http://www.sportsnipe.com New Orleans Saints, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2908687/veteran-vikings-defense-ready-for-saints-offense-ap.html Even with only three healthy cornerbacks to throw at the Saints' wide-open, pass-first offense, the Minnesota Vikings defense says it's more than ready for the highly anticipated rematch Thursday night. Perhaps the proud veteran unit's performance in the NFC title game has something to do with that. New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2907277/saints-are-coming-editorial.html Football season is finally here again New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2907272/hampton-apologizes-for-using-katrina-analogy-during-football-broadcast-ahn-all-headline-news.html WKRG-TVHampton Apologizes For Using Katrina Analogy During Football BroadcastAHN | All Headline NewsNew Orleans, LA, United States (AHN) - Former Chicago Bear and Hall of Famer Dan Hampton has been criticized for his quip during a TV broadcast by using ...Readers react to Hall of Famer calling Cowboys 'Brokeback'Dallas Morning News?Hit that Town like Katrina?WKRG-TVVideo - Dan Hampton Says Vikings Need To "Hit Saints Like Katrina"Cleveland LeaderSportsGrid (blog) -NESN.com -NOLA.comall 34 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2907271/vegas-hopping-on-jets-bandwagon-boston-globe.html Kansas City StarVegas not hopping on Jets bandwagonBoston GlobeThe Colts are followed by the defending champion New Orleans Saints (8-1), Dallas Cowboys (8-1),San Diego Chargers (17-2), and New England Patriots (9-1). ...Manning Beats Brees as Colts Are Picked in Vegas to Take Title From SaintsBloombergElement of surprise key to onside kicksThe Associated PressSaints seek Super Bowl repeatPensacola News Journalall 157 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906839/malcolm-jenkins-will-get-his-shot-new-orleans-saints-against-minnesota.html He says he can't replace Darren Sharper New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906838/danny-clark-provides-depth-for-new-orleans-saints-at-linebacker-video.html He was signed on Monday New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906837/dear-new-orleans-saints-fans-cheer-like-champions.html Time for the Who Dat Nation to embrace a new role: Defending Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906836/new-orleans-saints-know-game-minnesota-will-be-physical.html The Saints are going to have to work on stopping the Vikings' running game New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906835/malcolm-jenkins-will-get-his-shot-new-orleans-saints-against-minnesota-nolacom.html NOLA.comMalcolm Jenkins will get his shot with the New Orleans Saints against MinnesotaNOLA.comIt would be unfair to Malcolm Jenkins even to suggest he can do for the New Orleans Saints' defense what Darren Sharper did last season, and an insult to ... New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906834/nfl-injury-report-starnewsonlinecom.html NFL Injury ReportStarNewsOnline.comMINNESOTA VIKINGS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - VIKINGS: DNP: CB Chris Cook (knee), DT Jimmy Kennedy (knee). LIMITED: RB Toby Gerhart (knee), CB Cedric Griffin ...Vikings considering cornerback optionsMinneapolis Star Tribune (blog)Vikings could be in trouble in secondary roleVictoria AdvocateNotebook: Griffin, Vikings holding out hopeViking Update (subscription)all 64 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906833/new-orleans-saints-know-game-minnesota-will-be-physical-nolacom.html ReutersNew Orleans Saints know the game with Minnesota will be physicalNOLA.comAlmost all of the talk this week heading into the New Orleans Saints' rematch with the Minnesota Vikings has centered on the way New Orleans' defense ...New Orleans Saints' roster updates and changes; injury reportExaminer.comVikings-Saints PreviewCBSSports.comMinnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints OddsGambling911.comLocksmith Sports Picks -Bloomberg -Sports Chat Placeall 480 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2906098/saints-to-release-injury-report-today.html New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2905486/new-orleans-saints-sign-veteran-linebacker-who-was-released-by-texans-wlox.html TSNNew Orleans Saints sign a veteran linebacker who was released by the TexansWLOXToday Saints head coach Sean Payton added veteran linebacker Danny Clark, making his second stint with New Orleans. The 33-year-old Clark enters his 11th ...Tory Humphrey released by New Orleans SaintsMLive.comNew Orleans Saints bring back veteran linebacker Danny ClarkNOLA.comSaints ink LB ClarkSeattle Post IntelligencerNewOrleans.Com (blog) -Bayou Buzz -The Canadian Pressall 82 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2905485/dvr-alert-sinner-to-saint-anthony-hargroves-super-bowl-journey-on-tonight.html Forum: Saints News Posted By: mvtrucking Post Time: 09-06-2010 at 11:11 PM New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2905214/hampton-apologizes-for-katrina-remark.html Hampton Apologizes for Katrina Remark I'm not hyper-sensitive on such things usually, but he needed to man up on this one and did so. 'Nuff said. New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2903247/amended-new-orleans-saints-injury-report.html New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton gave the following injury report following Monday's practice: Tight end Jimmy Graham and safety Pierson Prioleau practiced fully. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma, cornerback Tracy Porter, and offensive lineman Zach Strief were limited. Colston has a... New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902318/who-dat-report-2010-week-1.html Who Dat Report 2010 Week 1 Who Dat Report I would like to introduce you all to a new Saints blog/podcast with an NPR feel. Here is their first hour-long podcast ever and guess who they chose to have as a guest on their show? Me! Click on over and give a listen to learn a little bit more about myself personally, Canal Street Chronicles as a website and, of course, the Saints. New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902317/fleurdelinks-september-6-2010-countdown-to-opening-night.html T-minus three days until we tee it up versus the Vikings at the Dome to open up the 2010 NFL Season.  Emotions are high, as are conscientious consumers' bs meter activity as we cull through various and numerous reports, articles, transcripts, tweets, and videos, trying to determine what exactly is what for the big game. Here's your daily dose of all the news that could be found in a broad internet sweep.   Follow the jump to get right to it! Twitter iWillSmith Just got done with the first regular season practice. I feel great, many more to come, smell like a great year!!!! T_Porter22 Preciate the love you guys showed...means alot...T_Porter22 Feeling better little by little...nothing good happens w/out hard work and faith..T_Porter22 It's about that time; to take my baby out on a father/daughter date. Where's a good spot to take a 1 year old?Jmack37 Excited for entourage tonight!!j_bushrod7475 Sushi... Pedialyte n PLANET EARTH on the couch... Getting my chill mode on... #DJM(dontjudgeme)HeathEvans Outback w/ the fam...I know it's a sin here in NOLA to eat at a chain rest but I needed something quick n easy after a long day of work! #fbLanceMoore16 Great day of work today. Now its time to get some rest and be ready to get right back after it tomorrow.#focusedHeathEvans Bath time......! Not sure how my 3yr old Naomi Reece gets so dirty everyday? #fbusama_young28 Been a looooong day. Time to hot tub it up and get some more film inreggie_bush Watching Inglorious Bastards! Love this movie! Great acting...reggie_bush Brad Pitt went all the way in on his character! He's super funny in this movie! LolJonVilma51 i was wondering how everyone knew i was voted captain.. then i saw the post by the saints lol..thanks for your... http://fb.me/F4eE9dgTT_Porter22 Up early..time to get better..remember take everything one day at a time! #improvement is key! Have a#blessed one!reggie_bush Walk into the weight room this morning at the facility and they were playing Take Me Home by Eddie Money! Old school!!!!!!reggie_bush Some of y'all probably don't even know who Eddie Money is! Thats before y'all time youngsters!!!! Lol! I'm playin....Jmack37 When life throws you a curve ball.... Knock it out the park!!!!!!!   From the Holy Land Sunday's Practice Report | neworleanssaints.comAlex Restrepo New Orleans Saints name 2010 captains | NOLA.comSpecial teamer Pierson Prioleau, offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb join returning captains Drew Brees, Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith. But they all need to remember Troy Evans, whose job was not safe, even as Special Teams captain...Drew Brees, I'm lookin' at you. New Orleans Saints quarterback Chase Daniel thrilled ... but just getting started | NOLA.comSecond-year pro discusses his promotion to backup role. Triplett New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton discusses rookie Al Woods' release | NOLA.comFourth-round draft pick from LSU didn't even make the practice squad. Triplett Saints Adjusting To New Starters On Defense - WWL - AM870AP report. Brett Favre unsure if Darren Sharper's absence will hurt New Orleans Saints | NOLA.comHe expects bend-but-don't-break approach from Malcolm Jenkins. Triplett also rounds up yesterday's Saints news in this article. Brett Favre downplays New Orleans Saints' physicality on defense | NOLA.com'It's football ... That's just the way it is.' Cue the Bruce Hornsby piano riff...Nakia Hogan Favre Ready For Another Shot At Saints - WWL - AM870 AP report on the hard-hitting rivalry. Saints’ Ivory confirms MCL injury, Vilma won’t give update | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and GoldMiddle linebacker Jonathan Vilma would not update reporters on his groin injury Sunday during the team’s open media session. Handwerger New Orleans Saints say they're focused on winning game, not hype | NOLA.comStarting season on positive note team's priority. James Varney New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings just another game? Don't believe it | NOLA.comAtmosphere will be electric. Jeff Duncan. I got chills, they're multiplyin'...and I'm losing control. 'Cause the power, you're supplying....is electrifying! Linebacker options in question as New Orleans Saints begin regular season | neworleans.comBAW runs down the linebacking situation and rounds up yesterday's Saints news and notes. Saints think they have linebacker in-house to fill in for Casillas | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and GoldJo-Lonn Dunbar spent the Saints’ four preseason games backing up Jonathan Casillas and Scott Shanle at outside linebacker. Handwerger T-P's Jeff Duncan, WWL's Jim Henderson, others to discuss New Orleans Saints and the city at Loyola | NOLA.comJohn Pope. Also on the dais will be Dan Hampton, fielding questions about Katrina. (kidding)   From the Bow of the Longship All in: One more run for Vikings | StarTribune.comThe sales pitch that Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson and Ryan Longwell used to pry Brett Favre out of Mississippi last month was multi-faceted. Judd Zulgad. Childress stands strong on his quarterback decision | StarTribune.comBrad Childress wasn't about to back down. Judd Zulgad. Seems like Chilly and the Vikes had a backup QB derby this year, just like the Saints. Ground game looks like a cure-all | StarTribune.comThe Vikings' best bet to keep the Saints from knocking Brett Favre into an early third retirement might be to run the ball as well as they did against them in the NFC Championship Game eight months ago. Mark Craig. Harvin says: 'I'm ready to play ball' | StarTribune.comPercy Harvin missed most of training camp while dealing with severe migraines following the death of his grandmother. Chip Scoggins and Judd Zulgad report on the injuries to two Vikings stars, and other role players. Favre on a Saints beatdown: 'It's football' - NFC North Blog - ESPNEDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- We won't have the X-Files scandal to keep our attention over the next week, so we're moving on to Plan B: The aggressiveness with which the New Orleans Saints will come after Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre. Kevin Seifert (Pat Y.'s counterpart for the NFC North)   Transcripts New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees Post-Practice Media Availability - transcribed by Justin Macione - retrieved from neworleans.com Sunday, September 5, 2010 I'm sure you get pretty pumped up for any game, but do you get more jacked up for a matchup against an upper echelon quarterback like Brett Favre? "Yes and the fact it's the first game of the year. Obviously there's a lot of reason to be excited. I feel good about our team and where we are at and just excited to get on the field and start playing for real." Have you thought about how emotional things might be with the pregame ceremonies before you kick this thing off? "Yes. We were part of this game in 2007 up in Indianapolis after they had won it. Unfortunately that wasn't a great moment because we were on the other side. Hopefully the home team being us, plays like the home team did that night, but I guess I haven't thought a whole lot about it. You're so much in preparation mode for this team and who you're going up against as opposed to thinking about the emotions of when the banner drops, the crowd and everything else, but certainly that's something to start thinking about so I'm somewhat prepared for it, so that I stay calm once we move on from that." Do you think that can be an advantage? "Yes. We'll find a way. I think it could definitely be our advantage, just watching the sheer emotion of watching that banner drop and knowing we were a part of it and that it will hang forever and we will all be linked together forever because of it. Anything that gives you extra emotion and hype, it's what it symbolizes." How do you make the transition from playing portions of games in the preseason to playing a full game? "I'd say practice is the best thing that prepares you to play the game, getting the reps in practice. Throughout training camp, the ones get half the reps, the twos get half the reps and the threes get in there and get some reps. Once you get into the preseason games, those somewhat emulate the practice reps as well. Once you get into the regular season, the ones are getting all the reps. Once you get into the game and the ones get all the reps. So, I guess as the practice schedule changes, your mindset changes. You know the regular season has arrived and obviously we're going to be playing four quarters, sometimes a little bit more than four quarters to get the job done. There are just certain little triggers and so obviously looking at today's practice the number of periods we had, the numbers of reps the ones are getting. You almost feel like you played a game today. Tomorrow you feel like you played a game too. It's the number of reps, whether it's walk through reps, live reps, or thinking and putting yourself in the moment of the game." There was a lot of chirping in the offseason about how it was perceived the Saints defense went after Brett Favre. Has it ever crossed your mind that they want to get back at you guys and go after you more? "If you play defense in this league, you love to take a shot at the quarterback, a legal clean shot, albeit, you hit him as hard as you can. I would expect nothing less from those guys when they try to get a legal, clean shot on me to hit me and hit me hard. It's just like when Kyle Orton went and tried to tackle James Harrison a couple weeks ago. That guy, he's fair game. Whenever the quarterback becomes fair game, he's fair game. I don't think our guys were trying to do that in a dirty way at all when we played them. We did hit Favre and he kept getting back up and slinging it, to his credit. I don't feel like there's anything malicious, rather than our guys are playing hard, playing to the whistle, taking clean fair shots, but definitely trying to hit him hard." Do you think your offensive line is prepared for that mentality on your side? "Definitely, they're ready. I think we have a reputation as a team that we mix it up; we get the ball out quickly. We take our shots. We've been pretty good in regards to protecting the quarterback, trying to get it out and to avoid sacks and all those things. They're used to getting sacks and they're used to hitting the quarterbacks and all those things. Obviously I know they're going to be coming after me and that's fine." Have you gotten used to the new position of the umpire and when you do two minute drill in practice do you practice the umpire's new positioning? "No. The adjustment was getting into preseason games. When we played the Chargers, trying to practice the hurry-up plays and getting called for a couple of them just because now he has to be further away from the ball. It takes more time. Think about everything the quarterback position has to do from breaking the huddle to getting up to where the ball or even if you're doing a hurry-up offensive play. You're trying to communicate the play. You're trying to make sure that this receiver's on the ball. This one's off. Look at the ball. Look at the defense. Any movement in the defense might cause you to change the play or something. You have a lot of things to think about already. It's something that obviously we have to make the adjustment. What's your view of becoming a mentor for the first time in that you don't have a veteran like a Doug Flutie, Jamie Martin or Mark Brunell on the roster? "Yes (role change), now that I think about it. I had Flutie all those years in San Diego, except that last year in '05. Philip (Rivers) and I were competing but we had good dynamics in the room. When I came here, I had Jamie Martin for two years and MarK Brunell for two years, some guess that were older than me and had been in this league longer than me. Now I have Chase Daniel. I guess for me, I like having those young guys around, for their passion for the game. Chase is one of those guys who's going to work as hard as he can. He wants to learn. He's like a sponge. He asks a lot of questions and those are opportunities for me to tell him the way I see it or I learned it. It kind of re-emphasized those things for me and that's a good thing. There's certain questions he'll ask and I'll think that's a good question. I'll always look at it like this but now maybe I can see a different viewpoint. It's caused me to re-evaluate or fine-tune a little bit, which I like." Do you plan out your post-practice work with perimeter players or is it a reaction to something you see in practice? "Even if we completed every ball in practice and every route was run perfectly we'd still go and get extra work afterwards. There's really no time limit on it other than that I only want to walk off the field when I feel good about the day's work. If there are things still left to be done, whether it wasn't as crisp as we wanted it, whether it was my drop, or just the timing of the route, the way I threw it in practice or whatever, because what you need to have happen is when you get in the game it needs to be second nature and it has to just be a reaction as opposed to thinking about your footwork, arm angle or any of that stuff. You just have to see, feel, trust react. That what you gain after getting in all that extra work afterwards.   New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton Post-Practice Press Conference Transcript - transcribed by Dave Lawrence - retrieved from neworleans.com Sunday, September 5, 2010 Opening Statement: "A quick note with our practice squad and this will kind of be a work in progress with the schedule being short this week: Brandon Carter worked at offensive guard, Sean Canfield at quarterback, Harry Coleman at linebacker, Matt Clapp at fullback, Montez Billings at receiver, DeMario Pressley defensive tackle, Reggie Jones at corner and Dustin Mitchell at tight end. These guys worked today with us on the practice squad. Today's schedule was much like a Wednesday, which is a base installation on first and second down." Do you have an injury report as today is like a Wednesday? "Fortunately for us we don't have to report any injuries today. As soon as we have to, we'll report them." What new dimensions does Malcolm Jenkins bring to the free safety position? "Number one, he has good athleticism. We feel like he has a real good football I.Q. He has good awareness. You see his range, he's a good tackler and he has good ball skills. Those would certainly be the things that we've seen in him after one year." Does this game matter more than a normal opener, given what went on last year? "I think there's added attention when you kick off the season with a game like this that's featured as a national TV game. You have two teams that a year ago played real well and played in a hard-fought game in the NFC Championship Game. I think the league does a good job of putting a matchup together such as this to start their season. That being said, it counts as one game. The first game of the season gives you an idea of where you're at in week one and certainly there's a lot of football after this game and yet this game is the only one we can play right now." Had the game in January gone the other way, would you expect your team to be coming at this game with a little more oomph or more seriously? "You would be implying that we're not looking at it with seriousness or vigor or oomph. I think it is what it is. We're looking forward to playing and getting the season started. The hypotheticals are tougher to deal with." What happened with Jonathan Casillas' injury and what direction do you plan on going in now that he's on injured reserve? "We'll see. It's a foot. It ended up being a Lisfranc and he probably within a week will have surgery on it. He's on injured reserve as you mentioned. We'll see what we do from there." Does the way you play your outside linebackers help you in this situation? "They're trained to play both ‘Sam' and ‘Will' and we have to be flexible enough to get our best group on the field and be in the personnel grouping that we want, based on what the offense is doing and sometimes based on what we want to do." How did you come to the decision to place Darren Sharper on PUP? Is there a chance he might be ready before six weeks and did that weigh into the decision? "You go through it all. You're really trying to gather all the information and see where the progress is at. Those are always tough decisions. Both with him and Clint (Ingram), we felt that with where they're at now that was going to give us the best option and certainly there's a lot of football after six weeks - more than half of the season is left. But we obviously spent a lot of time on that decision." Does the way that Jenkins has taken to the safety position make it a little easier? "No. We strictly look at the player that's injured and try to really look at when he's going to be close to or at 100%." Did Sharper come close to getting back on the field? "No. He's made progress, but if he had come close we probably wouldn't have put him on PUP." Are you looking around to see if there might be a linebacker elsewhere who could come in? "We'll study - not just the linebacker position - but we'll study the cut lists and the players that are available." Is there a possibility of Junior Galette getting in the linebacker rotation? "That's a lot to ask for a guy that's playing defensive end. Certainly he has flexibility and we'd like to see him take some snaps, but I think early in this season that would be hard. The one thing we saw from him, though, was pass rush ability and we saw him be disruptive in special teams. Those would be the things that we'd look more towards than jumping right into the linebacker rotation, not having ever played linebacker." When you're playing against a guy like Brett Favre who has been in the league and seen everything and you don't have a guy like Sharper with his experience on the field and have Jenkins instead, what are you losing without Sharper and what are you gaining by having a young guy out there? "When you lose experience there are certain things in regards to instincts and that's the key. The turnaround for Malcolm and what he's gone through in this preseason has been getting the snaps and he's gotten a lot of them; he has gotten a lot of work. They are two different players age-wise and certainly where they're at in their careers but I think Malcolm is a quick study and he's smart. He's going to look at a lot of the tape and he's going to spend time with Sharper. It's a close-knit group and they're going to look closely at this offense; it's different than a year ago, just as we're different. Both teams are different when you look at the rosters. You have to be ready for some things you haven't seen and that's pretty typical in week one." In Galette's case, did it come down to him and Bobby McCray for that roster spot? "No, it did not." What does Junior give you that Bobby may not? "In Junior's case, it was those snaps that we feel like he's going to be able to provide at some point in the kicking game. But it wouldn't be fair to compare him to Bobby, so I don't want to do that. He showed promise in the kicking game and flexibility so we'll see where we line him up and see how versatile he is. We saw some of the explosion; we saw some of the disruptiveness. Not just last week but throughout. We'll look closely at what he brings and what we feel like he can bring to our defense." When do you have to announce an injury report? "Tomorrow will be the first time and we'll announce just the status. That's typically what we'll do throughout the year." Were you close at all to keeping three quarterbacks? I know you had said sometimes that comes down to roster numbers and other positions. "Both of those guys competed real well but they're uniquely different, Chase (Daniel) and Patrick (Ramsey). They got a lot of work and a lot of reps. I think Patrick picked things up very quickly, being that he just got here for training camp. Chase certainly made progress from last year on the practice squad and ultimately it just came down and that decision wasn't as much two or three but it was who do we want to have back up Drew (Brees) and that's the decision we went with. But both of those guys got a lot of valuable snaps and I thought that both of them played pretty well in the preseason." How tough was it to cut a draft pick in Al Woods? "You're hopeful for all your draft picks. I think the mistake is maybe hanging on to them or not recognizing some of the deficiencies and all of a sudden you go two or three years into that. He did some things on a positive note that were encouraging and yet ultimately we didn't feel confident enough with where he was at right now and we went a different direction. We've tried to hold true and really evaluate the players once they get here and he was an example of that." Was he a consideration for the practice squad? "I don't want to speculate in regards to whether he was a consideration. He's someone that certainly has size and I believe he signed with someone else's practice squad today." Who will you list as your backup nose tackle if someone else had to play there besides Remi Ayodele? "I think it would be no different than a year ago if you recall when we had the injury. We have flexibility in that Sedrick (Ellis) can kick inside and (Anthony) Hargrove can kick to a three-technique. It's similar to what we did the last third of the season after we went through losing Kendrick Clancy. When we lost Kendrick, typically we took seven defensive linemen to the game and we have enough versatility within the packages that that's what we'll do to start here and we'll keep looking." Can Jimmy Wilkerson play inside as well? "He certainly can factor into the tackle position too. That would be accurate." Who are some of the guys who made the roster because of their ability to contribute on special teams? "Galette was one that we're talking about. I think the decision with (DeShawn) Wynn was predicated on special teams. Certainly when you look at a couple of the safety spots and what (Chris) Reis and (Pierson) Prioleau and some of those guys provide. At linebacker, K.C. Asiodu is a guy that we felt like has special teams skills. Courtney Roby certainly as a receiver can play special teams. Those are a few." Is Pierson going to be the new captain on special teams? "Correct." Despite giving up a long kickoff return on Thursday night, are you a little bit more encouraged than in the last couple of weeks on special teams? "What we get to do now is to try to get our best personnel on the field and it shifts from the preseason, where you're trying to evaluate a bunch of different players and the rotation changes by quarter. Now we get a chance to really measure where we're at with our first wave. It's the first time - when you start the season - that you're really putting your first group out there. In the preseason, you're split and segmented and you're looking at a lot of players. I think we'll be ready to go. We had a good practice today in regards to our coverage units and we'll have a good plan." What effects do you see in the changes from the rosters from last season for both teams? "You just look at the team and the starting lineups that won't be on the field that were a year ago, just like there will be for us. I think that's pretty common in our game now. As you look through the flip card and you look through the lineups, Darren Sharper, Mike Bell - there are players that played last year, more than half a dozen, that won't even be in the active dress list. But I don't think that's unusual." When you gameplan, given that it's week one, how much do you go on what the Vikings were like last year? "I think you have to study closely the systems and you have to study closely the personnel. And then within your own scheme, you're going to get wrinkles thrown at you and it typically becomes a little bit more of a transition in week one. As the season progresses, you're better able to hone in on certain personnel but in those early weeks you're really working off of postseason last year and some preseason from this year and really the bulk of the '09 season." Do you think the chemistry will be a bit of a challenge for the defense at first because of the three new starters? "These guys have had a lot of work and the defensive staff will spend a lot of time this week making sure that the 11 guys that are out there understand the package and the defense called. The key - especially in a game like this that will be an emotional game as week one typically is - is minimizing the things that keep you from winning. Doing a good job of protecting the football, defensively continuing to work on taking the ball away, lowering the penalties on both sides of the ball - those are the key things. The blocking, the tackling, the fundamentals of the game; clearly there is some transition when you insert players like you're alluding to into the lineup." Because of Favre's age and uncertain ankle injury status is there even more of an emphasis on hits on the quarterback? "Every week there's an emphasis on putting pressure on the quarterback. So to think that there is more of an emphasis any one week would be false. Generally if a quarterback has time to throw, especially a guy as talented as Brett is, it becomes hard because he's very accurate, he has a strong arm and a great release and he's very confident. The same thing applies with Drew Brees. If you give some of these top-flight quarterbacks too much time, it becomes hard to cover." Do you expect Favre to have some timing issues because he hasn't been in training camp and out on the field that much? "He's been able to do this for a while now. When you look at a guy with his experience, I think it's different. It's not the norm; it's the exception to the rule and he has proven that and played at a great level. Case in point, last year. It was very similar."   Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre Conference Call With New Orleans Media - transcribed by Justin Macione - retrieved from neworleans.com Sunday, September 5, 2010 How are you feeling about your offensive line heading into this game since it looked like there was a lot of pressure on you in that Seattle game? "There was, but I'm fine. We tried Anthony Herrera at center. He's a guard. I assume he'll be our third center if need be. That was a difficult transition for him. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. He's worked at it the past few weeks, but that more than anything was the reason for that. For him, it's a heck of a lot easier playing guard as opposed to moving over to center for the first time and making those calls and things like that. That was that. Big mac (Bryant McKinnie) a couple plays later got beaten on the inside. That happens. Guys will play hard. They'll fight and we'll see what happens." Has anybody established themselves as the third down back like Chester Taylor had? "It's a hard replacement, but I think all three guys will get their share." How are you in terms of the ankle and getting into game shape? "I'm pretty good. I can't think in terms of recent memory of a time when I went into a season feeling completely healthy. As you get older, I don't know what else to expect. I feel pretty good and as far as the timing goes. Whether I came in early or not, Percy (Harvin) basically wasn't practicing until a week and a half to two weeks ago. We just picked up Greg Camarillo. I've thrown passes to Bernard (Berrian) and Shianch (Visanthe Shiancoe) and Greg Lewis. It was going to be a late learning curve based on Sidney's (Rice) situation and Percy's. But, as far as game shape and stuff like that, no doubt, I get fatigued and tired and things like that, but I'll be fine." How banged up was Bernard Berrian last year and is he at full strength going into this season? "As far as last year's concerned, I can't give you an exact answer on that. I don't think he was ever completely healthy. He was bothered by a hamstring, really the whole season and I think really the last few games and he obviously could tell you better than I could, it seemed like he was a different player the last few weeks and had a little pep back in his step. He seems to be fine. He's practiced everyday, practiced well and that obviously hurt him last year, because I didn't get a lot of reps with him early. I think he's fine now." Talk about the respect you have for Gregg Williams and how tough it is to game plan against a defensive coordinator that aggressive? "It poses a threat obviously regardless of where you play. It obviously poses a bigger threat playing away. I'll say it again, just like last year, when we played Dallas here, that was a huge advantage for us obviously. We used that advantage. Our defense was able to beat their offensive lines to the punch and pose a lot of problems. But our defense is not near as exotic as the Saints are. They give you a lot of different looks. Noise is always a factor when you play away, but really (there) it's a factor. It's a huge challenge. I've played against Gregg throughout my career in different places. His defenses have always been aggressive and it's just hard to target what they're in. What you see isn't what you get usually and that's kind of the beauty of his defense, not to mention he has very good players who play it, starting with Jonathan (Vilma) right there at the mike backer, probably the most underrated backer in all of football, not for us, but we think he's top-notch. That's the heart and soul of their defense. He's kind of able to orchestrate a lot of that stuff and they do a very good job of it." Coach Childress this morning with us questioned whether the Saints crossed the line between aggression and trying to hurt people in the NFC Championship. I know you came out of that game hurt... "So did a lot of people, but do you know what my response is? It's football. Sean Payton and I are good friends. I talked to him several days after the game and said, great win for you guys. A win's a win. In a roundabout sort of way, every defense wants to get the opposing quarterback out and that's just the way it is. Had that been us and say we played Drew (Brees) here and we were able to hit him like that and we sure would have been saying, great. I wish we had won the football game. I'm not so concerned about how we lost it. It's physical. It's football. I'm not going to get caught up in that." With Darren Sharper not available, do you see some things where you can take advantage of Malcolm Jenkins in that new position at free safety? "I don't want to say (they're) totally different styles. I think it's experience more than anything. What has made Sharper such a good player I don't want to say has hurt him, but you can kind of use his aggression against him. That's easier said than done, because there are a lot of factors that go into it: time to throw, being able to double move and things of that nature. He made a lot of great plays throughout the year last year. I played with Darren, played against Darren and he'll roll the dice. He's seen formations. He's seen route running combinations and things like that. (He's a) very, very instinctive player. I think right now, I'm sure things could change in this game, but Jenkins seems to guessing playing a little more like Coach Williams wants him to play it and doesn't want him to think outside the box yet. Once again, that's just my opinion, but obviously a very talented player, gets back in the deep middle. But, I've seen him do a little bit of everything. You just don't see him at this point being as aggressive or risky or whatever as Sharp does. I don't know if that plays to our advantage or not. You see Sharper and say, sure we can try to do this or do that and once again, it's easier said than done. I just think regardless of who we play, right now especially, we just have to be good at what we do and try to for ourselves not really think outside the box. Do you have any advice for Drew Brees in terms of trying to repeat and deal with the demands involved in a long offseason after a Super Bowl win? "I'll say it sure beats the alternative. With success comes great demands. One thing that I can say about Drew is he can handle it. He's handled a lot of adversity throughout his career. He's probably been told a bunch that he's not the prototypical quarterback, doesn't fit the mold and all those things; yet, he kind of defies the odds year in and year out. He has a great head on his shoulders, not to mention he's a damn good quarterback. He's accurate. He's mobile, very smart. It seems like him and Sean Payton work extremely well together. Really you get right down to it. He's a perfect person to handle those demands and people tugging on you. It isn't easy. It's not easy to play the game period, but he has handled it well, will continue to handle it well. That just kind of goes with the territory. He's well-deserving of all the things that have come his way. Do you have any concerns that you will be able to hold up health wise? "In which game?  (laughter) As I sit here right now, I don't feel any differently from a standpoint of ‘Will I make it? Can I hold up?' How many young players, first and second-year guys on up, seem to fall week in and week out? Is it harder at this age? It is hard to perform at any age. It is definitely hard to perform at my age from a physical standpoint. It is hard to get yourself going. I feel pretty good. Getting hit and things like that - I can handle that. If it is an injury that is a bruise here or there or a slight pull, I can deal with all those things. I can't control the other stuff. People continue to say ‘can he hold up the whole year?' You can say that about any quarterback that plays the game. It seems like at age 40 and soon to be 41, that I am the easy target to pick on like ‘It's only a mater of time.' Yet, I continue to outlast all these guys. If it ends this week, then it ends. If it ends at the end of the season then so be it. I am not concerned about it." Did Drew Brees contact you about dealing with the added attention that comes with winning the Super Bowl? "No, and everyone is different. I have never really contacted anyone in regards to those types of things. I have asked for advice. Throughout my career but not when it comes to the demands and things like that. There is no need for him to, at least from my point of view. It seems like he has it all in order. He knows his priorities and has done a great job with it." Do you like what the NFL did by putting you guys against the Saints for their regular season opener? "I guess if I was the scheduling guru, I probably would have done the same thing. You got to play sometime." Would you have preferred to play a game of this magnitude later in this season? "I don't think it really matters one way or the other. In all honesty, this game is totally different from (NFC Championship) for obvious reasons. Both teams will continue to play the following week. There are still 15 games remaining. That is a huge difference than whomever wins continues on and the loser is done. Don't get me wrong - I want to win this game as much as I wanted to win last year's game. It is a different mindset. It is great for TV and all those things. Brad Childress and Sean Payton would basically say the same thing ‘we want to win this football game, but guys either way it is not the end of the world.' If you win or lose, you still have 15 games to play." If this is your final season, how does it feel to play in the Superdome with what could be your final time there? "It feels good. It was mixed emotions going there last year as I grew up a huge Saints fan. I was no different than all the other Saints fans throughout the years. You just lived to wait for another year and say ‘we are going to get it next year.' To go back there (last year) and have a chance to knock them out, obviously that wasn't the case. It is close to home and I don't know if that is good or bad considering all the ticket requests we are always getting. It is fun to go back there." If Brees or anyone else were to ask you about how to get back to the Super Bowl after winning it what would you tell them? "There is so much talk about how hard it is to repeat and that is true. In my opinion, you have to forget or remember, however you look at it, what got you there. There is no doubt that players and teams who have not achieved their goals, seem to be hungrier than players and teams that have achieved their goals. Maintaining that attitude of  ‘OK, what we achieved last year is exactly that - last year.' Having those same type of goals but more than anything is doing the work that is required to get there. Not believing so much that you are entitled to another championship or you are going to be given wins. I am not telling you or anyone else something they don't know but it happens every year." Would you be open to coming out late in games if the game is in the Vikings hand? "Sure, I think that would be smart. I consider myself a tough guy and very durable. I think at this point in my career I am fairly realistic about the toll that it can take. I am talking about from year one up to now. Anything I can do to increase that longevity, I think is a smart thing to do." Do you feel Adrian Peterson has worked on his ball handling skills? "I think he has addressed it. He is well aware of it. In my opinion, I think from a coach's standpoint you have to be careful of ‘ beating a dead horse.' You address it with some drills and things that you can do. You don't want every time he touches the ball that it is all he thinks about. You don't want to take away from what he does really well. I know it has been addressed and he has worked on it. You still have to go play."   V-Roll Roll Call Drew Brees said he'll start thinking about the emotions of the game   Saints coach Sean Payton discusses Jonathan Casillas injury   How will the Saints do without Darren Sharper?   Saints linebacker situation is unclear Poll What matchup do you think will be the biggest factor in Thursday's game? Brett Favre vs. the Saints defense. Vikings running game vs. Saints run defense. Saints linebackers vs. Vikings offense. Drew Brees vs. Vikings defense. Saints running game vs. Vikings run defense. Vikings kick returners vs. Saints special teams. Payton vs. Childress. Burgers and fries vs. brats and potato chips. Other. Please elaborate below.   32 votes | Results New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902316/saints-sign-lb-danny-clark-release-te-tory-humphrey-among-other-roster-moves.html In a move that just had to be made, the Saints signed veteran linebacker Danny Clark to help defray the loss of Jonathan Casillas to IR and add depth at the position. The Times-Pic has the story here. Clark, 33 years old, is a former New Orleans Saint (2006 when he backed up Mark Simoneau) but was just released by the Houston Texans where he was a starter. Ironically, he will wear Scott Fujita's old number, #55. To make room, the Saints released tight end Tory Humphrey.  The Saints also signed undrafted rookie RB Brandon Minor (Bears) and G/T Roger Allen (Rams) to the practice squad, saying goodbye to Sean Canfield and Dustin Mitchell.  Finally, Chris Ivory has switched his jersey to #29 and K.C. Asiodu will now wear #94 as per Jeff Duncan on Twitter.     Shout out to CSC member AKAY47 for putting up this FanPost first! New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902315/thursdays-game-wont-be-same-as-last-years-new-orleans-saints-against-minnesota-video.html Sean Payton points out the different players New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902314/new-orleans-saints-bring-back-veteran-linebacker-danny-clark.html Clark spent 2006 in New Orleans as backup New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902313/new-orleans-saints-quarterback-drew-brees-talks-about-importance-practice-video.html Starters don't get a lot of work in preseason games New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902312/new-orleans-saints-release-tight-end-tory-humphrey-to-make-room-for-danny-clark.html Saints also make two changes on practice squad New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902311/new-orleans-saints-links-from-around-web.html News and notes as Saints prepare to face the Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902310/theres-storm-in-gulf-wwl-first-news.html There's a storm in the GulfWWL First NewsRead More The outcry from Minnesota players, coaches and fans was significant in the wake of the Vikings' overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC ...and more » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902309/new-orleans-saints-2010-season-preview-no-super-bowl-letdown-fanhouse.html New Orleans Saints 2010 Season Preview: No Super Bowl LetdownFanHouseThe Saints were in the middle of the pack in sacks last year, and Brown will give New Orleans an upgrade there. Jonathan Vilma has a non-stop engine and ...and more » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902308/new-orleans-saints-mccray-al-woods-patrick-ramsey-alex-brown-darren-sharper-bayou-buzz.html NOLA.comNew Orleans Saints: McCray, Al Woods, Patrick Ramsey, Alex Brown, Darren SharperBayou BuzzThe first-year Saint said New Orleans will look to find different ways to contain Minnesota All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson. ...Making The Cut: New Orleans Saints Transactions-NFL Cuts 2010Bleacher ReportNew Orleans Saints will likely turn back to Jo-Lonn Dunbar at outside linebackerNOLA.comThe Bigger Fatter Cut Breakdown: New Orleans Saints Move To 53Who Dat Dish (blog)2TheAdvocate -National Football Post -WWLall 17 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902307/new-orleans-saints-sign-veteran-lb-danny-clark-release-te-tory-humphrey-neworleanscom-blog.html TSNNew Orleans Saints sign veteran LB Danny Clark, release TE Tory HumphreyNewOrleans.Com (blog)METAIRIE ? In their ongoing effort to upgrade the 53-man roster, the New Orleans Saints added veteran linebacker Danny Clark and released tight end Tory ...New Orleans Saints bring back veteran linebacker Danny ClarkNOLA.comSaints ink LB ClarkSeattle Post IntelligencerVeteran NFL linebacker Danny Clark rejoins Saints, TE Tory Humphry cutThe Canadian PressMidwest Sports Fans -Brownsville Herald -WWLall 106 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902306/vikingssaints-preview-cbssportscom.html ESPN (blog)Vikings-Saints PreviewCBSSports.comIn case Brett Favre needed any extra motivation entering his 20th NFL season, watching the New Orleans Saints raise a championship banner should provide it. ...New Orleans Saints say they're focused on winning game, not hypeNOLA.comNFL Picks: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans SaintsBetFirmsMinnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints NFL PredictionsNFL News WorldNFL News -USA Online Gambling News -FanHouseall 188 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2902305/saints-add-veteran-linebacker-danny-clark-canadian-press.html METAIRIE, La. - The New Orleans Saints have added veteran linebacker Danny Clark to their roster, marking his second stint with the club since the Sean Payton era began in 2006. New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2900864/countdown-to-kickoff-stats-facts-from-nfl.html THE NFL... HOPE IS ALIVE! Every year the NFL is full of excitement and surprise. Take the 2009 season, for example. Passing records broken...historic rushing milestones reached... the Colts and Saints flirting with perfection...new teams making the playoffs... impact rookies... and it all came down to Week 17 with 17 teams still in Super Bowl XLIV contention! The 2010 season should be no different.  Every team enters the new year with hope! "Any time you get a win in this league, it's big," says Indianapolis Colts head coach JIM CALDWELL, whose club opened the 2009 season with a 14-game winning streak. Last season, six teams - Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans and the New York Jets- made the playoffs that were not in the postseason the year before.  That marked the 14th consecutive season in which at least five teams (out of 12) accomplished the feat. SEASON PLAYOFF TEAMS NOT IN PREVIOUS SEASON'S PLAYOFFS 1996 5  (Carolina, Denver, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England)        1997 5  (Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, New York Giants, Tampa Bay) 1998 5  (Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, New York Jets) 1999 7  (Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington) 2000 6  (Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland, Philadelphia) 2001 6  (Chicago, Green Bay, New England, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Francisco) 2002 5  (Atlanta, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Tennessee) 2003 8  (Baltimore, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New England, St. Louis, Seattle) 2004 5  (Atlanta, Minnesota, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Diego) 2005 7  (Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Washington) 2006 7  (Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego) 2007 6  (Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington) 2008 7  (Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia) 2009 6  (Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York Jets) New Orleans rebounded to win the NFC South after a last-place finish in 2008. This marked the NFL-record seventh consecutive season that a team went from "worst-to-first" in its division. Of the 32 teams to go from "worst-to-first" in NFL annals, 15 of them have done so in the past 10 years (2000-2009).    THE NFL IS SO UNPREDICTABLE THAT IN 2009...     Nothing exhibits the unpredictability of the NFL more than the tightness of NFL games:  "You only get 16 games and you never know what can happen in the National Football League," saysMonday Night FootballanalystJON GRUDEN. In 2009, 34 percent were decided in the last two minutes or overtime. In 14 percent of the games, apotentialgame-winning/tying drive oractualgame-winning drive reached the red zone with two minutes to go. Games continued to be this close.  Nearly 65% were within one score in the fourth quarter: GAMES DECIDED BY ONE SCORE   GAMES WITHIN ONE SCORE AT ANY POINT IN 4TH QUARTER POINTS GAMES PCT.   POINTS GAMES PCT. 8 or Less 120 of 256 46.9%   8 or Less  166 of 256 64.8% 7 or Less 110 of 256 42.9%   7 or Less  160 of 256 62.5% 3 or Less 54 of 256 21.1%   3 or Less  113 of 256 44.1% There werefive new division winners- Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, New England, and New Orleans - on the heels of the recording-tying six from 2008 (since realignment in 2002). "It's so funny how things can change in a week in this league," says running back THOMAS JONES of the Kansas City Chiefs. The outstanding competition on the field kept fans tuning in on TV. ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network each had its most-viewed NFL season ever, while CBS had its most-watched season ever with the AFC package. Super Bowl XLIV reached atotal audienceof 153.4 million viewers, making it themost-watched show in U.S. television historyaccording to Nielsen Media Research. KICKOFF WEEKEND RECORDS OF NFL TEAMS              Longest Streaks              Longest Streaks AFC W L T Pct. Win Loss Current NFC W  L T Pct. Win Loss Current Denver 32 17 1 .653   4 4 W-3 Dallas 34 15 1 .694 17 5 W-3 Jacksonville   9   6 0 .600   6 3 L-3 N.Y. Giants 48 32 5 .600   4 3 W-2 San Diego 29 21 0 .580   6 6 W-1 Chicago 50 35 5 .588   9 6 L-1 Pittsburgh 39 32 4 .549   7 3 W-7 Minnesota 28 20 1 .583   5 3 W-1 Miami 23 20 1 .535 11 5 L-4 Green Bay 50 36 3 .581   5 6 W-3 Indianapolis 34 31 1 .523   8 8 W-1 Atlanta 24 20 0 .545   5 3 W-2 Kansas City 26 24 0 .520   7 4 L-4 Detroit 42 36 2 .538 10 4 L-2 New England 26 24 0 .520   6 3 W-6 St. Louis 38 34 0 .528   5 6 L-3 Tennessee 26 24 0 .520   4 3 L-1 San Francisco 31 28 1 .525   5 3 W-1 Oakland 24 26 0 .480   5 7 L-7 Washington 37 37 4 .500   6 5 L-2 Cleveland 27 30 0 .474   5 6 L-5 Philadelphia 31 44 1 .413   5 9 W-2 Cincinnati 19 23 0 .452   4 4 L-2 Arizona 35 52 2 .402   6 7 L-1 N.Y. Jets 22 28 0 .440   3 5 W-2 Carolina   6  9 0 .400   3 4 L-1 Baltimore   6   8 0 .429   2 4 W-2 Tampa Bay 13 21 0 .382   3 5 L-4 Buffalo 20 30 0 .400   6 5 L-1 Seattle 12 22 0 .353   3 8 W-1 Houston   3   5 0 .375   2 3 L-2 New Orleans 15 28 0 .349   2 6 W-2      FROM WORST TO FIRST Competitive balance in the NFL is so strong that a team going from "worst-to-first" in its division is becoming an annual tradition.  For the seventh consecutive season - an NFL record - at least one team has finished in first place in their division the season after finishing in last place. In fact, out of the 32 teams in NFL annals to go from "worst-to-first," 15 of them have done so in the past 10 years (2000-09), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2006. One of the teams to make the remarkable turnaround in 2006 did so again in 2009...all the way to a Super Bowl victory. The New Orleans Saints, whose 8-8 record saw them finish last in the NFC South in 2008, improved by five wins en route to a 13-3 record and a division title for the second time in four seasons.  The Saints also became just the third to go from "worst-to-first" and cap the season with a win in the Super Bowl, following the 1999 St. Louis Rams and 2001New England Patriots. "One of your early goals is to win your division and generally that's the first way to get in the playoffs," says New Orleans Saints head coach SEAN PAYTON.  "So we were pleased with that." The teams to go from "worst-to-first" in their division since 2000: SEASON TEAM RECORD PRIOR SEASON RECORD 2000 New Orleans 10-6 3-13 2001 Chicago 13-3 5-11 2001 New England** 11-5 5-11 2003 Carolina 11-5                    7-9 2003 Kansas City 13-3 8-8* 2004 Atlanta 11-5 5-11 2004 San Diego 12-4  4-12* 2005 Chicago 11-5 5-11 2005 Tampa Bay 11-5 5-11 2006 Baltimore 13-3  6-10* 2006 New Orleans 10-6 3-13 2006 Philadelphia 10-6 6-10 2007 Tampa Bay 9-7 4-12 2008 Miami 11-5 1-15 2009 New Orleans** 13-3                    8-8 * Tied for last place  ** Won Super Bowl      KICKOFF WEEKEND RECORDS OF NFL HEAD COACHES AFC HEAD COACHES NFC HEAD COACHES Team Coach W-L Team Coach W-L Baltimore John Harbaugh 2-0 Arizona Ken Whisenhunt 1-2 Buffalo Chan Gailey 2-0 Atlanta Mike Smith 2-0 Cincinnati Marvin Lewis 2-5 Carolina John Fox 4-4 Cleveland Eric Mangini 2-2 Chicago Lovie Smith 2-4 Denver Josh McDaniels 1-0 Dallas Wade Phillips 5-3 Houston Gary Kubiak 1-3 Detroit Jim Schwartz 0-1 Indianapolis Jim Caldwell 1-0 Green Bay Mike McCarthy 3-1 Jacksonville Jack Del Rio 3-4 Minnesota Brad Childress 3-1 Kansas City Todd Haley 0-1 New Orleans Sean Payton 3-1 Miami Tony Sparano 0-2 N.Y. Giants Tom Coughlin 9-5 New England Bill Belichick 9-6 Philadelphia Andy Reid 5-6 N.Y. Jets Rex Ryan 1-0 St. Louis Steve Spagnuolo 0-1 Oakland Tom Cable 0-1 San Francisco Mike Singletary 1-0 Pittsburgh Mike Tomlin 3-0 Seattle Pete Carroll 3-1 San Diego Norv Turner 5-7 Tampa Bay Raheem Morris 0-1 Tennessee Jeff Fisher 9-6 Washington Mike Shanahan 12-4 New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2900858/saints-name-practice-squad-what-chances-do-they-have-moving-up-in-2010.html Forum: Saints News Posted By: mvtrucking Post Time: 09-06-2010 at 07:17 AM New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2900857/tps-jeff-duncan-wwls-jim-henderson-others-to-discuss-new-orleans-saints-city-at-loyola.html Forum: Saints News Posted By: mvtrucking Post Time: 09-06-2010 at 08:07 AM New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2900856/saints-think-they-have-linebacker-inhouse-to-fill-in-for-casillas.html Forum: Saints News Posted By: mvtrucking Post Time: 09-06-2010 at 08:09 AM New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2900489/ground-game-looks-like-cureall-for-minnesota-vikings-links.html What others are saying about the Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2900488/who-do-you-think-will-have-emotional-edge-between-new-orleans-saints-minnesota-vikings.html Vote in our poll New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2899909/casillas-out-for-season.html New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2899166/nfl-power-rankings-week-one-give-nod-to-new-orleans-associated-content.html New York Times (blog)NFL Power Rankings Week One Give Nod to New OrleansAssociated Contentto the New Orleans Saints, who are fresh off winning the last Super Bowl. The reward will keep them at the top of these power rankings until there is proof ...NFL Preview: New Orleans Saints No. 1 in NFC power rankingsPalm Beach Post2010 NFL season previewFog Horn2010 NFL Kickoff, Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints: Saints Still SuperBleacher ReportAtlanta Journal Constitution -Sports Chat Place -Player Pressall 193 news articles » New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2898651/saints-adjusting-to-new-starters-on-defense-ap.html Malcolm Jenkins fully expects Brett Favre to try to pick on him when the Saints host the Vikings in the NFL's season opener Thursday night. "I'll just have to hold my own," said Jenkins, who'll start for All-Pro safety Darren Sharper. As the Saints open their 2009 title defense, they're not exactly the same team they were a year ago. New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2897915/dan-hampton-pro-football-weekly-major.html DAN HAMPTON - Pro Football Weekly - Major @$$ Someone shared this on Facebook, but I didn't see it here...Shame on you Dan Hampton!!!!!!! New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895708/new-orleans-saints-hungry-for-another-super-bowl-title.html Forum: Saints News Posted By: mvtrucking Post Time: 09-05-2010 at 10:31 AM New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895707/its-finally-for-real.html Forum: Saints News Posted By: mvtrucking Post Time: 09-05-2010 at 10:38 AM New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895034/saints-believe-again-bash-pep-rally-in-pictures.html Last night the Saints held the Believe Again Bash pep rally in the brand new Champions Square to give fans a chance to listen to music, meet players, see the Lombardi Trophy and just have some good old fashioned fun before the team officially kicks off the 2010 NFL season this Thursday.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. But whoever is in charge of the Saints official Twitter page was there and did a great job of taking pictures and keeping fans updated during the event. To give you guys a feel for yesterday's action, I have compiled all of the pictures taken and tweeted throughout the day and put them all right after the jump in order. Scroll over each picture to read the caption given. Click the picture for a larger version.    Poll Did you attend the Believe Again Bash? Yes No   2 votes | Results New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895033/afc-west-preview-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the AFC West New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895032/afc-east-preview-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the AFC East New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895031/afc-north-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the AFC North New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895030/afc-south-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the AFC South New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895029/nfc-west-preview-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the NFC West New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895028/nfc-east-preview-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the NFC East New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2895027/nfc-north-preview-divisions-best-team-outlooks-schedules.html Breaking down the NFC North New Orleans Saints - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates