Archives for September 2005

‘The Saints will win this game 27-20.’

‘Haslett’s Saints will play in their home-away-from home Sunday, for the first time. “I don’t know what to expect … hopefully it’s gonna be 65,000,” he said, of the crowd and the Alamodome’s capacity. “I just know they probably won’t be cheering for Buffalo, so at least we won’t have to deal with the crowd noise we’ve dealt with the last three weeks.”‘

‘"We need Angelo to come in and play hard," Milloy said. "I think everybody understands what we expect from each individual. We don’t single out one particular person or another, that’s divide and conquer. We expect that he understands his role."’

‘Angelo Crowell has lost the flashy earrings and now has his ball cap on straight. The Buffalo Bills third-year linebacker decided before the start of the season that if he was going to be a professional, he might as well start looking the part.’

‘The Buffalo Bills announced Wednesday that Northeastern’s former three-time All-America linebacker, Liam Ezekiel, has been added to the Buffalo Bills’ 53-man roster while injured LB Takeo Spikes has been placed on injured reserve.’

‘For instance, all-pro corner Nate Clements seems more concerned about getting paid than winning games. He even stated back in July that he would accept no less than being the highest-paid corner in the NFL. I guess we’ll have to wait for the free agency period in the off-season to see how Clements’ situation pans out. Before Nate revealed his true agenda, Bills safety Lawyer Milloy was cut by Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick. Why? Because he cared more about his payday than he did winning titles and was too selfish to live with the millions of dollars that he was already raking in. Big mistake considering New England has won three titles in a four year span, and could very well be on their way to yet another. And, with the loss of their best player, Takeo Spikes, it seems that the Bills’ goal of being a legendary defense has faded away into the blue skies of Buffalo. There’s always next year.’

‘”It’s just an unfortunate incident that the hurricane hit, that it devastated the region, ruined a lot of peoples’ lives, and we happened to be in the middle of it,” Haslett said on a conference call Wednesday. “Hopefully we can play better, we can do some things to turn this around, because one thing they do have (in Louisiana), they love football. They love the Saints, they love LSU, and I think it does give people a little hope if we do play well.”‘

‘”I told him he can keep our morale up and don’t let it end at the halftime speech,” said Bills coach Mike Mularkey, referring to the fact Spikes urged on his teammates during Sunday’s Atlanta game. “He’s probably more important now for us even though he’s not on the field. We can sure use the support from him, and his teammates have so much respect for him.”‘

‘”He ain’t no Donovan McNabb, or Michael Vick, or Daunte Culpepper,” Saints defensive end Charles Grant said. “Once he sees people in his face he wants to get the ball out of his hands. So we got to keep that pressure on him. We got to come at him full force with the blitzes and schemes that we have.” “He’s not a real running threat,” Saints cornerback Fakhir Brown said. “They like to roll him out and let him throw it. His best ball is a deep ball, like throwing a fade. I think we can put pressure on him because he’s not a really good drop-back passer. He can get the ball to the slot receiver pretty good but when he throws to the outside they got to roll him out.”’

‘As it so often does — and misguided as it can be — the raging flashpoint for debate begins with the quarterback.’

‘”It’s a natural process that’s going on right now for a young quarterback, and Sam has experienced it. At least he can say, ‘Hey, back when this happened,’ and you know he’s gone through it. It’s not like he’s experiencing it at the same time J.P. is.”‘

‘While nobody at One Bills Drive is saying that the Bills won’t miss a beat without Spikes – the undisputed defensive leader and locker room Gen. Patton – it’s clear just how confident the team is in Crowell.’

‘”Man, let me tell you something: The Saints aren’t going to be the first team they make a mockery of, and we will not be the last team they make a mockery of,” Horn said in a conference call Wednesday. “Believe that. Nobody is bigger than the NFL. And whoever the commissioner is calls the shots. It’s as simple as that.”‘

‘The struggles certainly haven’t fazed Losman or his teammates. “We’re fine,” he said. “Everybody has been behind me and my efforts, but there’s going to come a time when we’re going to have to make some plays, and the quarterback position is going to have to step up and make some throws, especially down in the red zone.”‘

Bills made huge investment in Losman (New Orleans Times Picayune)

12,000 tickets left for Saints’ San Antonio debut (New Orleans Times Picayune)

Twin finds a place of his own (San Antonio Express News)

Saints’ wicked hoop: It’s been done (San Antonio Express News)

Bills see improved play despite growing pains, stick with Losman (San Antonio Express News)

Saints march in with aid (San Antonio Express News)

No decision on TV blackout of Saints (San Antonio Express News)

New Orleans Saints report (San Antonio Express News)

The Saints come marching in (Austin American Statesman)

A golden ticket for San Antonio? (Dallas Morning News)

San Antonio embraces Saints, hopes for NFL team (AP)

Horn: NFL made `mockery’ of Saints for playing at Meadowlands (AP)

Saints WR Horn questionable? (The Sports Network)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

First true home game week for Saints (NewOrleansSaints.com)