Tag: blogs

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hakimdropsball Jim Mora Jr to coach UCLA next year. He won't be able to ruin anyone's Sunday anymore with his awful announcing.@MilneMalbrough (HansDat Note: He's not a Jr. But maybe Kevin knows this already, and he's just joshing with us...)

camjordan94 O snaps bout ta head to the battlegrounds n TN soon!!! Leggo!!!

camjordan94 Wanna know what a kodiak bear looks like sleeping?lockerz.com/s/163675293

camjordan94 Bet you won't wake that bear up @QBComa92lockerz.com/s/163675526

Official_Saints Thanks to all the fans who sent us photos last week! Check out the@Motorola Moto Pics gallery: bit.ly/MP1210

Mark_Ingram28 This dude just asked me when is Christmas?!!!

LanceMoore16 Ready to get to Nashville and get this walk-thru over so I can go to Chipotle!!! I've missed u so much and can't wait to have u again lol

robyslyfe ✈ wheels up to tha 'Ville..everyone please send 🙏's high for our safety thru the air..

JohnnyPatrick32 Headed to Tennessee ✈

ChaseDaniel Wheels up to Nashville...Excited to take the show on the road! #Saints

TheJimmyGraham We are on the plane taking off for TN

JeffDuncanTP Yep, looks like we're in Nashville.... lockerz.com/s/163707365

GregBensel Navy man Tom Benson attending Army Navy game in Wash DC as guest of West Point General- then off to Nashville!pic.twitter.com/olDEzOsx

T_Porter22 We get the bread and the crumbs...

thomasmorstead Landed in Nashville. Off to check out the stadium. #whodat

T_Porter22 Made it safely thank u all and thank God most of all!!

robyslyfe Landed safe, thanks for the many prayers..!

JohnnyPatrick32 Landed.. What's up Tennessee, anybody that's here and don't have tickets i may have 2 check with me tonight...

Pierre_Thomas Just landed in Tennessee...got some meetings then ima get off my feet and relax

JonVilma51 Victories make history

T_Porter22 Excited! SUPER EXCITED!!!! To do what I have been blessed to do...PLAY FOOTBALL! #leggoo

T_Porter22 Feels like I'm a kid again on Xmas Eve and I'm waiting to open my gifts. Lol. Sunday hurrup n get here.

camjordan94 Nashville??? Smh one thought comes to mind right now (po-dunk cow town), it's still country n the city... Whaaa???

iWillSmith In Tennessee.. Ready for tomorrow. Who Dat!

drewmagary Oh hey, it's a Saturday in December and the college season is over. Know what should be on TV? F****** NFL GAMES GOODELL YOU P***HEAD.

kspainTP in #nashville for #saints v. #titans, it's chilly here, but not expected to be real cold. shud b sunny for gameday. noon kick. #whodat #nola

camjordan94 I'm hearing Tennessee has bomb BBQ, where's the best place to go?! I'm lookin forward to this

camjordan94 There's a chipotle here!!!!

judybattista Me, too. I just had to google it. RT @greggrosenthal: I must be old b/c I don't know why there are hundreds of drunk santas everywhere

JonVilma51 Where is the army navy game played and do they rotate each yr??

JeffDuncanTP The aptly-named Prince's Hot Chicken (fire extinguisher optional): lockerz.com/s/163766851

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From the Saints Sideline

Feelin' the Brees graphic: New Orleans Saints' offensive stats through Game 12 | NOLA.com
Dan Swenson - An illustrated look at how Drew Brees and the 9-3 New Orleans Saints' top five offensive playmakers have performed through Game 12 and during their 31-17 victory over the Detroit Lions last Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

New Orleans Saints' run defense to get a stern test versus Tennessee Titans ground game | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - The Saints' run defense has improved greatly the past four weeks. But that's nothing compared to the way Tennessee Titans tailback Chris Johnson has improved.

New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham unfazed by Tennessee Titans' plan to attack him | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray challenged his safeties to hit harder across the middle of the field.

Saints worried about speedy Johnson | The Advocate
Brian Allee-Walsh - It appears that fleet-footed running back Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans has his "mojo" working again, which may not bode well for the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints.

Saints prepare outdoors | The Advocate
Sheldon Mickles - Preparing for their first outdoor game in nearly two months Sunday, the New Orleans Saints changed up their routine a little Thursday and practiced in chilly conditions at their Metairie training facility.

Saints focused on winning | The Advocate
Sheldon Mickles - In two of the three postseason appearances they’ve made under Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints took care of business and wrapped up their playoff berth with time to spare.

Humber making eye-catching plays | The Advocate
Sheldon Mickles - Before the first defensive snap of a Monday Night Football game with the New York Giants on Nov. 28, New Orleans Saints linebacker Ramon Humber was as anonymous as any third-year NFL player could be.

Surging Saints ready for key clash with Titans | sportsnola.com
Sports Network - A memo to Green Bay Packers fans: Go ahead and buy those playoff tickets for Lambeau Field, but you might want to hedge on the Super Bowl plans...just in case.

Saints-Titans Injury Reports (Friday, Dec. 9) | sportsnola.com
Justin Macione

New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams Media Q&A (Dec 9, 2011) | sportsnola.com
Justin Macione

Game Preview: Saints at Titans | neworleanssaints.com

Broadcast Information: Saints at Titans | neworleanssaints.com

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Titans Tower

Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints coaches share common background | tennessean.com
Jim Wyatt - Tennessee Titans Coach Mike Munchak knows Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams well, going back to the days when they were both assistants in Nashville under Jeff Fisher.

Matt Hasselbeck played his way into Tennessee Titans' sights | tennessean.com
John Glennon - Seattle’s 2010 playoff upset of New Orleans may be the biggest reason quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will face the Saints on Sunday as a member of the Tennessee Titans.

Preview: Tennessee Titans (7-5) vs. New Orleans Saints (9-3) | tennessean.com
Jim Wyatt's Edge

McCarthy's Big Plays are Product of Preparation | titansonline.com
Craig Peters - On starting rookie LB Colin McCarthy...

Coach Munchak's Friday Press Conference | titansonline.com
Transcript of Q&A.

Washington, McCourty Hoping to Play Sunday | titansonline.com
Craig Peters

Final Word: AFC South - AFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Paul Kuharsky - Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 14, with large thanks to ESPN Stats and Info.

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Lagniappe

1966: The New Orleans Saints are born | NOLA.com
New Orleans got its Saints in 1966 through a classic Louisiana political maneuver.

QB trio has Dan Marino's mark in sight: Adam Schefter's 10 Spot | ESPN.com
Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers all appear poised to break Dan Marino's single-season record for passing yardage. (HansDat note: Schefter predicts the Titans to upset the Saints.)

John Clayton's First & 10 | ESPN.com
Saints-Titans comes in at #3 with an emphasis on Brees vs. Hasselbeck.

Checking the injuries that matter most - NFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - It’s late in the season and the injuries are piling up. We’ve got a bunch of injured players all around the division, so let’s get the update on the most significant ones.

Film of the NFC South chat - NFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - As always, we had a lot of good questions in Friday’s NFC South chat. This week in particular, it seemed like the quarterbacks dominated the discussion.

Around the NFC South - NFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - A look at the top Saturday morning headlines from around the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' son will play in Sugar Bowl | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Chase Williams is redshirt freshman linebacker for Virginia Tech.

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V-Roll Roll Call

NFL Network's Playbook: Titans vs. Saints Video | titansonline.com

Video: Saints-Titans Field Pass - AFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Paul Kuharsky - Matthew Berry, Mark Schlereth and Tedy Bruschi preview the Saints at Titans.

Countdown Daily Video: Saints-Titans - AFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Paul Kuharsky - Mark Schlereth and Jerry Rice pick the Saints-Titans game.

Video: Saints vs. Titans Preview | neworleanssaints.com
NFL Films' preview of the Week 14 matchup between the Saints and the Titans.

Video: Saints at Titans Preview | sportsnola.com
Ken Trahan and Lenny Vangilder breakdown the crucial game between New Orleans and Tennessee in Nashville coming up on Sunday.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

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Tags: blogs, New Orleans Saints, saints news

Green Bay and San Francisco have already won their divisions and clinched a playoff spot. The Saints, Patriots, and Texans all have a chance of clinching a post-season appearance.

Three-quarters of the way through the season and 16 teams have winning records while only four have been eliminated from the post-season. Seven teams are 9-3 or better and seem to be "in stride" at the right time. Everyone else looks to be searching for consistency.

A few weeks ago, teams like the Giants and Raiders looked to be on their way to clinching their divisions, while the Titans, Cowboys, and Broncos were just trying to salvage what little hope they had for a wild card. And where are they now? The picture changes every week. Which teams are down for the count, and which are back from the dead?

I'll tell you exactly that...after the jump.

For Yahoo! fantasy leagues that utilize the confidence point system, my confidence rating is listed after the team names. For Sirius leagues with best bets, my 5 highest confidence choices are my best bets. Any time I pick the underdog to win, I call it an upset.

Season Total: 127 wins, 65 losses

Last Week: 11 wins, 5 losses

Average: 10 wins, 6 losses

Last Year: 157 wins, 99 losses

Best Year: 170 wins, 86 losses

Yahoo Rank: 1st out of 84

Sirius Rank: 148th out of 8,590

This Week’s Picks

Cardinals over 49ers, 1 – Upset #1 – This choice is made less with my head and more with my heart. Sometimes I allow a potential outcome that could influence the Saints playoff seeding to alter my choices. If the Saints win out, they still need the Niners to lose two games in order to obtain the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. I’m picking the Cardinals to be the first of those two losses. Now I guess I have to give an argument. Well, here goes: Arizona has been playing very well on defense all year, Kevin Kolb may have just turned a corner and gotten comfortable with the offense, and Beanie Wells can run tit for tat with Frank Gore. That, and I don’t like Alex Smith and Patrick Willis will be out.

Texans over Bengals, 2 – Upset #2 – Just like the above choice, I’ll probably regret this one. I like both teams and wish for both teams to make the post-season. The Bengals have struggled against defensive guru Dick Lebeau’s schemes. Wade Phillips is a known 3-4 master, and if Houston’s defense can shut down Matt Ryan and the Falcons, I reckon they can handle Andy Dalton. Leon Hall is out for the year, which should make the job for T.J. Yates a little easier. He looked for Andre Johnson often against Atlanta, but now he’ll have to rely heavily on his checkdowns to his TEs and RBs. Cincinnati probably runs Atlanta’s offense better than the Falcons do. I give the Texans the edge because they have not one, but two capable running backs.

Giants over Cowboys, 3 – Upset #3 – If there ever is a game the Cowboys "should" win, you can bet they’ll find a way to lose it. Last week Jason Garrett "iced" his own kicker - this after having two time outs and half a minute to try and get it closer for his rookie kicker and not taking advantage of that (I guess he was worried Tony Romo would pull an Aaron Brooks). Meanwhile, the Giants went toe-to-toe with the Packers last week and got back a little confidence. They go into Dallas with a chance to take back the division, and they won’t squander it. They have the better coach and better QB. Get your popcorn ready because Dallas is close to self destruction and Jerry Jones is about to put out a "now hiring" sign. I love it.

Seahawks over Rams, 4 – Tarvaris Jackson over Sam Bradford? I wouldn’t have made this choice going into the season, but the Rams are using their fourth and fifth offensive tackles in addition to their tenth, eleventh, and twelfth cornerbacks. I feel really bad for their head coach (and hope the Saints try to hire him as defensive coordinator in the future), but I’ll take Marshawn Lynch to continue to reach his potential while Jackson doesn’t lose the game for Seattle.

Buccaneers over Jaguars, 5 – Upset #4 – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a serious step backwards on offense this year. Their defense has dealt with a few injuries (who hasn’t?) and lacks consistency. I hate to pick them, but I have zero faith in Lame Gabbert. Maurice Jones-Drew is a one-man wrecking crew, and I give much love to him, but I can’t pick a banged-up Jaguar defense to do enough to make up for a one-dimensional offense.

Chargers over Bills, 6 – Did you hear that popping noise? That was San Diego finally pulling their collective head out of their collective you know what. Philip Rivers finally has all of his weapons healthy and on the field at once. His offensive line is banged up, but no worries because the Bills can’t stop the run and have had trouble getting to the QB. I hope the Bills are able to drastically improve their depth next year, because their fan base deserves better. They have 22 players who can compete with any team, but they don’t have a good 53 man roster, and as the season has progressed, that has been the difference. I think the Chargers win by double digits, though I do believe the Bills put up 20+ points.

Falcons over Panthers, 7 – If Carolina hadn’t put their two starting defensive tackles on injured reserve earlier this week, I probably would have taken the Panthers. You see, if the Saints win and the Falcons lose, the Saints clinch the NFC South. I believe Carolina can beat the Falcons; I just don’t believe the Falcons will make the same mistake two weeks in a row (neglecting the running game). Michael Turner ran for 140 yards against the Panthers in their first contest, and I believe he’ll top that effort this week. Cam will have to look like Superman to overcome Atlanta’s ball control. Go Panthers.

Broncos over Bears, 8 – Mike Martz, step into my office. You’re fired!! Seriously, if the offensive line had trouble protecting Jay Cutler in your complicated offense and you had to tailor it down and dial it back to start winning, why are you regressing again with Caleb Hanie? Forte is hurt - well that means you need to feed the ball to Marion Barber and whoever else you got. What to do with Caleb? Have him throw it on three-step drops to the TE. Wait, I forgot you didn’t want Greg Olsen and don’t utilize the TE in your Megamind offense. Well, you better think of something. Too bad a championship-caliber defense is going to waste, and a QB who can’t throw is about to beat you because you can’t tone down your offense. Perhaps you should take a page from John Fox’s playbook and learn to work with what little talent you have.

Saints over Titans, 9 – The Titans are stingy on defense. Matt Hasselbeck takes care of the ball, and he’s carved up a Gregg Williams secondary in recent memory. Chris Johnson looks to have finally gotten back on track, and this game scares me. But the Saints have Drew Brees and their offense is in a groove. Maybe CJ2K will be less effective if the Saints build a multiple-score lead.

Dolphins over Eagles, 10 – It’s a shame Miami waited this long to come together and play like a team. I don’t blame the slow start on Tony Sparano as much as I do on the Dolphins owner—trying (and failing) to replace the head coach and QB unsuccessfully in a very public way before the season starts really undermines any enthusiasm a team has going into the new year. On the other hand, replacing a decent defensive coordinator with an offensive line coach didn’t work out too will for the Eagles. Especially when hiring a defensive line coach who undermines everything the new coordinator tries to accomplish. Andy Reid has been a consistent coach, but maybe every message has a shelf life, and maybe it is time for a change. Maybe Reid should focus on being just a coach and give up GM duties. He’s alienated DeSean Jackson, pulled a Dan Snyder with everyone else, and gave a very big contract to a QB who’s never stayed healthy. Perhaps the Eagles need to find a new coach and QB next year? Too much drama. I’ll go with the team who has nothing to lose and looks like a playoff team now. Talk about role reversal.

Lions over Vikings, 11 – It looks like Matthew Stafford’s finger has healed. It also appears that Kevin Smith has regressed, again. No worries, because all-day Adrian Peterson isn’t healthy. The Vikings pass rush keeps the game close for a half, but Detroit and Megatron take the top off this game in the third quarter.

Jets over Chiefs, 12 – I don’t like picking the Jets to win, but I damn sure won’t pick the Chiefs. I respect what Romeo Crennel has done with that defense, but I can’t see Tyler Palko beating Mark Sanchez. Give the ball to Shonn Greene, throw a jump ball to Plax in the red zone, take a deep shot with Santonio Holmes, and put Darrelle Revis on Dwayne Bowe. Simple.

Steelers 14, Browns 3 – Thursday Night Football.

Patriots over Redskins, 14 – By all accounts, New England has a great chance of winning every game left on their schedule. They should beat the Redskins easily, but maybe Rex Grossman has a good game, and maybe Roy Helu gets the hot hand and Mike Shanahan saves face with a big win. Without their "franchise" tackle and probable franchise-tagged TE, I don’t see it happening.

Ravens over Colts, 15 – The change at QB looked to pay dividends last week for the Colts, though it was against perhaps the worst secondary in the NFL. If the Texans lose and the Ravens win, Baltimore assumes the top seed in the AFC because they own the tie breaker over the Patriots. While the Colts have nothing to lose (except yet another game), Baltimore has too much to play for to stub their toes here.

Packers over Raiders, 16 – Just when it looked like Oakland was going to run away with the AFC West, they came into Miami with a few too many injuries and played a hot Dolphins team. Oakland likes to run the ball and take deep shots with Carson Palmer off the play action. Green Bay likes to get up big, quickly on the arm of Aaron Rodgers. I just don’t see how Oakland can keep it close enough to stick to their winning formula.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

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Tags: blogs, New Orleans Saints, saints news

I'll never forget the last time the Saints faced Matt Hasselbeck. The banged-up veteran quarterback had a vintage performance against a banged-up Saints secondary, leaving many Saints fans calling for Roman Harper's head. In addition, a Seattle defense frustrated Drew Brees and the offense, while Marshawn Lynch had perhaps the best post-season run in recent memory. I don't think any Saints fan will be able to forget that for a while.

So while I am heading into Sunday's matchup feeling good about the groove Drew Brees and the offense is in, I have much trepidation at the prospect of facing Matthew Hasselbeck and a hot Chris Johnson.

Make the jump for more...

The Saints can clinch the division and/or a playoff spot with a win and a combination of losses on Sunday. The Titans are fighting for a wild card berth and the slim hope of a division title. The Titans spent the first couple of months trying to find consistency, and I think they found it over the last month with the resurgence of Chris Johnson. Johnson is the key to their offense, their strength.

In the first month of the season, the Titans lost Kenny Britt for the year. While waiting on Chris Johnson to earn his pay, Hasselbeck got accustomed throwing the ball to Nate Washington, Damian Williams, Lavelle Hawkins, and Jared Cook. It's not exactly the plethora of talent the Saints have at wide receiver, but with a running game and a quarterback who takes care of the ball, it's been enough to keep the Titans in most games.

Washington, who leads the team in catches, has a banged up ankle and has missed practice this week, but he will play Sunday (he hurt his ankle against the Bills but continued to play through the pain). Let's hope he isn't too effective. The second leading receiver for the Titans is Chris Johnson - though you could say that the RB is the leading target because Johnson and RB Javon Ringer have more combined catches than any WR on the team.

While Tennessee's passing offense doesn't scare me at first glance, the memory of Hasselbeck with a few no-name WR's in the great northwest picking apart a Gregg Williams defense does, much the same way Chris Johnson invokes the memory of that Lynch run.

On defense, the Titans are typically "bend but don't break". They've kept all but four opponents to under 17 points. While the stats aren't all that impressive, their pass defense is the strength of their defense. Cortland Finnegan and Jason McCourty make a fine duo at corberback. However, McCourty suffered a concussion against the Bills, and may not play against the Saints. If he is ruled out, it will spell big trouble for the Titans.

If you listen to the Titans this week, their defensive game plan sounds like that of the Saints. In essence, the Titans are accepting the fact that the Saints will move the ball and accumulate yards; their goal is to limit the Saints to field goals through smart, physical play. Their defensive coordinator sounds like Gregg Williams, going as far as saying that his secondary needs to "put fear in guys" (specifically Jimmy Graham) by laying big hits on routes that occur in the middle of the field.

So it looks like the Titans plan to punch the Saints in the mouth, and keep punching until the clock expires. Anything they can do to disrupt Drew Brees and the timing of the offense will keep the game close and allow Chris Johnson to remain a factor. I don't believe the offense will look smooth and well-oiled against Tennessee. It will be a game where the Saints look "just a little off". The Saints will have to remain patient on offense - utilizing the run earlier, and Gregg Williams will have to put his guys in better positions to succeed, because until the offense can get a good lead, the Titans will keep this game close, Falcons-style, and that worries me.

I've heard the argument "over the last four games the defense has only allowed __ points in the first half while the Saints built their lead" and "the Saints are ok with teams throwing for 600 yards because they are up by such a large margin, what do you expect the other team to do?" I'll tell you what I expect. Do you know what a big lead SHOULD do for a defense? It should result in more turnovers and more sacks because the opposition is one dimensional. Gregg Williams sends more blitzes than anyone else, yet they don't get there. When he isn't blitzing, he's pretending to before the snap.

How about we abandon all this exotic display of "coaching genius" and just play defense? Or just actually coach fundamentals, you know, like wrap up and tackle, catch the freaking ball, play disciplined - as in staying in your gap, zone, or sticking with your assignment? Here's a question - if the pressure does not get there in time and the secondary is giving the WR's a big cushion, what happens when the QB dumps it off short? How many first downs did we see the opponent get on third and long with a short throw and no one in the vicinity to make the tackle?

Yes, the Saints lack playmakers at linebacker, yet they have talented guys along the defensive line and in the secondary. How about we stop blitzing sub-par linebackers, focus on more stunts and penetration (as opposed to gap assignments), and let the CB's play physical bump and run? In other words, how about forgetting being exotic and versatile for the sake of being exotic and versatile and instead play to the strengths of the personnel and put them in better positions to succeed? I've seen coaches like Mike Nolan, Mike Zimmer, Romeo Crennel, and more have good defenses with lesser personnel. Instead of being "exotic," they just play fundamentally sound. They don't have 100 different formations and packages; instead of being a "jack of all," they're a "master of one."

My point? If the personnel can't do what the scheme is calling for, change the damn scheme. If you blitz more than anyone else in the NFL and the players can't get to the QB, stop blitzing, because all you are doing is making the secondary more vulnerable by taking players out of coverage. When you don't have great "three-down" linebackers, you can't be versatile and do the same things a team like Pittsburgh or Baltimore can do. When you lack a David Harris/Bart Scott duo, you can't be exotic and get away with it. Simply put, when the talent does not fit the scheme, you need to change the scheme.

You may ask why I've gone off on this tangent in the midst of my Saints versus Titans analysis. The answer is that the Saints (Gregg Williams) need to play Tennessee straight-up on defense because Matt Hasselbeck knows his tricks, and Chris Johnson is licking his chops. The Titans can beat the Saints on Sunday by frustrating the offense and confusing the defense with play-action. Everything will work for Tennessee when the game is close. I fear the Saints offense will get disrupted enough to allow the Titans to stay within their offensive game plan. If Gregg Williams doesn't put his players in a better position to succeed and doesn't call a more honest game, the Titans may upset the Saints in the same frustrating fashion Seattle did back in January.

I believe this game will be closer than many expect it to be. How well the defense plays will give us a good indication of how they'll look in the post-season against more balanced teams with physical defenses. Here's to hoping no injuries occur during a 31- 27 Saints victory.

Stat Time

Overall Offense
1. Saints - 32.8 Points Per Game, 449 Yards Per Game, 6.5 Yards Per Play, 53% 3rd down conversion, 31:10 Time Of Possession, -2 Turnover Margin

22. Titans - 20.8 PPG, 319 YPG, 5.3 YPP, 39% 3rd down, 27:58 TOP, +5 TOM

Passing Offense
1. Saints - 325 YPG, 8.1 Yards Per Attempt, 70.4% completion, 30 TDs, 11 INTs, (50) 20+yard pass completions, 21 sacks given up, 105.5 QB rating

18. Titans - 222 YPG, 6.7 YPA, 60.2% completion, 17 TDs, 10 INTs, (32) 20+ yard completions, 17 sacks given up, 83.9 QB rating

Rushing Offense
8. Saints - 123 YPG, 4.8 Yards Per Carry, 13 TDs, 2 Fumbles, (11) 20 + yard runs

28. Titans - 97 YPG, 4.0 YPC, 6 TDs, 3 Fumbles, (12) 20+ yard runs

Defense
18. Titans - 19.1 PPG, 356 YPG, 5.2 YPP, 42% 3rd down conversions allowed, 10 Fumble Recoveries

27. Saints - 22.4 PPG, 379 YPG, 5.9 YPP, 35% 3rd down conversions allowed, 5 FRs

Pass Defense
18. Titans - 234 YPG, 6.5 YPA, 61.6% completion, 17 TDs, 10 INTs, (41) 20+ yard pass completions allowed, 22 sacks, 83.7 opposing QB rating

30. Saints - 264 YPG, 7.2 YPA, 58.3% completion, 19 TDs, 7 INTs, (37) 20+ yard completions, 25 sacks, 87.7 opposing QB rating

Rush Defense
16. Saints - 115 YPG, 4.9 YPC, 9 TDs, 7 FR, (11) 20+ yard runs allowed

21. Titans - 122 YPG, 4.1 YPC, 6 TDs, 9 FR, (10) 20+ yard runs allowed

Overall Statistical Analysis: This is a matchup where the statistics don't tell the entire story. It would do better to take a snapshot of the last four weeks. In that span, Chris Johnson has returned to form and nearly doubled both the yardage and touchdowns he had in the first eight games. Without Kenny Britt, Johnson is the offense.

In the same span, Drew Brees has had one of his best months ever. On the way to building a big lead in the NFC South, the Saints running backs have combined for 100 or more yards as in afterthought each of the last four weeks. The Saints defense has only been "good" at the most critical moments.

The Titans have forced more turnovers, though they've given up more explosive plays and third down conversions. The Saints may make a few mistakes, and Chris Johnson may help to keep it close for a while, but Drew Brees and the offense should continue to manufacture explosive (20+ yard) plays on the Titans defense. The Titans settle for field goals far too often because they lack a diverse WR group, and that will be the difference.

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

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Tags: blogs, New Orleans Saints, saints news

TWEETS:

SAINTS @ TITANS:

Hornets PG CP3 impresses Saints QB Brees | wwltv.com New Orleans
Saints quarterback Drew Brees knows what it’s like to be the marquee athlete on a professional sports team.

Saints know key to Sunday could be stopping Titans running game | wwltv.com New Orleans
The last time the Saints allowed a 100-yard running back, they were embarrassed in the Gateway City, giving up 159 yards to Steven Jackson in a 31-21 loss to the Rams.

Vilma healthy again after knee surgery | wwltv.com New Orleans
Jonathan Vilma admits he felt a bit "rusty" when he returned to the field this past weekend when the Saints took down Detroit.

Saints RB Ingram, LB Casillas out for Titans game | wwltv.com New Orleans
Three players who have missed practice all week will be held out of Sunday’s game at Tennessee, including running back Mark Ingram.

Saints TE Graham unconcerned with Titans physical play | wwltv.com New Orleans
Jimmy Graham isn’t positive exactly what people think of him but he suspects he has an idea what his reputation is. He also thinks he has an idea what Tennessee defensive coordinator Jerry Gray thinks of him.

Weather just might factor into whether or not Titans win on Sunday | Nashville City Paper
New Orleans has not played outside in nearly two months, and has not played as well on the road as at home More

Tennessee Titans defense told: When in doubt, hit | The Tennessean | tennessean.com
Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray wants his players to hit first and ask questions later, something they haven’t always done this season.

Week 14 Matchups: Offenses Tighten Their Belts - NYTimes.com
The Titans are another keep-it-simple ball-control team in the spirit of the 49ers, the Broncos and the Texans, and those tactics will not help them against the Saints, who have achieved maximum warp.

New Orleans Saints' defense against Lions Calvin Johnson was inspired by Saints tight end Jimmy Graham - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
"Mom and dad blessed Jimmy Graham to be 6-7. Mom and dad blessed Calvin to be 6-5," Williams said. "I can't ask (cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter) to grow any taller on game day. So some of the things we do is that we say, 'You're gonna have to win someplace else.' That was a particular technique that we said, 'OK, if you want to go to Calvin, this is what we're going to do and you better win someplace else.'

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams talks about Tennessee Titans threats - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
Both quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, tailback Chris Johnson could be handful

New Orleans Saints tailback Mark Ingram, linebacker Jonathan Casillas, defensive end Turk McBride declared out for Sunday - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
Three players won't play against Tennessee Titans

Sports Illustrated ranks New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees No. 2 among NFL quarterbacks this season - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the clear No. 1

New Orleans Saints are closing in on three straight 10-win seasons: First and 10 - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
Jeff Duncan's weekly locker room observations

Fantasy Football: Week 14's Toughest Picks - NYTimes.com
We're teaming up with FantasyPros.com to bring you Week 14's toughest start/sit calls, based on the selections of more than 50 fantasy football experts on the Web.

Final Word: NFC South - NFC South Blog - ESPN
New territory. It’s been pretty obvious coach Sean Payton has taken the Saints to a new level since arriving in 2006. That Lombardi Trophy from the 2009 season is tangible proof. But here’s another sign that success is here to stay. If the Saints win Sunday at Tennessee, they’ll have three consecutive 10-win seasons. That’s never happened in franchise history. The Saints previously had back-to-back winning seasons in 1987 and ’88 and 1991 and ’92.

Saints Nation: Interview with Titans' Blog - Total Titans | December

Field Pass: Saints-Titans - ESPN Video - ESPN
ESPN Video: Matthew Berry, Mark Schlereth and Tedy Bruschi preview the Saints at Titans.

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Do you know what time it is? Why, it's time for our Friday prediction contest, when everyone makes their three best prognostications about the Saints @ Titans game this Sunday.

By now you should all know what to do and how to do it, but just in case you don't, you can catch up on the rules of the game right here. As always, all are welcome to partake, including opposing fans. This is a great opportunity for those readers who have never signed up or commented to finally dip their toe in the water.

Before we get started, we must continue the tradition of acknowledging last weeks winner and today that would be CSC member, Doc Boudin. Here are the three predictions that earned him/her the win, courtesy of your votes:

1) Meachem proves he's still alive, catches at least three balls.
2) At least three Lions turnovers.
3) Sproles scores at least once

Enough wasting time. Let's hear your predictions!

Click to read the original Saints article by Canal Street Chronicles

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In this mega-podcast Dave tells Saints fans to quit their bitching about the defense because the team is 9-3 people! He also explains to Ralph how the 2011 run defense is exactly the same as 2010 so Ralph needs to look into his heart to figure out why it feels so much worse.

Kevin wonders why the NFL must make America suffer through Madonna while Andrew Juge of The Saints Nation explains how the Saints defensive line is having the perfect convergence of career worst seasons, how Gregg Williams is trying every defense he can dream up, and why somebody needs to tell Shaun Rogers to stop being fat and lazy.

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

Warning: explicit language and adult content.

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TWEETS:

A MUST-SEE (D-Sharp, Faulk, Sapp, & Irving get into a heated discussion):

NFL Videos: No Huddle: NFL's second-best team?
Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Darren Sharper and Marshall Faulk debate if the Saints are the second-best team in the NFL, next to the Packers.

SAINTS:

Drew Brees leads aerial attack on NFL's record book | The Tennessean | tennessean.com
Three quarterbacks are on pace to break the NFL record for passing yards in a season. One of them, New Orleans’ Drew Brees, faces the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Titans’ defensive coordinator tells his players to "put fear in guys" | ProFootballTalk
Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray wants to coach the most intimidating defense in the league, and he doesn't care if that causes his players to hear from the league office.

Best hands in the NFC South? - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Who has the best hands in the NFC South? Well, if you go strictly by the numbers, the answer would be Lance Moore, Preston Parker and Brandon LaFell.

NFL Videos: Week 14: Saints vs. Titans Preview
Seeking a season-best fifth straight victory, the Saints visit a Titans team that quietly remains in the thick of the AFC playoff picture.

NFL announces expanded "regional combines" prior to 2012 draft - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
The NFL announced Thursday a new schedule of regional combines that will occur around the time of the league's major combine in Indianapolis before the 2012 NFL draft. All told, the league plans to host 8 such events for hopeful collegiate players, beginning Jan. 28 in Los Angeles. The other sites are all in cities that currently have an...

New Orleans Saints fans ranked 5th toughest in the league by players: poll - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
A new players poll released today by Sports Illustrated ranked the toughest fans to play in front of, with the New Orleans Saints fans and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome coming in 5th. The poll wll be part of the magazine's Dec. 12 edition. The top five toughest fan bases, according to the SI poll were: 1. Philadelphia Eagles 2. Pittsburgh...

New Orleans Saints injury report unchanged on Thursday - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
There was no change Thursday in the New Orleans Saints injury report Thursday, Coach Sean Payton said. Payton will release the status of players for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans tomorrow. Defensive end Turk McBride (ankle) remains out and did not practice. Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (right knee) and running back Mark Ingram (toe) also did not practice. Limited...

Payton: Strong Running Game Provides "More Teeth in Your Play-Action Pass"

RB Mark Ingram's Locker Room Interview 12/7/11

RB Pierre Thomas' Locker Room Interview 12/7/11

HC Sean Payton's Press Conference 12/8/11

DB Jabari Greer's Locker Room Interview 12/8/11

VIDEO:

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Jared Allen hates New Orleans. And Detroit.

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Since Drew Brees is currently on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards, I thought we should keep track of his progress the rest of the way. So here is how Marino's '84 season and Drew's '11 season stack up through the first 12 games.

Through 12 Games

There's only one quarter of the 2011 NFL season remaining and Drew Brees is still ahead of schedule to break Dan Marino's single season passing yardage record. In fact, he's gained even more ground on the record these past two weeks and is now 353 yards ahead of where Marino was through twelve games of his 1984 record setting season, though still not as efficient.

With four games left, Brees needs 1,054 more yards to break the record, which means he only needs to average a little more than 264 yards per game. The probability that he will break the record becomes more likely with each passing week. #hegotthis

Games remaining: Tennessee, Minnesota, Atlanta and Carolina

Drew Brees Tracker - Week 10

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The NFL enters the final quarter of the season this week, which obviously means the Saints have only four games remaining on their regular season schedule. Having defeated the Detroit Lions this past Sunday night, it would be fair to say that what's left of their push to the post-season is more than manageable, with their four remaining opponents combining for an unimpressive 17-31 record. So can they continue their current win streak, finish the season strong and win out their schedule?

It's definitely possible. The Titans are a decent team, but certainly a beatable one and if the Saints lose to the Vikings the following week, I'm not sure they even deserve to make the playoffs. The Falcons are without a doubt their biggest obstacle but that's at home and on Monday night and the Saints seem to shine in primetime. They finish up with Carolina but, again, that's at home, where the Saints have yet to lose.

That would give the Saints a final regular season record of 13-3, a lot better than I'm sure most of us would have predicted at the beginning of the year. So where would that leave them in the playoff hunt? Well that all depends on what the San Francisco 49ers do. At the very least it would It give the Saints a first round playoff game at home against a wild card team. But it could also earn them the second overall seed in the NFC and a first round bye with a little help from the Niners.

Assuming the Saints win out, one more loss for San Francisco would give both teams the same overall record and tie them for that second seed. The Niners own the tie-break, however, with a better record within the NFC. That means if the Saints want that first round bye, they'll need San Fran to lose two of their last four. The Niners play in Arizona, home against Pittsburgh then finish it up with two away games in Seattle and St. Louis.

So now you know what you need to be rooting for. Personally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed extra hard that the Niners tank and the Saints are able to sneak into that second seed for that first round bye because I've got a business trip planned that Wildcard Weekend. If the Saints have to play that first week of the playoffs...trip is off.

By the way, the Saints can clinch the NFC South title and/or a playoff spot this week. Here's how:

New Orleans clinches NFC South division with:

1) NO win + ATL loss

New Orleans clinches a playoff spot with:

1) NO win + DET loss OR

2) NO win + CHI loss

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