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All NFC-South Team
By Mike Detillier
Here is my take on the All NFC-South team for 2015.
Drew Brees- Quarterback (New Orleans Saints)
Brees is still one of the elite players in the NFL. His accuracy skills and ability to spread the ball around to different receivers are at the highest level of the game today. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) and Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) are really good NFL quarterbacks, but Drew is at another level of play.
The Saints’ chances of getting back to another Super Bowl center directly around #9.
Mark Ingram- Halfback (New Orleans Saints)
Tough choice between Ingram and a talented, but often-injured, Carolina Panther halfback in Jonathan Stewart. Stewart has missed 20 games over the past 3 seasons, but is one of the hardest runners to bring down one-on-one in the league when healthy.
Ingram had his best season ever in 2014 rushing for 964 yards and he displayed good body balance and lean. He started to trust his running instincts better as he got the ball more and he is a solid receiver also coming out of the backfield.
Mike Tolbert-Fullback (Carolina Panthers)
No question, Mike Tolbert is one of the best fullbacks in the business. Terrific lead blocker, good runner and receiver also.
Julio Jones- Wide Receiver (Atlanta Falcons)
Jones is one of the elite wide receivers in pro football. He has great size, excellent foot speed and he can come up with the huge catch in "crunch time" situations. Jones’ run after catch skills are at the highest level. Julio Jones is one of the NFL's top 5 wide receivers.
Mike Evans- Wide Receiver (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Evans is the next big star wide receiver in the NFL. Evans, along with Odell Beckham, Jr., Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Matthews, Brandin Cooks and Jarvis Landry are the new wave of wideouts hitting the NFL. His size and size matchup problems he creates make him such an inviting target for Jameis Winston and he is very difficult to bring down in the open field.
At 6-5, 232 pounds Evans is a monster player out on the field.
Vincent Jackson- Wide Receiver (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
I picked a third wide receiver and you can debate between Marques Colston and Roddy White, who were two of the top wide receivers in the league for quite some time, but father-time is catching up to them and Kelvin Benjamin is another young potential "stud" player, but at 32 years old Vincent Jackson is still a top-tier wide receiver.
Jackson has tight end type size, sure hands and he knows how to use that 6-5, 230 pound frame well to keep defenders away from the ball. He is a nightmare to cover in short yardage and goalline situations. Jackson caught 70 passes for 1,002 yards in 2014 in a Tampa Bay offense that had limited quarterback play.
Greg Olsen- Tight End (Carolina Panthers)
Olsen is a very underrated football player with sure hands and a knack for finding the open seam downfield. Solid inline blocker also.
Max Unger- Offensive Center (New Orleans Saints)
This was the toughest choice of any between Unger and Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil. Kalil, like Unger, is one of the best at the center spot in the league and it is a veryclose call between the two. Unger now mans the inside for the Saints and becomes the interior "Bodyguard" for Drew Brees.
Future NFL Hall of Fame center Kevin Mawae says "Max Unger is entering the prime of his career. He is a tough, gritty inside guy, who will be missed a lot in Seattle for protecting the inside for Russell Wilson and also blowing open some huge holes in the middle as a run blocker for Marshawn Lynch. The Saints will benefit a whole lot by having Unger playing center, but most of all Drew Brees benefits."
Jahri Evans- Offensive Guard (New Orleans Saints)
Evans was once the best guard in the game. That is not the case today, but he is still one of the best in the business as a run blocker and he can be dominant as a drive blocker. He is solid as a pass blocker, but not in the elite class that he once was in.
Logan Mankins- Offensive Guard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Ditto Jahri Evans. Mankins and Evans were at the top of the guard class for years and they still are real strong and gritty run blockers, but the quick interior rushers give them trouble now. Former LSU Tiger Trai Turner (Carolina Panthers) shows a lot of promise as a standout offensive guard.
Terron Armstead-Offensive Tackle (New Orleans Saints)
Armstead is one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the league. He battled a neck injury late in the year, but he is starting to develop better techniques and become more of a "power" player at the point of attack as a run blocker.
Jake Matthews- Offensive Tackle (Atlanta Falcons)
Matthews really struggled as both a run blocker and pass protector as a rookie, but he also showed a lot of potential as a left tackle. Jake is a good technician, but he got overpowered way too much as a rookie and he must become more of a physical presence in the run blocking game and he must get better at steering defenders more to the edge as a pass blocker.
Charles Johnson- Defensive End (Carolina Panthers)
C.J. is one of the most underrated defensive players in the NFL. He gets overshadowed in Carolina due to the playmaking skills of Luke Kuechly and former Panther-now Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, but Johnson has quietly recorded 55 1/2 quarterback sacks the past five years.
Cameron Jordan- Defensive End (New Orleans Saints)
Jordan had a disappointing 2014 campaign for the Saints, but he is still one of the better run defending defensive ends in the game. The former Cal Bear standout is a good, but not a great pass rusher. Jordan has to play in the upper-tier class for the New Orleans defense to hit a high level in 2015.
Kawann Short- Defensive Tackle (Carolina Panthers)
Star Lotulelei came in the more heralded college player, but Short has been the better pro. Short is super quick off the snap for a big man and he does a good job in both rushing the quarterback inside and also stopping the run.
Gerald McCoy- Defensive Tackle (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
McCoy is one of the most dominant defenders in pro football. Just a "beast" in the middle for the Buccaneers. If you are starting an NFL team today McCoy and Ndamukong Suh would be the two interior players you would want at defensive tackle.
Luke Kuechly- Middle Linebacker (Carolina Panthers)
Kuechly is the best middle linebacker in pro football today. Smart, instinctive, great in run defense, and also very fluid as a pass defender. It’s early in his NFL career, but Kuechly looks like he could be a future NFL Hall of Fame player.
Thomas Davis- Outside Linebacker (Carolina Panthers)
Amazing football player who has suffered numerous knee surgeries and he is one of the most active, productive and instinctive players in the NFC. His speed and athleticism are remarkable for Davis' age and injuries he has suffered.
Lavonte David- Outside Linebacker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
David does not get the ink like Justin Houston, Clay Matthews, Aldon Smith, Von Miller and Tamba Hali because he is not used as a pass rush specialist, but David does make play after play due to his ability to roam the field. Outstanding dropping back into his pass coverage drops. David is the new age version of Derrick Brooks.
Desmond Trufant- Cornerback (Atlanta Falcons)
The former Washington star defender emerged as one of the top cover cornerbacks in the NFL in 2014. Outstanding foot speed and quickness and Trufant quickly tracks the ball in flight.
Keenan Lewis- Cornerback (New Orleans Saints)
Lewis is the second most valuable player on the New Orleans Saints squad behind Drew Brees. Lewis has great size, long arms and he breaks hard to the football. Edges out a very talented and underrated Alterraun Verner (Tampa Bay Bucs) for this spot.
Jairus Byrd- Free Safety (New Orleans Saints)
Signed the largest contract ever given to a safety by the Saints after bolting from the Buffalo Bills, but Byrd fought off back surgery and then a torn knee ligament in 2014. Savvy football player with excellent ball skills and he is tough in run support. Byrd is a Pro-Bowl talent, if he can stay healthy in 2015.
William Moore- Strong Safety (Atlanta Falcons)
Moore is not real strong in the pass coverage part of the game, but the former Missouri standout is really tough in run support and he is a vicious openfield hitter.
Devin Hester- Return Man (Atlanta Falcons)
Hester still strikes fear in every kicker if the ball touches his hands. Hester goes down as the greatest return man in NFL history. And to be honest he is a pretty darn good #3 receiver for the Falcons.
Matt Bryant- Kicker (Atlanta Falcons)
"Money" kicker. You want him on the field for a 30, 38, 42, 48 or 55 yard field goal to win a game. One of the best field goal kickers in the NFL today.
Thomas Morstead-Punter (New Orleans Saints) Morstead has a super strong leg and he gets great hangtime with his punts. He is also a terrific kickoff artist. The best specialist the Saints have had since Morten Anderson.
Notes from the Nicholls State Offensive/Defensive Linemen Camp
Pete Jenkins on working with current LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron in 2013 with USC.
"My last college coaching job was with Nick Saban and he is the best head coach in the business. He gets a bad rap in some quarters for certain things, but he was great to me and my family. He's focused, he's all business and he wants the very most out of you. That is what we ask from our players so why wouldn't he ask that from his coaches.
I retired after my stint with Coach Saban and I took a little time off, and then Andy Reid brought me back to coaching with the Philadelphia Eagles and I enjoyed my time there and I thought that was where it would end, but when Lane Kiffin got fired around midseason 2013 I got a call from 'BeBe' and I could not turn him down.
That USC team was lifeless. That once proud program was down and out and through his energy and passion Ed Orgeron brought them back to life and we made one hell of a run late in the year. This might be a bit overstating it a little, but it was sort of like a religious experience for me in those 6 to 7 weeks there at USC. Those young men started believing in him and they would have walked on hot coals for Ed. We wished we could have beaten UCLA, but it was their night that Saturday. It worked out fine. The athletic director at USC got his own guy and Ed took some time off and now he is in a great spot at LSU. Already LSU has seen his talents and passion as a recruiter. He is one of the very best recruiters around, but you will really see something in the fall once you see what he gets out of those defensive linemen. He's tough on them, he pushes you to the brink, he is a great technical coach and he is all energy and those LSU linemen will reflect what he preaches. I am telling you that group of defensive linemen will be really good this year. I have been around some really good coaches and Ed Orgeron is one of them."
New England Patriots defensive assistant coach Brendan Daly on leadership in sports
"I have coached 18 years in the NFL and I am not talking specifically about one player, one position or a coach, but today when a coach has a disappointing season he doesn't talk about the lack of talent because many of them have a huge say in it, but they talk about leadership or lack of. It's easy to point the finger in that direction. Leadership is earned by what you do on the field. Guys respond to other players and coaches that make it work on the field. Some talk a great game about leadership and then you see they don't reflect leadership on the field or off the field or in the lockerroom.
Team chemistry and not wanting to let down your teammates are essential to winning in sports. Talent helps, but it is not always the most talented teams that win championships. It's old fashion, but pride, passion, a strong work ethic and a love for the game and your teammates still matter. It is like teaching techniques. The game changes a little, but the little techniques and the small study details really matter a whole lot. That brings out leadership. Some teams just don't have it. Great leaders are born on the field by their accomplishments and their love for the game. It's the same in coaching."
NOLA Magazine
New Orleans Magazine is a terrific publication that really is a great read due to the features on our Louisiana culture, architecture, sports, restaurant reviews and monthly commentary.
The July edition of New Orleans Magazine recognized 10 outstanding females in our state and they were honored by Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde and his staff as "The Top Female Achievers for 2015."
One of those ten top female achievers was Fox Sports reporter, New Orleans Pelicans sideline reporter and the woman's spokesperson for Thibodaux Regional Medical Center-Jennifer Hale.
Congrats to Jen Hale and also Beverly Church, Sean Yseult, Carolyn Barber-Pierre, Dr. Laura T. Murphy, Melissa A. Weber, Heather Lolley, Stephanie Grace, Jax Frey and Dr. Patricia Molina for this prestigious honor and for their many accomplishments and representation of our region.
Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDetillier