.  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Haha. Juice is a great guy, I think he has a lot of potential to be a great player and it would be nice to go another round with him as my quarterback, but no hard feelings to Juice or Illinois, but I feel comfortable with the Saints. I need to be here with the Saints.

Erin Rodriguez, new orleans

03:43 PM ET

how is the rookie malcom jenkins looking to you?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

He's coming along. He's looking pretty good out there. He's learning the program well and picking it up. There's not a whole lot you can look at until training camp starts, but he seems like he's doing very well and understanding what's going on. I really can't say until they put the pads on, though.

Bobby, Slidell

03:44 PM ET

Has the extra weight you put on affected your speed and agility?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

No, not at all. I don't know if I'm going to carry this weight into camp or not. I'm still trying to get the coaches to be more lenient and let me work with it, but they haven't let me know yet if it will be ok for me to come to camp at this weight. Hopefully we can get to that agreement. I feel the extra weight would come in handy. But what they want, I'll do. As to your question, I haven't lost any agility and my speed is still there.

Wayne Ellis, Letchworth, UK

03:46 PM ET

Although his departure obviously means more playing time for you, how hard was it to see a Saints legend like Deuce McAllister move on?  

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

It was very hard. My thought was, what was the reason? Why? Most people said, mabye because they want to see me. But in my eyes I say we could still use him. He's a smart guy, he'd been in the league for a while. Everybody loved him and he brought a lot to this team. He was one of my teachers. I loved watching him, loved his vision. I feel I could get a better grasp if he was still around and I could still see him running. Seeing him go was really hard, but it's a tough business. He wished me the best of luck, he's praying for me and anything I need don't be afraid to call him. I told him I appreciate everything he's done for me. He's a great guy. I'm definitely going to ask him a lot of questions as we get closer to the season.

 

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

Thanks for all your great questions. A lot of them were really good, tough questions. And thanks for all the support. I'm going to try to do big things this season and hopefully I'll get to talk to a lot of you next year.

In case you are interested in reading the transcripts of other Q&A's i was able to find one for Darren Sharper and another for Sean Payton.  Enjoy.

It looks like Dan Morgan is already out for good.  Ala Rotoworld:

The agent for LB Dan Morgan, Drew Rosenhaus, writes on his Twitter page that Morgan has informed the Saints he will retire again.
Morgan announced his first retirement in May 2008, citing a slow recovery from Achilles' surgery. Now 31 and still unable to stay healthy -- he strained his calf at New Orleans' June minicamp -- Morgan's latest retirement is probably for good. He will finish his career having never played more than 13 games in a season, although when healthy Morgan was one of the league's fiercest middle linebackers as a Panther in the early- to mid-2000s.

Is Ellis still available?  Lets go get him.

From Rosehhaus's twitter page:

Dan Morgan has informed the Saints that he has decided to retire due continued injuries. Dan would like to thank the Saints for the chance to come back this year, but injuries would not let him continue his career. His decision is final and he will be moving on to focus on his restaurant business in Charlotte. Dan also wants to be able to spend more time with his wife and children.

Well it looks like they have officially released the big man...from Rotoworld and boy is he steamed (see what i did there???  Heh):

Saints released DT Hollis Thomas.
The move saves money, and Thomas doesn't have much left in tank at age 35, but the Saints are now hurting for depth inside. Rod Coleman is returning after a year away from football, but he wouldn't fill Thomas' situational run-stopper role. While last year's fifth-rounder DeMario Pressley has the size, his talent is questionable.

 

Good morning...

As i wait for my morning meetings, i figured i would share a few links with you that shows the current situation in the city i live in.  Obviously this is not comparable to what New Orleans dealt with, but I live in a city where two rivers merge.  Almost every year we have various flood issues.  This year is fairly problematic, but would have been much worse if we hadnt expanded our floodway (basically a big ditch around the city).  

Here are a few links to some photo archives from a local paper if you are bored and want to see Winnipeg and other areas just outside of the cityin its current state.   The City for the most part is fine.  But some of the smaller towns outside the perimeter are toast.

Archive pictures part 1

Archive pictures part 2

Well it looks like those durty birds have another receiving threat...again from our good friends at Rotoworld:

Falcons acquired TE Tony Gonzalez from the Chiefs in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
KC got its asking price, but not for this year. Gonzo is 33, but coming off a 96-catch, 1,058-yard, 10-touchdown season. He obviously has a lot left, and going to a dome can't hurt. Atlanta relies on the run more the 2008 Chiefs did, though, and while Matt Ryan can only get better Gonzo's numbers will likely dip some. He'll steer some attention away from Roddy White, but could also cut into possession receiver Michael Jenkins' targets.