Saints News

By Jeff Smith | Heavy.com

The 2019 NFL season hasn’t kicked off and the chatter about the future of Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is already underway. Not only has the season not started, but training camp isn’t even here yet, but the question marks about Garrett and a potential coaching change after the year will remain a talking point.

Unfortunately for the fans who are team-Garrett, it’s largely due to current New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and the hope of his potential return. While Payton is locked in as the Saints coach and hasn’t issued any comments that point to him heading elsewhere in the near future, the idea of a return to Dallas still looms.

Payton was the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Cowboys from 2003-05 under Bill Parcells. By the time Parcells’ tenure with Dallas had wrapped up, the 2006 AP Coach of the Year was long gone and building a talented group in New Orleans.

He’s the one who got away, and even with Garrett doing a fine job as of late with the Cowboys (in the eyes of some), there’s no way to sugarcoat how badly many fans hope to see Payton return to Dallas...

It’s pretty often that sports fans question the real value of players when they make staggering amounts of money. If you think Michael Thomas isn’t worth it, you get to learn a new word today.

By Roy Anderson | WhoDatDish

Without fail, when you start talking about a sports figure in any league who is about to seriously cash in on their talent, you get the haters. The haters will say things about how that much money shouldn’t be paid to men playing a child’s game. You’re hearing it right now in New Orleans with Michael Thomas talking about making $22 million a year.

Yes, that’s a lot of money. It’s $4 million a year more than Odell Beckham Jr., the current highest paid receiver in the NFL makes. According to Pro Football Focus, Odell Beckham Jr. is the fourth highest rated receiver in the NFL behind, in order, Deandre Hopkins, Michael Thomas and Julio Jones.

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A returning Patrick Robinson could be huge.

By Chris Dunnels | Canal Street Chronicles

Bringing back a series of pieces from the past three years, we’re going to check each position group on the New Orleans Saints and discuss how they improve the Saints’ chances of making a run in 2019. On to the what has become a strength on defense: the secondary.

When the New Orleans Saints cornerbacks had its ups and downs in 2018. 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore seemed to struggle out of the gate. Ken Crawley largely regressed in 2018 to the point the Saints were forced to trade for former 1st round pick Eli Apple from the New York Giants. The Saints signed former Saint Patrick Robinson to lock down the slot, but he was lost to injury in late September. The team was forced to rely on PJ Williams for slot duty, and he more than held his own.

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By Steve DelVecchio | Larry Brown Sports

Drew Brees has been the King of New Orleans for more than a decade now, and it will soon be time for him to hand the crown over to someone else. That someone may not play for the Saints, however.

After Zion Williamson was drafted No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, Brees gifted him an autographed jersey with an awesome message on it. The 40-year-old quarterback told Williamson he is “passing the torch” to him.

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By Mike Detillier / Sports Correspondent

With the Louisiana Linemen Camp and Manning Passing Academy taking place at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux over the next week, there is a lot of talk between coaches and former players about current college players and guys in the NFL.

One player who has gotten a lot of attention is New Orleans Saints right offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

Ramczyk was the final first-round selection in the 2017 NFL draft, but some coaches feel he may well be the best right tackle in the NFL today.

“I didn’t know a lot about Ryan Ramczyk until the Saints picked him,” a college offensive line coach said. “Having to prepare for other teams and with Wisconsin not being on our schedule, I didn’t know a lot about him. I read about him in your draft book, but I can’t say I watched him. But today when I break down film to show my players I show them film on Ramczyk. Here’s a guy who wasn’t a three, four or five-star recruit who came from a vocational-technical school to play at Wisconsin. He gets hurt late in the 2016 season for the Badgers and he emerges as one of the best technique players in the game today. His footwork and body balance skills are off the charts for a big man and he is a very physical run blocker. Ryan is the type player others can learn from because of how he does things...

By John Sigler | Saintswire

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is a special talent. He’s thrived through his first two seasons in the NFL thanks to a rare blend of athleticism and refined skills, punishing opponents from all over the field. Kamara’s exploits were highlighted by NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, a retired offensive lineman who appeared in 149 games over his 11-year career.

“What separates (Kamara) from every other back, and every other player in the league,” Baldinger said, “is his balance. He’s got the balance of a cat on a marble table. It shows up all the time. And when he comes out of (contact) he’s as smooth as silk.”

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By John Sigler | Saintswire

Four members of the New Orleans Saints were selected for the All-25-and-Under Team by Andy Benoit of SI.com’s MMQB. While 2017 Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore were names expected to make such a list, they were joined by two of their teammates who don’t always get such attention.

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By Tommy Chafizadeh | Pony Stampede

Former SMU punter, Thomas Morstead joined 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge's Jordy Culotta and T-Bob Hebert on Off the Bench to discuss his 10-year career with the New Orleans Saints. Morstead is determined to make it to the Super Bowl next year and is one of the league's best punters.

"I think everybody is excited about the season, obviously the time is now. You know, back to back devastating losses, that's why it's great to have an awesome locker room. That's why having the right guys in the locker room is important, to get up off the mat after losing the way we've done the past two years," Morstead told 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge. "It takes the right type of guys to do that, so I think everybody is excited about it. We don't need any motivation or clever-thing to get us right this year, I think everybody knows what the deal is."

Last year, Morstead resigned with the Saints for a five-year deal, estimated at $20 million. He has been with New Orleans since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He and Drew Brees are...

By Ramon Antonio Vargas | The Advocate

Jurors in San Diego decided Friday that Drew Brees is owed more than $6.1 million in damages after a jeweler exploited his friendship with the Saints quarterback to sell him extremely overpriced diamonds.

Jeweler Vahid Moradi and his attorney, Kevin Rooney, said they "passionately disagree" with the verdict and intend to appeal it. If successful, that could reduce the amount awarded to Brees and his wife, Brittany, or wipe it out entirely.

Nonetheless, for now, Brees seemed to feel vindicated in pressing claims that he was conned out of millions of dollars.

"The jury worked hard and saw Mr. Moradi as the confidence man that he is," said a statement from the Breeses and their attorney, Andrew Kim.

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Could they even possibly be the first?

By Chris Dunnels | Canal Street Chronicles

The New Orleans Saints skills players are definitely some of the more intriguing in the NFL. That being said, it should be no surprise that Bleacher Report named the New Orleans Saints’s quarterbacks with the second-best supporting cast in the NFL:

A 39-year-old Drew Brees was the league’s highest-rated passer in 2018, thanks at least in part to one of the NFL’s best supporting casts. Wildly, that cast might be even better in 2019.

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It starts with running back Alvin Kamara, who has scored 31 touchdowns and accumulated 3,146 scrimmage yards in his first two seasons as a game-changing weapon out of the backfield. The Saints did lose veteran Mark Ingram II at that position, but replacement Latavius Murray isn’t a significantly inferior player and probably has more tread on his tires.

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Despite posting prolific passing numbers, New Orleans has never given a wideout a big contract in the Sean Payton–Drew Brees era. That may change.

By Danny Heifetz | The Ringer

The Pelicans drafted Duke’s Zion Williamson on Thursday night, but New Orleans is still a football town. That would not change if the Pelicans were to trade for LeBron James, fix Kevin Durant’s Achilles, or make Bourbon Street the setting for Space Jam 2. So while NBA fans wonder who will space the floor around the Pelicans’ no. 1 pick, the more pressing question in New Orleans sports is whether the Saints will re-sign their no. 1 receiver.

Michael Thomas caught the most passes and gave the least forks in the NFL last season, and this year he’s entering the final year of his contract. The Saints and Thomas are still far apart on an extension but are hoping to get it done by training camp, according to The Times-Picayune’s Jeff Duncan. If they reach an agreement before this season, the deal could be one of the larger contracts in the league...

By John Sigler | Saintswire

There are many fans of the New Orleans Pelicans within the right-next-door locker room of the New Orleans Saints, maybe none larger than defensive end Cameron Jordan. Jordan and his family are a common sight sitting courtside at Pelicans games in the Smoothie King Center, and the Saints team captain is eager to see the next chapter in New Orleans basketball history: the selection of Duke Blue Devils phenom Zion Williamson with the first pick in the NBA Draft.

Jordan caught up with the Ringer’s Jordan Ritter Conn in a wide-ranging piece that also met up with people who influenced Williamson’s past and will cover his exploits in New Orleans. When asked what he would tell the 18-year old superstar on the eve of his arrival, Jordan chose his words carefully.

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