The Saints took out all of their frustrations on the poor Bucs in Tampa today.  Drew Brees came out throwing the ball today as he completed 21 of 32 passes for 263 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  The Saints then grinded it out on the ground.  Chris Ivory led the way on the ground for the Saints today as he exploded for 158 yards on 15 carries (10.5 ypc).  Julius Jones pitched in with 32 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.6 ypc) in his first action with the Saints.  Ladell Betts pitched in with 20 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.3 ypc) with 1 TD run and fullback Heath Evans caught 1 pass and it went for a 4-yard TD.  Robert Meachem (4 rec, 71 yards, TD), Lance Moore (2 rec, 57 yards, TD) and Marques Colston (5 rec, 53 yards) did most of the heavy lifting in the passing game for the Saints today.  The Saints finished up with 212 yards rushing on 32 carries (6.6 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 32 passes for 263 yards. 

Defensively the Saints were all over the Bucs.  Roman Harper (7 tackles), Michael Jenkins (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 3 passes defensed), Danny Clark (5 tackles) and Marvin Mitchell (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Saints’ D today.  The Bucs finished up with 42 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.3 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 47 passes for 235 yards.  The Saints are now 4-2 on the season.

Turnovers on offense wasted an excellent effort by the defense for the Saints in Arizona.  Drew Brees completed 24 of 39 passes for 294 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs (one of his INTs was returned for a TD by CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie  in the 4th quarter pretty much ending the game).  Ladell Betts led the way on the ground for the Saints with 10 carries for 44 yards (4.4 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 26 yards (5.2 avg) but he also lost a fumble that was returned 27-yards for a TD by safety Kerry Rhodes of the Cardinals.  Chris Ivory pitched in with 10 carries for 39 yards (3.9 ypc) in this game.  Marques Colston (7 rec, 97 yards), Robert Meachem (4 rec, 72 yards, TD), Devery Henderson (4 rec, 61 yards) and Jeremy Shockey (3 rec, 30 yards, TD) led the way through the air for the Saints in this game.  The Saints finished up with 85 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 39 passes for 288 yards.

CB Patrick Robinson (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed), safety Roman Harper (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit), Jonathan Vilma (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) and CB Jabari Greer (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT) led the way for the Saints on D in this game.  The Cardinals finished up with 41 yards rushing on 24 carries (1.7 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 29 passes for 153 yards.  The Saints are now a very disappointing 3-2 on the year.

Kicker John Carney was 3 for 3 on field goals yesterday including hitting the game winner (25 yarder) with 3:55 left in the game.  If Garrett Hartley was still kicking I’m not so sure the Saints would have won this game.  Drew Brees completed 33 of 48 passes for 275 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Chris Ivory led the way on the ground for the Saints yesterday with 67 yards on 12 carries (5.6 ypc).  Ladell Betts also helped out on the ground with 13 carries for 47 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 23 yards (5.8 avg).  Devery Henderson (6 rec, 59 yards), Jeremy Shockey (6 rec, 58 yards) and Lance Moore (5 rec, 37 yards, TD) led the way for the Saints in the passing game yesterday.  The Saints finished up with 121 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 48 passes for 262 yards.

CB Usama Young played the best game of his NFL career for the Saints yesterday as he finished up with 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  Safety Michael Jenkins pitched in with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  The Panthers finished up with 118 yards on 23 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 21 passes for 133 yards.  The Saints are now 3-1 on the year.

The special teams and defense let the Saints down in this game.  They set up kicker Garrett Hartley with a 29-yard field goal attempt in O.T. and he missed it.  Matt Ryan led his Falcons on a 12 play, 52-yard drive which resulted in a Matt Bryant 46-yard game winning field goal. 

Drew Brees played pretty well overall in this game as he completed 30 of 38 passes for 365 yards passing with 3 TDs and 2 INTs.  Pierre Thomas only carried the ball 9 times for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) in this game but he also caught 6 passes for 61 yards (10.2 avg).  WR Lance Moore had a huge game for the Saints yesterday with 6 grabs for 149 yards (24.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned a punt 72 yards.  TE Jeremy Shockey also had a good game with 8 grabs for 78 yards (9.8 avg) with a TD grab.  The Saints finished up with 43 yards rushing on 16 carries (2.7 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 38 passes for 355 yards.

The defense really let the Saints down in this game as the Falcons pushed them around.  LBs Jonathan Vilma (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit), Scott Shanle (11 tackles) and Jo-Lonn Dunbar (10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) led the way for the Saints in this game.  The Falcons finished up with 202 yards rushing on 50 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 30 passes for 215 yards.  The Saints are now 2-1 on the year.

Drew Brees proved why he is the best QB in the NFL right now as he drove the Saints into field goal range on a outstanding final drive of the game.  Garrett Hartley then ran out on the field and nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give the Saints another hard fought win on the road last night.  Drew Brees was solid as usual as he completed 28 of 38 passes for 254 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Pierre Thomas had a heavy workload last night for the Saints.  Thomas carried the ball 18 times for 46 yards (2.6 ypc) and he also caught 8 passes for 57 yards (7.1 avg).  Reggie Bush carried the ball 5 times for 4 yards (0.8 ypc) last night and he also caught 4 passes for 30 yards (7.5 avg) with a TD grab.  WR Marques Colston (5 rec, 67 yards) and TE Dave Thomas (3 rec, 10 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints last night.  The Saints finished up with 50 yards rushing on 24 carries (2.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes for 237 yards. 

The defense gave up a lot of yards to the 49ers last night.  LB Jonathan Vilma led the way for the D last night with 10 tackles and 1 QB hit.  CB Tracy Porter (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 INT) and safety Roman Harper (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) also pitched in last night on D for the Saints last night.  The 49ers finished up with 142 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 32 passes for 275 yards last night.  The Saints are now 2-0 on the year.

This game certainly didn’t go the way I thought it would last night as it was a defensive struggle for both teams.  Drew Brees took the Saints right down the field the first time they had the ball resulting in a TD pass for Devery Henderson.  But then the Vikings’ D adjusted until the Saints had a nice drive resulting in a TD in the 3rd quarter.  Saints’ kicker Garrett Hartley also missed two field goals which also help keep the Vikings in this game.  Drew Brees finished this game up by completing 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 237 yards with 1 TD pass.  Pierre Thomas really came alive in the second half last night as he carried the ball 19 times for 71 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg).  Thomas really helped the Saints grind out the clock last night.  Reggie Bush was more of a decoy last night as he carried the ball 2 times for 14 yards (7.0 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 33 yards (6.6 avg).  WRs Marques Colston (5 rec, 62 yards) and Devery Henderson (2 rec, 38 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints last night as Drew Brees was spreading the ball around quite a bit last night.  The Saints finished up with 79 yards rushing (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 229 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:43.

The defense was outstanding for the Saints last night.  They were blitzing Favre a lot which caused him to make some mistakes.  The Saints also benefitted from the Vikings pretty much abandoning the running game in the second half as Adrian Peterson was looking pretty good.  LBs Scott Shanle (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and JoLonn Dunbar (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Saints’ D last night.  CB Jabari Greer also made a lot of plays last night as he finished up with 5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 2 tackles for a loss.  The Vikings finished up with 91 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.0 ypc) and they completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 162 yards.  The Saints are now 1-0 on the year.

The New Orleans Saints fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter and they trailed 10-6 at the half.  But Coach Payton made a lot of changes in the gameplan in the second half and it paid off big time.  It all started with a onside kick on the first play of the second half and the Saints had the momentum the rest of the way.  Drew Brees was outstanding yesterday completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (114.5 QB Rating).  Pierre Thomas was pretty effective in this game as he carried the ball 9 times for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Reggie Bush pitched in with 5 carries for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5  avg).  Marques Colston (7 rec, 83 yards), Devery Henderson (7 rec, 63 yards) and Jeremy Shockey (3 rec, 13 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints yesterday.  The Saints finished up with 332 total yards on offense (51 rushing, 281 passing) in this game.

The Saints gave up a lot of yards on defense but they made big plays when they had to keeping the Colts off the scoreboard.  Safety Roman Harper led the way for the Saints on D with 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Linebacker Jonathan Vilma also had a solid game with 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  CB Tracy Porter made the biggest impact for the Saints on D as he picked off a Peyton Manning pass late in the 4th quarter that he returned 74 yards for a TD to put the Saints up 14 points.  The Colts finished up with 432 total yards on defense (99 rushing, 333 passing) but it didn’t matter in the end as the SAINTS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!

The New Orleans Saints are heading to their first Super Bowl trip in franchise history after winning a close game in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game.  The Saints’ 23-year-old kicker Garrett Hartley hit a 40-yard field goal in overtime to send the Saints to the Super Bowl.  The Saints offense had a solid game, but the defense had more to do with this win than their potent offense.  Although they gave up a ton of yards (475 total yards), they forced 6 fumbles (recovering 3 of them) and picked off quarterback Brett Favre twice.  One of those interceptions could not have come at a bigger moment in the game.  After the Vikings were pushed out of field goal range with under a minute to play in regulation, the Vikings needed to make a play to get themselves back into their kicker’s range.  Brett Favre rolled out to his right, and tried to throw across his body to the middle of the field, when Tracy Porter easily jumped in front of it and picked it off.  This ended the Vikings chances at winning in regulation and sent the game into overtime.  The Saints one the toss and Drew Brees got the Saints into field goal range and the rest was history.

Drew Brees and the Saints offense didn’t total very many yards, only getting 257 total yards.  What they did do well is manage the game and take care of the ball.  The Saints only had 1 turnover, as compared to the Vikings 5, so it didn’t matter that the Vikings had over 200 yards more than them on offense.  Reggie Bush did not have the game he had last week, and was not effective running the ball (8 yards on 7 carries).  He did catch 2 passes for 33 yards, including a touchdown so he still made an impact.  Pierre Thomas ran the ball well, rushing for 61 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries.  This was a huge win for the Saints and probably the most important win in franchise history.  Now they have to worry about Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, who they will square off against in the Super Bowl on February 7th in Miami.

The New Orleans Saints looked great in their recent blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Round.  Drew Brees did a great job helping the Saints offense make an early statement.  After the Cardinals opened up the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown run by Justin Hightower on the Cardinals first play, Brees led the Saints to 14 straight points.  Then Reggie Bush, who had a big day for the Saints, made a huge play by going 46-yards for a touchdown and giving the Saints a 21-7 first quarter lead.  It was a huge blow to the Cardinals and it set the tone for the rest of the game.  Bush had 84 rushing yards and the touchdown on 5 carries, but he also had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown to seal the win for the Saints in the third quarter.  Brees ended up with 3 touchdowns on 23/32 for 237 yards.

The Saints defense did a great job against a very good Cardinals offense.  The Cardinals just came off a victory over the Packers where they scored 51 points, so they definitely know how to put some points on the board.  The Saints defense got very physical with the Cardinals and roughed up quarterback Kurt Warner.  They kept Warner out of the endzone and he finished with just 205 yards and an interception on 17/26 passes.  Other than the first play when Hightower took it to the house, the Saints defense did a good job shutting down the Cardinals running game.  This was a convincing win over a good team by the Saints, and it is going to be a very exciting matchup between them and the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game.

The Saints didn’t put much of a effort into this game yesterday and it showed on the scoreboard.  Mark Brunell looked rusty and old as he completed 15 of 29 passes for 102 yards with a INT.  Lynell Hamilton led the way for the Saints on the ground yesterday with 48 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.8 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 38 yards (12.7 avg).  Reggie Bush (5 car, 35 yards) and Mike Bell (17 car, 28 yards) both were also busy in the running game for the Saints.  TE Darnell Dinkins was the leading receiver for the Saints with 4 grabs for 20 yards (5.0 avg).  The Saints finished up with only 213 total yards on offense (111 rushing, 102 passing) in this game.

CB Randall Gay (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and LB Jonathan Casillas (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way on D for the Saints yesterday.  DL Anthony Hargrove had a solid game for the Saints too with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  The Panthers finished up with 327 total yards on offense (178 rushing, 149 passing) in this game.  The Saints finished up the year with a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.