Jeff Duncan, TP

SAN FRANCISCO – As I watched San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers throw a conniption fit at midfield in Kansas City last week a thought occurred to me.

This would never happen with the New Orleans Saints.

I can’t remember the last time a Saints player lost it on the field. Of course, there’s not a lot to get upset about when you start a season 13-0 and win the Super Bowl.

Still, the Saints, by and large, are as demonstrative and emotional as snipers when they take the field. Their insides might be bubbling cauldrons of emotion but it rarely shows.

The closest thing I can remember to a visual display of on-field emotion in the Sean Payton era was the heated sideline exchange between tight end Jeremy Shockey and quarterback Drew Brees in Atlanta two years ago.

Otherwise, nothing.

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Nakia Hogan, The Times-Picayune

The New Orleans Saints weren’t as impressive as some fans would have liked them to be, but they are still plenty good enough.

In beating the Minnesota Vikings 14-9 Thursday night, they proved they could win an ugly game as well as in style. So, for the second straight week, the defending Super Bowl champions are the No.1-ranked team in the NFL Power Rankings by The Times-Picayune.

There is a new No. 2 team, however. The Green Bay Packers have moved up three spots to the second position, followed by the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

Click here to see the chart.

John DeShazier, The Times-Picayune

It was one game, Pierson Prioleau cautioned.
So there’s no reason for the New Orleans Saints’ special team coverers to act as if, collectively, they’ve become a blanket. There is no reason to declare their problems have been solved, and that 25- and 50-yard punt and kickoff returns are things of the past.

But even a 12-year veteran safety such as Prioleau, the Saints’ special teams captain, is allowed to be encouraged.

“It’s fair to say we made some improvements from the preseason to the first game of the season, ” Prioleau said. “We just flat-out covered the ball better in the first game of the season.

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The Times-Picayune

The Associated PressReggie Bush said he will forfeit his Heisman Trophy.

In a statement released by the Saints on Tuesday afternoon, Bush said he plans on giving back the Heisman Trophy.

Here is his statement:

“One of the greatest honors of my life was winning the Heisman Trophy in 2005. For me, it was a dream come true.

But I know that the Heisman is not mine alone. Far from it. I know that my victory was made possible by the discipline and hard work of my teammates, the steady guidance of my coaches, the inspiration of the fans, and the unconditional love of my family and friends. And I know that any young man fortunate enough to win the Heisman enters into a family of sorts. Each individual carries the legacy of the award and each one is entrusted with its good name.

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Jeff Duncan

Welcome to today’s edition of the New Orleans Saints Mailbag. Lots of interesting questions today, including ones about the Saints’ use of the 3-4 scheme against the Vikings and the renewed debate over the legitimacy of Lance Moore’s extra-point conversion catch in Super Bowl XLIV.

I’ll have more files tomorrow and Thursday.

Meantime, if you’d like to submit a question, send it to Saintsmailbag@timespicayune.com. Please include your name and place of residence. And by “name” I mean your real name, the one your momma gave you, not some Internet message board handle. In other words, John Doe not WhoDat4Ever69. Otherwise, your question won’t get published. Sorry, folks, rules are rules.

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Get your new Saints gear, they have some great new stuff.

Nakia Hogan, The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Saints starting left tackle Jermon Bushrod doesn’t want to take all the credit.

Although he more than held his own against Minnesota Vikings All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen in the Saints’ 14-9 season-opening victory Thursday, Bushrod said it was an entire team effort that led to his success. So when asked if he thought he had won the battle against Allen, Bushrod was quick to deflect the attention.

“I would say we won the battle, ” Bushrod said. “I really don’t harp on individual-type things. We just went out there as 11. It’s not an individual game, it’s a team game. There were times I counted on my teammates to help me out, and vice versa. Everything just kind of plays hand in hand.”

However, to Saints Coach Sean Payton and Bushrod’s line mates, it was clear Bushrod had the upper hand, as Allen failed to generate much of a pass rush and wasn’t a factor in slowing the Saints’ second-half rushing attack.

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Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

The New Orleans Saints’ 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night at the Superdome was hardly the most thrilling performance in recent franchise history. But it can certainly be the kind of win that sets a tone for the rest of the season.

Consider the effect that some of these under-the-radar games had on the Saints in recent years:

A “ho-hum” 19-14 victory at Cleveland in the 2006 opener, which gave the rebuilt Saints confidence and eventually allowed them to head into the Superdome with a 2-0 record for that unforgettable Monday night Dome opener against Atlanta.

A disastrous 16-13 loss at home to Carolina in the fourth game of 2007, when the Saints missed countless opportunities, including two missed field-goal attempts by Olindo Mare. That dropped them into a deep 0-4 hole that they ultimately couldn’t dig out of.

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Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

Apparently the New Orleans Saints needed to shake a little bit of rust off that sterling silver Lombardi Trophy to start this season.

But that doesn’t tarnish the fact that the reigning Super Bowl champions are off to another 1-0 start after a perfectly acceptable 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night in the Superdome.

“We’re not used to 14-9 victories, but we’re used to winning,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “We like the W.”

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Peter Finney, Times-Picayune

The best I can make out what’s going on hereabouts is this

Somewhere around a visit to our town by Michelle Obama to address childhood obesity, there will be a parade by (can you believe this?) the Krewe of NFL featuring a cast of local chefs – Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Dooky Chase, John Besh, Frank Brigtsen, the Brennans, to mention a few – who would like to be tossing out such favors (sorry about that, Michelle) as blackened redfish, alligator sausage, trout almondine and bread pudding.

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