Curtis joins the New Orleans staff after serving as defensive backs/safeties coach with the Rams from 2009-2011. Prior to that, Curtis spent three seasons as a defensive quality control coach with the New York Giants from 2006-08. The Beaverdam, Va. native came to the NFL in 2006, following a six-year college coaching career, two seasons at Georgia Southern as defensive ends coach and four at his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, where he was a four-year letterman as a linebacker from 1996-99.
NFL releases official first round order for 2012 draft | ProFootballTalk We mostly knew how the first round of the 2012 NFL draft would look already, but it's worth noting the NFL made the first round official on Tuesday. Note that two spots still remain subject to a coin flip. Yep, it's officially draft season. And free agent season.
Hysterical Pats Fan Cries Over ‘Stupid’ Team | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports Read 'Hysterical Pats Fan Cries Over ‘Stupid’ Team' from our blog Shutdown Corner on Yahoo! Sports. We know from the hit Hootie & the Blowfish song "Only Wanna to be With You" that the Miami Dolphins make lead singer Darius Rucker cry. And several months ago a mother taped her son crying after a Jets loss. … Continue reading →
Report: Brees’ agent "baffled" at slow pace of contract talks | ProFootballTalk Drew Brees and the Saints have said so many times that both sides want to get a long-term contract done that it seems like a mere formality that things will get worked out long before it's time for Brees to get to work at the Saints' first offseason minicamp.
Everyone's predictions about Super Bowl XLVI made this past Friday have finally been tallied, analyzed and formatted accordingly. They can be found in their entirety following the jump.
There will be no need for a vote this week. We had only one member get all three predictions correct, so I am automatically crowning him our winner. Surprisingly enough, that would be none other than metryman for the second time in a row. Freakin' impressive. So congrats to metryman for going a perfect six-for-six his last two times out.
Look over the results and enjoy! Thanks to everyone for playing this season.
CSC Member
Predictions
Analysis
metryman
1.1st H total points 22 or under. 2.Victor Cruuuuuz scores. 3.Giants have more rushing yds. than NE.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Grumps
1) Manning has the better overall QB rating over Brady. 2) Brady sacked at least three times 3) Patriots Defense returns to its crapulent ways and allows over 525 total yards on it.
3. The Saints would have beaten either team by 2 scores.
Yes
No
Yes
Comp
1. Giselle’s request for prayers is answered every time NY sacks Brady (which will be 3 times). The Giants kneel down over him and offer prayers. 2. Tyree’s helmet catch is shown/referred to at least 3 times. 3. Victor Cruz (control) has a 40+ yard catch or catch+run.
No
No idea.
No
Jee
1) Brady throws a TD pass after the 2 minute warning in the 4th 2) Brady and Manning each throw an INT 3) Brandon Jacobs has 50+ yards rushing
No
No
No
jeff.I.b
1. Gronk plays the entire game. 2. Fostered by Wilfork, the Patriots control the line of scrimmage and hold the Giants to under 100 total rushing yards. 3. There will be at least one controversial moment surrounding either the national anthem…or the Madonna half-time show.
Yes
No
Yes
BenDerDonDat
1. Losing team will have 2 plus turnovers 2. Brady will throw for 300 plus yards. 3. Giants will get 2 or fewer sacks.
No
No
Yes
JellyPhantom
1. Eli Manning throws for over 350 yards and has 3 TDs 2. Brady has a pick in the second half in field goal range 3. Brady is sacked at least 5 times
No
No
No
mississippisaintsfan
1. This will me the most boring superbowl of all time 2.I am leaving for Bahrain this afternoon and I wont have to complain about not being able to watch this game due to the fact it will suck. 3.Even Madonnas 53 yr pld nip**** flashed at half time will be more interseting then this game
No
Yes
No
Philinwood
1) Giants get at least 4 sacks 2) Giants run for over 125 yards 3) Giants are successful on at least 1 4th down conversion while Pats have no successful 4th down conversions
1 Brady throws for 3 touchdowns 2 Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combine for <150 yards 3 Giants don’t score in the first quarter.
No
Yes
No
tmac641
1. Pats score on a defensive TD 2. Teams combine for at least 10 punts 3. Patriots outrush Giants
No
No
No
bondcrash
1) Brady passes for over 400 yards 2) Eli has 2+int 3) Ocho scores a TD
No
No
No
Northfan
1. Giants get at least 4 sacks 2. Tom Brady throws at least 2 INTs 3. Eli Manning wins his second SBMVP
No
No
Yes
Legatron Morstead
1. 4 different Giants score a touchdown 2. Giants defense gets a safety 3. Brady gets sacked 4+ times
No
Yes
No
cajuncommando58
Eli throw more picks than Brady
Pats out rush the Giants
The Gronk either doesn’t play, or doesn’t finish the game if he does play.
No
No
No
shipgoalie05
1.) Manning throws more INT’s than Brady 2.) Pats have more rushing yards than Giants 3.) Longest TD is more than 40 yards
No
No
No
SaintBevo
1. Hakeem Nicks has at least 150 yards receiving 2. Aaron Hernandez has over 100 yards receiving 3. Much to the annoyance of the people in the room with me, I say one of the following at least 35 times:
No
No
?
HansDat
1) Tom Terrific unable to get Pats into FG range at the end of 4th Q. 2) Commercials this year are just ok, with no breakout "instant classic(s)" among them. 3) Neither team gains more than 100 yards rushing.
Yes
Yes
No
Jimbo03
Brady is sacked at least 5 times. Victor Cruz clears 200 receiving yards. Hakeem Nicks clears 100 receiving yards.
No
No
Yes
Dang Hu Dat
1. Ben-Jarvus-Green-Ellis has at least one fumble. 2. Jason Pierre-Paul scores. 3. The very last point scored is a Giants PAT.
We've finally reached the end of our search for fresh new front page talent here on Canal Street Chronicles, to make the best Saints blog on the net even better. Ladies and gentlemen, I present our final candidate.
In case you missed the introduction to our little talent search here, be sure to read it first before continuing. Remember, any and all criticism must be 100% constructive and positive in nature. Keep Da Chronic classy!
Please welcome the next contestant of Da Chronic's Got Talent! S/he is willing to contribute once a month, with the slight possibility of a little more.
Being Elite Means No Longer Being America's Sweetheart
Two years ago, Times-Picayune columnist Mark Lorando wrote a letter addressed to the rest of the NFL. The letter, published the day after the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, was intended to tell the rest of the country that the Saints would no longer be the punch line of jokes.
To be specific he said "We know what sticklers you are for legal documentation, so please consider this our formal written notice of resignation as the unofficial whipping boys of the National Football League... We know this will take some getting used to - for you as well as for us. After all, for 43 years we have defined ourselves by the 1-15 seasons. And the Hail Mary passes. And the quarterbacks named Billy Joe. And the holes in the Superdome roof... fter 43 years of being treated as America's experts on losing, we're ready to become the new national role models for passion and perseverance."
Mr. Lorando, consider your message received.
Two years and two painful playoff losses later, the league has made it quite clear that the Saints are no longer among the hunters; we are the hunted.
The year of that Super Bowl, 2009, was my freshman year at Ohio State. That year the Saints were America's Team. All my friends in Columbus wanted the Saints to win. I remember betting my dorm mates that if Garrett Hartley made his kick in overtime that I would hug every person on the floor. One kick and approximately 60 hugs later, I was on top of the world. That didn't change two weeks later when the Saints beat the Colts in Miami. The Colts and Peyton Manning had been around for years. The Saints were the scrappy team no one believed in with the swashbuckling coach and the surgical quarterback leading the way. People like to root for the underdog and the Saints fit the role perfectly.
Flash forward two years, and I found myself sitting in a room full of people (only one of which having ever lived in San Francisco, the rest being from the Midwest) rooting for the 49ers to beat our beloved Who Dats. The Saints were now the established favorites. The sound of Who Dat was no longer the cry of the victorious underdog it was in 2009; it is the sound of one of the most successful franchises of the late 2000's.
The Saints have earned that type of notoriety. No team has had more regular season wins since 2009. We have won a Super Bowl at least ten years more recently than traditionally storied/original franchises such as Oakland, Dallas, San Francisco, Minnesota and Cleveland.
Oh those Browns. The Saints used to be their kin in the pit of mediocrity. The Browns had the Drive; the Saints had the River City Relay. The Browns had Tim Couch, the Saints had Ricky Williams. Both were mid to low level markets who had seen better days financially (especially Cleveland). Take out the weather and the tourist industry and the franchises could be mistaken for one another.
But now all my friends who are Browns fans (I still live in Ohio) look at me with disdain. When I talk about the Saints, they roll their eyes. They know I'm not a bandwagon jumper (born and raised in Slidell, I've been a Saints fan since the Jeff Blake era. My earliest Saints memory was listening on the radio to the Hakim fumble.), but they still sense that I rub the Saints' success in their faces. They were thrilled when the Browns beat the Saints last year in the Dome. They acted as if they had just defeated an unlikable team, like the Patriots or the Cowboys. It's not like anyone could resent...
It was then I realized the truth. We can't have it all: the team both can't be consistently elite and universally beloved.
We are no longer America's Sweetheart. We have graduated to become one of the elite franchises in the National Football League. I'm glad, because that's obviously where I want the team to be. But it will never be the same as that first Super Bowl, when all the newness, the underdog mentality and the support the Saints got from all over the country made that game incredibly special.
Mark Lorando probably wouldn't have it any other way.
Every NFL official and media person I spoke with agreed Indianapolis should become a regular part of Super-Bowl rotation. Super job, Indy.
LINKS:
New York Giants, New England Patriots face offseason after Super Bowl XLVI - Don Banks - SI.com The Saints have twice already had the "privilege'' of being the road team in the Thursday night kickoff opener (in 2007 at Indy, and in 2011 at Green Bay), so I can't see the NFL asking them to play that role once again. That probably spells the Packers drawing the assignment, in a matchup of the most recent two Super Bowl champions. It's a grudge match as well, because twice in the past five seasons, New York has knocked Green Bay out of the playoffs at Lambeau Field.
Next year’s Pro Bowl likely headed to New Orleans | ProFootballTalk The report regarding possible cancellation of the Pro Bowl reminded me of something I've heard consistently this week from sources who are in the know. Next year's Pro Bowl likely will be played in New Orleans, site of Super Bowl XLVII. If it's played. And the players won't like that.
The New Orleans Saints completed another piece of their offseason puzzle, reportedly adding former Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole to the coaching staff as the team's new defensive secondary coach.
James Varney reported it Thursday afternoon on the nola.com, and thanks to both HRP-SAINT for bringing it to CSC first in a fanshot, and then David "Satch" Kelly for dropping it on the front page when he saw the news that day, oh boy.
It's the second consecutive hire that has been reported only by "league sources" and with no big fanfare/official announcement from the team itself. Just all of a sudden the new guy's in place and getting down to business...I wonder if this is a new strategy by the Saints to gain a competitive edge over other teams who waste time with "public announcements" and "press conferences" and the like. I hope it works.
Make the jump for my comprehensive bio on Ken Flajole.
My first thought when I read about this hire was, "Great! Now we have another coach who needs to bring his own pronunciation guide so we can say his name correctly." FLAY-jole? flay-JOLE? FLAH-hole-ay? Flay-jole-AY? If I ever meet him, I think I'll just call him "Coach" and save myself the stress. The Rams media guide says it's (FLAY-juhl), so start practicing.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Flajole played linebacker with distinction at Wenatchee Valley Community College (Go Knights! But, alas, they no longer have a football program...) in central Washington, as well as at Pacific Lutheran University (Go Lutes!!!), earning all-conference honors at both schools. He graduated PLU with a bachelor's degree in education in 1976, and began his coaching career with the Lutes in 1977. (Our friends at urbandictionary.com helped me understand more about just what a Lute is.)
From 1977 - 1997, he cut his coaching teeth at the collegiate level, also coaching at Washington, Montana, Texas-El Paso, Missouri, Richmond, Hawaii, and Nevada. In his final year at Nevada, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, the team finished first in the conference in total, scoring, and passing defense.
Flajole broke into the NFL as a defensive assistant with Mike Holmgren and the Green Bay Packers in 1998, and then followed him to the Seattle Seahawks, where he stayed from 1999-2002, coaching both defensive backs and linebackers.
In 2003, he joined the Carolina Panthers as linebackers coach, and worked that gig for six seasons, until 2008. While with the Panthers, he received credit for guiding the development of star LB Jon Beason, who earned Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors while playing under Flajole in 2007 and 2008.
Steve Spagnuolo brought him to St. Louis to be defensive coordinator from 2009-2011, and it didn't take long for Flajole to rejoin him with the Saints once they left the Rams in January 2012. (Side note: Spagnuolo and Flajole became friends during Flajole's time at UTEP in 1986-88, and they both coached under Andy Reid.)
Flajole, 58, has a wife, Teri, and two daughters, Kelly, and Kori. I couldn't find anything on whether or not they have any pets.
* * *
And those are the goods on the apparent new secondary coach of the Saints, Ken Flajole. What do you think of the hire now? Anything there excite you? scare you? Let's discuss...
No, we are not finished with our search for fresh new front page talent here on Canal Street Chronicles, to make the best Saints blog on the net even better. Here is yet another audition candidate.
In case you missed the introduction to our little talent search here, be sure to read it first before continuing. Remember, any and all criticism must be 100% constructive and positive in nature. Keep Da Chronic classy!
Please welcome the next contestant of Da Chronic's Got Talent! S/he is willing to contribute once, maybe twice a month.
Losing Heat: What Saints Defenders Might Follow Williams to the Rams?
When Payton and Loomis brought in Dr. Heat, New Orleans scored more than just a blitz-happy coordinator, prone to gems such as, "I have guys that couldn't catch a cold butt naked in a rain storm." Our dearly departed Gregg Williams also brought a slew of former players sold on his brand of damned if you do, damned if you do defense. Okay, to be fair, that defense, helped seal the deal on New Orleans' first-ever Super Bowl. For that, Dr. Heat should always have a special place in Whodat hearts.
But players have followed Williams when he's left other teams. This raises two questions: Which Saints might follow Williams to St. Louis? And are there any Ram defenders who might follow Spagnuolo to New Orleans?
After the Super Bowl win (and just before the "No Catching M*&^@-*F%*%R" clip), I think the best thing Greg-with-two-Gs, brought us is Jabari Greer (Nobody Understands Him!). He's been the most reliable and probably the best corner we've had-Porter's 2009 playoff performance not withstanding- since he's arrived.
Jabari is the best player who followed Dr. Heat, but not the only one. To my count, we also signed Clint Ingram, Pierson Prioleau, and Paul Spicer. (Bobby McCray and Leigh Torrence signed before Gregg, I think, but please tell me if I'm missing anyone.) Of the three Not-Jabari's, Prioleau is the only one who really got playing time, but he was a solid special teams and locker room guy, and if Ingram had been healthy, who knows.
We've got Jabari wrapped up through 2012, so we don't have to worry about him headed up-River in Williams' wake for a bit. However, homegrown UFA talents Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Tracy Porter have thrived to some extent in Williams' system. Would Williams' draw be enough for them to leave a contender like the Saints for the uncertainty of Fisher's Rams?
If Spagnuolo has the same pied-piper effect, could we end up with a Jabari 2.0 if a few of Spags' former players decide to come along for the ride?
It wouldn't be the first time. Three former Giants' defenders followed Spags to St. Louis: Fred Robbins, James Butler, and Craig Dahl. Granted, the Rams' defense wasn't exactly on fire this year. In fact, the Rams' 22-ranked defense was pretty bad, short of one given Sunday against the Saints. But, it's the off-season, and it's all hopes and dreams from now until pre-season (just as soon as we can wipe the bitter taste of Air Alex out of our mouths).
According to ESPN Insiders, here are the top four 2012 Rams free agent defenders:
Seventh-year UFA OLB, Brady Poppinga is the highest rated of the bunch, scoring a 62*.
According to ESPN Insiders:
Poppinga doesn't have outstanding raw talent but wins with toughness, intensity, intelligence and technique. He is a high-motor player who is a bit of an overachiever. He uses his hands well and understands how to leverage blockers at the point of attack. Poppinga is a solid tackler and runs well in pursuit, but lacks great lateral agility to redirect in space. He can be a liability in pure man coverage but is effective in combination zone schemes. He has never really developed as a pass rusher, and with Clay Matthews ahead of him on the depth chart Popinga will likely make his biggest contributions on special teams.
*62 isn't great, but they score Jo-Lonn Dunbar a 62, and I think we all agree that he did a fine job filling in for Vilma this year.
Next up is fifth-year UFA DT Gary Gibson, who scores a 61.
According to ESPN Insiders:
In 2009 he signed with St. Louis and has worked his way up to being their starting right DT. In 2010 he played in and started all 16 games and finished with 18 tackles on the year. He has adequate size for the position with good initial quickness and shows good awareness of blocking schemes as well as an understanding of how to keep his pad level down to leverage and squeeze blocks down. He lacks the strength to plug things up when double teamed but can penetrate gaps and knows how to use his hands to defeat and shed blocks. He is a good fighter in the trenches and shows excellent effort from snap to whistle.
Ninth-year UFA CB Roderick Hood and fourth-year UFA OLB Bryan Kehl round things out, both scoring a 59.
Again, according to ESPN Insiders:
Hood has athleticism and good downfield speed. He can extend the cushion with a fluid, easy backpedal and can flip his hips to turn and run with receivers deep. He shows good transition quickness and can close on the ball in front of him with a burst. He shows above-average route awareness and the ability to read the quarterback's eyes from off coverage.
And...
Kehl has developed into a nice sub-package substitute and role player. He brings a nice combination of size, speed and athletic ability and understands the defensive schemes used by the Rams. He lacks great upper-body strength and could do a better job of using his hands to defeat and shed blockers. He shows good agility and foot speed when dropping into space and can lock on most tight ends and running backs on downfield routes.
None of these players sound like the kind of get-after-the-quarterback difference-maker the Saints go after each year but never seem to land. Then again, with the big three of Brees, Nicks, and Colston looming in free agency this year, likely the best we can hope for in free agency is to pick up a couple of solid defenders who might be special team standouts and just maybe, just maybe, might even find a second life down in New Orleans. It's happened before.
The Saints may not have made the Super Bowl this year (dagnabit, Hans!! why do you keep reminding us of that fact in every single $%&*ing post you've written today? WE GET IT ALREADY!!), but that doesn't mean they're not there in spirit or body. The body of players and coaches who used to work for the Saints, that is.
I thought it might help us feel more connected to the game to find out who from the Patriots and Giants used to be connected to the Saints.
So, make the jump to run down the list of former Saints players and coaches who will be part of the big game later on today...
This may the biggest name of them all on this list. Ninkovich was originally a fifth-round draft choice (135th overall) of the Saints in 2006, and played in 3 games that year, recording two tackles, two assists, and a defensed pass. He played for the Miami Dolphins in 2007 and 2008, before catching on with the Patriots in 2009. This season he notched 80 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, four passes defensed, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions (and one INT TD return!).
We sure could have used that kind of production from a Saints OLB this year...
Weatherford appeared in 39 games over three years with the Saints from 2006-2008, averaging 43.5 yards per punt. He was cut seven games into the 2008 season, (after kicking five times for a 35.4 yard average @ Carolina, and just before the Saints got on a plane for London). He kicked for Jacksonville and Kansas City to finish 2008, and then spent 2009 and 2010 with the New York Jets, before joining the Giants in 2011.
The Saints haven't really missed Weatherford, replacing him with a couple of "camp legs" (Ben Graham and Glenn Pakulak) for the remainder of 2008, before drafting the Legatron of Destiny in 2009, Thomas Morstead. Anyone remember Ambush? Yeah, I thought so.
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Brian Ferentz, Tight Ends Coach, New England Patriots
Ferentz had a brief and mostly unremarkable two and a half week stint as an offensive lineman with the Saints during the end of training camp in 2007 (August 13 - September 1). He went undrafted in 2006, but spent that year on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad before getting cut by them on May of 2007. That's it for his NFL "playing" career.
He joined the Patriots in 2008 as a scouting assistant, then moved up to coaching assistant in 2009, and then again up to offensive assistant in 2010. 2011 was his first year coaching the tight ends.
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Now that I've coveredthe Saints Super Bowl connections, we can now briefly dip into the broader New Orleans and Louisiana connections to the game that I am aware of...
Everyone knows the obvious Eli Manning, nola native and son of former Saints QB Archie Manning, but the Giants' roster also includes two former LSU Tigers: starting CB Corey Webster (who notched a career-high 6 INTs this year), and IR'd WR Michael Clayton (who appeared in five games without a single catch before getting hurt).
On the AFC side of this matchup, LSU has two star running backs playing for the Patriots. The first is multiple-ring owning and 13-year veteran Kevin Faulk, and the other is young-pup rookie Stevan Ridley.
* * *
Please take a moment in the comment section below to let us know if you are aware of any other Louisiana Super Bowl connections...oh yeah, you can also take a few minutes to tell me how lame this post is as an attempt to make up for the fact that the Saints aren't playing today.
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