This isn't a surprise, but it's a tough break none the less for the suspended players and the NFLPA. System Arbitrator Stephen Burbank ruled in favor of Roger Goodell and the NFL, saying Goodell was indeed acting within his rights of power when he suspended Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove. Specifically, the pay for performance program is a salary cap violation, therefore an off the field infraction which falls within Goodell's sole jurisidiction. It was a nice try by the NFLPA, but clearly Goodell can do what he wants. It was pretty obvious to me this would never work because the CBA that was signed clearly gives him that power. The ruling that a salary cap infraction is an off the field action seemed fairly straightforward.

The NFLPA is still hanging on to the hope that... no comments

After being implored to share any evidence the NFL contained against the Saints players for months, only few quick to judge buffoons took this garbage "leaked" Yahoo story excuse for "evidence" as the proverbial nail in the Saints' coffin. The article, should you choose not to read it, claims that a ledger exists that detailed the Saints' payment program for "cart offs" and "whacks" and the NFL is in position of such ledger. Again, it won't be shared to the public... you can't view it... you just have to take their word for it. Um, no thanks on that one. Enough spinning and manufactured "truths" have soiled the NFL's credibility in this longwinded saga, and nothing short of cold hard evidence will be enough to condemn the Saints' players at this point in the public eye. And I'm not talking about claims of possession of cold hard evidence... that's the same song that's been playing since day one. I'm talking about real evidence, shared with the public, akin to the Gregg Williams audio tape, that incriminates Saints players.  no comments

There have been so many troubles for the Saints this offseason that I have become desensitized to any new stories that come out. At this point, any news that isn’t bad is GREAT. A New Orleans Saints ticket holder has created a website to take donations to give to Drew Brees, as he awaits a new contract. As much as I love and respect Drew, I wouldn’t give him a dime of my own money. I know that he is not personally connected to this website, but what fan in their right mind would give Drew, who is a multi-million dollar man, some of their hard earned money? no comments

Andrew Juge of the Saints Nation stops bye to discuss all the scenarios where the calendar turns to July, Drew Brees isn't signed, and we all look for tall bridges to leap off of. He also says compares a former Saints GM to midget porn! Plus the boys try to figure out if Grandmaster Wang is right about the local media (especially the Times Picayune) doing a crappy job covering the bounty scandal and the rest of the Saints off season from hell. Oh and they give a quick shout out to the Hornets for winning the lottery and on Andrew's twitter war with Sean Pamphilon.

***WARNING - EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AT TIMES***


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A guy that's been mostly under the radar in his 4 years as a member of the Saints, mostly due to all the other big names on the roster, is former 1st round pick Sedrick Ellis. When the Saints took Ellis 7th overall in the 2008 draft, trading up from the 10th slot and giving up a 3rd round pick to the Patriots to get him, expectations were extremely high. Ellis, at the time, was one of three USC players in team history to bench over 500 lbs. He came into the NFL as the kind of player that was respected as very versatile for an interior lineman, very capable regardless of the down and distance. He had the luxury of being big, strong, but also explosive for his size. But has he lived up to his pre-draft hype?
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For the fourth consecutive year, I give you the Saints ten most valuable players going into the season. Last year's top 10 featured two players no longer on the team (Carl Nicks at #2 and Tracy Porter at #7). This year you will notice three newcomers in the top 10. Here are my top 10 players going into 2012: no comments

Happy Memorial Day to all of you Saints fans out there. I want to take a minute to give a big shout out to our troops. We're fortunate that we get to enjoy football and most of us get to cheer from the comfortable confines of our home... but let us not forget the men and women that risk their lives every day to afford us that luxury. Thank you for all that you do and WHO DAT! no comments

If Drew Brees doesn't have a long term contract by mid July, then he has a choice to make - 1. sign the 1 year franchise tender or 2. sit out 2012. Drew Brees sitting out the entire 2012 season due to a contract dispuste is not something I've been really considering much. Even with the latest Pat Yasinskas of ESPN article bringing that possibility to our collective attention, it's still not something I view as very likely. Still, I have to recognize based on the progress thus far it's at least a very remote possibility. Yasinskas is right, it's the nightmare of all nightmares scenarios, and while extremely unlikely, it's not impossible. He's also right that Chase Daniel is a capable backup in spot duty, but he won't lead the Saints to the playoffs (with or without Sean Payton in my opinion, but it's certainly even less likely without). Let's face it, despite all the terrifying news the Saints have faced this offseason, fans have maintained hope for 2012 because of Drew Brees and Drew Brees alone. No Sean Payton for a year? No Mickey Loomis for 8 games? No Joe Vitt for 6 games? No Jonathan Vilma for a year? No Will Smith for 4 games? No problem. As long as we have Drew Brees. No Drew Brees for any amount of time? Forget it.

So how likely is Brees sitting 2012 out? no comments

If you follow me on twitter and you were up late last night, you may have gotten a taste of my "twitter war" with Sean Pamphilon. I'd rehash the whole exchange here, but I fear my poor writing skills (according to Mr. Pamphilon) wouldn't do it justice. My main issue remains with his premise that he never would have released the Gregg Williams audio if the story wasn't public, but he had a moral obligation to once the story went public. I think that statement is flawed and I don't appreciate his self sensationalized morality. Either he has a moral obligation or not, but whether it's whistleblowing or piling on shouldn't make a difference. But enough about Sean Pamphilon. He implored me to so something positive, so that's what I'm going to do. Let's forget about Steve Gleason's ALS diagnosis for a second and remember his most glorious moment. For your viewing pleasure, here's the blocked punt. It still gives me shivers down my spine each and every time I watch it: no comments

3rd Round draft choice Martez Wilson was a promising rookie a year ago, but he mostly made his mark on pass rushing downs while blitzing from the linebacker position. The Saints liked his ability to get to the quarterback so much, in fact, they're apparently thinking about making the move to switch Wilson from linebacker to defensive end. Wilson apparently worked exclusively at right defensive end at the OTA's yesterday. In 13 games last year, mostly on special teams with one start, Wilson finished with 10 tackles and a sack. He also had a huge game against the 49ers in the playoffs, posting 1.5 sacks in that game along with a forced fumble.

The idea of him playing defensive end is one I like. no comments