Sunday Morning Bloody Mary: Fleur-de-Links January 2 - Buccaneers @ Saints Gameday Edition

Week 17 is here.  Today the New Orleans Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a regular season finale that holds some playoff significance.

Tampa Bay must win to keep their playoff hopes alive (while also getting help from the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins).  And as we all know, the Saints already have a playoff spot, but need a win and an Atlanta Falcons loss to give us the NFC South title, the #1 seed, and homefield advantage in the playoffs.  

Now it's time to study all the final news and notes heading into this afternoon's game. Brian Allee-Walsh seems to feel strongly that PT won't play today, since he didn't practice yesterday.  I just wonder about that...

You know what to do to get your fix...

Buccaneers vs Saints coverage

Buccaneers vs Saints preview

Bucs Nation

Twitter

jgoody76 I was taking a great nap, And a former jets teammate texted me "I thought there was a 21 point rule in (cont) http://tl.gd/7s1hru
jeffduncantp RT @kspainTP: pierre thomas will be a gametime decision 4 #saints: http://t.co/ndwji12 #whodat#geauxsaints #gobucs #bucs
alexbrown96 Hell Yeah!!! Great job Boys.... And what a heck of a way to end a career Ahmad B!!! Great job boys and thanks Urban for the memories...
reggie_bush Seriously where would sports athletes be without massage therapist and chiropractors! They single handedly put years back on careers
MalcolmJenkins Just had to take a nap and sleep off that whooping the big ten took earlier...smh its cool tho cuz my boys gonna handle it
TylerLorenzen RT @MissKatePearson:I was frightened by all the UConn fans at the block party last night- "UConn Huskies" is all we could hear for miles!
iWillSmith Happy New Year!!!
T_Porter22 Idk where its at 2nite but 2morro that dome gon be rocking my boy RT @maxminelli: Where errbody partyin at tonight?
TylerLorenzen Where is all the #UConn fans at in New Orleans? For those in Glendale cheer loud U C O N N #UCONN#UCONN #UCONN. #begreat
LanceMoore16 Hope that everyone had a great night last night. Its a new year now, a definite time for new opportunities. Let's be better this year!
TylerLorenzen Nick Williams #whitelightning! #uconn we need a drive here.
JonVilma51 There's WAY too many college bowl games now, I can't keep up
MalcolmJenkins My boy D Gratz #24 for Uconn is balling... P way's finest
HeathEvans Hate 2 say it but there isn't a team n the country that would of beat Bama today! #TRUTH #fb
j_bushrod7475 Colossians 3.23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...

From the Saints Sideline

Saints Injury Report: Pierre Thomas expected to miss Bucs game | neworleans.com
Brian Allee-Walsh

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Bucs, inside the game | NOLA.com
Staff report - Breaking down today's matchup.

Saints hoping momentum on their side today | 2theadvocate.com
Sheldon Mickles

The Saints' Magic Number: 12 - WWL | AM870 | FM105.3
Kristian Garic

The future is now for New Orleans Saints rookie Jimmy Graham | NOLA.com
Jeff Duncan - He is becoming more involved in the Saints offense.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is a master of bouncing back from a bad situation | NOLA.com
James Varney - He turned a couple of bad plays around against Atlanta and led the Saints to a win.

Playoffs won't be easy: John DeShazier's Black and Gold commentary | NOLA.com
This is the commentary segment for this week's Black and Gold Report video from The Times-Picayune columnist John DeShazier.

New Orleans Saints' passing offense sharing the wealth at record rate | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Ten different players have at least 23 catches, which is believed to be NFL record.

New Orleans Saints receiver Adrian Arrington expects to make long-awaited NFL debut Sunday | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Arrington has never been active on game day in three years with Saints.

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams lauds defense's performance at Atlanta | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Says tackling and third-down success were keys to their performance.

From the Crow's Nest

Keys to the game: Bucs-Saints | tbo.com
Roy Cummings

Team's rallying cry is nothing to laugh at now | tbo.com
Joe Henderson - The 'Race to 10' mantra was born during a lunch meeting between Raheem Morris and Rays manager Joe Maddon.

Dominik's approach paying big dividends for Bucs | tbo.com
Roy Cummings - Tampa Tribune - Bucs GM Mark Dominik and scouting director Dennis Hickey have amassed a stockpile of young talent from this year's draft class.

Top Tandem: Freeman, Blount Win Weekly Awards | buccaneers.com
Staff report

Lagniappe

NFL panelists predict this weekend's winners | NOLA.com
Staff report - TP experts make their picks. Story includes overall standings.

This week in the NFL | 2theadvocate.com
Sheldon Mickles - Power rankings, game to watch, NFL picks, and local television game schedule.

With lockout looming, teams face tough coaching decisions | tbo.com
Ira Kaufman - Tampa Tribune - The threat of a lockout by owners is sure to have an impact on the number of coaching changes around the league.

BCS, which has its flaws, is right approach | NOLA.com
Peter Finney - College playoff couldn't compete with NFL.

V-Roll Roll Call

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