Thursday, everything changes. The Superdome lights dim. A banner drops. The Who Dat nation is transformed.

From pitiful to powerful. Long-suffering to non-suffering. Wannabes to wildebeests.

Last to first.

But don’t kid yourself, New Orleans Saints fans. This won’t be easy. We’ve been lovable losers for a long time. After 43 years below sea level — literally and figuratively — it can be dizzying to suddenly find yourself cheering from such lofty heights. Seventy-thousand people fainting will not create the hostile environment Coach Sean Payton is counting on when the Minnesota Vikings come to town for Thursday’s nationally televised, prime-time kickoff to the 2010 National Football League season.

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James Varney – TP

Who knows what evil lurks along the line of scrimmage?

The Stinch knows.

Indeed, if there is trash talk along the line, then veteran New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who will start his 65th consecutive game Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings at the Superdome, would know. The fact is, however, there’s generally a lot less than fans might think.

With one notable exception.

“It’s really pretty rare,” he said. “Jared is one of the noisier guys we play.”

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Losing outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas to a season-ending foot injury last week was certainly a blow to the New Orleans Saints’ defense. The second-year pro had been a standout playmaker this summer, earning a starting job on the weak side.

But it should be a smooth transition to “Plan B” for the Saints – or more precisely, a smooth transition back to “Plan A.”

Third-year pro Jo-Lonn Dunbar began the summer as the Saints’ starting strong-side linebacker, where he will likely return for Thursday night’s season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Veteran starter Scott Shanle will likely switch back to his natural position on the weak side.

“I’ve been here for three years and I’ve played all three linebacker positions,” said Dunbar, who has started five games as an injury replacement in his young career and said he is “absolutely” comfortable with jumping back in to the starting lineup. “I’m kind of one of those guys, I’m ready to come in at any position at any moment.”

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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.

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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.”

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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.

James Varney

New Orleans Saints quarterback Chase Daniel and receiver Adrian Arrington have been a dynamic duo during the preseason, hooking up for big plays and making strong cases for spots on the team’s 53-man roster.

Oddly enough, though, they’ve actually been competing against each other the whole time.

A third quarterback and a sixth receiver might be considered “luxuries” for the Saints when they make their final roster cuts at the end of this week, especially since neither Daniel nor Arrington contribute on special teams.

So as well as they’ve played this summer, they’re both wobbling on the proverbial bubble, along with players like tight end Tory Humphrey, fullback Zak Keasey, defensive ends Junior Galette and Bobby McCray and defensive backs Leigh Torrence and Chip Vaughn, among several others.

The Saints need to cut two players by Tuesday, then another 22 by Saturday

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Jeff Duncan

We all know life in post-Katrina New Orleans is an oft-maddening good-news, bad-news existence.

One day, optimism abounds. The next you wonder whether the city will ever turn the corner.

The same can be said for preseason football.

For every positive sign, there’s a contrasting negative one.

In the middle of it all, it’s difficult to really tell what you have or where you’re going.

After Friday night’s 36-21 victory against San Diego, the good news for the New Orleans Saints is the positive definitely outweighs the negative.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Saints’ good and bad, 13 days before the titanic regular-season opener against Minnesota:

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Nakia Hogan

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is more than just a little amped about playing tonight’s preseason game at the Superdome.

The opponent is the San Diego Chargers, the franchise that five years ago was less than enthused about trying to keep Brees on its roster and eventually let him walk in free agency to the Saints.

Brees has never forgotten about his departure from San Diego and his arrival in New Orleans.

But the excitement for Brees, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, has nothing to do with getting an opportunity to rub it in to the Chargers. Instead, it stems from this being the third and perhaps most important of the Saints’ four preseason games.

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