Blockquotes from the Mouth of Eligius

Named for Saint Eligius, one of the many saints charged with the patronage of horses.

On the Saints' poor performance in the Hall of Fame Game:

Just like I told the team after this game, you really can't spin it any other way than the way we played. I thought we were sloppy, sluggish. I thought they were more physical than us. We struggled on third down in the first half ... I don't know if we converted one third down. I don't know if we got past the 50-yard line ... Offense, defense, special teams, penalties. I can point to 15 things here. That's the thing that was disappointing. I've got to do a better job. Our staff's got to do a better job, and that's really all you can say about it.

C'mon down off that ledge, son:

Tonight was a first step, and one that showed where we need to keep working.

Hey, for the first preseason game, I'm just glad to have it under our belts ... I think we learned something in this game, that we obviously need to be better prepared. And we need to come out and play with a little more energy. I just felt like we were flat. We never were really able to get a rhythm going in any part of the game.

Hey, it's the preseason. I know this football team ... A lot of people are going to be frustrated and say, 'Look at the Saints. They were a fluke last year.' But I promise you, Sean Payton will have this team ready by the time we go to Indianapolis (in Week 1) ... This team's going to be way better than that. When we roll into Indianapolis, you'll see the real us.

Welcome to the league, rook:

[It was] the hardest hit of my life.

I have a lot of work to do. Second pass, I should have caught it. Third pass, too. I was always taught that any time you get your hands on the ball, you catch it, no matter what. I have to adjust quickly, get back to work.