Other Local Teams

New Orleans Saints NFL News – Saints Football Blog

The New Orleans Saints are well worth following, and you can do it better than anyone else by keeping up with us at SaintsLocker.com. Here is where you're going to find all the latest and greatest news and player profiles, stats, rankings, schedules, and everything else you're going to need to feel like you're right there in the Superdome locker room. Get tickets for the games and get great deals on Saints merchandise and apparel. If you're a betting person, you're sure to benefit form all the injury news and special commentary. If you thought getting the final score was enough, you're sadly mistaken! If you're a real football fan, just go marching in….to SaintsLocker.com!

Fantasy Defense/ST Rankings

Blogged under Fantasy Football Report by ravenhater on Tuesday 15 August 2006 at 10:22 am
Bye Weeks ()

 1. Chicago Bears  (7)  The Bears have the best defense in the NFL, and they added return ace Devin Hester in the draft.

 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (4)  The Steelers play keep away with their offense, but the defense is still very good and opportunistic.

 3. Tampa Bay Bucs (4)  The Bucs are super quick on defense and rush the passer well.

 4. Philadelphia Eagles (9)  The Eagles are a solid defensive team that has been good for awhile now.

 5. Baltimore Ravens (7)  Drafting Ngata will keep O-Linemen off Ray Lewis…who should have a huge season.

 6. Washington Redskins (8)  The Redskins’ offense will pressure other team into making mistakes.

 7. Indianapolis Colts (6)  Colts fast defense takes advantage of teams trying to play “catch-up”.

 8. San Diego Chargers (3)  Chargers have a quick, opportunistic defense.

 9. New England Patriots (6)  As long as Belichick is putting the X’s and O’s on the chalkboard, the Patriots will have a good defense.

10. Dallas Cowboys (3)  The Cowboys have re-loaded the defense with guys Parcells hand-picked for the job.

11. Miami Dolphins (8)  Saban is a master at defense, and he has alot of good players on that side of the ball.

12. New York Giants (4)  Big, physical defense that gets alot of sacks.

13. Jacksonville Jaguars (6)  Coach Del Rio stockpiled defensive players when he got the job, and now it’s paying off.

14. Carolina Panthers (9)  Defense is opportunistic, and Peppers is a sack machine.

15. Atlanta Falcons (5)  Adding John Abraham will make this a tough defense to deal with.

16. Kansas City (3)  Herman Edwards is a defensive coach, but he’s not a miracle worker.  They do have the best kick-returner in the NFL in Dante Hall.

17. Cleveland Browns (6)  Four new starters on defense will make this a very physical unit.

18. Seattle Seahawks (5)  Under-rated part of the team.

19. Minnesota Vikings (6)  A quick unit that doesn’t make alot of big plays.

20. Green Bay Packers (6)  Young linebackers Hawk and Hodge make this a unit on the way up.

21. Denver Broncos (4)  Imported too many Ex-Browns that weren’t that good.

22. St. Louis Rams (7)  Defense is under construction.

23. Cincinnati Bengals (5)  Losing their best player for the first four games will hurt the defense…..badly.

24. Buffalo Bills (8)  The draft was a good start, but the new blood won’t make that much of a difference this season.

25. NY Jets (9)  Not alot of playmakers on this side of the ball.

26. Arizona Cardinals (9)  Defense not in same league as the Cards offense.

27. Detroit Lions (8)  Defense could be on the field alot…..and that’s not a good thing.

28. Tennessee Titans (7)  Not a lot of playmakers on this side of the field.

29. New Orleans Saints (7)  Rebuilding, just like the city.

30. Houston Texans (5)  Mario Williams can’t do it alone.

31. San Francisco 49ers (7)  Defense will be on the field alot, and they will more than likely be defending short fields because of their inept offense.

32.  Oakland Raiders (3)  A long way to go to just be average.

 

McPherson and Stecker each out two weeks

Blogged under Bloglockers,Disabled List,Front Page by ravenhater on Monday 14 August 2006 at 9:53 pm

Both McPherson and Stecker will miss two weeks with injuries sustained in the opener of the exhibition season.  Stecker suffered a high ankle sprain during the game.  McPherson was hit by a golf cart driven by “T-Rac”, the Titans mascot.  McPherson bruised his knee and will miss two weeks.

Fantasy Tight End Rankings

Blogged under Fantasy Football Report by ravenhater on Monday 14 August 2006 at 6:29 pm
Bye Weeks () 

 1. Antonio Gates, Chargers (3)  The undisputed king of tight ends.  A young QB’s best friend is the tight end.

 2. Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs (3)  Gonzalez is the Chiefs #1 receiver.  Almost impossible to stop.

 3. Chris Cooley, Redskins (8)  Was a force last season, and with Al Saunders calling the plays…he could explode.

 4. Jeremy Shockey, Giants (4)  I love watching this guy play.  He’s old-school, and he’s good.

 5. Todd Heap, Ravens (7)  Watch out….he has a real QB for the first time in his career.

 6. Randy McMichael, Dolphins (8)  With Culpepper on board he could make the Pro Bowl.

 7. Alge Crumpler, Falcons (5)  Michael Vick’s favorite receiver.  That shouldn’t mean too much, but if Schaub plays…look out!

 8. Jason Witten, Cowboys (3)  The Tuna loves throwing to the tight end, and Witten is a good one.

 9. L.J. Smith, Eagles (9)  Donovan McNabb has to throw to someone.

10. Kellen Winslow, Browns (6)  A man on a mission.  Safeties beware.

11. Vernon Davis, 49ers (7)  He’ll be the guy Alex Smith is looking for….and soon.

12. Jermaine Wiggins, Vikings (6)  Wiggins doesn’t look the part, but he’s been very good for the Vikings.

13. Heath Miller, Steelers (4)  A carbon copy of Todd Heap.  If Big Ben looks his way….Miller will catch it.

14. Zach Hilton, Saints (7)  Brees likes throwing to his tight end, and Hilton had a good second half last year.

15. Mercedes Lewis, Jaguars (6)  The Jags first round pick has alot of ability, and Leftwich needs someone to throw to.

16. Ben Watson, Patriots (6)  Brady’s receiving corps is looking thin, so he will look to the TE more this season.

17. Dallas Clark, Colts (6)  Clark is a good athlete that catches his share of passes.

18. Marcus Pollard, Lions (8)  Pollard is getting old, but he can still catch the football.

19. Erron Kinney, Titans (7)  Tight-ends catch alot of passes in the Titans offense, but they’re usually short ones.

20. Eric Johnson, 49ers (7)  If healthy, and that’s a big if, Johnson is a good TE.

21. Jeb Putzier, Texans (5)  Putzier should catch alot of short passes from Carr.  It should help Carr from taking a beating again this year.

22. Doug Jolley, Jets (9)  Jolley is a good receiver, but he’s under utilized by the Jets.

23. Jeramy Stevens, Seahawks (5)  If Stevens just caught the passes that hit him in the hands, he would rank much higher.

24. Bubba Franks, Packers (6)  Franks is slowing down, but Favre will be looking for him in the Red Zone.

25. Ben Troupe, Titans (7)  Catches alot of passes, but doesn’t get alot of yards.

26. Daniel Graham, Patriots (6)  Graham is a good receiver and should increase his receptions this season.

27. Steve Heiden, Browns (6)  Tough as nails throwback.  If you draft Winslow…..you better draft Heiden too.

28. Anthony Fasano, Cowboys (3)  Rookie from Notre Dame is a good receiver.

29. Alex Smith, Buccaneers (4)  Smith is just scratching the surface of his potential.

30. Bryan Fletcher, Colts (6)  Fletcher was a find for the Colts as a rookie.  His role could expand.

31. Dominique Byrd, Rams (7)  Rams TE job is open and Byrd is a good receiver.

32. Leonard Pope, Cardinals (9)  Rookie TE has the upper hand in Arizona.  He’s a big target.

33. Stephen Alexander, Broncos (4)  Good hands, but lacks speed.

34. Adam Bergen, Cardinals (9)  Bergen looked decent as a rookie, but he’s a possession type receiver.

35. Jim Kleinsasser, Vikings (6)  Better blocker than receiver.

36. Joe Klopfenstein, Rams (7)  Will battle Byrd for starting spot.  Has good hands.

37. Anthony Becht, Buccaneers (4)  Over-rated every season.

38. Courtney Anderson, Raiders (3)  Tight-end is an afterthought in Raiders offense.

39. Desmond Clark, Bears (7)  Bears starter, but doesn’t get many balls thrown his way.

40. Jason Dunn, Chiefs (3)  Gets an occasional bone thrown his way.  Usually near the end-zone.

41. Christian Fauria, Redskins (8)  Redskins will use the tight-end alot.  You could do worse.

42. Kris Mangum, Panthers (9)  Tight-ends block in Panthers offense.

43. Robert Royal, Bills (8)  Starting TE for the Bills, but not much of a receiver.

44. Ernie Conwell, Saints (7)  Dependable, but not flashy receiver.

45. Matt Schobel, Eagles (9)  Decent back-up, value spikes if Smith is injured.

46. Aaron Shea, Chargers (3)  Decent possession receiver.

47. Reggie Kelly, Bengals (5)  Not used much in the passing game.

48. Kevin Everett, Bills (8)  Good pass catching TE, but he missed his rookie season in Buffalo due to injury.

49. David Martin, Packers (6) Good speed, but under-utilized in the offense.

50. Chris Baker, Jets (9)  Not much of a pass catcher.

51. Daniel Wilcox, Ravens (7)  Now you’re reaching.

52. Itula Mili, Seahawks (5)  Would rank higher but he missed all but two games last season.

53. Tony Scheffler, Broncos (4)  Good receiver if he gets a chance to play.

54. Dwayne Blakely, Falcons (5)  I know Vick likes the TE……but…..

55. Visanthe Shiancoe, Giants (4)  You don’t even want him if Shockey gets hurt.

56. Jerame Tuman, Steelers (4)  Rarely gets to go out for a pass.

57. Dan Campbell, Lions (8)  Good hands, no speed.

58. Mike Seidman, Panthers (9)  Never used in the passing game.

59. Mark Bruener, Texans (5)  Good for one catch a game.

60. Kyle Brady, Jaguars (6)  Also good for one catch a game.

61. Randal Williams, Raiders (3)  You don’t want him.

62. Tony Stewart, Bengals (5)  Until Marvin Lewis realizes that tight ends are eligible receivers…you don’t want him.

63. Justin Peele, Dolphins (8)  Good blocker.

64. John Gilmore, Bears (7)  Just say no.

 

Saints win has impressive aspects

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Monday 14 August 2006 at 12:36 am

The Saints won 19-16 over the Titans, and out-yarded them 401-219.  Reggie Bush looked phenomenal in his debut rushing 6 times for 59 yards and caught 2 passes for 10 yards.  The battle for the back-up QB job is heating up between Jamie Martin and Todd Bouman.  Martin completed 13 of 22 passes for 143 yards and two pick-offs.  Bouman completed 5 of 8 passes for 77 yards and a TD.

Marques Colston (7, WR)

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,The Draft Report by ravenhater on Thursday 10 August 2006 at 2:11 pm

Colston improved his stock with a great performance in the East-West Shrine Game.  Colston is a big receiver at 6’4″ 222, and he has good hands.  He doesn’t have deep speed (4.53 40) but he has the skills to get open.  He faces quite a jump in competition as he played at Hofstra….but the Saints aren’t that deep at wide-out and he could get a chance.

Zach Strief (7, OT)

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,The Draft Report by ravenhater on Thursday 10 August 2006 at 2:07 pm

Strief is a huge tackle (6’7″, 340) that was a three-year starter at Northwestern.  He plays through pain and packs a wallop in the running game.  He has a little problem with speed rushers at end, but the coaches can fix that in practice.  Strief will probably start his career as a back-up, but more than likely will have a better career than 4th round pick Jahri Evans.

Josh Lay (6, CB)

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,The Draft Report by ravenhater on Thursday 10 August 2006 at 2:02 pm

Josh Lay is Ty Law’s cousin, but that’s where the comparisons end.  Lay lacks great speed (4.5 40) and has problems with speed receivers.  He also is very shy against the run.  Those problems will need solved if he’s going to be anything other than a special teams player.

Mike Haas (6, WR)

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,The Draft Report by ravenhater on Thursday 10 August 2006 at 1:58 pm

Haas was a very productive receiver at Oregon State.  He has a wide arsenal of moves to get himself open, and he has great hands.  He has the look of a #3 receiver in the pros because he lacks great speed (4.55 40), but he catches whatever hit his hands.  Hard to doubt a player that wasn’t really recruited out of high-school and walked on at Oregon State….and became their best receiver!

Haas played in 36 games his last three seasons at Oregon State (36 starts) and caught 220 passes for 3,924 yards (17.8 avg) and 20 TDs.

Rob Ninkovich (5, DE)

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,The Draft Report by ravenhater on Thursday 10 August 2006 at 1:52 pm

Ninkovich has great speed (4.65 40) for his size (6’2″, 255 pounds).  Ninkovich has the look of a situational pass rusher as he is quick off the ball and gets into the opposing teams backfield frequently.  He gets overpowered in the running game, but he’s a hard worker that will try to change that in the weight room.

Ninkovich played in 23 games at Purdue (5 starts) and made 71 tackles, 26.5 tackles for a loss, had 16 sacks and batted down six passes.

Jahri Evans (4, G/T)

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,The Draft Report by ravenhater on Thursday 10 August 2006 at 1:47 pm

Evans was a dominant run-blocker at Bloomsburg College in Pennsylvania.  He could be that in the pros too, as he is 6’4″, 318 pounds.  But Evans will quickly find out that the NFL is quite a step up from the type of players he’s used to playing.  The Saints will have their work cut out for them trying to teach Evans how to pass block, which could take a while.  He has the makings of a major project that will take time.

—