SEAN PAYTON AND DREW BREES TO LEAD PEP RALLY AT CHAMPIONS SQUARE PRESENTED BY VERIZON

Fans Invited to Celebrate Upcoming Saints Season with Believe Again Bash, Free and Open to the Public

Event to Include Player Appearances, Live Music and the Verizon Training Ground

WHAT: Experience the action of a Saints game before the official launch of the 2010 NFL season, with the Believe Again Bash, presented by Verizon, the official wireless service provider of the NFL and the New Orleans Saints.

The free and open to the public event will include a pep rally led by Coach Sean Payton and Drew Brees, with special appearances by more than 30 Saints players plus the Saintsations and the mascots for pictures and autographs.

Attractions will include the Verizon Training Ground, where fans can test their skills and be judged by Saints Players, pictures with the REAL Super Bowl Trophy and the Kid Zone comprised of a Saints inflatable area, face painting and temporary tattoo artists.

Fans can also enjoy food and beverages by local restaurants, while grooving to the sounds of Rebirth Brass Band, Buck Town All-Stars and more local favorites.

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 from Noon to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Champions Square presented by Verizon — Between the Superdome and Benson Tower

SAINTS BELIEVE AGAIN BASH
SATURDAY, SEPT. 4
CHAMPIONS SQUARE

12:00 PM Doors Open
12:00-8:00 PM
Verizon Training Ground
Saints Kids’ Inflatable Activity Stations
Artist Stations (Face Painting, Balloon Artists, Temporary Tattoos)
Saintsations, Mascot and Super Bowl Trophy Photo Stations
Restaurant and Concession Stands, Merchandise Stands
Band/DJ Performances
VIP Area

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Performance by Amanda Shaw and The Cute Guys

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Performance by Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM Performance by Bucktown All-Stars

8:00 PM – 8:30 PM Saints Pep Rally
Hosted by NFL Legends Hokie Gajan and Bobby Hebert
Speeches by Coach Payton and Players
Saintsations Performances
Saints Superfans and other special guests

8:30 PM – 10:00 PM Performance by Rebirth Brass Band
Resume Select Family Activities
Verizon Training Ground
Saints Kids’ Inflatable Activity Stations
Restaurant and Concession Stands, Merchandise Stands

Do we really need so say anything else?

Jeff Duncan

NASHVILLE, TENN. – When New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton arrives at LP Field for Thursday night’s exhibition game against the Tennessee Titans, three things will be laid out neatly on the desk in his office:

The laminated play sheet with the catalogue of plays the coaching staff plans to use in the game.

The red flag he’ll use to challenge officials’ calls.

Two neat stacks of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum.

Each stack will contain five sticks, one for each drive of each half. Payton will not take the field until he has stashed the sticks into his pocket. He breaks out a new stick to start each offensive series. If the Saints enjoy more than five drives in a half or the game goes into overtime, the equipment staff keeps a reserve supply in a tray behind the bench.

Read the rest of the story here.

This man is a great coach, but an even better human being! The Who Dat Nation is lucky to have him.

Play 60 campaign by NFL!

whodatshirts.com was started because I could never find a shirt with a slogan that said what I was thinking.  The whole concept was to start manufacturing merchandise that had slogans that you couldn’t get at the pro-shop.  I wanted to create a brand that was based on what the fans wanted to say. It was a simple idea. I wanted to make the t-shirt that you had to have, couldn’t get anywhere else, and everyone asked you about. (Wear a “No Squirrels” shirt in the middle of a crowd of Saints fans and you won’t have to wait long for a reaction.)

We’ve spent the last 9 months refining our website and our t-shirt designs in order to put out a quality product that Saints fans can’t get anywhere else.  Within the next couple of days customers will be able to purchase shirts using their iPhone or Android.  With the return of Brett Favre we’re going to be releasing an “X Marks the Spot” shirt which is a take off of the “twitter battle” between Darren Sharper and Visanthe Shiancoe.  We’re also on a mission to get as many people as possible to leave a message on the Dave Matthews Band Facebook page encouraging him to wear our 2D@? shirt when he performs before the Saints/Vikings game on Sept. 9^th.

Thanks Eddie for sending us a great story about your product !

Loyola University New Orleans is asking a very simple question to all Saints fans across the Gulf South: “Are you ready for some football???”

To start off the Saints season in fanatical style, the Center for the Study of New Orleans will host, “Fleur Delirious: A Look at the Saints’ Relationship with New Orleans,” on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m., in Roussel Hall. The event will feature a panel discussion on the Saints, their magical season, and what the team means to the culture of New Orleans.

“The Saints’ fabulous Super Bowl season showed just how intimate the relationship is between the Saints and the city of New Orleans,” said center Director Leslie Parr, Ph.D. “Our program will explore the highs and lows of this relationship and give the audience a chance to ask our distinguished panel everything they’ve always wanted to know about their team.”

Panelists will include former Saint and fan favorite Michael “Beerman” Lewis, Times-Picayune sports reporter and author Jeff Duncan, and WWL-TV sports director and voice of the Saints, Jim Henderson.

Duncan’s new book, “From Bags to Riches: How a Struggling Franchise and a Storm-Battered City Became Champions,” chronicles the unique bond between team and fan, as well as the importance of that relationship in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“A lot of my colleagues throughout the country think that the Saints/New Orleans/Katrina story is one of the greatest, not just of the NFL, but in all of sports,” Duncan said. “But, as good as the story looks on the surface, it goes much deeper.”

“National media thinks that the Saints saved the city, but in reality it’s the other way around,” Duncan continued. “The real heroes aren’t Drew Brees, Sean Payton or Reggie Bush, it’s the fans. They had no reason to support a 3-13 team and owner that was looking to get out, but they did. They told the NFL, ‘You’re not moving this team to San Antonio or L.A. It’s ours.’ They bought season tickets with FEMA checks. They sacrificed basic living expenses to keep this team here. The storm galvanized that bond between franchise and fan, and finally – after 43 years – both received the ultimate reward.”

Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was in Philadelphia on Monday for a second opinion on his groin injury, but the Saints are confident that he’ll be right back where he’s supposed to be — in the middle of their defense — come Sept. 9 when they play the Minnesota Vikings in the regular-season opener at the Superdome.

“Certainly, he’ll be out this week,” Coach Sean Payton said of New Orleans’ preseason finale at Tennessee on Thursday night. “But I think we’re optimistic that he’s going to be able to start up practice when we get going Sunday (for) next week. But we’re going to have to spend a lot of time here in the next six, seven days with treatment and all the things necessary.”

Read the rest of the story here.

By Pat Yasinskas

We’re going to resume our series of NFC South position rankings with the defensive ends.

This is not exactly a position of strength entering the season, but I think that could change as time goes on. There are a lot of young defensive ends around the division and some of them are bound to rise up as the season goes on. For the moment, though, there aren’t a lot of sure things.

Once again, I’m basing my rankings on talks with coaches, scouts, front-office folks and players. Here we go.
Can you guess who # 1 is ??? Well click here now to find out.

I will not spoil it with any comments.