treeduck Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-3dcbe9e92a051afe.JPGOn the play of the day, New Orleans Saints defensive back Pierre Warren (42) intercepts a ball intended for wide receiver Brandon Coleman (16) during Saints training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on Monday, July 28, 2014 http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-c64b77c66b249a96.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Nick Toon (88) makes a catch as cornerback Patrick Robinson (21) defends during Saints training camp. http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-56e721cfe5a548ec.JPGNew Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson (82) makes a catch in front of defensive back Trevin Wade (30) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-91a24019f9628a0c.JPGNew Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) plows through the line during Saints training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on Monday http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d7b17d362d70b63b.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Andy Tanner (14) tries to make a one-handed catch. http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-1e2398a3583666ba.JPGNew Orleans Saints center Matt Armstrong (61) and the offensive line during Saints training camp http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-37d558d428acdad5.JPGNew Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) in action. http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-43054ba87725102b.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) makes the defense miss on a punt return http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d3d7e85ca5e4d54e.JPGNew Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton praises defensive back Brian Dixon (44) during Saints training camp http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-eb7a08ed1968e77f.JPGNew Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) makes a catch in front of cornerback Keenan Lewis (28) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-c04103212225e9a6.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Nick Toon (88) makes a catch http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-02ca7a6f8dabbc33.JPGNew Orleans Saints center Jonathan Goodwin (51) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d0b1c1e483db0def.JPGNew Orleans Saints linebacker Kyle Knox (58) vaults running back Travaris Cadet (39) as he makes a catch http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-e684162866a6977b.JPGNew Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to throw during Saints training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on Monday http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-3988e35d11d7cfbe.JPGNew Orleans Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis (28) scoops up a loose ball http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-f31096c8e51aa435.JPGNew Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas (23) muscles past cornerback Patrick Robinson (21) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d1fd6779a53293f6.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receivers Kenny Stills (84) and Robert Meachem (17) are sidelined http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-0cfc32b4548ff043.JPGDefensive coordinator Rob Ryan and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael share a laugh http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-8e51e273a24d0afa.JPGNew Orleans Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette (93) and offensive tackle Terron Armstead (72) battle as the Saints get physical in the trenches http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-0fd3ad90e29d4ab7.JPGNew Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton plays defense against tight end Jimmy Graham (80) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-575c5694603f3215.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) plows through a training device http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-9fee4e21a1ee6bcd.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches a bomb http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-755da73f8381098f.JPGhttp://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-767054f78a07236d.JPG Nice pics.! But that one of Ryan is disgusting. :laughing guy: His belly is alive! It's alive! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-3dcbe9e92a051afe.JPGOn the play of the day, New Orleans Saints defensive back Pierre Warren (42) intercepts a ball intended for wide receiver Brandon Coleman (16) during Saints training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on Monday, July 28, 2014 http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-c64b77c66b249a96.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Nick Toon (88) makes a catch as cornerback Patrick Robinson (21) defends during Saints training camp. http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-56e721cfe5a548ec.JPGNew Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson (82) makes a catch in front of defensive back Trevin Wade (30) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-91a24019f9628a0c.JPGNew Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) plows through the line during Saints training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on Monday http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d7b17d362d70b63b.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Andy Tanner (14) tries to make a one-handed catch. http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-1e2398a3583666ba.JPGNew Orleans Saints center Matt Armstrong (61) and the offensive line during Saints training camp http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-37d558d428acdad5.JPGNew Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) in action. http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-43054ba87725102b.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) makes the defense miss on a punt return http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d3d7e85ca5e4d54e.JPGNew Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton praises defensive back Brian Dixon (44) during Saints training camp http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-eb7a08ed1968e77f.JPGNew Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) makes a catch in front of cornerback Keenan Lewis (28) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-c04103212225e9a6.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Nick Toon (88) makes a catch http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-02ca7a6f8dabbc33.JPGNew Orleans Saints center Jonathan Goodwin (51) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d0b1c1e483db0def.JPGNew Orleans Saints linebacker Kyle Knox (58) vaults running back Travaris Cadet (39) as he makes a catch http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-e684162866a6977b.JPGNew Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to throw during Saints training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on Monday http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-3988e35d11d7cfbe.JPGNew Orleans Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis (28) scoops up a loose ball http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-f31096c8e51aa435.JPGNew Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas (23) muscles past cornerback Patrick Robinson (21) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-d1fd6779a53293f6.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receivers Kenny Stills (84) and Robert Meachem (17) are sidelined http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-0cfc32b4548ff043.JPGDefensive coordinator Rob Ryan and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael share a laugh http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-8e51e273a24d0afa.JPGNew Orleans Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette (93) and offensive tackle Terron Armstead (72) battle as the Saints get physical in the trenches http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-0fd3ad90e29d4ab7.JPGNew Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton plays defense against tight end Jimmy Graham (80) http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-575c5694603f3215.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) plows through a training device http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-9fee4e21a1ee6bcd.JPGNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches a bomb http://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-755da73f8381098f.JPGhttp://imgick.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/tpphotos/photo/2014/07/28/-767054f78a07236d.JPG Nice pics.! But that one of Ryan is disgusting. :laughing guy: His belly is alive! It's alive! And then some! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Brandin Cooks showing screen game, stealing the show Posted by Darin Gantt on July 29, 2014, 1:42 PM EDT http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/ada816a5bd6ed0330d7cfa28b7cdf4f8.jpeg?w=247 The Saints gambled in March when they traded running back Darren Sproles to the Eagles for a draft pick. But they might have ultimately won, as they found a guy with the same kind of ability to turn small plays into big ones. According to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks has been the star of camp so far, making it clear the Saints are going to build the plan with him in mind. During Tuesday’s practice, Cooks took a quick bubble screen the distance, and the video of him pulling away from the Saints defense is frankly alarming. The ability to run more complicated routes will be needed, but the pure speed he showed on the simplest one makes it clear he’s going to be a weapon for Drew Brees soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dempsey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: It's quite amazing to read about Dempsey's physical handicaps and still make it in to the NFL. :dweez: :haz: :7up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: It's quite amazing to read about Dempsey's physical handicaps and still make it in to the NFL. :dweez: :haz: :7up:How's the Raider's camp coming along? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: It's quite amazing to read about Dempsey's physical handicaps and still make it in to the NFL. :dweez: :haz: :7up:How's the Raider's camp coming along? Ok I guess, I don't keep up on things like I used to. I read some news and headlines but I am not as die hard as I once was with sports. I can't see things getting any worse out in Oakland. Until I see some serious positive results I will expect the same year after year. Personally, it's quite sad to see what has happened to them since 2002. I grew up with a great team for decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: It's quite amazing to read about Dempsey's physical handicaps and still make it in to the NFL. :dweez: :haz: :7up:How's the Raider's camp coming along? Ok I guess, I don't keep up on things like I used to. I read some news and headlines but I am not as die hard as I once was with sports. I can't see things getting any worse out in Oakland. Until I see some serious positive results I will expect the same year after year. Personally, it's quite sad to see what has happened to them since 2002. I grew up with a great team for decades.They used to be a powerhouse at one time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Peter KingVerified account@SI_PeterKingWHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.-Interesting note gleaned from chat w/DBrees here: He hasn't spoken to Roger Goodell in 3 yrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Saints' Rob Ryan loves his safetiesJuly, 30, 2014 By Mike Triplett | ESPN.com WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan already proved how much he loves to feature safeties in his versatile defense last year. The Saints spent about 75 percent of their snaps in nickel defense -- almost always using three safeties on the field at once. Now Ryan has even more ammo to work with after the Saints added three-time Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd in free agency to pair with returning young players Kenny Vaccaro and Rafael Bush. When asked how much input he had in the Saints signing Byrd to a six-year, $54 million contract, Ryan said, “Uh, that is absolutely zero. But I was happy. That one came from much higher up than me, but I was ecstatic when I heard the news.” The Saints were most attracted by Byrd’s ball skills and his ability to force turnovers. His 22 interceptions rank second in the NFL over the past five seasons. “I think he’s got unique ball skills. If that ball hits his hands, he is going to catch it,” Ryan said. “But also with that, he is very smart. He can put himself into plays.” I asked Ryan if Byrd “freelances” from time to time to wind up with so many picks. “I think that one thing with turnovers in the National Football League, these are the best quarterbacks in the world. You have to play your technique. You have to be disciplined,” Ryan said. “But there comes a time and point where every turnover is made where a guy has to just go make it. And he’s been great all through his career. He’s played corner in college. I mean, he just has unique ball skills. And so did his father (longtime former NFL standout Gill Byrd).” Ryan has always gushed with praise for second-year Saints safety Vaccaro as well. Last season, Ryan said he believed the Seattle Seahawks' Earl Thomas was the best free safety in the NFL, but Vaccaro was the best "overall safety” because of his versatility. And Ryan also raved Tuesday about the hard-hitting Bush, who has played a big role both on defense and special-teams coverage for the past two seasons. “Oh, he’s very important. He’s an excellent football player,” Ryan said of Bush, who was re-signed by the Saints as a restricted free agent after they matched a two-year, $4.5 million contract Bush signed with the Atlanta Falcons. “The Falcons did us a favor by giving him such a low offer,” Ryan said. “That’s great. We got him for two years. Thanks.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutman Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: It's quite amazing to read about Dempsey's physical handicaps and still make it in to the NFL. :dweez: :haz: :7up:How's the Raider's camp coming along? Ok I guess, I don't keep up on things like I used to. I read some news and headlines but I am not as die hard as I once was with sports. I can't see things getting any worse out in Oakland. Until I see some serious positive results I will expect the same year after year. Personally, it's quite sad to see what has happened to them since 2002. I grew up with a great team for decades.They used to be a powerhouse at one time! Don't remind me. :madra: :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 http://saintsreport.com/forums/attachments/f2/75012d1406643118t-t-c-updates-7-29-btt5xinciaa42wr.jpg Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Who is their fieldgoal kicker?We have a couple of dudes battling it out for the spot. Our longtime kicker got cut last year, so the position is up for grabs. These two guys are safeties though. Defensive backs fighting for the job? I don't understand why you think these guys are kickers mate? They're safties and they only play safety! I said this: Byrd and Vaccaro finally on the field together. Byrd has been injured and this was his first practice with the team. How has this anything to do with kickers? Sorry, just tired. Going to rest soon before work. Obviously I need it! :PWho knows though maybe one of them will kick FGs? Byrd was doing punt returns today, I think it's because he has great hands, so they'll only use him when they aren't worried about running it back, just catching it. Well, Whom ever wins the job as kicker. They can never replace Tom Dempsey! :codger: :D http://en.wikipedia....iki/Tom_DempseyNo but as long as whoever it is makes the kicks most of the time, and doesn't miss the easy ones, I'll be happy. :smoke: It's quite amazing to read about Dempsey's physical handicaps and still make it in to the NFL. :dweez: :haz: :7up:How's the Raider's camp coming along? Ok I guess, I don't keep up on things like I used to. I read some news and headlines but I am not as die hard as I once was with sports. I can't see things getting any worse out in Oakland. Until I see some serious positive results I will expect the same year after year. Personally, it's quite sad to see what has happened to them since 2002. I grew up with a great team for decades.They used to be a powerhouse at one time! Don't remind me. :madra: :P :smoke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 An article on the Panthers we'll post here since they don't have a thread. ducky, I think you're going to like it... The Carolina Panthers were the feel-good story of the 2013 NFL season. After years of rebuilding and losing agonizingly close games, everything suddenly clicked into place during an eight-game midseason winning streak, one that saw them beat the 49ers and Patriots in consecutive games. They stumbled onto a formula that worked: An aggressive, physically imposing defense created takeaways, a dominant rushing offense held on to leads, and for an added pinch of spice, previously conservative head coach Ron Rivera turned into the gambling man Riverboat Ron — one of the league’s most aggressive fourth-down decision-makers overnight. While their season ended with a disappointing loss at home to the 49ers, Carolina fans were rightly proud to have finished 2013 with 12 wins and the NFC South title. Welcome to 2014, when just about everything that could have gone wrong for the Panthers this offseason managed to do so. And even before that, truthfully, there were plenty of signs the Panthers were going to struggle to repeat their feats from 2013 in the year to come. Much will have to go right for Carolina, football’s arguably thinnest team in one of the league’s toughest divisions, to remain atop the NFC South in 2014. Click here for more from our 2014 NFL preview. Before the League Year A lot of teams pledge to play the same way that last year’s Panthers played — it’s basically Ken Whisenhunt’s mission statement with the Titans — but very, very few manage to pull off that style of play year after year. While the Panthers will return many of their stars from last year’s team, they may struggle to get the same results out of those players. Start with Carolina’s success in close games, which was the single most shocking turnaround in football. During Rivera’s first two years as head coach, the Panthers had gone just 2-12 in games decided by a touchdown or less. They promptly lost their first two games of 2013 by a combined six points, including a brutal loss to the Bills that saw Rivera again act too conservative at the end of a narrow contest. After going 2-14 in one-score games, Rivera finally snapped. He started to go for it far more frequently on fourth downs, and while his decisions didn’t directly influence close games, the Panthers started winning them. The Panthers played five one-touchdown games the rest of the way and won them all.1 They suddenly learned how to win close games. More likely, of course, is that we saw the Panthers playing at two extremes. They deserved to win a few more of those close games when they were 2-14; the Panthers-Falcons game in which Cam Newton somehow fumbled the ball backward on what would have been a game-sealing third-down conversion followed by Rivera’s decision to punt comes to mind as an obvious example. And they were probably a little lucky to win their final five one-touchdown games in 2013, as Patriots fans would likely be happy to tell you. Pretend for a moment that the Panthers won exactly half of their one-score games in the past three seasons and you see a much more consistent team: Year Actual Record One-Score Record Half-and-Half2011 6-10 1-5 8-82012 7-9 1-7 10-62013 12-4 5-2 10-5-1It seems silly to just reduce a team’s performance in one-touchdown games to a .500 winning percentage, but historically, we know it is a better predictor of what a team will do in one-score contests the following year than is their previous performance in that split. There just aren’t enough one-touchdown games every year for a team to really prove they’re better than the pack at winning them. Carolina shouldn’t be as bad in one-touchdown games in 2014 as they were in 2011 and 2012, but they’ll probably be worse than they were in 2013. The plexiglass principle also signifies an obvious claim against Carolina’s future. Teams that improve as rapidly as Carolina did last year often struggle to hold on to their gains and have a consolidation season the following campaign. From 1989 to 2012, 35 teams improved by exactly five wins in a given season, as Carolina did from 2012 (7-9) to last season (12-4). The following year, those 35 teams gave nearly half of their wins back, losing an average of 2.4 wins off their previous record. We also knew what Carolina’s 2014 schedule would look like before the 2013 season ended. Even then, it didn’t look like it was going to be very pretty, and the aggressive offseasons of the teams around them in the NFC South have only made things worse. In addition to facing each other a total of six times, the organizations in the South have to play against the AFC North and NFC North this upcoming campaign. Even worse, by virtue of their first-place finish a year ago, the Panthers’ two team-specific contests come against the Eagles and Seahawks. Last year, the Panthers faced the league’s ninth-toughest schedule. This season, Vegas estimates that Carolina has the NFL’s third-toughest opposing slate, behind just Arizona and Seattle. The Worst Offseason in Football Sadly, the Panthers certainly had among the most frustrating offseasons of anybody in the league, and it had very little to do with the work of Rivera and general manager David Gettleman. While Gettleman did make the very curious choice of giving a long-term deal to eminently replaceable kicker Graham Gano after a career year, he was forced to sit on his hands as a number of key Panthers made their way out of town, with little ability to replace them. The Panthers are still cap strapped from the decisions made by former general manager Marty Hurney. While Gettleman restructured the deals of players like DeAngelo Williams and Thomas Davis to create more cap room, there’s only so much he can do without hamstringing Carolina’s cap for years to come. The Panthers still carry nearly $19 million in dead money on their cap this season, including $8 million for Jon Beason. Only the Cowboys and Bills will carry more dead money on their ledger for 2014-15.2 Carolina’s first and most important task this offseason was to retain defensive end Greg Hardy, who was due a mammoth raise after finishing his four-year, $2.8 million rookie deal with a 15-sack campaign in 2013. They were able to keep Hardy around, but after failing to come to terms on a long-term deal, the Panthers had to franchise Hardy and give him a one-year contract for $13.1 million. It’s bad for both sides. Hardy surely wants the security that would come with a long-term deal, one that would guarantee him something like $30 million. And Carolina would have loved to construct a contract that saved them money up front in their current time of need. A one-year deal just pushes these problems to next season, when franchise-tagging Hardy would cost Carolina $15.7 million during a year when the team will likely be looking to extend Newton’s contract3 as well. Even worse, Hardy was convicted on domestic assault charges during the offseason and instructed by a court to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Carolina spent a second-round pick this year on Missouri end Kony Ealy, a move that suggests Hardy’s time in Carolina could be coming to an end. With his new one-year deal, Hardy’s cap hit increased by nearly $11.8 million, which ate up almost all the $12.4 million increase in the league’s cap limit from 2012 to 2013. Not great. Carolina had to restructure several contracts just to get under the cap, and then had to watch as several contributors to last season’s team left in free agency. That mainly came about in the secondary, where Carolina had managed to piece together a useful unit from journeymen and unknowns. Safety Mike Mitchell, the team’s enforcer, left for Pittsburgh on a five-year, $25 million deal. Quintin Mikell wasn’t retained, while cornerback Captain Munnerlyn signed with Minnesota and Drayton Florence remains unsigned. The only starter left is undrafted rookie Melvin White, and Carolina’s been forced to go to the wishing well for another set of castoffs: The likes of Antoine Cason, Roman Harper, and Thomas DeCoud will be expected to contribute in key roles for Carolina this season. Now, I write a lot about how teams that find cheap talent at the bottom of the free-agent market shouldn’t be afraid to go back into the market and acquire another cheap player, and Carolina’s sorta doing that here in the hopes of fielding another low-cost secondary behind an excellent front seven. Doing that with one or two spots on your roster every year is fine. Building an entire unit out of spare parts is another story, but Carolina doesn’t have a choice. If the offseason ended there, that would have been a frustrating enough spring for the Panthers to deal with. What made it worse, though, is that Carolina’s two longest-tenured players left town without replacements. First, after years of rumors, Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross finally decided to retire, costing Carolina arguably its best offensive player at any position. The team wasn’t able to afford a viable replacement for Gross and failed to draft a tackle in April, leaving it with mere prayers on Newton’s blind side. Nate Chandler and Byron Bell, neither of whom have any experience on the left side, will compete for the job in camp. The loser will fall back to right tackle. Carolina probably couldn’t have done anything about retaining Gross. It might have been able to do a better job of keeping wideout Steve Smith happy. For reasons still unknown, Smith’s relationship with the team deteriorated this offseason, leading to his release in March. Smith had undoubtedly lost a step at 34, but, scarily, he was also Carolina’s best wide receiver by a comfortable margin last season. With pass-catchers Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn also free agents, Carolina had to radically overhaul its wideout crop without spending much money in the process. The Panthers … built one of the more depressing groups you can imagine. They signed aging third wideouts Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant before drafting 6-foot-5 Florida State project Kelvin Benjamin with their first-round pick. Even given the presence of Greg Olsen at tight end, this is a sad group of receivers for Newton to work with. And there’s really just not much Gettleman can do about it. So, how can the Panthers make it back to double-digit wins and meaningful football in late January? It’ll take downright heroic efforts from their group of young superstars. Luke Kuechly, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, can’t see his performance slip. Hardy and Charles Johnson, the team’s pair of dominant defensive ends, combined for 26 sacks last season; they’ll need every one of those again. Center Ryan Kalil will need to shepherd a young, inexperienced line to competence. And, more than anything, Carolina needs greatness out of its quarterback and its coach. I wrote about Newton’s stagnation in the Trade Value Column, and while he was very underrated before Carolina’s big year last season, Newton has little talent and continuity around him this season. Rivera, meanwhile, has to build upon his reputation and continue to push the envelope where his team has advantages. It was disappointing to see him kick a short field goal after earlier failing on a fourth-down conversion in the playoffs against San Francisco, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll stick with the strategy if his team struggles at the beginning of 2015. Rivera has done an excellent job of getting the most out of a young, talented defense, and he should be applauded for being open-minded enough to go hyperaggressive on fourth downs last season. However, given the problems circling this team and the struggles they’re likely to face in 2014, it might be time to jump off the riverboat. http://grantland.com/features/re-caging-the-panthers/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 An article on the Panthers we'll post here since they don't have a thread. ducky, I think you're going to like it... The Carolina Panthers were the feel-good story of the 2013 NFL season. After years of rebuilding and losing agonizingly close games, everything suddenly clicked into place during an eight-game midseason winning streak, one that saw them beat the 49ers and Patriots in consecutive games. They stumbled onto a formula that worked: An aggressive, physically imposing defense created takeaways, a dominant rushing offense held on to leads, and for an added pinch of spice, previously conservative head coach Ron Rivera turned into the gambling man Riverboat Ron — one of the league’s most aggressive fourth-down decision-makers overnight. While their season ended with a disappointing loss at home to the 49ers, Carolina fans were rightly proud to have finished 2013 with 12 wins and the NFC South title. Welcome to 2014, when just about everything that could have gone wrong for the Panthers this offseason managed to do so. And even before that, truthfully, there were plenty of signs the Panthers were going to struggle to repeat their feats from 2013 in the year to come. Much will have to go right for Carolina, football’s arguably thinnest team in one of the league’s toughest divisions, to remain atop the NFC South in 2014. Click here for more from our 2014 NFL preview. Before the League Year A lot of teams pledge to play the same way that last year’s Panthers played — it’s basically Ken Whisenhunt’s mission statement with the Titans — but very, very few manage to pull off that style of play year after year. While the Panthers will return many of their stars from last year’s team, they may struggle to get the same results out of those players. Start with Carolina’s success in close games, which was the single most shocking turnaround in football. During Rivera’s first two years as head coach, the Panthers had gone just 2-12 in games decided by a touchdown or less. They promptly lost their first two games of 2013 by a combined six points, including a brutal loss to the Bills that saw Rivera again act too conservative at the end of a narrow contest. After going 2-14 in one-score games, Rivera finally snapped. He started to go for it far more frequently on fourth downs, and while his decisions didn’t directly influence close games, the Panthers started winning them. The Panthers played five one-touchdown games the rest of the way and won them all.1 They suddenly learned how to win close games. More likely, of course, is that we saw the Panthers playing at two extremes. They deserved to win a few more of those close games when they were 2-14; the Panthers-Falcons game in which Cam Newton somehow fumbled the ball backward on what would have been a game-sealing third-down conversion followed by Rivera’s decision to punt comes to mind as an obvious example. And they were probably a little lucky to win their final five one-touchdown games in 2013, as Patriots fans would likely be happy to tell you. Pretend for a moment that the Panthers won exactly half of their one-score games in the past three seasons and you see a much more consistent team: Year Actual Record One-Score Record Half-and-Half2011 6-10 1-5 8-82012 7-9 1-7 10-62013 12-4 5-2 10-5-1It seems silly to just reduce a team’s performance in one-touchdown games to a .500 winning percentage, but historically, we know it is a better predictor of what a team will do in one-score contests the following year than is their previous performance in that split. There just aren’t enough one-touchdown games every year for a team to really prove they’re better than the pack at winning them. Carolina shouldn’t be as bad in one-touchdown games in 2014 as they were in 2011 and 2012, but they’ll probably be worse than they were in 2013. The plexiglass principle also signifies an obvious claim against Carolina’s future. Teams that improve as rapidly as Carolina did last year often struggle to hold on to their gains and have a consolidation season the following campaign. From 1989 to 2012, 35 teams improved by exactly five wins in a given season, as Carolina did from 2012 (7-9) to last season (12-4). The following year, those 35 teams gave nearly half of their wins back, losing an average of 2.4 wins off their previous record. We also knew what Carolina’s 2014 schedule would look like before the 2013 season ended. Even then, it didn’t look like it was going to be very pretty, and the aggressive offseasons of the teams around them in the NFC South have only made things worse. In addition to facing each other a total of six times, the organizations in the South have to play against the AFC North and NFC North this upcoming campaign. Even worse, by virtue of their first-place finish a year ago, the Panthers’ two team-specific contests come against the Eagles and Seahawks. Last year, the Panthers faced the league’s ninth-toughest schedule. This season, Vegas estimates that Carolina has the NFL’s third-toughest opposing slate, behind just Arizona and Seattle. The Worst Offseason in Football Sadly, the Panthers certainly had among the most frustrating offseasons of anybody in the league, and it had very little to do with the work of Rivera and general manager David Gettleman. While Gettleman did make the very curious choice of giving a long-term deal to eminently replaceable kicker Graham Gano after a career year, he was forced to sit on his hands as a number of key Panthers made their way out of town, with little ability to replace them. The Panthers are still cap strapped from the decisions made by former general manager Marty Hurney. While Gettleman restructured the deals of players like DeAngelo Williams and Thomas Davis to create more cap room, there’s only so much he can do without hamstringing Carolina’s cap for years to come. The Panthers still carry nearly $19 million in dead money on their cap this season, including $8 million for Jon Beason. Only the Cowboys and Bills will carry more dead money on their ledger for 2014-15.2 Carolina’s first and most important task this offseason was to retain defensive end Greg Hardy, who was due a mammoth raise after finishing his four-year, $2.8 million rookie deal with a 15-sack campaign in 2013. They were able to keep Hardy around, but after failing to come to terms on a long-term deal, the Panthers had to franchise Hardy and give him a one-year contract for $13.1 million. It’s bad for both sides. Hardy surely wants the security that would come with a long-term deal, one that would guarantee him something like $30 million. And Carolina would have loved to construct a contract that saved them money up front in their current time of need. A one-year deal just pushes these problems to next season, when franchise-tagging Hardy would cost Carolina $15.7 million during a year when the team will likely be looking to extend Newton’s contract3 as well. Even worse, Hardy was convicted on domestic assault charges during the offseason and instructed by a court to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Carolina spent a second-round pick this year on Missouri end Kony Ealy, a move that suggests Hardy’s time in Carolina could be coming to an end. With his new one-year deal, Hardy’s cap hit increased by nearly $11.8 million, which ate up almost all the $12.4 million increase in the league’s cap limit from 2012 to 2013. Not great. Carolina had to restructure several contracts just to get under the cap, and then had to watch as several contributors to last season’s team left in free agency. That mainly came about in the secondary, where Carolina had managed to piece together a useful unit from journeymen and unknowns. Safety Mike Mitchell, the team’s enforcer, left for Pittsburgh on a five-year, $25 million deal. Quintin Mikell wasn’t retained, while cornerback Captain Munnerlyn signed with Minnesota and Drayton Florence remains unsigned. The only starter left is undrafted rookie Melvin White, and Carolina’s been forced to go to the wishing well for another set of castoffs: The likes of Antoine Cason, Roman Harper, and Thomas DeCoud will be expected to contribute in key roles for Carolina this season. Now, I write a lot about how teams that find cheap talent at the bottom of the free-agent market shouldn’t be afraid to go back into the market and acquire another cheap player, and Carolina’s sorta doing that here in the hopes of fielding another low-cost secondary behind an excellent front seven. Doing that with one or two spots on your roster every year is fine. Building an entire unit out of spare parts is another story, but Carolina doesn’t have a choice. If the offseason ended there, that would have been a frustrating enough spring for the Panthers to deal with. What made it worse, though, is that Carolina’s two longest-tenured players left town without replacements. First, after years of rumors, Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross finally decided to retire, costing Carolina arguably its best offensive player at any position. The team wasn’t able to afford a viable replacement for Gross and failed to draft a tackle in April, leaving it with mere prayers on Newton’s blind side. Nate Chandler and Byron Bell, neither of whom have any experience on the left side, will compete for the job in camp. The loser will fall back to right tackle. Carolina probably couldn’t have done anything about retaining Gross. It might have been able to do a better job of keeping wideout Steve Smith happy. For reasons still unknown, Smith’s relationship with the team deteriorated this offseason, leading to his release in March. Smith had undoubtedly lost a step at 34, but, scarily, he was also Carolina’s best wide receiver by a comfortable margin last season. With pass-catchers Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn also free agents, Carolina had to radically overhaul its wideout crop without spending much money in the process. The Panthers … built one of the more depressing groups you can imagine. They signed aging third wideouts Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant before drafting 6-foot-5 Florida State project Kelvin Benjamin with their first-round pick. Even given the presence of Greg Olsen at tight end, this is a sad group of receivers for Newton to work with. And there’s really just not much Gettleman can do about it. So, how can the Panthers make it back to double-digit wins and meaningful football in late January? It’ll take downright heroic efforts from their group of young superstars. Luke Kuechly, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, can’t see his performance slip. Hardy and Charles Johnson, the team’s pair of dominant defensive ends, combined for 26 sacks last season; they’ll need every one of those again. Center Ryan Kalil will need to shepherd a young, inexperienced line to competence. And, more than anything, Carolina needs greatness out of its quarterback and its coach. I wrote about Newton’s stagnation in the Trade Value Column, and while he was very underrated before Carolina’s big year last season, Newton has little talent and continuity around him this season. Rivera, meanwhile, has to build upon his reputation and continue to push the envelope where his team has advantages. It was disappointing to see him kick a short field goal after earlier failing on a fourth-down conversion in the playoffs against San Francisco, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll stick with the strategy if his team struggles at the beginning of 2015. Rivera has done an excellent job of getting the most out of a young, talented defense, and he should be applauded for being open-minded enough to go hyperaggressive on fourth downs last season. However, given the problems circling this team and the struggles they’re likely to face in 2014, it might be time to jump off the riverboat. http://grantland.com...g-the-panthers/ :clap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 :joker: :joker: :joker: :joker: :joker: :joker: :joker: :joker: Mark Ingram: I want to be the best back in the history of football Posted by Michael David Smith on August 2, 2014, 9:30 AM EDThttp://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/ingram.jpg?w=250Mark Ingram doesn’t just want to be a good running back. He doesn’t just want to be a great running back. He doesn’t just want to be the best running back in the NFL. He wants to be greater than any running back who has ever played the game of football. “The sky’s the limit, man. I want to be the best back to ever play the freakin’ game of football,” Ingram said, via ESPN. Through three NFL seasons since the Saints took him in the first round of the 2011 draft, Ingram has fallen slightly short of being the best ever. He has 356 carries for 1,462 yards and 11 touchdowns so far in his career. Those numbers wouldn’t even make him the best running back in the NFL if he had compiled them in one year, let alone three. The Saints declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Ingram’s rookie deal, meaning he’s heading into a contract year. There’s a good chance that the Saints will move on from Ingram in 2015, with Pierre Thomas still in place as the starter and second-year running back Khiry Robinson showing promise as a backup to Thomas. Ingram, however, says he isn’t worrying about the future. “I just want to do everything I can to be the best player I can be to help us win games and win a championship. That’s my No. 1 goal,” Ingram said. Ingram sets his goals high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Jimmy Graham draws flag in scrimmage for goal-post dunk Posted by Mike Florio on August 2, 2014, 3:13 PM EDThttp://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/grahamdunk.jpg?w=215Saints tight end Jimmy Graham has vowed to ignore the new rule banning goal-post dunks during games. And while it remains to be seen whether Graham will go through with a plan that would sacrifice 15 yards of field position and cost him money via a league-imposed fine, he dusted off his signature move after scoring a touchdown during Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage. Referee Gene Steratore, who has spent the past few days at Saints camp and sat down with PFT Live in an interview to be broadcast on Monday, threw a flag — to the loud disapproval of the fans in attendance. Steratore explained that any use of the goal post during celebrations will result in a penalty during games. “If it’s a clean dunk or a finger roll, I mean, come on,” Steratore said, via the New Orleans Advocate. “[That's a] prop. We just have to go prop.” The goal-post dunk and the Lambeau Leap survived the NFL’s prior ban against props. Graham’s violent dunk during a Thursday night game last year, which knocked the crossbar askew, prompted the NFL to include the maneuver within the reach of the rule. So who will be in charge of stopping Graham from doing a dunk during games? “Nobody,” Saints safety Jairus Byrd told PFT Live in an interview that will be shown on Monday. “Listen, as long as he’s in the end zone, that’s what we want. So that’s his decision to make but as long as he’s getting in the end zone, you know, that’s a great thing.” Kicking off from the 20 instead of the 35 won’t be a great thing, especially if it results in the opponent matching Graham’s visit to the end zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Forecast: 4 reasons to watch entire Saints-Rams preseason game http://media.wwltv.com/images/470*264/8004266.jpg New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead (72) blocks defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) during training camp at The Greenbrier. The older I’ve gotten the more I love the NFL and the more I hate preseason football. It’s not only theft from season ticket holders because the owners charge regular season prices to watch future delivery truck drivers fail to look like competent football players but also watching the first preseason game each season is the biggest let down of the summer. I hate I get so excited each year for the Saints preseason opener and then five minutes after it starts I realize it’s atrocious and we have to suffer through three more. You won’t hear any grandstanding sanctimonious lies about how I won’t watch. The Saints could sign 53 guys from a retirement home and I’d watch. I’d complain about Mickey Loomis not having anyone under the age of 75 on the roster…but I’d watch. Of course we are all watching but what in the game can keep our interest so we don’t start playing on Twitter or change the channel in the fourth quarter? 1. Backup quarterback Ryan Griffin might get a chance to make nice money. Drew Brees missed the scrimmage and practices this week so Griffin has been taking a lot of first team snaps and by all accounts he’s looked pretty good. The Saints won’t say it, but I believe they want Griffin to be Brees’ backup. Why do I think that? Because last season when St. Louis’ quarterback Sam Bradford was injured for the year the Rams tried to sign Griffin off the Saints practice squad. The Saints convinced Griffin to stay, cut Martez Wilson, and put Griffin on the 53-man roster. Sean Payton wouldn’t do that if he didn’t believe Griffin could be at least a viable backup. If Griffin starts and looks good, he will solidify the backup spot and remember Chase Daniel got three years and $10 million from the Kansas City Chiefs and all he did was be moderately entertaining in preseason games. This is huge moment for Griffin. Look good and he might be in the NFL for a decade. Look bad and he might not be on a roster in September. 2. Rob Ryan needs lots of safeties so he can ‘Get Weird.’ Did you catch Rob Ryan talking about how he’s, “Always ready to get weird?” I have been joking that Ryan eventually will play 11 safeties at one time, but it might be closer to happening than a joke. The Saints played three safeties more than any team last year. They have Kenny Vaccaro, Jairus Byrd and Rafael Bush as starters, but if Ryan plans to continue to ‘get weird’ then there are plenty of roster spots open for safeties. Canadian football import Marcus Ball got first team snaps this week, draft pick Vinnie Sunseri will need to shine on special teams and Pierre Warren is probably an interception away from having five features written about him next week. In 2014 Rob Ryan ‘getting weird’ seems delightful so pay attention to the safeties and hope they all play well. THE ALL SAFETY ROB RYAN DEFENSE IS WITHIN REACH! 3. Bathe in the Brandin Cooks hype As fans we don’t need a reason to gush over some random Saints wide receiver in August. Remember Adrian Arrington or Mike Haas? They were gonna be great! Between them they caught 9 passes for the Saints. That Adrian Arrington jersey was a bad investment by me. Those guys weren’t a first-round pick like Cooks, but the hype around him feels different. I can’t ever recall players gushing over a rookie like this. Not Reggie Bush, not Marques Colston or any skill player. The only guy who comes to mind is Jahri Evans. Players and coaches sung his praises from day one, but he’s a guard and while guards are important they excite fans about as much as flossing your teeth. My biggest question is will Sean Payton keep Cooks under wraps and not show the rest of the league anything or does he bust out a couple special plays to scare Atlanta to death? I hope it’s the latter because lord knows a boring preseason game could use an 80-yard touchdown to make it watchable. Besides what’s better in August than Falcons head coach Mike Smith having nightmares about Brandin Cooks? 4. Watching Sean Payton and Gregg Williams shake hands before kickoff. There is a 99.999 percent chance Sean Payton and Gregg Williams shake hands, say hello, and ignore talking about Bountygate all together. But there is a .001 percent chance Payton sucker punches Williams, body slams him at the 50-yard line of the Edward Jones Dome and screams "Cross Fit FOREVER," Twitter then goes insane and sucks the universe into a black hole which causes humanity as we know it to end. Unlikely, but the possibility makes this game 15 percent more watchable. Real Saints football is finally here. Rejoice and say your goodbyes to loved ones until February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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