Everyone's a winner! That's right, I'm giving each of our new writers a regular spot in our starting lineup. So won't you please join me in giving them a warm welcome.

After reading everyone's feedback and looking over the poll results, I thought they were all deserving of the opportunity to regularly add their voice and continue to develop their craft. Each new writer brings a different perspective and I believe that in combination with what we already do here, Canal Street Chronicles will only get better as a result of their addition.

Our new team members have already been given the good news and they're learning the ropes behind the scenes as we speak. You will begin seeing their work over the next coming days and weeks, being published under their real names. Once they've published their first post, their name will be added to the official masthead below.

I would like to thank each of our newest contributors for devoting their time and talent to our blog. I'd also like to thank our readers for treating our applicants with respect throughout the process.

It's time to usher in the next generation of Canal Street Chronicles.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

The objective is simple: I ask you guys five questions and you answer them in the comment section below.

I look forward to reading your answers and getting to know each and every one of you a little better through your opinions. The more participation the better, so let's hear it!

1. Which Saints free agent, other than Drew Brees, do you think is most important for the team to sign?
2. Which Saints free agent do you think is least important for the team to sign?
3. Which outside free agent would you like to see the Saints sign most?
4. What was the best free agency signing in Saints history?
5. What was the worst free agency signing in Saints history?

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

LINKS:

Peyton Manning's, Matt Flynn's futures at forefront of NFL offseason issues - Don Banks - SI.com
If you think the Saints are letting NFL Offensive Player of the Year Drew Brees get out of town, you haven't been paying attention for the past six years or so.

Roaf wants to be remembered as Saint - NFC South Blog - ESPN
"I’m wearing a Saints hat,’’ Roaf said. "You know things happen for a reason in life and I had to go through what I had to deal with and I needed a fresh start anyway, went through the knee surgery, went to Kansas City and played hard, and I think the experiences made me a better person. I think if I had to stay on that turf I wouldn’t have made it but another year or two but the fact that I went and played on that grass and played well in Kansas City with that real good group of players for those three of four years, I think that’s what solidified and helped me get in this early."

Best value in NFL? Jimmy Graham - NFC South Blog - ESPN
The Saints have another potential contract situation percolating. As best I know, there haven’t been any threats or holdouts, but the Saints almost have to do something about the contract of tight end Jimmy Graham.

Vincent Jackson expected to hit open market | ProFootballTalk
The Chargers would have to pay Vincent Jackson a lot of money to use the franchise tag on him -- more than $13 million. That's why he's expected to hit the open market, and he's not expected to stay in San Diego. "I don’t see any way he’s back [in San Diego].

Seattle media makes their case for Peyton Manning | ProFootballTalk
Seattle hasn't been mentioned a lot as a possible landing spot for Peyton Manning, but it probably should be. They have a quality defense, salary cap room, a first class facility, and an owner that isn't afraid to spend. (Or stay out of the way.

New Orleans Saint Lance Moore congratulates Madisonville milk-drinkers - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
Madisonville Junior High School wins milk-drinking campaign across southeast Louisiana

New Orleans will split Mardi Gras parade schedule to accommodate Super Bowl | ProFootballTalk
The Super Bowl returns to New Orleans next year, but the timing of the NFL’s title game creates a conflict with the city’s Mardi Gras parade schedule.

Saints Nation's Top 10 Plays of the Saints' 2011 Season: #1 Brees Breaks Marino's Record | February

Belichick Dared Manningham to Beat Him - NYTimes.com
Matchups can be important. The Giants had beaten New England earlier in the year, and had come very close to beating the 49ers and the Packers. But the Saints in New Orleans? It seems the Niners did the Giants a favor. As good as the Giants were playing, do you think they could have won in the Superdome?

Saints: Who could stay and who could go - Receivers, Specialists | wwltv.com New Orleans
The Saints have a couple of decisions to make at receiver and one very interesting one to make at kicker this offseason.

Faces of NFC South could change - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Will Smith, Saints. For a long time, Abraham and Smith have been viewed as the NFC South’s top two pass-rushers. But it’s possible they’ll both be gone. Smith’s situation is slightly different than Abraham’s.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

SB Nation has had a bunch of technical difficulties this past week. To help fix them, they've disabled FanPosts on the front page. They will be back up soon.

I moved the FanShots to the left sidebar myself because I thought it might be better to get them close to the top of the page. If you're not liking the move, I can put them back tonight.

We appreciate your patience. - Mgmt.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

So if you've got a burning question you've been dying to know my answer to, send an email to blogandgold@yahoo.com, send me a tweet @csctweet, post on our wall at Canal Street Chronicles Facebook page or just ask me in the comment section below. They can be about the Saints, the NFL, the blog or even personal. Don't forget to leave your first name and last initial so we can give you credit for your question if we wind up using it. I will round up the best questions and answer them in a timely fashion in a second follow-up post.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

Anyone watch HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel? I'm a big fan myself and thanks to TiVo, I never miss an episode. One of the four stories from the most recent installment, which first aired about a couple of weeks ago, I found particularly interesting.

It was a profile of high school football coach Kevin Kelley and his Pulaski Academy football team from Little Rock, Arkansas. If you didn't see the episode, perhaps you've heard of them anyway. Sports Illustrated wrote an article about them a little over two years ago. So what's so special about them?

They never punt.

That's right. Every single time their offense faces fourth down, the Bruins go for it, even in fourth and long situations. This probably sounds completely insane to a lot of football fans but to Kelley, it would be insane not to go for it.

I don't believe in punting and really can't ever see doing it again...

...It's like someone said, '[Punting] is what you do on fourth down,' and everyone did it without asking why.

Not only do they never punt, but each time they kick off it's almost always an onside kick. The team has an entire package of onside kick types and specific kickers to execute each one.

It's simple math really. Statistically, it makes more sense and is more valuable to hold onto the ball and go for that first down, which the Bruins pick up about half the time, than give their opponent back the ball. Here's a slightly more detailed example:

Consider the most extreme scenario, say, fourth-and-long near your own end zone. According to Kelley's data (much of which came from a documentary he saw), when a team punts from that deep, the opponents will take possession inside the 40-yard line and will then score a touchdown 77% of the time. If they recover on downs inside the 10, they'll score a touchdown 92% of the time. "So [forsaking] a punt, you give your offense a chance to stay on the field. And if you miss, the odds of the other team scoring only increase 15 percent.

And that's just the extreme scenario. The statistical advantage of going for it is even greater when a team is between the 40-yard lines. Similar statistics support the decision to always onside kick as well.

But these are just numbers. The real question is whether or not this theory actually works on the field in real life football situations. Unfortunately, Pulaski Academy is the only barometer we have to measure because they're the only team bold enough to actually execute it. Since Kelley took over in 2003, though, he's led his team to a record of 104-19 and won three state championships. I'd say that's a ringing endorsement.

So why hasn't this caught on and why does every other coach, particularly those in the NFL, choose to spit in the face of probability, regularly defying the odds? In short: they're yellow-bellied cowards.

Despite cold hard facts that prove otherwise, NFL coaches allow their emotions to get in the way and cloud their on-field football decisions.

Subject as they are to scrutiny, coaches have incentive to err on the side of conservatism. No coach gets fired or ripped on talk radio for punting on fourth-and-four. Most do when they go for it and fail.

That's where Real Sports and Sports Illustrated leave the story, however, and where I pick it up. Because I think it's about damn time at least one NFL coach stop using his heart and start using his head. While I absolutely understand how tough it is to buck the trend with a career and a family to think about, the numbers just don't lie. So who is going to be the pioneer?

The truth is, it's going to take a coach with huge cojones to eventually attempt this unthinkable strategy at the sport's highest level and make my dreams come true. A coach who already has enough moxie to try something like, say, an onside kick to start the second half of his life's biggest game. You guessed it, I'm talking about Sean Payton.

Which is why I don't think it's a coincidence that the one NFL coach featured in Real Sports' piece about Pulaski Academy was none other than our very own Saints coach. Because let's face it, if there is a current coach in the NFL right now who might actually try something like this, it's our Payton. Reporter Jon Frankel with Real Sports must have been thinking along the same lines...

Jon Frankel: How tempting is it go for it on fourth down?

Payton: Well, I think it's extremely tempting.

So let's see it, coach! We know you've looked at the numbers and you want to. If there's any team well built to execute this no-punting philosophy at the NFL level it's most likely the Saints, with their dynamic and powerful offense that would assuredly benefit from the extra down. Otherwise, somebody, somewhere will eventually take the risk and become the NFL's guinea pig, most likely with great success. It might as well be the Saints.

What do you guys think? You scared, too? Or are you ready to see the Saints completely change the way everyone looks at football?

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

LINKS:

William Roaf proud to represent Saints in Hall of Fame
"I was in California kind of running around my house," Roaf said. "It was quite a thrill. I was able to get on a flight quickly to get to Indianapolis and it was nice to be on the field at the Super Bowl. It is nice being fitted for that yellow jacket. You know you are at the top of the game when you receive that. It's unbelievable to experience. It was like being a little kid and going to that first banquet and getting that first trophy. It's outstanding."

Ricky Williams a case of what might have been
Iron Mike was wrong to ask Williams to pose in a wedding dress for ESPN magazine.

NFL fast-forward forecast: Houston Texans will meet New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLVII - NY Daily News
The countdown has started. It's 725 days until Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. That's one year, 11 months and 25 days until kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2014. Just guessing, but it's probably going to be chilly.

Saints: Who could stay and who could go - Offensive Line | wwltv.com New Orleans
The offensive line has been solid. But it also contains one of the biggest questions in the 2012 offseason - Carl Nicks.

Note from Commissioner Roger Goodell to NFL Fans

Saints Make Three Additions to Coaching Staff

New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham featured in USA Network special Friday - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
He overcame a difficult background to make it to the NFL

Ricky Williams wasn't a franchise back but he also wasn't a bust - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
His eccentricities caused problems

Why Jimmy Graham Is Not a Tight End : The XLog

New Orleans Saints make an official announcement on hirings on the coaching staff - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
It has been known for a while that Spagnuola was the defensive coordinator

Drew Brees should have been be the NFL MVP: A letter to the editor | NOLA.com
If Dan Marino received the MVP when he broke the passing record, then Drew should have received it as well.

NFL Characters Unite to fight bigotry | ProFootballTalk
Yes, the NFL season has ended. But there's still plenty of football programming to be found, sometimes in unlikely places. On Friday night, USA will air a documentary entitled NFL Characters Unite, which focuses on the efforts of four NFL figures who have endured personal challenges involving b...

Around the NFC South - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Let's take a look at the top Wednesday morning headlines from around the NFC South. The New Orleans Saints apparently have completed the overhaul

Reflecting on Ricky Williams and Saints - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Tuesday’s news that Baltimore Ravens running back Ricky Williams is retiring comes with a bit of an NFC South angle. Williams once was the big

The Season Is Over. Now What?
Chicks in the Huddle

Ricky Williams announces intention to retire from NFL - NFL - SI.com
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Ricky Williams is retiring from the NFL.

VIDEO:

Two Years Ago Today: Pierre Pounds In

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

If Marques Colston leaves can Lance Moore be a No. 1 receiver? Andrew explains why he is ready to break up with Robert Meachem, Joe Morgan can be an effective pass catcher, and Devery Henderson is now a great route runner. They also try to figure out if the Saints will sign a free agent receiver you've heard of. We're looking at you Reggie Wayne.

Listen right now below, get the feed right here and/or download it on iTunes right here.

Warning: explicit language and adult content.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

Another vacant defensive coaching position, another former St. Louis Rams coach hired to fill it.

The Saints announced yesterday that the team has hired Andre Curtis as assistant secondary coach, making him the third new member of the coaching staff and, in case you weren't keeping score at home, the third to coach in St. Louis from 2009 to 2011. I almost titled this post, 'St. Louis Rams Coaches and the Teams that Love Them.'

So with the Saints pulling all of their eggs from the Rams slightly used basket, it naturally begs the question: was the St. Louis Rams defense actually any good between the years 2009 and 2011? The answer to that question could be telling. Because, like, I don't really want them if their defense sucked.

Of course I just had to poke around the Rams defensive stats over the past three years to try and answer that very question. My findings? Meh. I'm not very impressed. And that's putting it nicely. Wish I had better news to report.

There are a few bright spots here and there, like the leagues second best 3rd down defense in 2010 and the 7th fewest passing yards allowed this past season. But none of the other numbers look great and overall the Rams have never been better than 19th in the league (2010). There's just no positive consistency to be found anywhere over this three year period.

With one exception: sacks per pass attempt.

You knew I'd find something. Okay, technically they weren't good three years straight but that's because 2009 was just abysmal across the board. In 2010, however, they were 8th best in sacks per pass attempt and actually improved to 7th best in 2011. It's basically the only thing their defense did well two years in a row.

So does this bode well for the Saints, who have had a paltry pass rush the past few years and need some help in that department? Or have the Rams simply had more natural talent in the pass rushing department? *cough* Chris Long *cough*

Talk amongst yourselves.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles