We’ve hit the final day of the work week and that means only one thing – we’re one day closer to kick off. But because the Saints play the Falcons on Monday night, there’s an extra 24-hour period to wait.
I know. Boo! But take in the Hornets game tonight, go trick-or-treating Saturday and rest Sunday. Monday is going to be a long, long, exciting day.
But until then, I’ve done my normal look-through of the entire Interweb and found these delectable nuggets of Saints news for ya.
Enjoy the beignets and chicory. As always, comments are welcome and discussion is warranted.
Heath Evans was placed on IR this week after having season-ending surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. That’ll be a big loss.
Here on the home front, we talked with D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. And while it’s about the Falcons, that’s the point. You know all about the Saints by now but what do any of us really know about the Falcons.
Meanwhile, sports legend Jim Henderson said a win by New Orleans on Monday night would overfill the bandwagon. But don’t look so far ahead; enjoy the moment. That’s his message.
Sheldon Mickles of the Baton Rouge Advocate, on the other hand, says go ahead, peer into your own crystal ball. Look at the schedule and figure out what lies ahead for the Saints.
While we know how big the rivalry is between New Orleans and Atlanta (on the football field and in life), Chris Singleton of the Houma Courier says the matchup doesn’t get the national respect it should.
Over at the metro region's daily word jumble of choice, Mike Triplett writes that the one big difference this year is the thievery by the Saints. New Orleans has 18 takeaways, or one fewer than it had in all of 2006, the NFC Championship season.
Triplett’s colleague Brian “Short timer” Allee-Walsh clarifies comments Reggie Bush made recently that were taken completely out of context. Bush said the Saints could go undefeated, not that they would.
We know Evans is out. But how long will defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis be out for? Sean Payton said the length of time is undetermined right now, Brady Aymond says in the Lafayette Advertiser.
Meanwhile, former Rams Head Coach Mike Martz said he believes the Saints are comparable to the Greatest Show on Turf, his St. Louis teams of the late 90's and early 2000s.
ESPN.com’s John Clayton breaks down the Monday night game between the Saints and Falcons.
SI.com’s goes a step further, picking the game. He envisions a close game.
Yahoo! Sports.com also picks the game. It’s a sweep. I’ll tell you that.
And up in Atlanta, people are wondering what’s up with second-year quarterback Matt Ryan, who is in his first slump of his career, D. Orlando Ledbetter writes in the AJC.
Ledbetter also writes about a run game that suddenly has gone silent after finishing second in the NFL a season ago.
Lesley Visser pens a story about Jeremy Shockey.
And finally, ProFootballTalk.com lets everyone know what Drew Brees thinks about Reggie Bush’s talk of a possible undefeated season.
