For those of you who haven't scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the page and flipped through all the Fanshots from earlier today, I bring to you something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue in Saints news links and videos.
Today's installment includes but is most definitely NOT limited to: Lance Moore learning a lesson, some good quotes and words on the defense from GW, practice reports and injury news, special teams analysis, dish on the latest roster moves, Wang's musings on Favre and Childress, an update on the Intellectual Property Battle for Who Dat?, and Ed Daniels' top and bottom 10 Saints interview subjects.
See you after the JUMP!!
BillyMiller83 I don't think money is the root of all evil, in the right hands it can be a valuable blessing but Greed of men can cause problems!
JonVilma51 just spoke with the 1st lady of Haiti, going to be doing some great charity work with her soon down there, it feels good to be able to give back
reggie_bush Once again I'm not having a party tonight. Club Metro has been falsely promoting my name on a party tonight. Sorry guys...
Jmack37 chillin bout to grab some dinner any suggestions Nola??
LanceMoore16 Yep I sure was tweeting n driving the other day. It's weird how things happen like that huh? Gotta be smarter. It's just not worth it
LanceMoore16 Just learned today that texting while driving has been proven to be more dangerous than drunk driving....scary.
dmpressley Having a good day.. Def. Got better today.. Think I'm feeling a little xbox this afternoon
T_Porter22 I want to give a special bday wish to my other half, happy bady @tpwife...love ya!
JonVilma51 Hate this time of year....we had to make some cuts yesterday and no matter how much of a business this is, you... http://fb.me/v0acwkb5
reggie_bush It's just kind of brings you back to reality and let's you know that at the end of the day this is still a business! A cut throat business..
reggie_bush I still never get used to seeing guys get cut from our team. You spend so much time with your teammates that they become family!
LanceMoore16 Hope everyone has a great hump day. Let's get stuff done today! #lego
bobbymccray Goodmorning.. Another day to get better.
alexbrown96 Good morning tweets! Headed to the facility gotta get this workout and have to weigh in before practice. Hope everyone have a great day.
Jmack37 Rise amd grind... Gotta shine. God bless yall
No Retreat, No Surrender (GW video to follow in V-roll section)
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams doesn't want his team to ease up | NOLA.com
He wants his defense to be aggressive. Any questions?
Saints’ Williams won’t apologize for being aggressive | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
One of the lasting images from January’s NFC championship game is of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre on his back, writhing in pain after being hit by Saints’ defensive linemen Remi Ayodele and Bobby McCray.
Wednesday's Practice/Injuries
Porter returns to Saints practice, others sit out | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
Tracy Porter returned from a one-practice absence after the starting right cornerback rested a "sore" left knee.
Four players out at New Orleans Saints practice Wednesday | NOLA.com
There were no surprises on the injury front Wednesday as the New Orleans Saints held their last full practice before Friday night's game against the San Diego Chargers. No surprises? Then why would I follow the link?
Ready for Chargers | neworleanssaints.com
News and notes from a closed practice. Thanks, Alex.
Special Teams Coverage (hope they cover it better than the guys on the field have covered kicks - boomzinga!)
New Orleans Saints searching for special teams answers | NOLA.com
It's the one weak spot for an otherwise strong team. Oh great. From what I could tell in this article, they don't know what's wrong, but they vow to fix it. We'll see. I think this mess will continue for the foreseeable future.
New Orleans Saints special teams coach McMahon works overtime to fix problems | neworleans.com
Les East's take on the Special Teams.
Kristian: Special Teams Not So Special - WWL - AM870
Garic's Tuesday practice report with one paragraph on the special teams.
Latest Roster Moves
Saints Cut Special Teams Captain And Others - WWL - AM870
Report includes the actual press release from the team.
New Orleans Saints cut ties with LB Troy Evans, 4 others; sign LB K.C. Asiodu
B A-W lets us know who's off and on the roster.
Saints add linebacker Asiodu | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
The Saints added linebacker K.C. Asiodu to their roster after cutting five players, including special teams captain Troy Evans.
New Orleans Saints sign linebacker K.C. Asiodu | NOLA.com
Second-year pro spent most of last season with St. Louis Rams. Special teams depth? Is Shanle about to get cut? @Speculation is rampant as to why THIS move and WHY NOW????@ (sarcasm)
Payton explains move to cut players early | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
Saints Head Coach Sean Payton praised Troy Evans for the way he plays football and for everything he brings to special teams. But, it was time for him to go. Good luck with that, Troy, and good luck with that, Saints Special Teams. I hope this doesn't turn out like our whole place kicker deal did in 2007-2008.
Lagniappe
Chilly con Carnage | moosedenied
Thank you, Wang. May I have some crackers with that chilly? Must read. 'Nuff said.
State bows out of Who Dat battle | neworleans.com
Staff report. Also contains links to other Who-Dat-Battle articles.
Top 10 best and worst New Orleans Saints interviews of all-time | neworleans.com
Ed Daniels. Let's sound off on his choices and rationale.
New Orleans Saints could be least despised champ on record | NOLA.com
The Saints are quietly going about their business. Fine with me, we'll just quietly go on out there and grab another Lombardi. We be grindin'.
Expect a compromise on offseason work as labor talks progress | nfl.com
Jason LaCanfora. The latest from his sources on the labor front. They're all beginning to talk about the 18-game season as if it's a done deal.
Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club Kicks Off 72nd Year Monday
Mickey Loomis is the HEADLINER - but I wonder who will open for him - Randy Mueller?
Transcript Time!
Opening Statement:
"We signed linebacker K.C. Asiodu. We released Troy Evans, linebacker,
If the special teams coverage units were playing better this preseason does the departure of Troy possibly not happen?
"It really had nothing to do with how our special teams were playing. In fairness to Troy, we're rolling a lot of guys through in the kicking game to get evaluations. They're really two separate entities. Certainly it's a tough decision when you part ways with a player like Troy who has had so much to do with what we've done here and accomplished, but the two really don't go hand in hand."
What went into the timing of the moves with the cut deadline not until next week?
"The nature of us coming in here now and being on a one-a-day schedule and not being in a true two-a-day training camp mode, we felt like we could begin to reduce ahead of schedule. It's something I don't think is that unusual. It comes probably when a lot of guys, including you aren't expecting it because it's not the normal cutdown time. We're into one practice. We're not taking as many reps as you would during training camp when you maybe don't need as many numbers."
Have you ever seen a player like
"He's one of the guys at his position from a commitment standpoint, has a very high expectation for himself. His bar, his expectations of himself is probably higher than anybody else has ever seen it. It's very normal after practice everyday for him to be working on something specific. That drive and that commitment have made himself someone who is very good at his position."
When you go looking for someone to replace Troy Evans, what kind of qualities do you look for in a guy?
"What you're looking for...Troy's a great example as someone who's a great leader, but also a guy who plays all the core teams, as a guy that can run, who's smart, reliable, durable. Those are all traits that are needed to play so long in this league. I don't know that you look specifically to find one person to take that spot because really, the guys that make this team at linebacker, at safety that may not be starters are going to have to excel at special teams. The traits we just talked about for Troy are a big reason why he has had such a big career."
Can you discuss why you release him at this stage?
"It does two things - it allows him that opportunity. But the question that was asked earlier was did it have anything to do with how the special teams as a unit were playing, which is not the case at all. You've got so many different players coming in each quarter, the evaluation on the specific individuals takes place. Certainly you want to play better overall as a special teams unit. There are guys not playing that will play in the regular season on those coverage units that will certainly make us better."
Where will the new linebacker play?
"He'll play at Sam, but he's predominantly a special teams guy."
What are you looking to see from
"The efficiency, being able to run the offense, move the offense and score points. That's their number one function is to be able to move the ball."
Will he see some time with the first unit?
""I'll see how Drew's done. I'd like to get him some work with the one's like I did with Chase."
Why did you drop your roster to 76 now?
"We've gotten to a one-a-day schedule and we're taking less reps now. If you're in training camp and practicing twice, you less have to do that. But I've done that before and I've been around coaches that have been there before. When you're practicing the way we've been practicing, that reduction wasn't going to affect us as much. We did that yesterday and we'll probably continue to do that."
Could
""We'll see. I don't know that yet. Both of those guys are getting work now. They're getting a grasp of what we're doing but we'll have to see how the game goes. I'd like to."
How much will the starters play Friday?
""We'll get a half in and how much into the third quarter will be dependent on the number of snaps. The other night offensively, we were at 35 and at 15 defensively one point."
V-roll Roll Call
| Gregg Williams on his defense being aggressive |
| New Orleans Saints preparing to host Chargers Friday night |
Cody: Cutting Evans could send a message - wwltv.com
B A-W and Les East from neworleans.com
| Saints coach Sean Payton talks about breaking camp - nola.com |