Saints bringing in DT Lorenzo Neal (1 Viewer)

[football]

Saints LB Mario Bates is not pleased.

For all the young fans out there, there was a story behind between Mario Bates and Lorenzo Neal Sr. Both were rookie running backs for us back in the 90s.

 

[football]

Lo Neal Sr. cold-cocked Mario Bates and broke his jaw. Bates had to have his jaw wired shut for a while... That ended up being one of the most memorable things Mario Bates did as a Saint.

J/K... I actually liked Mario Bates. He was a Dollar Store version of Deuce before Deuce.

Mario Bates was actually a very good running back. Better than Vaughn Dunbar.

 

[El Caliente]

Mario Bates was actually a very good running back. Better than Vaughn Dunbar.

You are using the term “very good” very loosely.

 

[Loge232]

You are using the term “very good” very loosely.

Bates had “very good potential”. Had the size and speed to be a good back, but his “heart” was always called into question. He seemed to head for the sidelines a lot to avoid being hit by a would be tackler.

 

[Optimistic Ozzy]

You know you're getting old when you're now watching the children of the players you grew up watching.

I like getting old (older), beats the other option.

 

[seguinfan]

For all the young fans out there, there was a story behind between Mario Bates and Lorenzo Neal Sr. Both were rookie running backs for us back in the 90s.

 

[seguinfan]

Neal wasnt a rookie, and wanted a beer. Ordered the rookie to get it and when he didnt he got taken care of.

 

[football]

You are using the term “very good” very loosely

Neal wasnt a rookie, and wanted a beer. Ordered the rookie to get it and when he didnt he got taken care of.

Maybe I was wrong about their years together but both were young.

 

[longtime lurker]

Senior was one of the toughest FBs to ever play the game....definitely was the Saints greatest ever at the position. If Junior has some of that magic, we lucked out again.

 

[Zack Lee]

Neal wasnt a rookie, and wanted a beer. Ordered the rookie to get it and when he didnt he got taken care of.

Yep. Neal broke his jaw. And all this happened at Club 57 in Kenner which belonged to Ricky Jackson. It was not a good look all the way around. Our decline had begun.

 

[Zack Lee]

Bates had “very good potential”. Had the size and speed to be a good back, but his “heart” was always called into question. He seemed to head for the sidelines a lot to avoid being hit by a would be tackler.

I would not say he was a star in the making but he was productive in a time where we were not at RB. Those who didn’t live through it wouldn’t understand how devoid of running back talent we were for a very long time. After Mayes and Hilliard, it was a very long time before we learned how to draft RBs again.

It all started with the horrible 2nd round pick of Vaughn Dunbar IMO. Chosen mainly for the state he wracked up at Indiana. It did not translate.

 

[Cougar 2]

Looks good in his YouTube highlights

He does. Big body, can take on double teams, n can even bring pressure with his pass rush. For his size, he’s got a lil quickness!

IMO, we needed a big bodied DT/NT in our interior rotation to offset the loss of Malcom Brown. I think he’s got a chance. Hope he makes it.

 

[nickj009]

I heard his interview on Pat Kirwans XM NFL radio show and he seemed like a smart kid ready to work. He was supposed to get drafted. So maybe a steal

 

[El Caliente]

Mario Bates wasn’t even the best Bates in the NFL at that time. His brother was a phenomenal returner.

I remember the year Mario was about to pass 1,000 yards rushing. It was going to be some great accomplishment because no Saint had rushed for over 1,000 yards in some time. They were the final two games and he only needed like 100 yards to break 1,000. He went out the final two weeks and laid turds all over the field (vs the Packers he had 8 rushes for 22 yards, and the following game we played the Jets and he went for 40 yards on 23 rushes). He finished like 5 yards shy of 1,000 yards. I was happy when he left.

 

[football]

I wonder with rookie training camp underway, any possibility our media people able to watch practice and send out tweet?