Saints pass the torch from Deuce McAllister to Pierre Thomas.
Sean Payton and Saints lose Millions in the "Movie Gate" scandal that ousted longtime long snapper Kevin Houser.
Kevin Houser is in the Saints "Moviegate" Scandal
The New Orleans Saints made a quiet move this offseason, passing the torch from their all-time leading rusher, Deuce McAllister, to third-year back Pierre Thomas. It wasn’t passed to Reggie Bush.
Though he’s only 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Thomas has emerged as the lead rusher and is expected to provide a physical presence and inside running [...]
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million. We call it “Movie Gate” at Saintsnews.net.
Here’s an interesting reason posted by NOLA.com for why Kevin Houser may have been the “fall guy” in the “MovieGate” Saints scandal:
Houser said he talked with team members about the credits.
“After training camp and no matter where you are, you’re with these guys 24/7, and you learn a lot about each other, ” Houser said. [...]
By ALAN SAYRE and MARY FOSTER Associated Press Writers
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lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Teamlt;/bgt;lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Rec Ydslt;/bgt;lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Johnson, Andrelt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;HOUlt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;1575lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Fitzgerald, Larrylt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;ARZlt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;1431lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Smith, Stevelt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;CARlt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;1421lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;White, Roddylt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;ATLlt;/pgt;
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lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;1382lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Johnson, Calvinlt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;DETlt;/pgt;
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lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;1331lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Jennings, Greglt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
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lt;pgt;GBlt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;1292lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Marshall, Brandonlt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
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lt;pgt;DENlt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;1265lt;/pgt;
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lt;pgt;Bryant, Antoniolt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
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lt;pgt;TBlt;/pgt;
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lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;1248lt;/pgt;
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lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;Welker, Weslt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;NElt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;1165lt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
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lt;trgt;
lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;Wayne, Reggielt;/pgt;
lt;/tdgt;
lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;INDlt;/pgt;
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lt;td valign=topgt;
lt;pgt;1145lt;/pgt;
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lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Last year was a great year for fantasy wide receivers: eight receivers topped 1200 receiving yards, three topped 1400 receiving yards and league leader Andre Johnson was only 25 yards short of a whopping 1600 receiving yards.amp;nbsp; Fantastic!lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;A closer look at the leaderboard showed something interesting though: six of the top ten wide receivers played on teams that didn’t make the playoffs.amp;nbsp;amp;nbsp; Considering that bad teams usually are behind in games and tend to throw the ball a lot, it’s easy to understand why.amp;nbsp; The problem is that there are a lot of non-playoff teams and not a lot of top ten wide receivers.amp;nbsp;amp;nbsp; Which ones do you target?lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Looking at last year’s list, you can probably count on Marshall to return to the Top 10 if he stays with the Broncos.amp;nbsp; Jennings could be a Top 5 WR this year and the combo of Johnson and Johnson are almost certain to be back (though Houston could certainly make the playoffs).lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Here’s my list of potentially great wide receivers on potentially crappy non-playoff teams.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Dwayne Bowe, KClt;/bgt; – He has the talent, but his new QB might be spending too much time on his back.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Marques Colston, NOlt;/bgt; – The Saints are a very good team and they’re probably only the third best team in their division.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;bgt;TJ Houshmandzadehlt;/bgt; – The Seahawks won’t win the West, but Houshmandzadeh is capable of a career season.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Chad Ochocinco, Cinlt;/bgt; – He was the WR2, now he’s the WR1 with a veteran WR2 (Coles) and QB (Palmer).amp;nbsp; Sweet!lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Roy Williams, Dallt;/bgt; – This assumes Williams produces at a level he hasn’t shown to date.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;a href=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQStjW-RD7YR-ClTzMOGZIPhBQI/0/dagt;lt;img src=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQStjW-RD7YR-ClTzMOGZIPhBQI/0/di border=0 ismap=truegt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;lt;br/gt;
lt;a href=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQStjW-RD7YR-ClTzMOGZIPhBQI/1/dagt;lt;img src=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQStjW-RD7YR-ClTzMOGZIPhBQI/1/di border=0 ismap=truegt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;lt;/pgt;
Fbr clear=both style=clear: both;/
br clear=both style=clear: both;/
a href=http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=f58e45b8fe742667a49c17041f3aa889p=1img alt= style=border: 0; border=0 src=http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=f58e45b8fe742667a49c17041f3aa889p=1//a
span style=”" span style=”font-style: italic; “In the weeks leading up to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2009 training camp, NewOrleansSaints.com will take an inside look at some interesting facts and figures of various high-profile players on the Saints’ roster. This is part three in the series./span br style=”" / br style=”" / span style=”font-weight: bold; “DEFENSIVE END a href=”/Team/Roster/People/Will%20Smith.aspx”WILL SMITH/a/span br style=”" / span style=”font-weight: bold; “Height:/span 6-3br style=”" /span style=”font-weight: bold; “Weight/span: 282br style=”" /span style=”font-weight: bold; “NFL Experience in 2009:/span 6th Seasonbr style=”" /span style=”font-weight: bold; “Years with Saints:/span 6th Seasonbr style=”" /span style=”font-weight: bold; “College:/span Ohio Statebr style=”" /br style=”" /span style=”font-weight: bold; “SAINTSATIONAL NOTES:ullispan style=”font-weight: normal; “a href=”/Team/Roster/People/Will%20Smith.aspx”Will Smith/a is one of the Saints’ top playmakers on defense, having recorded 342 tackles (223 solo), 36.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, 13 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 78 contests with 59 starts in 2004. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2006 after recording a career-high 10.5 sacks./span/lilispan style=”font-weight: normal; “After signing a six-year contract extension during the 2008 off-season and being named one of the two defensive team captains for the second consecutive season, Smith made 77 tackles (44 solo), three sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble last season while battling through a painful abdominal injury that has since been repaired./spanbr //lilispan style=”font-weight: normal; “Smiths second quarter sack vs. the San Francisco 49ers on September 28 in the team’s victory forced a fumble that was recovered by MLB a href=”/Team/Roster/People/Jonathan%20Vilma.aspx”Jonathan Vilma/a and set up New Orleans’ first touchdown, which put the Saints ahead for good./span/lilispan style=”font-weight: normal; “Smith led the defensive line with six tackles (four solo) at Kansas City on November 16, and his first quarter sack on QB Tyler Thigpen on an early third down pinned the Chiefs deep in their own territory and set up the Saints’ offense on a short field after a punt. The Saints scored on the ensuing drive and didn’t look back the rest of the afternoon en route to victory./span/lilispan style=”font-weight: normal; “Since arriving in New Orleans, Smith has been particularly adept at creating turnovers. He enjoyed a stretch of five-straight games where he caused a fumble (the final four games of his rookie season and the 2005 season opener), the lone player in club history to accomplish the feat. Smith has forced 13 fumbles in his five-year career with the Saints, which ties him for the 12th highest total in the NFL in that period and has six recoveries on his resume./span/li/ulbr /NFL LEADERS IN FORCED FUMBLES (2004-2008)br /span style=”font-weight: normal; “ulli
table
tbody
tr
tdspan style=”font-weight: bold; “Rank /span /td
td span style=”font-weight: bold; “Player/span,span style=”font-weight: bold; ” Current /spanspan style=”font-weight: bold; “Team /span/td
tdspan style=”font-weight: bold; “No/span. /td/tr
tr
td1./td
tdRobert Mathis, IND/td
td26/td/tr
tr
td2./td
tdDwight Freeney, IND /td
td22/td/tr
tr
td3t./td
tdJason Taylor, MIA/td
td21 /td/tr
tr
td3t. /td
tdJohn Abraham, ATL /td
td21/td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″5./td
td colspan=”1″DeMarcus Ware, DAL/td
td colspan=”1″18 /td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″6t./td
td colspan=”1″Julius Peppers, CAR /td
td colspan=”1″17/td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″6t. /td
td colspan=”1″Brian Dawkins, DEN /td
td colspan=”1″17 /td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″8. /td
td colspan=”1″Jared Allen, MIN/td
td colspan=”1″16 /td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″9t./td
td colspan=”1″Leonard Little, StL /td
td colspan=”1″15/td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″9t./td
td colspan=”1″Aaron Schoebel, BUF /td
td colspan=”1″15 /td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″11t./td
td colspan=”1″Charles Tillman, CHI/td
td colspan=”1″14 /td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″11t./td
td colspan=”1″Nate Clements, SF /td
td colspan=”1″14/td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″13t./td
td colspan=”1″a href=”/Team/Roster/People/Will Smith.aspx”Will Smith/a, NO /td
td colspan=”1″13/td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″13t. /td
td colspan=”1″ Osi Umenyiora, NYG/td
td colspan=”1″13/td/tr
tr
td colspan=”1″13t. /td
td colspan=”1″James Harrison, PIT /td
td colspan=”1″13 /td/tr/tbody/tablebr //lilispan style=”font-weight: bold; “a href=”/Team/Roster/People/Will Smith.aspx”WILL SMITH/a … BY THE NUMBERS/spanbr //lili3: Consecutive season Smith led the Saints in sacks (2005-2007)./lili13: Career forced fumbles, including a club-record five-game stretch in 2004-2005, where he had one in each game./lili5: With 36.5 sacks through the 2008 season, the 12th highest in team history, Smith is five sacks behind fellow defensive end a href=”/Team/Roster/People/Charles%20Grant.aspx”Charles Grant/a for tenth place in the club’s all-time list of quarterback takedowns./lili85: Tackles in 2005, marking a career-high despite starting only nine games./lili10.5: Number of sacks posted by Smith in his breakout season of 2006-his first as a full-time starter-helping him earn a starting nod in the Pro Bowl./lili18: Smith was selected by the Saints out of Ohio State with the 18th overall pick in 2004, the highest the club had drafted a defensive end since selecting Saints Hall of Fame member Joe Johnson 13th overall in 1994.br //li/ul/span/span/spandivspan style=”"br style=”" //span br //div
lt;pgt;lt;a href=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Bush-scandal-the-right-case-reverse-the-NCAA-s?urn=ncaaf,174465 target=_blankgt;Doc Saturday breaks it down perfectlylt;/agt;…lt;/pgt;
lt;blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;If the Trojans are meant to be just an example, well, the Association had a chance to knock Alabama back into the Dubose era as a lt;igt;repeatlt;/igt; repeat offender, and didn’t take it.lt;/pgt;
lt;/blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;Yeap…we have pretty much said similar things in the past.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Maybe they will and maybe they won’t but the only reason this is getting more play now is because of the lt;igt;allegedlt;/igt; linking of both the Bush and Mayo investigations. There will be no death penalty. The lack of institutional control charge will be tenuous at best because a school can’t investigate a families individual finances any more than the NCAA has subpoena powers.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;There are people out there that really have a hard-on to punish USC as we see lt;a href=http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2009-07-02/ncaa-might-finally-show-its-teeth-uscs-case target=_blankgt;in this article.lt;/agt; (in which Doc was refering to in his piece)lt;/pgt;
lt;blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;Watch out, USC. Some influential folks in the NCAA are yearning to hammer a school that has strayed from its rules on recruiting and/or academics. So if what’s published about Reggie Bush turns out to be the truth, the Trojans will be the first major football program in at least five years to face serious sanctions.lt;/pgt;
lt;divgt;History would say otherwise. Recent examples, especially the Florida State academic fraud and the Alabama textbook cases, show the NCAA has spared the rod on its top programs. Probation and vacation of victories have replaced significant scholarship losses and postseason or television bans as popular punishment.lt;/divgt;
lt;/blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;Once again we have another writer trying to connect the dots to make a conspiracy theory out of the Reggie Bush mess.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;What many people seem to miss is that after 3 years of trying to sort the Bush mess out the NCAA still has nothing to report. If this was so cut and dry SC would have been hammered by now. The NCAA has to be careful NOT to come down too hard because they could find themselves in court over it.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;If we are to believe the Sporting News writers contention that the NCAA spared the rod on FSU and Alabama then that is on the NCAA. FSU’s scandal involved multiple players in multiple sports and Alabama was a repeat offender so how does the NCAA justify punishing USC hard for one rogue player lt;igt;WHOSE PARENTSlt;/igt; were the ones that initially broke the rules. There maybe other issues that come up in regards to Bush but we haven’t heard a lot on that other than unsubstantiated claims made by the accuser(s).lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;br /gt;The battle lines have been drawn on this. No one knows just how it will shake out but many think SC will get minimal punishment unless some incredible earth shattering news comes to light. I mean after three years we have seen nothing leaked that could be damning…no investigation can keep things under wraps this long, sooner or later something is going to come out.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Chalk up another hater…lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;a href=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/0/dagt;lt;img src=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/0/di border=0 ismap=truegt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;lt;br/gt;
lt;a href=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/1/dagt;lt;img src=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/1/di border=0 ismap=truegt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;a href=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Bush-scandal-the-right-case-reverse-the-NCAA-s?urn=ncaaf,174465 target=_blankgt;Doc Saturday breaks it down perfectlylt;/agt;…lt;/pgt;
lt;blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;If the Trojans are meant to be just an example, well, the Association had a chance to knock Alabama back into the Dubose era as a lt;igt;repeatlt;/igt; repeat offender, and didn’t take it.lt;/pgt;
lt;/blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;Yeap…we have pretty much said similar things in the past.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Maybe they will and maybe they won’t but the only reason this is getting more play now is because of the lt;igt;allegedlt;/igt; linking of both the Bush and Mayo investigations. There will be no death penalty. The lack of institutional control charge will be tenuous at best because a school can’t investigate a families individual finances any more than the NCAA has subpoena powers.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;There are people out there that really have a hard-on to punish USC as we see lt;a href=http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2009-07-02/ncaa-might-finally-show-its-teeth-uscs-case target=_blankgt;in this article.lt;/agt; (in which Doc was refering to in his piece)lt;/pgt;
lt;blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;Watch out, USC. Some influential folks in the NCAA are yearning to hammer a school that has strayed from its rules on recruiting and/or academics. So if what’s published about Reggie Bush turns out to be the truth, the Trojans will be the first major football program in at least five years to face serious sanctions.lt;/pgt;
lt;divgt;History would say otherwise. Recent examples, especially the Florida State academic fraud and the Alabama textbook cases, show the NCAA has spared the rod on its top programs. Probation and vacation of victories have replaced significant scholarship losses and postseason or television bans as popular punishment.lt;/divgt;
lt;/blockquotegt;
lt;pgt;Once again we have another writer trying to connect the dots to make a conspiracy theory out of the Reggie Bush mess.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;What many people seem to miss is that after 3 years of trying to sort the Bush mess out the NCAA still has nothing to report. If this was so cut and dry SC would have been hammered by now. The NCAA has to be careful NOT to come down too hard because they could find themselves in court over it.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;If we are to believe the Sporting News writers contention that the NCAA spared the rod on FSU and Alabama then that is on the NCAA. FSU’s scandal involved multiple players in multiple sports and Alabama was a repeat offender so how does the NCAA justify punishing USC hard for one rogue player lt;igt;WHOSE PARENTSlt;/igt; were the ones that initially broke the rules. There maybe other issues that come up in regards to Bush but we haven’t heard a lot on that other than unsubstantiated claims made by the accuser(s).lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;br /gt;The battle lines have been drawn on this. No one knows just how it will shake out but many think SC will get minimal punishment unless some incredible earth shattering news comes to light. I mean after three years we have seen nothing leaked that could be damning…no investigation can keep things under wraps this long, sooner or later something is going to come out.lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;Chalk up another hater…lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;a href=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/0/dagt;lt;img src=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/0/di border=0 ismap=truegt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;lt;br/gt;
lt;a href=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/1/dagt;lt;img src=http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/TNMMB5Vq7bacRhQM4BvrW9cAjIE/1/di border=0 ismap=truegt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;lt;/pgt;
lt;pgt;lt;bgt;lt;a href=/Portals/0/images/%5BProvider%5D/%5BFolderFilePath%5D/WLW/1517183c21f0_11C78/Roderick%20Smith%20Camp%202009_2.jpggt;lt;img style=border-width: 0px; display: inline; title=Roderick Smith Camp 2009 alt=Roderick Smith Camp 2009 src=/Portals/0/images/%5BProvider%5D/%5BFolderFilePath%5D/WLW/1517183c21f0_11C78/Roderick%20Smith%20Camp%202009_thumb.jpg border=0 height=223 width=244gt;lt;/agt; lt;/bgt;lt;/pgt; lt;h1gt;lt;font color=#cc0000 size=2gt;lt;stronggt;Graham and Smith Commitlt;/stronggt;lt;/fontgt;lt;/h1gt; lt;pgt;Ohio State made a nice splash in recruiting while filling some future holes in the offense this past week by getting early commitments for the 2010 football class.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;By Pete Quintlt;/pgt; lt;pgt;lt;bgt;lt;/bgt;lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Roderick Smithlt;/bgt;lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;Running back Roderick Smith of Fort Wayne, Indiana has both power and speed and is considered a potential early impact player by recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic but I have a hard time seeing early playing time. Smith will have a tough time cracking the starting line-up in 2010 with Junior Boom Herron and Senior Brandon Saine at the top of the depth chart while Jaamal Berry (for now), Jordan Hall and Carlos Hyde will be sophomores in 2010 barring any redshirting. Smith’s large frame (6-2, 220) will definitely afford him touches in a Jim Tressel lead offensive attack but Hyde (6-0, 225) sports a similar size while Berry has been compared to Reggie Bush. With the depth at running back, the Bucks would be wise to redshirt Smith in 2010.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Taylor Grahamlt;/bgt;lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;Quarterback Taylor Graham is the son of former Ohio State quarterback Kent Graham (88-91) and committed to OSU without an official visit. While Graham might not be the blue chip quarterback Buckeye fans have gotten used to in recent years, he has the size (6-4, 214) and lineage to make a name for himself as a Buckeye.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;I love legacy players and to see another Graham on the field will be a special treat, however, I’m wondering why Ohio State went for a pro-style quarterback? The Buckeyes had great success with Craig Krenzel but since then all the successful Ohio State quarterbacks have been mobile and athletic. Reverting to a particular type of quarterback that doesn’t seem to work under the Tressel regime seems like a step back.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;lt;bgt;Keep on keepin’ onlt;/bgt;lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;It’s a long way to 2010 and recruiting hasn’t even begun to warm up so it’s not time to panic. The Bucks will get the horses they need, we just have to give them time.lt;/pgt;lt;div class=feedflaregt;
lt;a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?a=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:yIl2AUoC8zAgt;lt;img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0gt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt; lt;a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?a=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:F7zBnMyn0Logt;lt;img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?i=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:F7zBnMyn0Lo border=0gt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt; lt;a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?a=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:V_sGLiPBpWUgt;lt;img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?i=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0gt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt; lt;a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?a=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:qj6IDK7rITsgt;lt;img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0gt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt; lt;a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?a=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:gIN9vFwOqvQgt;lt;img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?i=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:gIN9vFwOqvQ border=0gt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt; lt;a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?a=NWR7DBRVp84:gPJqfqVidMg:TzevzKxY174gt;lt;img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Brutusreport?d=TzevzKxY174 border=0gt;lt;/imggt;lt;/agt;
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At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million. Kevin Houser, cut Monday as the team's long snapper after eight years, said Thursday he and at least 26 others bought what they thought were state film industry tax credits from Louisiana Film Studios in…
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million.
There are still some quality defensive backs left in free agency. In fact, there are probably six to eight total safeties/cornerbacks that could still contribute in a major role.br clear=both style=clear: both;/
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The receiver position is still pretty deep in free agency. While it’s certainly questionable whether or not there are any starters still out there, teams looking for quality backups can still find some.br clear=both style=clear: both;/
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NEW ORLEANS mdash; At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million.
One thing the Saints have been immune to since Sean Payton became their head coach in 2006 is a quarterback controversy.
They may have one this summer, but Saints fans can take a deep breath and relax. If they do have one, it won’t involve two-time Pro Bowl pick and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Drew Brees. Payton indicated in the final days of his team’s organized team activities that a training camp competition is looming between incumbent backup Mark Brunell and Joey Harrington, the third-stringer most of last season, to be Brees’ understudy. ‘Those two are going to compete for that position, much like most of these jobs,’ Payton said in acknowledging that Harrington, a former first-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions, has a chance to unseat…
New Jets safety Jim Leonhard is among the defenders projected to raise his profile this upcoming season.
At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million. Kevin Houser, cut Monday as the team#39;s long snapper after eight years, said Thursday he and at least 26 others bought what they thought were state film industry tax credits from Louisiana Film Studios in…
2009 JUNIOR SAINTSATIONS Future Saintsations can begin their cheer and dance career as a member of an elite group – the Junior Saintsations! The Junior Saintsations will perform at a New Orleans Saints home football game during the pre-game festivities. This is a great opportunity for young ladies between the ages of 6 to 16 years of age to learn basic dance and cheer techniques from the 2009 Saintsations while making new friends and having lots of fun! The Saintsations are zealous in their involvement in the community and always look forward to any occasion that they can work with young people. As a Junior Saintsation you will receive a practice t-shirt, the official Junior Saintsation uniform, pom poms, an autograph session with the 2009-2010 Saintsations, and a 2009-2010 Saintsations Team photograph. Every Junior Saintsation will be required to attend the practice on August 9th,
Fantasy-wise? Running backs are at once tenuous and intriguing. You don’t need to go up and get runner-runner straight away. A sharp waiver wire eye can get you to the promised land. But here’s the tier system. I will make comments as to why you need to trust or distrust.lt;br /gt;lt;br /gt;Note: Do NOT go in order. Do Not go in order. Do not…do not…do not…lt;br /gt;Note II: Italics mean avoid, Courier bold means sleeper.lt;br /gt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;emgt;Tier 1lt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Adrian Petersonlt;/stronggt; (He is the Number One Pick. Mock the drafter if they do not take him.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Maurice Jones-Drewlt;/stronggt; (You see what I said about few running backs to truly trust? He’s a top three running back despite never having been the bellcow.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;Michael Turnerlt;/emgt; (He is the Curse of 370’s latest victim. You have to be special to avoid the curse of 370. Turner’s good, but he’s in no way special.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Steven Jacksonlt;/stronggt; (He gets a fullback and an offensive line infusion, but he’s like Westbrook in that he’s only healthy for 12 games. But he’s awesome for those 12.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Chris Johnsonlt;/stronggt; (The upside? Jeff Fisher hates LenDale White as much as everybody else. And CJ is that damn good. The downside? He was injury-prone in college.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;Brian Westbrooklt;/emgt; (He’s 30. For a runner has never been healthy? You can see a potentiality of Westbrook falling off the cliff.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Matt Fortelt;/stronggt; (Obviously, he’s productive, and he’ll get his 300 carries. But why he’s here is because Cutler has the dumbass that Kyle Orton just didn’t have with the checkdown. That’s why you may see him in the middle of the first round.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;LaDainian Tomlinsonlt;/emgt; (I do not want. You shouldn’t either. He’s breaking down. His yards per carry was on the way down when he was healthy. In fact, he was nearly cut. And now he’s 30. I could be wrong, but too many runners fall off the cliff. Let someone else take the gamble.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Steve Slatonlt;/stronggt; (I know I said that Arian Foster is a great deep sleeper, but I like Steve Slaton. With the offense that the Texans could put up? It may not matter if Slaton does not get the 3rd and goal from the 2 run. He has breakaway speed and If you draft him as your RB1 you should be in great shape.)lt;br /gt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;emgt;Tier 2lt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;DeAngelo Williams lt;/stronggt;(If he was anywhere else he would be right behind Peterson. But Jonathan Stewart missed time last season and still managed to get 884 yards and 10 scores running the ball last season. He’s not going away. That’s why he’s a round 1/round 2 tweener.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Marion Barberlt;/stronggt; (The problem is he has a running style that will not be amenable to 300 carries. The other problem is that he has Felix Jones and Tashard Choice who deserve 15 carries.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Clinton Portislt;/stronggt; (In the first half of the season? He will destroy opponents, but even if he stays healthy, he wears down as the season goes on. Draft him in the second round and trade him by week 8 and you’re gold pony boy.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Frank Gore lt;/stronggt;(The system will swing back toward more of a balanced attack, and that should benefit Gore. But the offensive line won’t mean he’ll be back at the 1692 yard 2006 season. Expect 1300 total yards and 8 scores. Be surprised if its better.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;Darren McFaddenlt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (Now year one can be explained away. He had a toe injury. Toes are big for speed and power. The pride is back. And the guy who was that damn good for Arkansas just has to overcome the huggy bear. It will happen this year.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Ronnie Brownlt;/stronggt; (He’s playing for his contract, and he is in his physical prime. He seems to have a firm lead over Ricky Williams in terms of a starting job. He may not be a keeper, but he will be a fine starter.lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;Kevin Smithlt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (This may be your early third round sleeper pick. He’s got a lock on the starting job, a one cut system, an infusion of offensive line help, and a relativly conservative offensive system. The expectation is that he’ll be fringe top 15. I think he can be fringe top 5.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Brandon Jacobslt;/stronggt; (Of course, if your league skews toward scoring? You can start to have Big Country [Yes, he deserves that nickname] climb up tier two. But like many other runners, you can’t depend on his health, and if Ahmad Bradshaw’s Family Dolla Steve Slaton doesn’t get you? Danny Ware will.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;Thomas Joneslt;/emgt; (The life of a running back who is on his way out is kind of scary. You have little recourse to rage against the dying of the light. And if you do holdout? You notice that the back-up is not nearly as much of a dropoff as you’d think. Leon Washington has ached to be Tiki Barber for so long, and Shonn Greene could bring thumpers power. Hell, we could see a three-headed comittee.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Pierre Thomaslt;/stronggt; (Deuce McAlister is gone, Aaron Stecker is gone. All you have here is Reggie Bush to work the all-purpose yardage. Pierre Thomas is going to work inside. And with the passing game as an ever present threat? He will be successful.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Derrick Wardlt;/stronggt; (Why you need to like him? He ran for 1,000 yards without 200 carries. He did get starter money in his new contract. And the line is improving. But there is the foreboding spectre of the averageness of Earnest Graham and the general struggles of a team instituting a Jeff Jadgozinski run scheme.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Ryan Grantlt;/stronggt; (He does have a certain amount of bounce-back this season. The Packers are a line in transition, but there is hope, people like the prospects who are coming down the pike. Don’t expect a sleeper, but expect solid.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Knoshon Morenolt;/stronggt; (This will not be a Patriotish running back by committee. Moreno is a superman sort of a running back, and he will get 20 carries a game, and with that sort of offense? Gold!)lt;br /gt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;emgt;Tier 3lt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Marshawn Lynchlt;/stronggt; (He will not play the first three games. But he’s generally solid when he sees the field. He’s not going to lose his job to Fred Jackson in all likelyhood. But he may not be a worthy RB2 in 13 games.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;Joesph Addailt;/emgt; (For now avoid. Unless he will be the goal-line back, he will not bring enough to the table for you.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Jonathan Stewartlt;/stronggt; (You don’t know the exact value of the balance between him and DeAngelo Williams, you just know that he is going to bring a lot to the table if he stays healthy. 10 scores can happen again.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Reggie Bushlt;/stronggt; (He’s a back-up running back and a #3 receiver in one. With injury issues. Luckily for his situation, he will get looks while Lance Moore coalesces.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;Ahmad Bradshawlt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (Remember when I said that Derrick Ward ran for 1,000 yards without 200 rushes? The Giants back-up has a lot of value to a team.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;Earnest Grahamlt;/emgt; (A bad ankle and a similar profile to the new hotness. Don’t trust him.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Willislt;/stronggt; lt;emgt;McGaheelt;/emgt; (He did not have more than ten carries but once after week 8. He’s in the coaching doghouse, and he may even get cut.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Larry Johnsonlt;/stronggt; (He’s not the person who got rid of the pain of being a man in 2005-2006. But he still has goal line power to his game. And it can’t be that bad.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;LeRon McClainlt;/stronggt; (No matter what happens? He will be your goal line back in Bodymore.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;Ray Ricelt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (All he needs is one domino to fall his way and he looks like he will be a great sleeper.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Chester Taylorlt;/stronggt; (Obvious handcuff is obvious.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Jamal Lewislt;/stronggt; (He’s a starter with a lot of miles on his tread. He inspires little, but the Browns don’t seem to have anybody else as I write this.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Chris Wellslt;/stronggt; (He will start. But he will not last 16 games. Take a shot at him if you have depth, if I’m wrong, you could get a chance at Top 10 numbers.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Felix Joneslt;/stronggt; (He’s straight weapon. He doesn’t have a clear path to carries, but any time he touches the ball he is a threat to score.)lt;br /gt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;emgt;Tier 4lt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;LenDale Whitelt;/stronggt; (The question is, does he get the opportunity to have a contract year? Chris Johnson runs like Vinnie Vincent plays guitar. He’ll get some scores, but don’t expect much smash.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Fred Jacksonlt;/stronggt; (He will be solid with the starts that he will get, but that’s just it. He’s going to be merely solid. Marshawn will get the gig back. lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;Jerrious Norwoodlt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (Obvious handcuff with upside if starter gets hurt is obvious.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Cedric Bensonlt;/stronggt; (Bernard Scott will be breathing down his neck. Benson may be able to hold him off this year, but I don’t trust it.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Darren Sproles:lt;/stronggt; (The same sort of 10 rush #3 receiver Reggie Bush tigerstyle will come here.) lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Julius Jones:lt;/stronggt; (Leader of a running back by comittee for a bounce back offense.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;LeSean McCoylt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (Shady is like Jerious Norwood. Treat him as such.)lt;br /gt;lt;emgt;Willie Parkerlt;/emgt;lt;br /gt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;lt;stronggt;Donald Brownlt;/stronggt;lt;/spangt; (There’s plenty to like here if he does get to be the front man. But considering how well UConn passed the ball, if he does get starts? He may shock the world.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Leon Washingtonlt;/stronggt; (If he gets a chance to start, he will be successful. But this isn’t a league that likes small and shifty bellcows.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Tim Hightowerlt;/stronggt; (Always remember, Chris Wells is stupid injury-prone.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Rashard Mendenhalllt;/stronggt; (He will get the goal line carries no matter what. No matter what!)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Fred Taylorlt;/stronggt; (If he stays healthy, he will be the front man of the RBBC. He’s not Fragile, but he is 32.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;Jamaal Charleslt;/spangt;lt;/stronggt; (He’s a home-run threat, he will outplay Kolby Smith if LJ does move on.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Michael Bushlt;/stronggt; (In a just and loving world, Michael Bush would be the Earth to the wind and fire that Darren McFadden provides. But with Al Davis’ touch? Michael Bush is going to be the back-up quarterback.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Sammy Morrislt;/stronggt; (An oddly shaped Maurice Jones-Drew to Fred Taylor’s Fred Taylor.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Kevin Faulklt;/stronggt; (Random and consistent pass-catcher who will continue down the same road.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Ricky Williamslt;/stronggt; (A long strange trip to the short man in a time share.)lt;br /gt;lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;lt;emgt;Tier 5lt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;br /gt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;lt;stronggt;Shonn Greenelt;/stronggt;lt;/spangt; (He could be great if he’s the front man. Watch him in camp.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Laurence Maroneylt;/stronggt; (He does have the gifts to be a good pro. He’s shown it. But there are roadblocks in front of him.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Correll Buckhalterlt;/stronggt; (Shoot him up to Tier 3 if the word on Moreno is struggling.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Justin Fargaslt;/stronggt; (He’s your putative Raider starter in July. In September? Differesnt story.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Maurice Morrislt;/stronggt; (He’s a decent runner who would do will if Smith goes down.)lt;br /gt;lt;span style=font-family:courier new;gt;lt;stronggt;Tashard Choicelt;/stronggt;lt;/spangt; (I had him on this list, otherwise he would be in on my last blog post. He’s awesome if he gets the opportunity.)lt;br /gt;lt;stronggt;Mewlede Moorelt;/stronggt; (Willie Parker is injury prone and Mendenhall did not show much last year.)lt;div class=blogger-post-footergt;lt;img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2166517300079538920-4918890356769774754?l=cakerockstheparty.blogspot.com’/gt;lt;/divgt;
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