Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune December 24, 2008 5:30PM

Rusty Costanza, The Times-Picayune

It will take a perfect storm in the Superdome on Sunday for the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees to accomplish both of their objectives against the Carolina Panthers, which they have clearly ranked as:

1. Win the game.
2. Throw for 402 yards.

That agenda would seem absurdly difficult on the surface, considering the Panthers are 11-4 and shut down the Saints’ passing game 10 weeks ago. But the Saints have captured this kind of lightning in a bottle before.
Last season Brees threw for 445 yards in a 41-24 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars — a playoff-bound team that couldn’t be considered a pushover.

The season before that, Brees threw for 384 yards at Dallas, leading New Orleans to a 42-17 romp that remains one of the signature victories of their current era.

Brees, who needs 402 yards to break Dan Marino’s NFL record for yards passing in a season (5,084, in 1984), has made it clear that the win is the most important goal for him this week.

But he also has made no bones about his desire to accomplish both.

“Absolutely, ” said Brees, who could become the second quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards if he throws for a more manageable 317 yards. “The win is more important than the record, but I think any competitive person, you get this close to a record like that, of course you want to break it.

“I think if we could have both, what that record would mean to this organization and our team and this city and everything. I had 10 people come up to me on the street Monday, just going out to eat (at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse). And every single one of them said nothing other than, ‘We hope you break the record.’ So obviously people are thinking about it. Obviously it means something to people. So if it happens, then great, because they deserve it.”

Teammates, too, said they want to go for the record this week, along with the victory. Receiver Marques Colston said it would be special to be a part of NFL history, and guard Jahri Evans said Brees has been playing so well this season that he deserves it.

But it won’t come easy — especially because the Saints don’t have the element of surprise on their side.

The Panthers are well aware of Brees’ record chase.

“Well, I think the numbers are 400-plus yards or 402 yards. It would be pretty tough to get that against our secondary, ” said Carolina Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jon Beason, who said the record has been mentioned this week but that he doesn’t expect the Saints to change what they do to get it.

“I mean, if they’re going to play for a record vs. the game, I don’t think that’s a good recipe to win, ” he said. “And they’ve got a young guy in the backfield, Pierre (Thomas), you’ve got to get him the ball if you’re going to be successful.”

Even last week against the struggling Detroit defense, the Saints stayed balanced throughout the game, with Brees throwing for 351 yards. His teammates ran for 184 yards (not counting Brees’ three kneel-downs at the end of the game).

“They throw the ball a good bit anyways, ” Carolina Coach John Fox said. “I think they are going to have a game plan just like they do every week, and we’re going to have a game plan. That’s part of the art of all this. We’ll have to figure out when they are going to run or going to pass.”

The Panthers had perhaps the best game plan all season to shut down Brees and the Saints’ versatile offense in their 30-7 victory at Carolina in Week 7.

They held Brees to 231 yards, no touchdowns and forced one interception, bringing consistent pressure and aggressively jumping in front of the receivers’ anticipated routes to bat balls away.

Brees wasn’t giving away any secrets when he suggested the best way to get to 400-plus yards Sunday would be to do everything the right way on offense.

“I can’t be thinking about (the record). I’ve got to figure out ways to move the football, ” Brees said. “And in my mind, the more that we have the ball, the more that we have the opportunity to do that.

“So how do we keep the ball? We do well on first down, you’re not taking sacks, you convert on third down, you’re scoring points and keeping the defense off the field so they’re rested and they get you the ball back. All those things. So I guess to figure out how to do it, you go back to step one, and that’s what we’ve tried to do all year.”

Brees has thrown for 400 or more yards four times in his career — all of them with the Saints. Aside from the Jacksonville victory, he lost the other three games, which isn’t surprising since most of the yards came in frantic catch-up mode.

He threw for 422 yards in a loss at Atlanta this season in Week 10 and 421 yards in a Week 3 loss at Denver. In 2006, he threw for 510 yards in a home loss to Cincinnati. He threw for 398 yards in a loss at Pittsburgh that season.

Perhaps the task wouldn’t be so monumental this week if Carolina had beaten the New York Giants last Sunday to lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC and clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Then they might choose to rest some of their starters or play a more vanilla game plan.

Instead, the Panthers need a victory to ensure that they win the NFC South title and earn a first-round bye.

“I wouldn’t want to have it any other way, ” Brees said. “They’re going to come in, and obviously they have a lot to play for, just like we do. So it should be a heck of a game.”

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune December 22, 2008 10:54PM

Saints quarterback Drew Brees will complete one of the greatest seasons by any player in NFL history Sunday and likely will have nothing to show for it.

No division title.

No playoff berth.

Not even an individual honor, other than a run-of-the-mill backup spot in the Pro Bowl.

How unjust.

Not since Eric Dickerson ran for an NFL single-season record 2,105 yards in 1984 and was snubbed for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year honors has an individual player accomplished more and been rewarded less.

And that year, Dickerson had the misfortune of breaking the rushing record the same year Dan Marino set the single-season mark for passing yards in a season with 5,084 yards.

But there’s no one close to having a Dickerson- or Marino-like season this year. Yet Brees still is being dismissed.

Heck, Brees wasn’t even selected to start for the NFC in the Pro Bowl. That honor went to the Arizona Cardinals’ Kurt Warner. Has anyone seen Warner play the past month?

Even more amazing, Brees isn’t even being mentioned in the discussion about finalists for the award. Has the entire media corps who covers the league lost its collective mind?

The only quarterbacks in NFL history to pass for more than 4,800 yards in a season are Marino (5,084 yards in 1984), Warner (4,830 in 2001) and Tom Brady (4,806 in 2007) and Dan Fouts (4,802 in 1981). All but Fouts were chosen MVP.

With 4,683 yards, Brees might not catch Marino’s hallowed record against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at the Superdome, but he almost certainly will pass the other three for second. He has a decent chance to reach 5,000 yards, which would be a significant milestone in itself.

Yet, thanks to some squandered games earlier this season, the Saints’ failure to make the playoffs will cost him the award that rightfully should be his.

And that’s flat-out wrong.

The voters should be ashamed.

Journalists pride themselves on mining for facts and researching subjects in-depth, but when the major awards come along these days — seemingly regardless of sport — the process follows an almost mindless process.

The voters scan the league standings for the teams with the best records, then pick the players on those teams with the best stats. The last MVP to play for a non-playoff team was Boomer Esiason in 1987. The last Offensive Player of the Year from a non-playoff team was Priest Holmes in 2002.

I understand the thought process. The best players lift their teams to victory and championships.

Fine.

But if anyone has followed Brees even remotely this season, they would know he has almost single-handedly — single-armedly? — lifted an injury-riddled, fair-to-middling outfit to within one win of the playoffs.

Take him off the Saints, and they win, what, three or four games, maybe?

The Saints do not have a Pro Bowler at any other position and have 17 players on the injured reserve list.

Brees’ two projected main receiving targets — Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey — missed five games each because of injury. His main check-down receiver Reggie Bush will have missed essentially seven games after next week. Deuce McAllister, who is coming back from double knee surgery, and fullback Mike Karney also have missed games because of injuries.

The lone phase of the team that is primarily responsible for passing is ranked No.¤1 in the league. The Saints’ offense is ranked No.¤1 in scoring and yardage.

No other phase of the team is ranked in the top half of the league except for the return games.

Yet, Brees hasn’t missed a beat — or an open receiver. He’s completed 65 percent of his passes and thrown for at least 216 yards in every game this season. He’s passed for 300 or more yards nine times; 400 or more yards twice. He has been sacked a league-low 11 times and thrown a club-record 30 touchdown passes.

And he has done it all while competing in the toughest division in the NFL. If the Saints defeat the Panthers on Sunday, the NFC South will become the first division to finish with four teams with winning records since the league went to the 16-game schedule in 1978.

His detractors might point to Brees’ high interception total (16) or sub-par fourth quarter efficiency rating (82.4 with six interceptions). But other than that awful fourth quarter against the Buccaneers, he has been a model of consistency all season. It’s the body of work that counts.

But Brees’ season has been about more than just numbers.

His leadership has been one of the key reasons the Saints have avoided the locker dramas that have beset other similarly disappointing teams (See: Dallas, San Diego). The sheer force of Brees’ personality in the locker room will not let it happen. Brees is the best kind of leader. He talks the talk then walks the walk — Monday through Sunday.

Clearly, his spectacular season deserves to be recognized, if not with the MVP then at the very least with the Offensive Player of the Year award.

Posted by Teddy Kider, The Times-Picayune December 21, 2008 11:04PM

DETROIT — For the Saints, Sunday was billed as a potentially momentous letdown. They were out of the playoff hunt for the first time under their current coach and quarterback, and the Detroit Lions, trying to avoid the worst NFL season ever, had seemingly been creeping closer to a win.

The Saints, however, made it very clear early on they would steer clear of embarrassment.

New Orleans won its easiest matchup of the season 42-7 against Detroit at Ford Field, and the Lions became the first team in NFL history to start a season 0-15.

The Saints moved to 8-7, with the season finale at home against the Carolina Panthers coming up next week, and Saints Coach Sean Payton stressed what he thought still was at stake.

“We want to finish 9-7,” Payton said. “That’s important. It’s important as it relates to next season. It’s important for our team. And I’m sure, if you ask Drew Brees, it’s important to him.”

Brees agreed, after leading the NFL’s No.¤1-ranked offense to an efficient performance. The Saints scored touchdowns on their first six drives, and didn’t give up the ball up without scoring until the fourth quarter. They went 11-for-11 on third down until kneeling on the final play, tied a team record with 32 first downs, and didn’t punt.

And on a day when many eyes were focused on Brees and his potentially record-breaking season, the Saints’ running game was at its best. All four of the Saints’ first-half scores were rushing touchdowns, and they came from four players — running backs Pierre Thomas, Deuce McAllister and Mike Bell, plus receiver Robert Meachem.

The Saints finished with 181 rushing yards, 112 of them from the first half, and Thomas — 13 carries for 77 yards — and McAllister — nine carries for 61 yards — led the way. McAllister’s effort pushed him past 6,000 yards rushing for his career. He has 6,056.

“Going into this game, we felt positive,” said Thomas, who also had three receptions for 26 yards. “We felt like we could go out here and take it to them, we’ve just got to stay focused.”

Brees completed 30 of 40 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns — both to Marques Colston — and no interceptions, finishing with new single-season franchise records for passing yards (4,683) and passing touchdowns (30).

The main record Brees has been chasing all season — 5,084 passing yards in one season, set by Dan Marino in 1984 — still is within reach, but Brees will need quite a game against Carolina. He heads into the final week of the season needing 402 passing yards to break the record.

Even with Sunday’s score out of hand before the midway point of the third quarter, Brees continued to play. Payton said he was “a little conflicted” about how to handle the record and Sunday’s blowout, noting the Saints did not have too many snaps in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we handled that part of it well in really just playing the game the way we’re supposed to, and that’s to win and to attack the defense the way we see best fit to score,” Payton said. “And those things happened today.”

With no shot at a postseason berth, Payton used a few plays and players that might not have made it into any other game. Skyler Green, the former LSU receiver who has spent most of 2008 on the Saints’ practice squad, was activated before the game and used on kickoff and punt returns.

Green had a 60-yard return on the opening kickoff, and the drive ended with a 20-yard touchdown run from Meachem, who has rarely been used, on an end-around. The Saints led 14-0 after the first quarter and never trailed.

“In the games that they’ve played real well this year, they’ve gone ahead of teams,” Payton said about the Lions, who lost to Indianapolis by 10 points the previous week and Minnesota by four points before that. “And last week they got off to a good start. So we talked a lot about starting well. I thought offensively, when we won the toss, we had a good series of plays, a good drive.”

The Saints’ defense gave up 255 yards and forced two interceptions. The Lions’ lone touchdown was on a running play in the second quarter. It was set up when Saints safety Roman Harper was called for pass interference on fourth-and-goal.

Brees joked that taking a knee on three plays at the end of the game killed his team’s average of converting on third down, but he also seriously addressed a relatively new experience for him — winning without playoff implications.

“Maybe one other time in my career I’ve been in this situation, where you’re not playing for anything right at the end of the season,” Brees said. “So it’s frustrating. But we have a lot of highly motivated, self-motivated guys on our team. And we’re playing for a lot. We’re playing for each other. And we’re playing to finish the season the right way, with pride, and this is what we’re paid to do.”

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune December 19, 2008 10:41PM

Michael DeMocker, The Times-Picayune

Reggie Bush has some down time now, as he will miss the Saints’ final two games this season with a knee injury.

Now that you have some unexpected down time, here are some things to consider while you’re mending your left knee in southern California with Kim.

I’m one of the confederacy of dunces that gathers around your locker each week to assault you with mind-numbing repetitive questions about life, love and football.

The last thing you probably need right now is more advice. Heaven knows your ears are bent daily by folks who think they have your best interests at heart — doctors, agents, coaches, teammates, girlfriends, family members.

But just in case, here it is anyway. It’s the truth. The talk, unlike your runs, is straight.

First and foremost, relax.

From the minute you arrived in the NFL, you’ve run around, to borrow a phrase from Hokie Gajan, “like a sprayed roach.”

You hit the ground running with endorsements and guest appearances and TV ads and charity drives, and you’ve never stopped.

Slow down, take a deep breath and assess your situation.

You might not know it, but your career is entering a crossroads. Next season will be your fourth NFL season, and you haven’t exactly set the world on fire these first three seasons. You haven’t been a bust. Then again, the bust in Canton isn’t being poured either.

The next 12 months of your life could define your future and determine your legacy.

I know you were upset about the way your third NFL season ended, how, for the second time in three games, Sean Payton banished you to the sideline while your teammates fought the good fight out on the field. You looked as mad as a hornet as you sat alone on the frigid sideline at Soldier Field.

Don’t sulk. Don’t complain. Learn from the experience. Payton made the right decision. It might not seem like it now, but the experience will pay off down the road — if you respond the right way.

Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to what the best player on your team, Drew Brees, had to say this week.

Brees raved about your competitiveness and drive. He relates to your frustration with injuries. And he empathizes with your struggles to live up to expectations that he says “have been higher for (you) than any guy maybe in the history of the league.”

He knows how much you want to be “the guy.” But he’s quick to add that, “this team isn’t about one guy. It’s about a group of guys working together.”

His advice to you: “Forget what people think, media or otherwise, and just worry about getting better every day and worry about what you need to do to help this team win.”

Translation: Get healthy and get your act together. Forget about everything else, such as the things that don’t matter, like your image, your legacy, your sponsorship portfolio.

Put that stuff on the back burner. The only endorsements you should covet are those of your coaches and teammates.

Listen to them. They care about you and want you to succeed.

Listen to backfield-mate Pierre Thomas when he says that players in the locker room can’t relate to the lifestyle you live, and many don’t want to. This is the life you have chosen. There are no guardrails in life’s fast lane.

“Honestly, if I was in that situation, I don’t know if I could handle it, so much is getting thrown at you, ” Thomas said Wednesday. “His name is like Times Square, lit up: Reggie Bush! It’s tough when everybody is looking at you to be that guy every day.

“People are still looking up to him, expecting him to do things he did in college. And this is not college. This is the pros. It’s different. That’s a lot of pressure to put on somebody. It’s a big pill to swallow, but you’ve got to take it on. The route he took (in life), that’s what it has created. He’s got to deal with it. Somehow he’s got to learn how to deal with it.”

The first step is admittance.

So let’s start there: You’re not going to be the next Gale Sayers.

That’s OK. Few are. That doesn’t mean you can’t be a very, very good NFL player, even a Pro Bowler.

But you won’t get there if you keep trying too hard to be something that you’re not.

Stop trying to be the next Barry Sanders.

Stop trying to be the next anybody for that matter.

Stop trying to be better than Mario Williams.

Stop worrying about keeping up with Chris Paul.

And forget the Reggie Bush from Southern Cal. That guy’s gone. Those days are over. The Heisman Trophy won’t help you now. Ask Matt Leinart.

There aren’t any Fresno States in the NFC South. You’re not going to rack up 513 all-purpose yards in a game, like you did against the befuddled Bulldogs on that magical night three years ago. So stop trying to do it in the NFL.

Stop trying to score a touchdown, make “SportsCenter” highlights and save post-Katrina New Orleans on every play.

Stop running backward on punt returns and sideways on toss sweeps. Find a hole, put that gold Adidas cleat in the ground and follow your blocks.

Learn to love the 4-yard gain. It won’t sell video games, but it will help win football games.

Remember the end and the means it takes to get there.

Forget everything else.

But remember the Grossmont La Mesa Mitey Mites.

Remember what it was like when you started out in Pop Warner as a diminutive 9-year-old in suburban San Diego? You didn’t worry about girls or agents or sponsors or legacies. You just played ball. You worried about the game, the next play, the kid in front of you and not much else. When you were a boy, you didn’t worry about being The Man. And you eventually became Him.

That’s how it works.

So stop trying to be “the guy” and just be one of ’em.

Life, and your NFL career, will be better once you do.

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune December 18, 2008 10:22PM

Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune

Saints safeties Josh Bullocks and Kevin Kaesviharn, along with Roman Harper, have combined for only three interceptions, zero forced fumbles and zero sacks this season.
When the Saints sit down in two weeks and start evaluating where they can improve in 2009, it’s safe to assume the safety position will be at the top of the list.

It’s not just that the Saints defense has given up too many deep passing plays this year, as it has in years past. The blame for that falls on the entire defense, from the coverage to the pass rush to the schemes.

But there also has been a lack of big-play impact from a position that breeds some of the league’s most dynamic difference-makers — guys like Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu, Baltimore’s Ed Reed and Indianapolis’ Bob Sanders.
The Saints’ top three safeties, Roman Harper, Kevin Kaesviharn and Josh Bullocks, have combined for three interceptions, zero forced fumbles and zero sacks this season.

Harper, a third-year strong safety, has shown the most promise of the bunch, though he has been much more effective in run support than in coverage.

Bullocks, a fourth-year free safety who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, has been more inconsistent, though coaches say he played his best game of the year last Thursday at Chicago.

Both young safeties can still use these final two games as a platform to prove they deserve to stick around, with two of the most dangerous receiving threats in the league on the schedule — Detroit’s Calvin Johnson and Carolina’s Steve Smith.

Kaesviharn, who has two years remaining on his contract, is out for the year with a neck injury.

“Every game, you’re putting your resume out on tape, ” said Harper, a second-round draft pick out of Alabama in 2006. “You’ve got to understand that. You’ve got to show up and play hard. And if you’re not playing well, then in the offseason you’ll recognize that people will be talking about it.

“But I’m not going to get too worked up about it. I know I’m not young, but I’m a young guy in the league. I’m still learning, too.”

Harper said he would be the “first one to stand up and say if I’m messing up or not, ” and he pointed out some lowlights, like when he got flagged for the game-clinching pass interference penalty last week at Chicago (still questionable in his mind), when he let Smith get behind him for a 39-yard touchdown at Carolina in Week 7, and when he dropped at least three or four catchable interceptions.

But he said he doesn’t think the Saints need a drastic overhaul on defense or in the secondary, where he believes newcomers like cornerback Randall Gay and injured rookie corner Tracy Porter have already given the Saints a boost.

“I think we have a really good group of guys. I don’t look at any other defensive backfield and think, ‘Wow, they’re so much better.’ ” Harper said. “I think we’ve improved since last year, and I think we’re going to continue to improve. And I think a lot of that comes from just jelling and playing together, you know, having a couple pieces being around each other and learning what this person and that person are thinking. Not just every year, just, ‘Oh man, shake up the pieces. We’ve got to build a new puzzle. Break it up.’ ”

There are some intriguing names on the list of potential free agents at safety this offseason — starting with veteran free safety Brian Dawkins, who has been dominant for 13 seasons in Philadelphia. The 35-year-old just earned his seventh invitation to the Pro Bowl this week.

Perhaps Dawkins will re-sign with the Eagles, try to finish out with a more proven contender or even consider retirement. But he’s exactly the kind of difference-maker the Saints are lacking. When the Saints prepared for two pivotal showdowns against Philadelphia in 2006, Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees singled him out as the guy to worry about.

Chicago Bears veteran free safety Mike Brown also could hit the open market, as could two young up-and-coming free safeties, St. Louis’ Oshiomogho Atogwe and New England’s James Sanders.

At strong safety, Miami’s Yeremiah Bell, Cleveland’s Sean Jones, Tampa Bay’s Jermaine Phillips and Minnesota veteran Darren Sharper all could make a difference.

The draft, too, is an option, though the Saints will likely have just one first-day pick, a first-rounder.

“When the season ends, like always, we’ll sit down and begin to evaluate first internally, our own players. That’s not something you just go through quickly, ” Payton said, lumping in the safeties with every other area of the team. “We have to look at it like, ‘Do we feel like there’s growth potential? Do we feel like the player is improving?’

“Then after that process takes place we move on to free agency, then the draft.”

It’s not like the Saints have ignored the safety position in recent years. Bullocks was a second-round draft pick in 2005, and Harper a second-rounder in 2006. In 2007, the Saints took a long look at several of the top safeties in the free agent class and aggressively pursued Kaesviharn, beating out Cincinnati and Arizona for his services.

It’s just that none of those players has consistently panned out so far.

“No different than our entire defense, I think we’ve had our moments, ” defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs said, “I think they’ve had their moments where they’ve made some good plays, and I think there’s been times when we’ve seen the ball over our head and our inability to make the play down the field.

“You know, when you play back there, it’s a high-wire act. And when you can’t make a play on the ball down the field, a lot of times bad things will happen, and that certainly was the case the other night (at Chicago).”

“I think there’s no doubt there has been improvement. But it certainly isn’t to the extent that we need it to be, ” secondary coach Dennis Allen said of the deep-ball defense, which has been the Saints’ biggest area of vulnerability in their current era. “The fact of the matter, really at the end of the day we’ve still given up a big play or two big plays a game, which really kill you. That’s coaching, that’s playing, that’s the whole deal. And we’ve just got to continue to work in that area.”

Bullocks lost his starting job to Kaesviharn in the offseason but seems to have benefited from the step back, based on his play in the past two games after Kaesviharn got hurt.

Allen said Bullocks lost a little bit of his focus at first when he wasn’t playing as much, but he has really started to come on lately.

“It was frustrating, but it was a big learning experience for me, ” said Bullocks, who made a game-changing interception in the third quarter at Chicago last week, his first pick of the season. “Sometimes when you’re in the driver’s seat you can’t always see everything. Sometimes just being in the passenger’s seat, you can see a lot of things differently. And I did. And so far, so good. I’m just happy to be back out there and get that feeling back.”

Bullocks said he would like to be back with the Saints next year but understands the decision will be in the team’s hands.

Allen said that Harper, too, has been “up and down at times, but that’s to be expected with a young player.” He said one of the things he likes best about Harper is his dedication.

“You see him out here right now doing extra work, ” Allen said after Thursday’s practice. “The guy wants to be a good player. And we’ve just got to continue to work with him and continue to get better.”

Harper said if he had just caught half of those potential interceptions, people would be talking about him “as if I’m some kind of hero, ” and he said his uncle told him he would spend the offseason throwing balls at him in the back yard to help him with the “problem.”

But he also talked in a more serious vein about working to improve.

“Roman Harper’s going to continue to be who he is. He’s going to work. He’s going to have a big smile on his face. He’s going to have fun. And he’s going to come downhill and hit people, ” Harper said. “That’s just what I do. And I’m going to continue to do that and get better.”

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune December 18, 2008 12:12PM

Alex Brandon/The Times-PicayuneSammy

Knight was one of the last Saints to make the Pro Bowl, in 2002.

This week’s First-and-10 column

First take ….

To no one’s surprise, the Saints failed to put a defender in the Pro Bowl this year. There was only one player, quarterback Drew Brees.

Unfortunately for the Saints, not having a defensive player on the team has become the norm. It’s the seventh time in the past eight seasons that the league’s annual all-star game will be played without a Saints defender. Will Smith’s appearance in 2006 was the lone exception.

Since 2000, when the Saints sent four defenders to the Pro Bowl – defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, defensive end Joe Johnson and linebackers Mark Fields and Keith Mitchell – only three Saints defenders have made it to Hawaii: Glover and Sammy Knight in 2001; and Smith in 2006.

Heck, Minnesota had more than that named to the Pro Bowl this season alone (four).

I realize the Pro Bowl is as much about popularity and reputation as anything, but still, that’s a remarkable streak of futility, one that surely ranks among the worst in the league.

Speaking of Glover, his remarkable 18-sack season in 2000 helped the Saints to a league-leading total of 66 in 2000, the most by any team this decade.

The Cowboys have generated a lot of hype because of their recent sack attack this season. But they’d have to record 13 in their final two games just to match the Saints’ 2000 total, which is one of the top marks in league annals.

In case you’re wondering, the 1984 Chicago Bears hold the NFL single-season record with 72.
… And 10 (more observations)
1. Casual locker-room observation of the week: Pierre Thomas’s locker was decorated with balloons on Wednesday, one day before his 24th birthday. Several players stopped by to wish him congratulations. Drew Brees even warbled a quick version of the Happy Birthday Song as he walked by. It was clear by the response, Thomas is one of the most well-liked players on the roster.

2. Off-the-field note of the week: Ultimate Bliss, a 2-year-old filly trained by Tom Amoss, will make her Louisiana racing debut in the second race at Fair Grounds Race Course on Saturday. Ultimate Bliss is the second horse in the Last Mango Racing Stable, which is managed by Saints vice president of communications Greg Bensel and includes among its ownership coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees, general manager Mickey Loomis, singer Jimmy Buffett and former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski. Post time is 12:58 p.m. just a couple of hours before the Saints are scheduled to fly to Detroit so the Saints contingent will have to monitor the race from team headquarters.

The Associated Press

Detroit coach Rod Marinelli says that Saints quarterback Drew Brees is a similar player to Peyton Manning.

3. Quote of the week: “He’s very similar to the one we just played — (Peyton) Manning. (Brees) gets the ball out, he’s quick, he’s decisive and it’s an up-tempo offense. They play basketball on grass.” — Lions coach Rod Marinelli said on Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

4. Didya notice of the week: The Atlanta Falcons rushed for 175 yards in their overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. That was one week after Carolina rushed for 299 yards against the Bucs. That’s the same Bucs defense that Saints Coach Sean Payton said the team’s game plan was to pass against in a 23-20 loss on Nov.30, the same Bucs defense that’s ranked No. 3 in the league against the pass and No. 20 against the run. The Saints rushed for 44 yards on 18 carries in the loss to the Bucs. The 18 attempts were the second fewest against the Bucs this season.

David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune

Saints players Reggie Bush and Marques Colston dejectedly sit on the bench as the team loses to previously winless St. Louis last season.

5. Fact of the week: Buddy Pat Yasinskas at ESPN.com unearthed a remarkable — and ominous — statistic this week. The Saints have played four winless teams that were 0-7 or worse in their history and have lost every time. The 2007 St. Louis Rams were 0-8 before beating the Saints 37-29 in Week 10. The 1999 Browns were 0-7 before upending the Saints 21-16 on a Hail Mary pass from Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson. It was Cleveland’s first win since Week 16 of the 1995 season. The 1998 Carolina Panthers routed the Saints 31-17 to post their first win of the season after an 0-7 start. And the 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers notched the first win in franchise history with a 33-14 rout of the Saints in Week 13. The Bucs were 0-12 that season and had lost 26 consecutive games since joining the league as an expansion team two years earlier.

6. Encouraging stat of the week: With a quietly effective 22-carry, 87-yard night at Chicago, Pierre Thomas now has rushed for at least 80 yards all five times that he’s carried the ball at least 15 times, dating to the 2007 season finale against Chicago.

7. Disturbing stat of the week: The Saints are 1-6 on the road this season and are trying to avoid their worst road record since Mike Ditka’s final season in 1999, when they went 0-8. In fact, since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, the Saints have had only three seasons with road records worse than 2-6: 1-7 in 1980, 1-7 in 1996 and 0-8 in 1999.

David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune

Marques Colston rebounded to have a good game last week against Chicago.

8. What I liked from Week 15: Marques Colston rebounded from his nightmare performance (three drops) against Atlanta to post a strong six-catch, 84-yard night. He also scored his second touchdown of the season. Colston has endured a rough year but for the first time in a while he looked like the guy who caught 168 passes during his first two NFL seasons.

9. What I didn’t like from Week 15: Kick coverage units were shaky for the second time in the past three weeks. The Bears outgained the Saints 192 to 63 in kickoff return yardage. The Saints now rank 26th in punt return coverage and 24th in kickoff coverage. Both areas have regressed consistently since Payton’s first season in 2006.

10. Fearless prediction for Week 16: Drew Brees will top the 400-yard passing mark for the third time this season and put him back on pace to break Dan Marino’s season passing mark in the season finale against Carolina. After three consecutive sub-300-yard games, Brees will riddle the Lions’ injury-riddled secondary. Brees has passed for 4,332 yards and needs 753 yards to break Marino’s 24-year-old NFL record of 5,084 yards. Look for the Saints to use multiple-receiver packages to get the Lions in nickel coverage situations. Stuart Schweigert, who joined the Lions a month ago, will replace Kalvin Pearson at safety in those situations, with Pearson moving from safety to nickel back. That’s just the kind of situation Brees relishes.

Posted by The Times-Picayune December 17, 2008 11:32AM

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune

Reggie Bush was placed in IR and his season is over.

The New Orleans Saints have placed Reggie Bush on the injured reserve list with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, ending his season with two games to play.

To fill the space on the roster, the Saints signed cornerback Michael Lehan, who had been with the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad. In five games this season, Lehan had 11 tackles and no interceptions.

Bush injured his left knee against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 19, and had arthroscopic surgery the next day to repair a torn meniscus. He missed four games for rehabilitation.

He returned to action against Tampa Bay on Nov. 30, but struggled and Coach Sean Payton reduced his playing time because of ineffectiveness.

Bush scored a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 7 and appeared to be back on track. But he suffered a setback against the Chicago Bears the next week and was benched in the second half, again because of ineffectiveness.

Renowed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who has operated on Bush’s knee twice in the past, evaluated the results of Bush’s MRI. Bush will travel to Birmingham, Ala., on Friday to visit with Dr. Andrews personally.

Pierre Thomas will handle the bulk of the rushing load for the remainder of the season. Deuce McAllister has been battling his own knee soreness, though he fully participated in Wednesday’s practice.

…

– Left tackle Jammal Brown also practiced fully on Wednesday after missing last week’s game with an ankle injury. The only player who did not participate was defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, who suffered a hamstring injury at Chicago.

– Saints Coach Sean Payton confirmed that Brown and Bush (as a return specialist) were named first alternates to the Pro Bowl. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was also selected as an alternate to the NFC squad, though he is further down on the list.

Brown will likely be invited to Hawaii since Seattle’s Walter Jones had season-ending knee surgery last week. That would be fitting, since Brown was unable to play when he was selected to the team in 2006 with his own knee injury.

– Payton said Miami (Ohio) University expressed interest in Saints assistant Aaron Kromer for its head coaching vacancy, but Kromer elected to stay in New Orleans. Kromer, who began the year as the Saints’ running backs coach, took over as the Saints’ interim offensive line coach last week when offensive coordinator/line coach Doug Marrone left to become the head coach at Syracuse.

Payton hasn’t announced his long-term plans with his offensive staff, but it’s safe to assume that Kromer will remain the line coach. Kromer was primarily a line coach with Tampa Bay and Oakland before he joined the Saints’ staff this past offseason.

Quarterbacks coach Pete Carmichael will likely take over as the offensive coordinator. Carmichael turned down two opportunities to become a coordinator with the Miami Dolphins under Cam Cameron and Tony Sparano the past two years, choosing to stay with the Saints.

Posted by David Gladow, NOLA.com December 14, 2008 9:02PM

Staff / The Times-Picayune

The Saints won’t be able to overcome their Thursday night loss to Chicago.

CBS Sports has confirmed what Saints fans have suspected ever since the team’s crushing overtime loss in Chicago Thursday night … the Saints are out of the playoffs.

Remarkably, much of what the Saints needed to transpire Sunday fell into place. The elimination game, as it were, ended up being Atlanta’s overtime win against Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers, by virtue of their better conference record, have assured themselves a wild-card spot over the Saints. Atlanta’s win assured them of having the next tie-breaker over New Orleans (better record against common opponents), exahausting the Saints’ final possible avenue.

New Orleans (7-7) finishes it season with a road contest against Detroit next week and the home finale against Carolina the following weekend.

Current NFC playoff standings (conference record in parenthesis):

Giants 11-2*
Panthers 11-3
Vikings 9-5 (7-3)
Cardinals 8-6*
Bucs 9-5 (8-4)
Falcons 9-5 (6-4)
——————————–
Cowboys 8-5 (6-4)
Eagles 7-5-1 (6-4)
Bears 8-6 (6-5)
Redskins 7-7 (6-4)
Saints 7-7 (4-6)

* clinched division/playoff spot

Saints lost tiebreaker to Tampa Bay by virtue of conference record. Entering Sunday, New Orleans needed to win twice and the Falcons to lose twice, the Cowboys to lose twice, the Bears to lose twice, the Eagles to lose twice, and the Redskins to lose once. In addition, the Saints needed to win the following tiebreaker with Atlanta:

“Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.”

If New Orleans were to win out and the Falcons were to lose out, the teams would finish with the following records against common opponents:

Saints 7-5 against TB, DEN, SF, MIN, OAK, CAR, SD, KC, GB, TB, CHI, DET, CAR

Falcons 8-4 against DET, TB, KC, CAR, GB, CHI, OAK, DEN, CAR, SD, TB, MIN

Atlanta would win the tiebreaker.

Posted by Teddy Kider, The Times-Picayune December 13, 2008 4:29PM

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune

Reggie Bush said he got hurt in the Chicago game.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said Saturday that running back Reggie Bush will need further evaluation — including an MRI, to be examined by Dr. James Andrews — after spraining his left knee during Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

Bush, who was not available for comment Saturday, missed the final four games of the 2007 season and four games this year with injuries in that knee.

He seemed to disagree with Payton’s decision to take him out of the game after Thursday’s injury, and Bush told reporters after the game: “I just work here. I’m just an employee. I don’t call the shots. I definitely don’t call the plays.”

Payton defended his decision Saturday.

“We all just work here, right?” Payton said. “So I don’t pay much attention to those comments that we’re able to capture after a tough game. He’s got to have this thing looked at and evaluated, and he’s got to stay healthy and get healthy. Those are the things he’s got to do, and we’ll help him to do that in any way, shape or form. But those are decisions I’ve got to make during the course of the game, and if I feel like a player’s not healthy and it prohibits us — I think in his absence Pierre (Thomas) did a pretty good job, and I think we probably moved the ball as effective as we had all night. And so that’s a credit to Pierre and the guys blocking and catching and doing all those things.

“But obviously I’m rooting for all those guys. I want to play them. I want them to be successful, and it’s in my best interest that they have success. But I just felt like that was the best decision, and I think, as we examine where he’s at right now, I was correct.”

Payton also said Saturday that defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy pulled a hamstring during Thursday’s game and that left tackle Jammal Brown was “gradually getting strength back” after a sprained ankle kept him from playing Thursday.

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune December 13, 2008 4:44PM

New Orleans Saints Insider, Saturday film study

It was a frustrating day for the Saints in Chicago.

The significance of the game could be seen in the face of Coach Sean Payton, who prowled the sideline like a caged jaguar, the intensity evident in his expression.

The wind-chill temperatures were in the teens but Payton spent most of the night hot. And with good reason. The Saints opened the game in a stupor and didn’t snap out of it until midway through the third quarter.

It’s been awhile since Payton was as animated on the sidelines as he was in this game. He got in the face of several players for things he didn’t like, among them Reggie Bush, Robert Meachem, Billy Miller, Jason David and Roman Harper.

The only game this season where I remember Payton being so intense was at Denver. And that, too, resulted in a disappointing loss.

On Saturday, Payton downplayed the significance of his animated sideline “dress down” of Bush, saying Bush’s benching in the second half was due to injury rather than poor performance.

Payton said Bush was not effective after he appeared to tweak his surgically repaired left knee late in the second quarter. Bush is expected to have Dr. James Andrews review the results of an MRI on the knee to see if there is any further damage to the joint, Payton said. The results are expected to be known early next week.

Still, Payton’s displeasure with Bush’s effort on his lone carry in the second half, a run around right end that resulted in no gain, was obvious. Cameras caught Payton lecturing Bush for not cutting the play upfield into the teeth of the defense and instead stringing the play outside.

That would be Bush’s last offensive snap of the game. The Saints went the rest of the way with Pierre Thomas exclusively at running back.

Bush was clearly frustrated by the situation and spent most of the rest of the game parked on the bench under a black Saints parka.

Afterward, Bush told reporters, “That’s how it goes. I just work here. I’m just an employee. I don’t call the shots. I definitely don’t call the plays.”

Payton downplayed the comments on Saturday, saying, “Hey, we all just work here, right? So I don’t pay much attention to those comments that we’re able to capture after a tough game.”

Nevertheless, clearly there was friction between the two parties on Thursday night and that’s significant because Payton has always been loyal and quick to defend Bush, who he selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

And Payton’s explanation that he replace Bush because of his ailing knee doesn’t explain why he inserted Bush to attempt a punt return later in the third quarter.

Stay tuned on this one.

Now, on to the video tape:

CALL OF THE GAME: The Saints have had their share of problems with short-yardage but they dialed up a sweet call to score their first touchdown. After fullback Mike Karney lost a yard on a first-and-goal belly play at the 1, Payton took advantage of a Bears defense that was loaded to stop the run. He faked a dive into the line and tossed a swing pass to Pierre Thomas in the flat, where he easily avoided defensive end Adewale Ogunleye for the score.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Josh Bullocks hasn’t had a great season by any means but he was in the right place at the right time to make his first interception of the season. Patroling the action in a deep zone, he made a nice pick of a Kyle Orton pass that deflected off the shoulder pads of receiver Rashied Davis. Bullocks then showed nice running ability on his 23-yard return to five the Saints’ great field position at the Bears’ 45-yard line. Two plays later, Pierre Thomas scored on a 42-yard run and the Saints had the momentum.

DIDYA NOTICE?: Sean Payton dressed down Robert Meachem for running the wrong route after a first-and-10 play in the third quarter. The Saints were in a “run look” with two tight ends and a fullback in the package, with Meachem isolated in single coverage to the right side. It appeared this was one of the Saints’ “shot plays,” where they try to go deep and indeed Brees was looking Meachem’s way initially but he then was forced to uncork a short incompletion in the direction of Mike Karney. NFL Network cameras caught Payton shaking his head on the sideline and vigorously waving Meachem off the field, saying “Get out!”

UNSUNG HERO: Pierre Thomas officially scored the Saints’ first touchdown, but an assist should have been given to his buddy, Usama Young. Without his spectacular play on special teams, Thomas never would have had the chance. Young tight-roped the goal line to down a 38-yard punt by Glenn Pakulak at the Chicago 1-foot line. On the ensuing play, Jon Vilma recovered a botched snap from center by Olin Kreutz and Thomas did the rest.

QUICK SNAPS:

–Kickoff returns don’t get much easier than Danieal Manning’s 88-yarder to open the game. He was untouched. The Saints coverage unit looked like it was running in quicksand as it closed in on Manning. No one came within an arm’s length of Manning as he raced through a gaping hole on the right side of the field. The hole was opened by a series of good blocks on Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Leigh Torrence and Usama Young. As Payton said Saturday, “He scores if we’re playing flag football.”

–Bad move by Mike Karney to fair catch the opening kickoff at the 17-yard line. Not sure why he did it because there was plenty of running room as he made the catch. That cost the Saints 11 yards of field position on their first series.

–The Saints dropped three passes in the game, one each by Devery Henderson. Robert Meachem, Jeremy Shockey. An interesting comment by Cris Collinsworth on the telecast, after Henderson dropped the first ball thrown to him: “Devery Henderson is one of the great deep threats, a speed receiver, works down the field, makes big plays, (but) doesn’t really like running those slants. I’m just going to leave it at that.”

–I’m not sure there is a better pair of screen-play blockers in the NFL than right guard Jahri Evans and right tackle Jon Stinchcomb. The tandem on the Saints’ right side is excellent at hitting moving targets and setting up the back, usually Pierre Thomas, for big gains.

–Jon Vilma won’t get an easier chance to make an interception than the ball he dropped in the second quarter. Again, another case of the cold weather having an effect.

PERSONNEL GROUPINGS:

The Saints used nine different personnel formations, a higher than normal allotment. Perhaps because of the weather conditions, they relied more than normal on multiple-tight end sets, using two- and three-tight end formations on 32 of 76 snaps. Fullback Mike Karney also had a heavy workload, seeing 28 snaps, including 17 in the second half as the Saints went to a more ground-oriented attack.

Here’s the breakdown of the Saints’ offensive personnel packages on all of the 76 plays from scrimmage I saw:

3WR/1TE/1RB – 20 snaps out of 76 plays
2WR/2TE/1RB – 17 out of 76
2WR/1TE/1RB/1FB – 17 out of 76
1WR/2TE/1RB/1FB – 10 out of 76
1WR/3TE/1RB/ – 5 out of 76
2WR/1TE/2RB – 4 out of 76
4WR/1RB – 1 out of 76
3WR/2RB – 1 out of 76
3WR/1RB/1FB – 1 out of 76