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NFL Total Access | Andrew Hawkins: New Orleans Saints offense "unstoppable force" with Tyrann Mathieu



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After Further Review: Saints | YouTube

After Further Review On Demand is powered by BREC Golf Luke Johnson of The Advocate (New Orleans) joins AFR to recap Saints OTA's. Who was present and who was absent for the voluntary workouts? Who has been the biggest surprise so far? Which new faces are turning heads and how have things changed after Dennis Allen replaced Sean Payton?



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Saints rookie Alontae Taylor is confident he'll be able to compete for a starting job in Year 1. But even in a backup role, he's willing to do whatever it takes to get on the field (yes, that includes special teams). Here's what the second round pick had to say after rookie minicamp earlier this month.



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By Jordan Dajani | CBS Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals proved to be the ultimate dark horse in 2021. Despite starting the year 7-6, Joe Burrow and Co. rallied to win three out of their final four regular-season games to clinch the AFC North, and then won three straight playoff games to get to Super Bowl LVI, where they fell to the Los Angeles Rams. While the Bengals didn't hoist the Lombardi Trophy, their 2021 success is likely a sign of things to come.

The Bengals weren't the only team fans were surprised to see find success last year. The Tennessee Titans went 12-5 and clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC despite not having Derrick Henry for most of the season and having to play with what was a record-setting amount of different players. The New England Patriots made the playoffs with first-year quarterback Mac Jones and looked like a Super Bowl dark horse toward the end of the year and the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a 3-6 start to make the playoffs under first-year head coach Nick Sirianni.

Which teams are going to be better than most expect in 2022? Maybe there's a team like the Bengals that could make a Super Bowl run this upcoming season. Below, we will break down five potential dark-horse teams that may be better than you expect in 2022. We will also list their Over/Under win totals and odds to make the postseason if you're interested in making some money. ...

Full Story - CBS Sports

By Jim Trotter - NFL.com Columnist | NFL.com


... Rank -1

New Orleans Saints
2021 record: 9-8

REASONS TO BE BULLISH: When a fighter absorbs major body blow after major body blow, that fighter typically wears down in the late rounds. But that wasn’t the case with the Saints last season, despite losing so many key players to injury. The fact that many of those players are returning and the roster has been significantly upgraded at key areas of concern influenced my decision to make them one of my favorites to go from watching the playoffs to making a deep run. But what puts them at No. 1 is the fact that they play in the NFC, which will offer a much smoother road to the Super Bowl than the loaded AFC, which is as deep as I can recall in nearly three decades covering the league.

The Saints’ 9-8 finish last season was impressive considering they lost quarterback Jameis Winston (torn ACL) for the final 10 games and started four different players at the position; were without two-time All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas (ankle) the entire year; lost defensive linemen David Onyemata (suspension) and Marcus Davenport (shoulder) for six games each; and had an offensive line that was in constant flux due to tackles Terron Armstead (elbow/knee) and Ryan Ramczyk (knee/COVID-19) missing nine and seven games, respectively, and guard Andrus Peat missing the final 11 games because of a torn pec. Star running back Alvin Kamara was sidelined for four games with a knee injury, and backup Mark Ingram missed four contests due to injury and COVID-19 after being traded back to New Orleans at midseason. ...

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Fox Sports

Jameis Winston is working his way back to full strength for the New Orleans Saints, and the big-armed QB has quickly become fond of the receiving corps he's been endowed with.

"He's smooth as the other side of the pillow!" Winston said this week of rookie wideout Chris Olave.

Winston — who is making his way back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 last season — has not yet had a chance to fully acclimate himself with All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas, and as voluntary camps begin to ramp up, the QB will continue to find his rhythm with the Saints' slew of new pass-catchers, including Olave and free agent acquisition Jarvis Landry.

And despite not being wholly equipped to run full-speed drills, Winston has long begun tightening his timing with the receiving group in a number of route trees. And he's been pleasantly impressed with their fluidity, especially when it comes to Olave.

"He can get in and out of breaks very well," Winston said, per The Athletic's Katherine Terrell. ...

Full Story - Fox Sports

(Layne Murdock, Jr./New Orleans Saints)

By John Deshazier - Senior Writer | New Orleans Saints

"Voluntary" became "mandatory" for Tyrann Mathieu the moment the three-time All-Pro safety became a first-year New Orleans Saints safety. So the sight of the nine-year veteran at the first three OTAs this week was as much a pleasant surprise (the work is voluntary for veterans) as it was a necessity.

"When he signed, that was the first thing – it was like, 'Yeah, I'm going to be there,' " Coach Dennis Allen said of Mathieu. "So that was really cool to see. I think he understands that it's a new system, a new place."

New system, new place, but the same Mathieu in terms of a thirst for learning, setting a tone and making sure he knows the ins and outs of the job well enough to find his personal flow within the system.

"Just being around teammates, being around the coaches, getting in the playbook," Mathieu said. "I'm a player that, once I understand the playbook and the scheme, I can kind of let my anticipation, my personality show. I think it was just a big positive for me to be here, get to know my teammates, get to know the coaches and how everybody likes to roll." ...

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