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Shockey Runs Off Gamefield without Shaking Hands of Former Teammates

As the clock wound down to triple zeroes on the scoreboard Sunday in New Orleans’ dramatic 30-27 win over Carolina, most players streamed onto the field, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the afternoon’s opponent.

Well, most people did.

Carolina tight end Jeremy Shockey, formerly of the Saints, darted away from the field, immediately heading for the home team’s tunnel.

“Plain and simple, I love Shockey,” Saints safety Roman Harper said. “He’s a great teammate. He may be a little crazy. But I love the dude. Love him to death. I could hang and bang with my man Shock all day.

“He’s probably just a little mad. I will definitely give him a call, though, telling him, ‘You have to come dap me up and hug me.’”

Read the entire WWLTV.com article

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Jimmy "The Bruiser" Graham has Monster Day against Jags

Bradley Handwerger / WWLTV.com Sports Reporter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When New Orleans’ No. 80 makes a big play, you know it.

Jimmy Graham either stands up and emphatically goes through the first-down motion.

Or he’ll crawl on his knees and slam the ball on the ground with authority.

On Sunday, in New Orleans’ 23-10 win over Jacksonville, he chose another option – a dunk over the goalpost to celebrate a touchdown reception.

Graham finished the game as quarterback Drew Brees’ top target and the team’s top receiver. Brees threw to him 14 times, completed 10 and Graham finished with 132 yards, including a game-long 59-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

“He continues to get better every week,” Brees said. “Today, he got rolling. We liked his matchup, a lot of zone coverage for the most part.”

Indeed, the Jaguars’ (1-3) Cover 2 was perfectly for Graham’s comfort. The game was in his wheelhouse, you could say.

At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, he’s a big target. With his basketball background, he knows how to use his body to get open in the middle of the field.

“He’s a threat certainly running down the middle,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “You can see he’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

He’ll only get better, Brees said.

“He knows we expect a lot out of him and he expects a lot out of himself, too,” Brees said. “He’s always asking questions to learn more about the position, the game, this route and that route. He wants to be a great player in the league and he loves football.”

A week ago, Graham finished with four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

He has 24 catches for a team-high 367 yards and three touchdowns this season.

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Mark Ingram's 4th Down Conversion Builds Confidence

Bradley Handwerger / WWLTV.com Sports Reporter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mark Ingram kept churning his legs, head down and trying to bull through the right side of the Saints’ offensive line on a key fourth-and-one play late in the third quarter.

Don’t make the conversion and give the Jaguars, down only 10 points, the ball in New Orleans territory with renewed life.

But a friendly push from a teammate helped Ingram get over the proverbial hump, giving the Saints a first down.

Seven player later, John Kasay hit his third field of the day, the final score in a 23-10 Saints win over the Jaguars.

“I think one of my linemen pushed me in the butt, pushed me over,” Ingram said. “My legs were keeping going, but somebody pushed me and helped me over the top.”

It was just one of 34 running plays for the Saints (3-1), but it was a confidence-building one.

The Saints finished the day with 177 yards rushing with a 5.2 yard per carry average. Darren Sproles finished with 75 yards on seven carries while Ingram had 55 yards on 17.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars (1-3) finished with only 104, a key statistic Saints coach Sean Payton wanted to win heading into Sunday.

“We outrushed them and that was a goal for us,” Payton said. “We thought that’d be critical. Statistically if you look at their history playing at home, they’re about an 85 percent winner when they win the rushing battle.”

Added Ingram, “You heard about their front seven stopping the run, not bringing too much pressure and just flat out stopping the run. To be able to run the ball like effectively on a front seven like that is encouraging.”

But it’s plays like the fourth-down conversion that could help in the future.

Left guard Carl Nicks said it’s all about confidence.

“I think our confidence that our coach has in us gives us confidence to even call that, let alone execute it,” Nicks said.

As for the offensive line helping Ingram on the play, Nicks won’t take the credit.

“He’s being generous,” Nicks said. “That was all him. I remember pulling and thinking, ‘Man, this is a lot of bodies in here.’ And then he’s over there. That’s the Heisman for you right there.”

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Next Man Up (Kevin Buckles)

NEXT MAN UP I’ve been hearing this phrase “Next Man Up” entirely too much already this season. Teams like the Colts, Cowboys, Chiefs, Giants, Steelers, and Texans have all have used this term to express the confidence in reserve players stepping in to perform for key players who have suffered some sort of significant injury. HOWEVER, The New Orleans Saints have quietly been one of the absolute best teams at actually having success with this phrase when a key guy goes down to injury. This dates all the way back to their 2009 Super Bowl Championship season. First it was the three-headed monster of running backs that year; Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush. They combined to miss 10 games although the team still finished ranked 6th in the league in rushing that year. Then there were the nick-nack injuries sustained between the two starting cornerbacks, Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter. Those two alone combined to miss 11 games that year, forcing the Saints to sign veteran guys off the streets to play in critical games (Chris McAllister, Mike McKenzie). Through all, the team started 13-0 en route to defeating the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV. Now fast forward to this season. Marques Colston makes a hell of a diving catch on the final drive in the first game of the season in Green Bay. He breaks his collarbone and is out for a month, on top of Lance Moore already being out for a groin injury at the time. What happens the next week versus Chicago? Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Darren Sproles, and Jimmy Graham combine for 21 receptions, 235 receiving yards, and three touchdowns versus a very stout and prolific Chicago Bears defense. Talk about Next Man Up! The Saints also suffered a key loss to their best pass rusher and arguably the best defensive player they’ve had over the past five seasons, Defensive End Will Smith. The NFL enforced a two-game suspension dating back to 2008 for testing positive for a banned substance. And what did the Saints do during his two-game absence? Oh, only record a league high nine sacks during that two game stretch. And then there was Sunday’s game versus the Houston Texans. With the “quarterback” of our defense, Jonathan Vilma, already out for that game, the Saints then lost starter outside linebacker Will Herring and standout backup rookie outside linebacker Martez Wilson during the game on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, the Saints lost two key starters on the offensive line in Olin Kreutz and Zach Strief. But with Brian de la Puente, Charles Brown, stepping in on offense and veteran Scott Shanle stepping in on defense, the Saints did not miss a beat and went on to win the game. So the next time a team should mention this now popular phrase, they should take a page out of the deepest team in the league’s book, the New Orleans Saints. NEXT MAN UP.

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Saints Can't Look Past Jacksonville Jaguars (Jeff Duncan - Video)

Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan gives his take on the state of the Saints as they begin preparation for therg game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

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Drew Brees' "Helmet to Helmet" Spearing from Kareem Jackson may have set Fire to a Cool Brees!

Drew Brees lost his Cool!  After Kareem Jackson launched himself toward Brees as he was down on the Superdome turf, he did not understand what was to come of him and the Texans.  Brees reacted in a demonstrative fashion to the refs, next he starting jarring with Jackson. No penalty was called on the play.  However, on the fourth quarter drives, Brees and Lance Moore (WR) decided to focus on the Texans weakest defense link, Kareem Jackson. Eventually, Moore caught a 16 yd. touchdown from Brees and two 2 pt. conversions.  Mostly over Kareem Jackson in defense.

Sean Payton said Drew Brees called all of the plays at the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter when the club went to the hurry-up O.  I wonder why?  Brees guided the Saints to the winning score in 8 plays for 93 yards in 1:31 minutes.  He was determined to win.

The Texans should thank Jackson for his "careless" play.  It could have well been the catalyst for Brees and the Saints.  I wonder if the league will fine Jackson.  It will only add insult to injury for the cornerback's lack of good judgment.  He's been under fire from Houston fans ever since being drafted #1 out of Alabama.  Better luck next time Mr. Jackson.  

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Return to the Dome - (Kevin Buckles Blog)

On the fifth anniversary of “Return to the Dome,” the Saints persevered and prevailed with a 40-33 victory over the Houston Texans. I know there are no moral victories in football but the Texans sure got one today. They were the ones who came out aggressive, running the ball extremely effectively and moving the chains with ease. Ben Tate was a force to be reckoned with all game until he was nicked up in the second half and BACKUP tight end James Casey had a huge game, finishing with 126 yards and a touchdown off of five catches. Not to mention Andre Johnson looking like a man among boys compared to the Saints defensive backs. Their new-look defense also continued to impress forcing two timely interceptions from Drew Brees. HOWEVER, the Texans forgot that the game is 48 minutes rather than 36 (three quarters). After an early fourth quarter touchdown by Houston, the Saints quickly seized control with a five-play 49-yard drive when Brees connected with second-year tight end Jimmy Graham. That was the beginning of the end for the Texans, getting outscored 16-7 after that to lose the game. The Saints’ D showed flashes of that 2009 opportunistic defense also with a timely turnover in the 4th to set Brees and the offense up with great field position en route to taking their first lead of the game. They also did what they do best (or most that is), pinned their ears back and blitzed the quarterback and got a sack on a 4th and long to close the game. All in all the Saints found a way to win today, despite all of their shortcomings, definitely displaying resilience, a characteristic of a championship team. Look out Indi, the Who-Dats are coming.

What I liked:  WINNING AT HOME The Saints get consecutive home wins and have gained momentum to begin their relatively easy road-trip @JAC, @CAR, @TB. With the Dome crowd behind them, Saints are taking full advantage. Something they struggled to do last year losing three of eight home games and overall underachieving at home.

FOURTH QUARTER PLAY The level of play not only in this game, but in the previous two games as well, has definitely been inspiring. Being able to close out a team in a game is imperative in this quarterback-driven league. Not being able to execute down the stretch of a game could be detrimental (see Minnesota Vikings), and I love how the Saints are finishing games.

COOL BREES Down nine early in the 4th quarter, All-Pro QB Drew Brees showed no signs of panic, but a fiery confidence to lead his offense to a franchise-record 23 4th quarter points. And also I believe the turning point of the game when Brees got into the face of second year cornerback, Kareem Jackson of the Texans after being speared by him after scrambling. Boy oh boy did the Texans defense pay the price after that.

What I didn’t like:  INCONSISTENCY ON DEFENSE Granted Jonathan Vilma didn’t play in this game, the Saints’ defense HAS to be better. Yes, they played exceptional redzone defense but they cannot continue to give up the type of yardage and big plays that they did today. Especially when only producing ONE turnover. That is not a formula for success, and there is no doubt in my mind that Gregg Williams will remind them of that EVERY chance he gets in practice this week.

NOT ENOUGH OF THE RUNNING GAME Drew Brees has thrown the ball 130 times in three games with an average of 43 passes a game and the Saints are in the bottom quartile of the league in rushing as well (what else is new?). Maybe I am being a little facetious, but I do think the Saints need to be running the ball a lot more effectively to continue to be successful. I mean hey, we didn’t give up three draft picks for Mark Ingram for nothing.

WHAT TOOK GREGG WILLIAMS SO LONG TO BLITZ? Although I believe the Saints have one of the best secondaries in the league, a secondary and pass rush go hand in hand. There was a lack of overall disruption from the Saints defensive lineman today, and the DB’s paid the price for it most of the game. But as soon as Williams started dialing up the blitz, it disrupted the flow of the Houston offense and allowed the Saints to come back and get the victory late. Had the blitzing started earlier, maybe the game doesn’t come down to the wire like it did.

Key to the game:  REDZONE DEFENSE Thank goodness for Neil Rackers’ leg rather than Matt Schaub’s arm in the redzone in today’s game, otherwise it would not have been a game AT ALL. The Texans have much more of a downhill rushing and passing offense, which would explain their trouble in the redzone. Arian Foster being out didn’t hurt their cause either. However credit has to go to the Saints bend-but-don’t-break-defense that kept the game at a mere 16-7 when it could’ve easily been 28-7.

Player of the game:  LANCE MOORE Perhaps maybe the most valuable re-signing of all during the offseason, Lance Moore came up HUGE in the 4th quarter not only catching a touchdown, but catching, not one but two, two-point conversions that looked eerily similar to the conversion he made in Super Bowl XLIV. But the staggering stat, is that he was targeted nine times and caught nine balls. He is extremely reliable and consistent, and today’s player of the game.

Milestones: - Drew Brees threw a touchdown pass for the 30th consecutive game, which now ranks third behind only Brett Favre (36) and Johnny Unitas (47). - Rookie running back Mark Ingram scored his first touchdown as New Orleans Saint, which was also the game clinching touchdown today. Loved his patience on the run, hope to see more to come! Article by Kevin Buckles - Guest Writer on SaintsNews.net

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Texans vs. Saints Injury Report for Sunday's Game

TEXANS: OUT: CB Sherrick McManis (hamstring), RB Derrick Ward (shoulder, ankle). QUESTIONABLE: RB Arian Foster (hamstring), WR Jacoby Jones (knee). PROBABLE: G Thomas Austin (knee), G Mike Brisiel (hip), LB Brian Cushing (knee), CB Johnathan Joseph (ankle), LB DeMeco Ryans (elbow, Achilles), QB Matt Schaub (foot), RB Ben Tate (back), WR Kevin Walter (shoulder, thigh), LB Mario Williams (thumb). SAINTS: OUT: WR Marques Colston (shoulder), K Garrett Hartley (right hip). DOUBTFUL: LB Jonathan Vilma (knee). QUESTIONABLE: CB Tracy Porter (calf). PROBABLE: S Jonathon Amaya (shoulder), LB Jonathan Casillas (foot, knee), S Roman Harper (ankle), DT Tom Johnson (calf).

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Reggie Bush disses Saints for Faking Injuries

Miami Dolphins' running back Reggie Bush. Only, he isn't speaking about his current team but his former one...the New Orleans Saints.

“We actually had that before in New Orleans,” Bush said, referring to the fake injury play. “It’s just one of those things when you get those hurry-up offensive teams. I mean, it’s legal. They haven’t made any rules yet to say it’s not legal. “... For the most part you’re supposed to have a designated guy for that. It’s not supposed to be four or five guys falling on the ground at the same time. Obviously that looks real bush league.”

Continue reading on Examiner.com Reggie Bush throws former team under the bus, says Saints faked injuries - National NFL | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/nfl-in-national/reggie-bush-throws-former-team-under-the-bus-says-saints-faked-injuries#ixzz1YjBy82tM

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RAISING CANE'S HOST FUNDRAISER FOR THE MALCOLM JENKINS FOUNDATION on SATURDAY, SEPT. 10th

  Raising Cane's will host a market-wide fundraiser for The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation on Saturday, Sept 10. All Greater New Orleans-area restaurants including Northshore, Houma and Thibodaux will donate 15 percent (15%) of net sales to the foundation when customers mention The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation ALL day on Saturday, Sept 10. COME OUT AND MEET MALCOLM JENKINS, GUMBO & THE SAINTSATIONS from 11am - 12:30pm on Saturday September 10 at Raising Cane's Kenner Restaurant-3344 Williams Blvd.. Malcolm will greet fans and sign autographs. Just mention "The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation" ALL day and 15% of net proceeds will be donated to The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation. Raising Cane’s is proud to be the “Official Chicken of the New Orleans Saints” and is showing support for the team with a commemorative Saints cup and a VIP prize package giveaway for each home game that includes two game tickets, pre-game field passes, autographed Saints merchandise and more. For more information on The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation visit: www.themalcolmjenkinsfoundation.org