Saints Pro Bowl center Jonathan Goodwin was a key part of the best offensive line in football, and in the first Super Bowl in team history.  He was kind enough to chat with me about that Super Bowl victory and the season as a whole:

1. First, I have to ask, how would you describe the atmosphere in the Superdome after you won the NFC Championship?
Electric!! As soon as the kick got over the line of scrimmage the fans in the end zone started to celebrate, so at that point I knew it had to be on track to be good. After that it was a man hug session (haha). We all were so excited! Everything that we said we wanted to accomplish had been done. We still had one goal left, but to get to that point was a great feeling for us also. Four years ago we got to that point and came up short and that was one of the worst feelings you can ever experience as a professional athlete.

Read the rest of the story here.

By Pat Yasinskas

You can vote for Drew Brees to be on the cover of “Madden NFL 11’’, but, if you believe in curses, you might want to think twice.

Brees, along with Jared Allen and Reggie Wayne are the finalists to grace the cover of the video game. For the first time ever, fans are voting to decide who gets the honor. You can vote here.

It would be a nice honor for Brees, who some fans think gets short-changed because he plays in a small market. But it also could be dangerous. There are a lot of previous cover boys who have suffered from the “Madden Curse” — getting hurt or having a bad season after appearing on the front of the box.

Read the story on Pat’s NFC South Blog.

By Pat Yasinskas

New Orleans Saints

Unrestricted free agents: Safety Darren Sharper and linebacker Scott Fujita

Key figures: The Super Bowl champions face a difficult call on Sharper. The veteran came in and had a fabulous season on a one-year contract. Using the franchise tag on Sharper might not be a bad move because it would guarantee him sticking around for another year. Given Sharper’s age, a long-term contract might not be a wise investment. Fujita also played at a high level last season, but he’s getting older and the Saints have some promising young linebackers. But there is something to be said for continuity when you win a Super Bowl, and the Saints will make some effort to keep their veteran leaders. They also have a slew of restricted free agents, highlighted by guard Jahri Evans, to protect.

Story from Pat’s NFC South  Blog

By Pat Yasinskas

New Orleans Saints

The good news is the Saints don’t have a lot of big needs and with the 32nd overall pick, they won’t be locked in on any one position. They’ve got several ways they could go early in the draft. A defensive tackle to play next to Sedrick Ellis would be nice. But the Saints also could look to get a pass-rushing defensive end to push or take over for Charles Grant. Some eventual replacements for linebackers Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle also would be nice, but the Saints aren’t desperate yet.

Story from Pat’s NFC South Blog

NEW ORLEANS — Where were you when the Saints won it all? It’s one of those questions — like, Where were you during the Apollo 11 moon landing? — that will be asked a lot in the decades to come by generations of sports fans trying to put their lives in the context of something far bigger.

Where was I? Inside Al and Patricia Jones‘s house in the Ninth Ward. I met them for the first time when I showed up on the doorstep early in the fourth quarter, just as the Colts missed what would’ve been a lead-extending field goal and the Saints were rearing to take everyone in this town on the ride of their lives.

New Orleans already had a singular reputation for hospitality, but during the Super Bowl the city eclipsed its own lofty standard. Even the most seasoned party crasher would’ve struggled to keep up with the Joneses, who didn’t go 10 minutes without offering me something to eat (I’m good), five minutes without checking on my drink situation (I’m good), or two minutes without apologizing for the rowdy family members that congested their living room. (Goodness, were they hilarious.)

Super Bowl XLIV was the most-watched event in television history, with 106.5-million viewers tuning in Sunday to see the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31 to 17. CBS execs now have to hope that a few among those record numbers have long memories as none of the all-day coverage of the big game is eligible to compete at the Sports Emmys till next year.

When the nominations are announced next month for the 31st anniversary edition of the Sports Emmys, it will be Super Bowl XLIII that contends. NBC carried that 2009 game in which the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-13.

Read the story here.

Danny Spatchek

When the day Jeff Schwehm had waited his entire life for came, the New Orleans Saints first appearance in the Super Bowl, he took a nap. A lifelong Saints fan, he was too nervous to watch the pregame.

Schwehm, a Lakeland associate professor of biochemistry, grew up in the New Orleans area, and like all Saints’ fans in their early history, endured the torment entailed in rooting for one of the worst teams in the NFL.

“A lot of people went to the games and the fans always had a good showing, but that didn’t mean that the fights in the stands weren’t more interesting than the game,” Schwehm laughs, going on to recount the times when fans wore bags over their heads at the time the club earned the unflattering “Aints” nickname.

Read the rest of the story here.

So Julius Peppers wants out of Carolina — again? This time, I think he’s going to get his wish.

Peppers said the Panthers have been silent about their plans. He can become an unrestricted free agent unless the Panthers use the franchise tag on him for a second straight season. That’s going to cost more than $20 million.

I still think there’s a chance the Panthers may use the tag on Peppers, but trade him before they have to pay him. Where does Peppers end up? There’s been speculation about New England and Philadelphia and there were rumblings about Dallas last year.

But I’ve got a suggestion. Actually it comes from television colleague Ed Werder. As we rode down in the elevator at our hotel yesterday, Ed suggested the Saints should sign Peppers because they could use an elite pass rusher to go with Will Smith.

Read the rest of Pat’s story here.