Sunday Morning Bloody Mary: Fleur-de-Links December 26 - Is It Monday Yet?

It's been a while (nearly a month) since we've been in this position - staring a "No Saints Game Sunday" in the face.

Whatever will we do with ourselves today?  You can start by reading all your Saints news right here at the CSC.

There are some compelling matchups later on today that should garner our attention, and I'm sure there will be open threads up soon for spirited group discussion of those following the early and late games.  

San Francisco @ St. Louis has some impact on a possible first-round playoff opponent for us, as does the Seattle-Tampa Bay collision in addition to it featuring the Bucs team we play next week.  We also have some other playoff teams in action  - New York Jets @ Chicago, New York Giants @ Green Bay, Titans @ Chiefs, Washington @ Jacksonville, Minnesota @ Philadelphia, New England @ Buffalo.  

Many of these may also be made more interesting, at least in my opinion, by the SNOW FACTOR that could come in to play.

Much more Saints news and notes await you after the jump, so don't miss them!

Saints vs Falcons coverage

Saints vs Falcons preview

The Falcoholic

Twitter

sharper42 Happy holidays to alll my twitter peeps!
jeffduncantp Thanks, Scott. Merry Christmas to you, Erin, Jagger & Kingston. RT @scottshanle: great job! loved the article!!! merrry christamas
HeathEvans Merry Christmas & war eagle!!"@kfspringer: I got an Auburn @HeathEvans #44 jersey for Christmas. War (cont)http://tl.gd/7n6rqo
jgoody76 Just got done with practice! Time to go be with the fam.
T_Porter22 Mommy is on the way to my house to be with her baby boy on Christmas Day! #yeessssss
T_Porter22 Same to u homie RT @corey6989: @T_Porter22merry christmas to you and your family! GO HOOSIERS!
jeffduncantp Thanks, Chris. Hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas. RT @christrew: I got @jeffduncantp's book for Christmas. I'm gonna read it.
Pierre_Thomas Merry Christmas!
robyslyfe While enjoying quality time with loved ones, please remember the reason for the season this CHRISTmas..give thanks & count ur blessings!!
reggie_bush Watching the @Oneandonlycp3 and the rest of the fam play this Michael Jackson game on Wii...if words could only explain what I'm seeing! Lol
ChaseDaniel At dinner! RT @lynseydaniel1 Merry Christmas from me and @chasedaniel !! http://yfrog.com/h36ilbj
reggie_bush All I know is you gotta be in shape to play this Michael Jackson game! This game is hard!
HeathEvans Naomi after opening 3 gifts this AM, "Mommy can I give the rest of my gifts to the kids in Haiti?" Ava (cont)http://tl.gd/7n8r9l
alexbrown96 Are u kidding me??? If Dallas loses this game it's a damn shame...
Official_Saints As Christmas Day comes to an end, we want to thank the real World Champs - our armed forces! Thanks for the sacrifices you all make!
usama_young28 Thought I'd be playin call of duty all night. Ended up on rock band wit little sishttp://plixi.com/p/65642741
T_Porter22 Another day with my eyes open...#thankgod...no it's time to get a step better b4 we head to ATL
LanceMoore16 Hope that everyone had a great Christmas and got everything that they wanted. Enjoy ur Sunday and#whodats let's get ready for tomorrow nite

From the Saints Sideline

Ivory listed as questionable for Saints’ Monday night game | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
Bradley Handwerger - Running back Chris Ivory was limited for the third straight practice and was listed as questionable ahead of Monday night’s showdown at Atlanta.

Saints have to stop Turner, 3rd down for chance against Falcons | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
Bradley Handwerger - The last image most fans likely have of the Sept. 26 Saints-Falcons game is that of Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant slicing a 46-yard field goal through the uprights, spiking a dagger in the hearts of New Orleans fans everywhere.

New Orleans Saints bracing for four-down territory vs. Atlanta Falcons | NOLA.com
James Varney's Notebook - Gregg Williams counting on Malcolm Jenkins' maturation.

Falcons, Saints play reindeer games on injuries - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Pat Y. - I would like to stay with the true spirit of the season and not make any harsh allegations.

Falcon's Eye View

Falcons-Saints Rewind | atlantafalcons.com
Daniel Cox - The second meeting of the season for the Falcons and Saints is Monday night, and with a playoff berth on the line for the Saints and home-field advantage at stake for the Falcons its magnitude is tremendous.

INJURY REPORT: Falcons are healthy for NFC South showdown | ajc.com
D. Orlando Ledbetter – The Falcons will be near full strength health-wise when they face the New Orleans Saints at 8:30 p.m. Monday night at the Georgia.

Lagniappe

Jerry McDonald's Inside NFL: New Orleans Saints have holes exposed in run for another title | mercurynews.com
NFL column that leads with a bit on the Saints.

Young New Orleans Saints fans show their spirit: art of the game | NOLA.com
Terri Troncale

Jimmy Graham's growth is paying dividends for New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
AP story - Tony Gonzalez says tight end shows great potential.

Several Saints garnering attention for Pro Bowl — Baton Rouge, LA
Les East

Saints - Falcons Preview | WWL | AM870 | FM105.3
AP story

Finally, The Falcons-Saints Is A Real Rivalry - WWL - AM870 | FM105.3 | News | Talk | Sports
AP Story - "finally"? - the AP is a bit late to the party on the ripping rivalry of these two teams.

Transcript

New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton Post-Practice Press Conference

Saturday, December 25, 2010  (via neworleans.com)

Opening Statement: 

"Here's what we have for our injury report: Danny Clark (hamstring) was full, probable; Kawika Mitchell (hamstring) full, probable; Jonathan Vilma (quad) full, probable; Courtney Roby (head) full, probable; Jabari Greer (knee) full, probable; Robert Meachem (toe) full, probable; Anthony Hargrove (knee) full, probable; Sedrick Ellis (wrist) full, probable; Charles Brown (back) full, probable; Remi Ayodele (ankle) limited, probable; Chris Ivory (hamstring) limited, questionable; David Thomas (knee) did not practice and he's out." 

Are you pleased with the recovery of Courtney Roby? 

"Yes. From the day after the injury, we were fortunate with the prognosis and the recovery. I feel better also about Ivory the last two days compared to our first full day of work; that has been encouraging. It's not uncommon this time of year to have these nicks and guys fighting through it. We have that additional day-and-a-half with the Monday night game." 

Have you ever played in a Christmas Day game? 

"I imagine at some point we have. It falls at different times during the week and looking at the schedule this year, it happened to fall on an extra day which for both teams allowed us a little bit more time. I think both teams probably utilized that extra day earlier in the week to rest up from the prior game. I know Atlanta had a long trip west and we were on the road east. I've said before that our business has never really been holiday-friendly and yet I think our guys have had enough time and we've tried to work the schedule around it."

V-Roll Roll Call

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