I know. Not much of a headline, but with the Saints out of the facility and enjoying the R & R of their bye week, there's not much to report. When I read this tweet from Porter on how delicious his Mom's red beans and rice was today, it made my own mouth water a little bit. I don't care who you are, delicious red beans are always worthy of the bold-faced title treatment.
It may be a slow Saints news week, but there's still lots of interesting links after the jump, including analysis of where the Saints stand at season's midpoint, reasons why the NFL didn't need to tweak the overtime rules, and stories on what we all should hope is a Falcons loss tomorrow night.
TWEETS:
LanceMoore16 About to get on a plane back to Columbus. Wow, its been a while. Gonna feel good to get a little time off and visit some family and friends.
HeathEvans It's a shame I have to squeeze the heck out of my knee just to fly!#fb http://yfrog.com/9d11aanj
dmcallister26 @HeathEvans quit stunt. Put tht church sock on and roll out. Game Ready that wheel when u get there. Words From #26
j_bushrod7475 Off today!!! But I still managed to wake up @ 7 sumthin even without setting an alarm... #smh... Might as well (cont) http://tl.gd/6td1sn
usama_young28 I slept too good last night. Time to get up out of this bed. Hmmmm, what should I make for breakfast?
T_Porter22 I-10 west....
T_Porter22 "I say look ma no hands I say look ma no hands..I'm wit Roscoe I'm wit Waka..." lol #boredontheroad
usama_young28 Been taking care of some business today. I'm excited about my college tour on Friday. Taking students from McDonogh 35 to Dillard and UNO
T_Porter22 Mama cooked red beans! MmmmMmmm
HeathEvans RT @douglasshrugged: Appears that Amazon doesn't discriminate against pedophile's. http://ht.ly/37Hff #sickntwisted
ChaseDaniel Just hit a nice little workout & a healthy lunch with my boy Tuna...about to go check out Grapevine Mills..let's hope I don't spend anything
mortreport Gotta love Jason Garrett's first day of practice - full pads. Can you say Jimmy Johnson & Bill Parcells?
usama_young28 I've been running around all day... Smoothie king is callin me
dmcallister26 @usama_young28 say bro there and subway your lil joints aint they. Lol
reggie_bush Getting back in shape is the worst! It's harder to get in shape than it is to maintain it...man!
T_Porter22 Just left my old high school...lol the kids were super excited...and so were were the teachers..#memories
alexbrown96 Just left this place sweet tomato an wow it was so good @karimarbrown missed out today lol
MIDSEASON: WHERE THE SAINTS STAND:
New Orleans Saints defense was outstanding against Carolina: Film study | NOLA.com
Jeff Duncan's weekly breakdown of the Saints game
Saints at the Bye: What's next for the offense?
The New Orleans Saints are in the midst of their bye week, which provides everyone with an opportunity to look at the big picture – where the team stands going into the break and what should be expected of it coming out of the break.
NFC South one of juiciest division races midway through season | NOLA.com
Not one division winner from 2009 back on top
Saints' Defense Still Better Despite Decline in Creating Turnovers -- NFL FanHouse
NFL parity in full effect with unprecedented logjam atop divisions - Don Banks - SI.com
In the NFC South, Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay are all within one game of each other, but the Falcons do own wins over the Saints and Bucs, and this year that passes for dominance.
NFL Power Rankings for Week 10 has Steelers at No. 1 - Don Banks - SI.com
New Orleans Saints (6-3) After the multi-faceted debacle at home against Cleveland, the Saints defense is starting to look pretty 2009-ish again these past two weeks. I know, it was only the Panthers last Sunday in that 34-3 blowout win in Charlotte, but still. New Orleans pass defense is suddenly tops in the league with 166.3 yards per game allowed, and the Saints scoring defense is fifth at 16.8. With games against struggling Seattle, Dallas and Cincinnati just ahead after this week's bye, the Saints are about to go marching once again.
NFL.com news: NFC South: Brees headlines QBs to carry weight in division
There might not be a more respected leader in the NFL than Saints quarterback Drew Brees. His devotion to his team, city and craft are envied and the way his teammates trust him is like no other situation in the league.
Midseason Stock Watch: Saints - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Outlook: As inconsistent as the Saints have been at times, they actually are in very good shape. They have a bye this week and that should help running back Reggie Bush and a few other injured players get healthy. Look at the schedule after the bye. The Saints play Seattle, Dallas, Cincinnati and St. Louis. If they simply do what they should do, that will put them at 10 wins before they close with Baltimore, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. With the talent the Saints have, it’s entirely possible they could be clicking by the time they face those late-season challenges and that could put them well into double-digit wins.
Midseason All-NFC South awards - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Assistant coach of the half season: Gregg Williams, Saints. The New Orleans offense isn’t scoring like it did last year. Williams’ defense hasn’t been nearly as opportunistic as it was a year ago and there have been some major injuries in the secondary. But Williams has this unit playing well overall and that’s a huge part of the reason the Saints are 6-3.
Midseason All-NFC South offense - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Quarterback: Drew Brees, Saints. I gave stronger consideration to Matt Ryan and Josh Freeman than I thought I would. But I’m sticking with Brees, even though he hasn’t been nearly as efficient as last year. But picture where the Saints would be if they didn’t have him.
Midseason All-NFC South defense - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Cornerback: Brent Grimes, Falcons. I know this one will raise some eyebrows. But let’s remember New Orleans’ Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter were banged up for much of the first half of the season. The call really came down to Grimes and teammate Dunta Robinson. Although Robinson has helped give the pass rush more time and made the entire secondary better, I’m going with Grimes right now because he’s produced better numbers than Robinson.
Midseason All-NFC South specialists - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Punter: Thomas Morstead, Saints. He’s averaging 46.9 yards gross and 38.7 yards net. He leads the NFC South in both categories.
New Orleans Saints want to keep momentum going | NOLA.com
Having key offensive weapons return will help
New Orleans Saints Notebook: Defending champions think best yet to come after bye
Despite a series of injuries and a pair of losses to prohibitive underdogs (Arizona and Cleveland), the New Orleans Saints aren’t satisfied with a 6-3 record, but they are optimistic as they take a two-game winning streak into their bye week.
2theadvocate.com | Saints | SAINTS NOTES: Saints pass defense tops in league — Baton Rouge, LA
When the NFL’s weekly statistics were updated after Monday night’s game, there was a new No. 1 team against the pass: the New Orleans Saints.
LAGNIAPPE:
WhoDatDish.com: Contributing Writers Needed To Cover Saints | Who Dat Dish | A New Orleans Saints Blog
Do you think your the biggest Saints fan in the world? Do you find yourself at social gatherings spewing out stat lines from the previous or current Saints seasons?
NFL overtime rules didn't need tweaked, evidence suggests - Don Banks - SI.com
Hearing Jets kicker Nick Folk candidly admit Sunday that he assumed the NFL's new not-so-sudden-death overtime rules for the playoffs also applied to the 2010 regular season prompted a thought: Why haven't we heard the annual hue and cry about the inherent unfairness of a team being able to win the coin flip and then be victorious on the first possession of overtime?
The File: NFL player policy offers insight to James Harrison fines - ESPN
While Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison appeals the $90,000 worth of fines that he's been hit with for head-to-head hits against Cleveland Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and New Orleans QB Drew Brees, the NFL is ramping up its public safety campaign.
Saints Host "Suiteholder Combine"
All the suiteholders took part in a 45-minute film session with Saints Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams in the team meeting room. And GW viciously berated each one when they couldn't explain the difference between a 1-gap 3-4 defense and a 2-gap 3-4 defense.
RAVENS @ FALCONS:
Tale of the Tape: Joe Flacco vs. Matt Ryan - Baltimore Beatdown
The Baltimore Ravens may be playing the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night, but many people will be watching and comparing the two team's QB's, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan.
NFL Week 10: Ravens-Falcons open it - NFL - Sporting News
Falcons to blitz Flacco: Over the past three games, the Falcons defense has given up touchdown passes of 58, 64 and 83 yards. The 58-yarder against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 64-yarder against the Cincinnati Bengals occurred when the blitz didn't reach the quarterback and a defensive back took a bad angle and slipped.
Baltimore Ravens | News | Flacco, Ryan Will Always Be Compared
It's been feast or famine for Falcons blitz packages | ajc.com
FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons have been blitzing more frequently on defense this season with mixed results.
NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Wyche: Falcons see Ravens as litmus test "
Best Case Scenario vs Ravens - The Falcoholic
Thursday Night Lights: Ravens-Falcons
The Ravens are among the most balanced teams around, and they got stronger in the secondary - and in experience and leadership - when star safety Ed Reed returned from injury. He has three picks in two games.
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