rick cleveland

Michael DeMocker/AP By Rick Cleveland | Sun Herald New Orleans From the back of the bar, a voice bellowed: “Take the three, Sean Payton, don’t be stupid, take the three!” It was Super Bowl Sunday in New Orleans at the Maple Leaf Tavern on Oak Street. The Maple Leaf is normally a funky...

By Rick Cleveland Five weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints opened this much-anticipated season by losing at home, 48-40, to division rival Tampa Bay. The Saints were, in a word, awful. They made Ryan Fitzpatrick look like Joe Montana. They couldn’t get to him, couldn’t cover Bucs receivers...