Posts Tagged "Athletics"
Feb5

10 Reasons to Bet on the Saints to Win Super Bowl XLIV

Posted at 5:41 AM • View Comments

The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will play for NFL supremacy in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, February 7th, 2010.  All the “experts” are picking the Colts purely based on Peyton Manning’s mastery of the game.  Mastery may be an understatement as he is so good that his name may one day become a verb in football vernacular.  No one searches the Internet anymore because they “Google” it.  The golf world had to “Tiger Proof” courses to level the field.  Future NFL quarterbacks will one day learn how to “Peytonize” their play.

But, Manning hasn’t been canonized yet; and I have yet to see any real hard stats on why the Colts are going to beat the Saints.  I continually hear that they tore apart the #1 ranked defense in the NY Jets.  Well, hell, just give the Colts the trophy now.  Read the top 10 below to see how irrelevant that stat is.

Since I have seen very few numbers provided as to why the Saints will lose, I’m going to provide you with 10 hard statistics that prove why the Saints have a fighting chance to win Super Bowl XLIV.

First…Numbers That Cancel Out

#9 & #18: As expected, most of the talk about Super Bowl XLIV has been built-up around the quarterbacks playing on Sunday.  Trying to compare these two is like splitting hairs.  Drew Brees and Peyton Manning lead the NFL in touchdowns with 122 each since 2006.  For the 2009 season, both had stellar passing percentages with Brees slightly ahead at 70.6 (NFL Record) and Manning at 68.8.   Brees threw 34 touchdowns to Manning’s 33.  Manning threw 16 interceptions to Bress’ 11.  Brees was the highest rated passer at 109.6.  Manning was 6th at 99.9.  The bottom line is that you will see the top two quarterbacks in the game today play on Sunday.  Regardless of allegiance, what a treat!!

5: Football games are won in the trenches.  The Colts and Saints are very evenly matched on their offensive lines.  Both are ranked in the top 5 in sacks allowed (Colts 13 / Saints 20) & hits on the QB (Colts 44 / Saints 52).   Neither offensive line is legendary, but they have stellar leaders that possess great internal clocks and know how to move in/out of pocket.

34: Receiving TDs – Both the Saints & Colts are tied for 1st w/ 34 (Vikings also had 34).

#1: The most overrated stat I’ve heard is the Colts beat the NFL’s best defense already, which in 2009 was the Jets.  The pedestrian logic is that since Peyton tore up the #1 ranked Jets’ defense in the AFC Championship, then the Saints are doomed as they are ranked #25.  The only one stat used to declare the best defense in the NFL is yards per game allowed.  Of the top 10 teams in this category, 4 did not make the playoffs and the other 6 have been knocked out already.  The Colts rank 18th giving up 15 yards less per game than the Saints.

Now…10 Stats That Back the Saints to Win SB XLIV

0: The number of kick-off Returns of 40+ yards the Colts have made, which ranks them at 28th.  The Saints are ranked 4th with 5 on the season.  Both teams are about even on kickoff touchback percentage, so it could be a big kick-off return that gives either Brees or Manning the edge they need.

3: The Saints defense has beaten 3 more Super Bowl tested quarterbacks than the Colts have.  The 5 quarterbacks the Saints played are E. Manning, Delhomme, Brady, Warner & Farve.  The Colts have only beaten 2 (Warner, Brady).  Combined, those 5 quarterbacks have 11 Super Bowl starting appearances and 6 championship rings.  In contrast, the Colts opponents have 7 appearances with 4 rings.

4.5: The Saints running backs are just better than the Colts as they are ranked 5th in team rushing with 4.5 yards/carry.  The Colts are ranked 31st with 1 full yard less per carry (3.5).   The Saints are a much more balanced team as they accomplished that stellar mark on 812 more rushing attempts than the Colts.  Ironically, the Jets, whom the Colts beat, also had 4.5 yards/carry.

…so why will the Saints fare better?…The Jets were a 1-trick pony (no pun intended)…

8.3: The Saints are ranked 3rd for number of passing yards per attempt at 8.3.  The Jets were ranked 31st with 6.6.  The Colts place 10th at 7.7.

11: The Saints are ranked 3rd in turnover margin at +11.  The Colts are 14th at +2.

21: The number of rushing TDs by the Saints, which ranks them 3rd in the NFL.  The Colts are 13th with 16 rushing TDs.  This difference of 5 will prove to be relevant since the both teams are near even in the passing game.

31.9: The Saints are ranked 1st with 31.9 points per game (PPG). The Colts are ranked 7th with 26. (Vikings 2nd 29.4 / Jets 17th 21.8)

32: The Colts rushing attack is ranked dead last with 1,294 yards.  As a team, the Saints are ranked 6th in rushing with 2,106 yards.

39: The Saints are ranked 2nd in total takeaways with 39.  The Colts are ranked 18th with 26.  The Saints defense is so hawkish that it caused the Minnesota Vikings to turn the ball over 5 times.  If the Saints had recovered every turnover, then they would have had 9 on the day.  Until the NFC Championship, the Vikings had turned the ball over no more than 2 times all season.

889: Total defensive penalty yards racked up by the Colts, which is good for 24th place.  The Saints finished 9th with 717.  It will be interesting to see if the refs pay special attention to the “late” hits on Peyton seeing how the Saints have already roughed up Warner and Farve to this point.

A Few Extra Points…

8: The Saints are ranked 1st in defensive touchdowns with 8.  The Colts are tied with several teams in 16th place with 2.

Rushing: Only 2 Saints (Bell, Thomas) have rushed for more than 100 yards this season.  No Colt has rushed for more than 80 yards this season.

SB Teams That Were Given No Shot: 2008: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14…2003 Bucs 48, Raiders 21… 2002: Patriots 20, Rams 17. … 1998: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24. … 1970: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Vikings 7. … 1969: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7.

Intangible: I believe the Saints are collectively playing with higher sense of purpose than their counterparts. The Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi and he once said, “Success demands singleness of purpose.”

Prediction: Saints 38 Colts 34

Gene Wojciechowski’s Take On the Colts Winning

Aug29

New Orleans 2 Years Later

Posted at 11:02 AM • View Comments

It’s been two years now since Katrina hit my town. I was just commenting to my best friend, now roommate, last night that I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since. I’m having trouble believing that it’s been a year since I wrote my last annual post! Last year I reflected on how much my life has changed in just 367 days. This year I’ve been forced to take on a more outside view of the city, since I’m only there about once a quarter on business.

As the news goes, people face fatigue with the stories that just can’t seem to go away. Katrina is one of these stories for many people. A huge frustration, still, for the people of the city is that only the negative media coverage seems to come out. Earlier this year, we had former medical professionals appear on a grand jury for possible euthanasia. Never mind, that they saved many other victims under extraordinary (literal sense) circumstances. It’s not like it was a typical day in the sun and they decided to just start killing people; but people tried to bring them down on such charges…unsuccessfully. I can still remember Anderson Cooper trying to cause controversy less than 3 weeks after the storm to get the mayoral candidates of Kenner in a shouting match for “news.” It makes me want to curse out the news channels like my Iraqi cab driving friend.

It’s been a rough year for politicians as well. At my last count, we’ve had 4 politicians indicted on federal charges…two at the national level and two at the local. The most upsetting for the locals was probably school board member Oliver Thomas because he was seen as the good and decent one, and I emphasize one, on the New Orleans school board. Just like anything else, there were probably many other politicians facing federal indictments in every state around the union; but we are under a microscope so everything counts.

Chris Rose, a writer for the Times Picayune who has gained much national recognition since Katrina due to his impressive writings, has had his book “1 Dead in Attic” now picked up and published by Simon and Schuster. We, the people of New Orleans, knew about our gem well before the storm. For me, Rose has been my source for the real happenings of the city from the outside. He pushes through all the clutter and let’s you know what’s truly down under the pile. Even Oprah has succumbed to the negative media. He has denied an appearance on Oprah today because they didn’t want to discuss his book…they want him to come on and talk about, “the mental health crisis” in New Orleans. I’m glad Rose denied the opportunity; but I’m sure Oprah will still create healthy dose of drama around the country for their 90% drama-craving audience. To the people of New Orleans the situation is a very real problem…to people around the country it’s a punchline or a good book.

The city of New Orleans focused fast on getting tourism up and running because it’s the bread and butter. I still become sad each time I fly in because there used to be 20 planes at a time there. and now I can count the number of direct flights per day on two hands. The airport looks almost identical at 9 in the morning as it does at 9 at night. It’s weird. Family and friends talk to me about happenings in the city like I’m just supposed to know what’s going on. In Atlanta, the only time I hear about New Orleans is if the Saints have done something or if something bad happens. I suspect it’s the same everywhere else.

And naturally after all of this, it comes back to crime. The crime that gets portrayed by national outlets is the same as it is in Chicago or Baghdad. People have to know where and when not to walk. The crime that should have been discussed was the level of increased teen violence in the suburbs due to parental displacement. That was/is the real problem. No one outside of the city has a clue though.

My company just hired a new VP from NYC. He expressed what the general overall feel of people up there is on us. Their mindset hasn’t changed since the storm happened. They look at it on paper and wonder what the hell we’re doing. He was very interested, as most are that find out I’m from New Orleans, to hear my view point. I liked that he was receptive and listened to me. He mentioned the sentiment of most New Yorkers. I mentioned 9-11. All of a sudden, he understood. All of sudden, the situation wasn’t on paper anymore.

I miss my city a whole bunch, and I miss my family that is still there like I was dying of thirst. They’re all still down there. Two siblings are at LSU, and the rest of my family is in the Big Easy. This year, I’ve had a slow dance with my older sister at my brother-in-law’s Bacchus Mardi Gras ball; I’ve had long conversations with my dad about doing what you have to do and staying mentally tough; the much-missed home cooked meals of my mother; the sense of pride watching my younger brother move up the depth chart on the LSU football team; my younger sister graduating from high school and moving to the next chapter in her life; my godson and niece growing in front of my eyes…becoming little people; a cup of Community Coffee with the mentors that were cultivating me to one day help be a leader in the community. It’s amazing how those events to me mean so much because their just samples of life; but to the people that see it every day, it is life. It really makes me have an appreciation for what this life is supposed to be about.

I know the Saints have been talked about so much as a miracle. I guess sometimes you just get lucky and those things happen. Although, we’ve suffered as fans for a little over thrity years, so I guess one day something good has to happen. I’ve heard ignorant comments about why do they care about football so much or that the Superdome is a waste of money. I think Tony Kornheiser said it best on the Monday night football game against the Atlanta Falcons last year, “If it’s important to the people of the city, then it should be important to us.” Sports give us an “out” and immediate gratification. I hope that the local teams do well this season, so the people have something to fall back on and unite.

In the big picture, I know that the people of the city will continue to move forward; and I hope that the people of this country will give us the time, chance and help to do what it takes to rebuild lives because it’s going to take all of those things coming together.

Jan14

Spirit of New Orleans

Posted at 3:02 PM • View Comments

Last night, I watched my New Orleans Saints defeat the Philadelphia Eagles from a bar in Kansas City.  I was receiving text messages from my friend Doug while he was in the Superdome.  The whole bar was in the corner of New Orleans.  It was a nice little atmosphere.  The game was excellent playoff football.  Both teams showed resiliency which provided for a back and forth affair with few mistakes.  The atmosphere sounded electric over the TV so I can’t imagine how crazy it was next to 68,000 people that showed up.  I could only hear about it afterward.

My friend Doug called me to tell me about the game.  I asked him if the inside of the Dome was anything like the atmosphere during the Saints first playoff win in 2000 or the reopening of the Dome against the Falcons.  He said that the atmosphere was ten times as electric.  At the time, he had no idea where they were going out but that there was basically a pilgrimage of people headed to Bourbon Street from the Dome. 

My first football season away from home has been in Atlanta.  There aren’t too many people there cheering for the Saints during the season, so I’ve gotten a blurred image of what the rest of the country is thinking about the Saints.  Last night was evident to me that the entire country really is back the city of New Orleans.  And the Saints are making it easy for them because they illustrate a team effort.  The team oozes leadership from the top down.  Deuce McAllister was the man to display it last night.  He and the lineman pushing the pile over 5 yards for a touchdown yesterday just showed the heart and the faith that the team owns.

The Saints are in the NFC Championships for the first time in their history.  Chicago or Seattle…I don’t care…I just want to be fortunate enough to see this unit play together again.

Jan9

Gator CHOMP!

Posted at 1:11 AM • View Comments

There won’t be too many times that I will discuss my pleasure with the Florida Gators seeing how I am an LSU fan.  I was pulling for them in the BCS National Title Game versus Ohio State tonight.  The reason is because the SEC is a whole another level when it comes to college football, and I really get tired of them being looked at as overrated when teams disprove repeatedly.  The SEC does not ever get the respect it deserves.  Tonight proved it because OSU just looked plain slow. Notre Dame was out of its element against LSU.   In the 9 BCS Championship games that have taken place, an SEC team has only played in 3 of those games and they’ve won all 3…TN, LSU and FL.  When it comes to strength of schedule, more attention needs to be paid when it comes to the brutal SEC schedule that gets played every year. 

It’s been fun watching LSU and UF this year…both have Final Four appearances and both have major BCS bowl appearances.  But, what a year for UF.  A NCAA Men’s Basketball and Football Championship in the same year.  That’s impressive, here are my congratulations!  I’m doing the chomp tonight.

Nov15

Bobby Knight…Please Leave Him Alone

Posted at 11:07 AM • View Comments

Bobby Knight doesn’t need me helping him defend himself.  He’ll throw a chair at me or slap me in the face.  That is quite alright with me.  I’ve seen this 8,000 times on ESPN.  I’m sure it’s aired everywhere else too.  Is this really that big of a crisis?  Michael Prince even said he had no problem with it.  Even his mom had no problem with it.  So why does everyone else?  The man needed his attention and he got it.  Knight was quoted as saying, "f I was confronted with the same set of circumstances I would do the exact same thing." 

I say, "Thank god we still have teachers in this world who are that passionate about making sure their kids understand what’s important in this world."  Development of character is one of those important things and that’s one of the reasons people send their kids to school.  More is learned in this world outside of books than inside of them.  The best teachers I had were the ones that brought personal insight to the class and didn’t just read off of Powerpoint decks all day.  I’ve discussed the importance of character before and the crippling that we are doing to the youth of this country.

Maybe it’s just the talking heads that have never been a part of a team before that don’t quite understand from where I come.

Oct22

Strength of Character: Tiki Barber

Posted at 12:14 PM • View Comments

I‘ve written often about how important it is to me to always keep in mind the things I truly value and let those be my guide.  I use the term ‘things’ loosely because I don’t mean it to point to material things.   Anyway, I am human and it’s not possible to always keep in mind those things during the actions that lead down  your path; but it is possible to do so before you go down that path or sub-path.  For instance, the job I recently undertook.  The only part that was about money was that I had enough to live.  I had higher priorities like personal growth in the industry.  The new company offered much more of this than my previous one.  So, I jumped on it.*

Recently, Tiki Barber has made it known that he will probably retire at season’s end.  The Barbers (Tiki with the Giants and Ronde with the Bucs) have always seemed to be a class duo of brothers.  Tiki often talks of how he has always been off the radar, but always made sure to take advantage of the opportunities presented to him.  He attributes that mentality to his overall success.  Even as powerful of a force as he is now, the man still flies under the radar for the most part.  The only people that tend to know his value are fantasy geeks and NFL personnel.  He is at the top of his game right now and he will most likely be leaving.  It’s not about money and it’s not about playing time.  It’s about having options.  In the shadows of Barry Sanders and Robert Smith, Tiki has heeded the advice of doctors and family.  He has clearly defined that he has several points in his life that he needs to accomplish.  His long-term health is one of them. 

I wish I could shake his hand to tell him how proud I am of him, but in reality, it’s what we’re supposed to do as people.  So, why would I congratulate someone for doing something they’re supposed to do.  I would never shake someone’s hand for opening the door for a woman or helping a child learn how to read.  Those are things we’re supposed to do.  Unfortunately, those things seem like novel ideas in today’s world.  We’ve become so robotic and P.C. that we have become scared to act on the things we should do.

I would love to hear guys like Tiki speak to young men and women in high school about money not being everything…about striving to do your best in everything but for the right reasons.  The NFL has a mentoring program fro rookies coming into the league.  Guys like this need to be part of that program to teach them that options are important because one day the game will leave them.  And as invincible as we think we are at 25, some things like getting older we can’t control.  We can control being dynamic enough to always have options.

Big ups to Mr. Barber for going out on top.  Most athletes can’t do it.  It’s hard to leave what you spend your life crafting.  It’s hard to begin that new journey.  But, no congratulations to Mr. Barber on doing what you’re supposed to do.  You’re just human.


*I apologize to my readers for the lack of posts recently.  It’s been a busy transition process to my new position.  I will step it back up.

Sep27

Saints Reopening Dominance

Posted at 10:12 PM • View Comments

…a continuation from my previous post…

My plane ride from Atlanta
to New Orleans on Saturday might as well have been a charter flight
to be landed on top of the Superdome.  The plane, mostly filled with
Falcons fans, was a raucous ride of trash talking.  Even the flight attendants
were having fun with it.  The attendant on the PA was from Atlanta and
didn’t care one lick about football, which was eveident by her reference
to Bobby Herbert (she said HER-BERT instead of A-BEAR), who was sitting
in first class on his way down for his weekly radio show.  After being
teased about her mis-pronunciation, she welcome us to the flight by
introducing the pilots.  "I’d like to introduce you to the captain…Michael
Vick."  That was immediately followed by a large favorable applause. 
The attendant giggled, "And his co-pilot…Drew Brees."  That
comment was initially followed by cheers and quickly drowned out by
boos.  Everyone was laughing so it was a good time.  Somewhere on the
plane chants of, "Who Dat?!" had found their way onto the
plane.  I haven’t really heard those cheers in abundance since Jim Mora,
Sr was the coach.

Monday…game day.  I knew the city was going to be busy so I made a
point to meet with my best client early in the morning for breakfast. 
Under a tree titled, "Branche Du Bois," we sat outside and
sipped our frozen coffee conconctions in the courtyard of CC’s on Magazine. 
It’s those moments in the crisp, air of a New Orleans fall day that
can’t be found anywhere else.  Those are the little moments I really
treasure about the city.  My client was wearing jeans with her Deuce
McAllister Saints jersey.  I made the mistake of thinking that it was
Friday because everyone in the city was so laid back and calm.

I dropped off my client and drove past the Dome on my way back home. 
The first thing I noticed was the buildings to the left of me that had
their windows blown out.  Plastic still covered the open spaces where
glass had once been.  "Progress," I thought.  One block further
ahead from Poydras Street, I looked up to the massive structure that
is the Dome and saw the stages set up, the Coors Light Train and props
for the NFL Experience.  "Game time," I thought with a big
grin.  I raced home to get my dad so we could race right back for the
game.

My Mom drove my Dad and I to S. Claiborne at Earhardt (about 5 blocks
from the Dome).  Cars were lined up for blocks preceeding that intersection. 
A line of fans were making their way like a pilgrimagge to the Dome. 
We walked and passed trucks blaring music and grills cooking various
meats.  The loud chants of Who Dat?!! rang through the air.  All of this
was normal except that it was 330…a good 4 hours before kickoff.  This
is largely atypical for a Saints game as most of those fans tailgate
for the LSU games and just show up to watch the Saints.  We met up with my brother-in-law and his friend Billy.  The four of us ventured the sights around the Dome.

Every corner of the Dome had a vinyl on it, welcoming the fans back alongside the proud Fleurs-De-Lis.  Across from the vinyls were screens that showed the main stage in front of Gate C.  The gate The Goo Goo Dolls were performing in front of.  We tried to get close to that actual stage but were turned away by police officers.  The show was completely jammed with people.

530…Doug and I decided to enter the Dome for the first time in over a year.  The experience of entering the Dome was a familiar one.  Nothing immediate had changed.  As we took our seats, I noticed that all of the seats had been refinished.  The new dark green surface of the field now stretched from side to side. Previously, it simply ran about 10 yards past the sidelines.  The biggest and best change I noticed were the new video screens.  These babies were long overdue.  They put two new replay screens up at both end zones as well as 4 new ad/scoreboards in each corner.  Finally, they had new ad ribbon boards alongside the lower level of the Dome.  It was like looking at a restored 1967 Corvette.  She’s old but she’s got character.  And the bottom line, is that she’s all yours.

Pre-game…I’m not quite sure how to describe what was going on.  There was so much positive energy flowing at once.  It was like a perfectly planned night.  Usually, I hear these hyped events and something always seems to be missing.  That night, I think my initial shock came from how perfect things ran from beginning to end.  To begin with, Robin Roberts was on the field as the emcee for the opening festivities.  She is a huge Gulf Coast favorite as she is from Mississippi.  She is one of our own; and she took us through the intro of what the region has been through and why the New Orleans Saints mean so much to the entire area. And then, the show began.  Escorted by cultural favorites of New Orleans, U2 and Green Day made their way on stage. Billy Joe started and finished on the mike with The Edge.  The opening number was fittingly, "Wake Me Up When September Ends."  I could feel the energy growing within the crowd.  It was as if the crowd was ready to explode but waiting for the perfect time.  Then, Bono came out of nowhere and took stage next to Billy Joe.  They sang a rendition of, "It’s a Beautiful Day."  They changed words to make it relevant to New Orleans and when they said the name of the city the crowd screamed out mercilessly.  They were still built up but I could tell they hadn’t busted through yet.  The rapid light show combined with the two bands’ rhythm and

the idea that 10 million households were watching was just awe inspiring .  The emotion created was freeing and uplifting.  Billy Joe at one point randomly yelled out, "NEW ORLEANS!!"  The decibel of level created rivaled that of a 4th and 1 from the goaline in an overtime game.

The bands exited quickly for President Bush was making his way to the field for the coin toss.  Joe Horn was the first to make contact with the President.  Every game they have two kids (around the age of 9) nominated to be captains on the field.  I mentioned to Doug that they were a shoo-in to win show and tell the next day at school.  How can another 9 year-old compete with. "I met the President last night.  What did you do?"  I digress.  Doug mentioned that he wanted us to receive.  Can you imagine how freaking loud it will be in here if we return the opening kick-off?"  Before I could respond, the Falcons had won the toss and elected to receive. 

Kick-off…the initial series for the Falcons was what I expected.  Pure emotion on defense fueling a three and out series.  I never expected that 90 seconds into the game we would be up 7-0.  Steve Gleason, who along with Fred McAfee has won the hearts of Saints fans with his hard work and pure heart on special teams, broke through untouched and blocked the punt.  Doug and I were already standing.  We both saw Gleason coming through at the same time because we both jumped at the same time even though he was a good 9 yards from the ball.  Steve wanted it bad because he didn’t just block it, he smothered the ball.  Curtis Deloatch blazed to the goal line and rolled over the ball in the end zone for the touch down.  Ten black shirts had already made their way back to the end zone.  The white shirts were flat no where to be found.  For a second, I thought they would have to buy a new roof because it was about to come off.  It was a year’s worth of excitement, emotion and adrenaline released onto the field.  Doug was standing 2 inches to my left.  Honestly, had I tried to speak to him, I would have had more success text messaging him because it was so loud.  Deloatch took the ball and did a double-pump reverse jam over the goal posts.  The man has mad hops.  Hi-fives were flying all over the place.  I don’t think Doug and I could have hit each other harder, but no one was feeling any pain.

The tone had been set.  The Falcons next drive was their best and only real threat.  Vick got into the red zone and hit Crumpler for a sure touch down, but he dropped it.  An immediate sigh was followed by immediate cheers.  The entire Falcons team was off all night.  I haven’t seen an all around defensive performance by the Saints like that since the early-90′s when they employed the ‘Dome Patrol.’  We are by far one of the slowest defenses on paper; but like I said in my post prior to this one, the game isn’t decided on paper. 

Watching from an elevated position, I could clearly see our DBs blanketing their receivers causing Vick to check-off several times before making a decision.  Charles Grant and Brian Young worked hard all game to penetrate the pocket.  The linebackers stayed home on the outside rarely over pursuing.  This combination forced Vick to check all receivers and gain minimal yardage on the ground.  I wasn’t surprised that they did it, but I was surprised that they were able to execute all night long.  That is truly impressive.  The entire night was 360 degrees of domination.  The last time a special teams unit blocked a punt and a field goal in the same game was the 2003 Houston Texans.  For years, there was an ongoing joke that everyone in the stands knew what play was coming next because they always lacked offensive creativity.  Doug and I agreed that we had no clue what would be coming next.  Payton pulled a double-reverse with Devery Henderson (who has a special place in our hearts for his time at LSU…he even won an ESPY for his catch).  On top of the play, Drew Brees threw a killer block to propel Henderson into the end zone.  It was the ultimate team effort that illustrated to me that for the first time since 2000, our Saints had no primdonnas and were totally accepting of their responsibility to the fans.  Joe Horn, Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, Steve Gleason and even young Mr. Bush understand what it’s about. 

I’m not drinking any Kool-Aid saying the Saints are going to the Super Bowl, but they are very reminiscent of the 2000 team.  Many new faces and no big heads.  It was just a bunch of guys trying to prove themselves on a common mission.   That team took out the supposedly invincible St. Louis Rams 2 out of 3 times that year including once in the play-offs.

Some myths:
1) The game was fixed.
    a) Have you ever talked to or been an athlete?  We don’t just throw games.  Our pride would never allow it.
    b) Have you ever seen a pro player’s game check?  Um, few people have the resources it would take to buy their key players.
    c) All of the ‘experts’ agreed that the Saints came to play on all cylinders.

2) The field was rigged.
    a) Ok, let’s say it was.  The Saints still have to play on it, so it’s apples to apples.  If Vick is slower on it, so is our defense.
    b) You were dumb enough to gamble on an unprecedented event and you lost.
    c) All of the ‘experts’ agreed that the Saints came to play on all cylinders.

A note to the people that think reopening the Dome was a waste…I was fortunate enough to see Tony Kornheiser’s ‘editorial’ after the game.  The best part was at the end and along the lines of, "What we think is irrelevant.  If it’s important to people of New Orleans, then it should be important to all of us."

It was a wonderful experience.  For the Falcons that night, as usual in the NFL, it was about business.  For the Saints, it was about having fun.  That was the competitive edge that set them apart.

Some side sports notes…Jim Mora is a class act as evident in his post-game press conference…Marques Colston and Devery Henderson are emerging as go to  McAllister must love Bush there because he has no pressure on him and less abuse…He will have a great year and injury free.

Sep22

The Meaning of Saints

Posted at 2:48 PM • View Comments

I get to go to the New Orleans Saints game
against the Atlanta Falcons this Monday night with my friend Doug.  People
outside the city are questioning whether or not this is really a big
deal.  Simply put, YES.  I’ve been to the quarterfinals of a World Cup, the 1996 Olympics and some of the best SEC games ever, but I think this one might crack the top spot of my all-time most emotional events ever.


Dan Patrick from ESPN is in New Orleans this week doing his radio show.
He has focused his show around former players from the city and actual victims
of the hurricane…not people who live on paper like so many other cable
outlets.  One man from Slidell emailed his show that, "…I have been
working for months to restore my home.  I have no furniture, but bought a
50-inch television so he can watch the game.  It’s a night
away."  Another woman wrote, "…if nothing else, I don’t have
to deal with the insurance adjusters and contractors.  It’s an outlet."
His partner in crime, Keith Olbermann told a story about being in NYC after
9/11.  He said days after a NYPD officer, "What he thought the
outcome of the Mets game would be?" It wasn’t what do you think will
happen now or what should we do.  It was about sports.  It is a
release.  It’s not life, but it is a metaphor for it.  It’s the
ultimate essence of sports.  I give Mr. Patrick major props for doing his
job as a journalist responsibly.  He’s listening to the citizens. 

Through various airports and cities I’ve been recently, people tell me their
initial notions about the city of New Orleans and what they think should
happen.  It’s interesting because their view is usually always opposite
mine…until they hear me speak.  I don’t get emotional about it.  I
just tell them other people’s stories.  As soon as I make an emotional
connection with them, all of a sudden they realize that this isn’t a problem to
be solved on paper.  Their demeanor changes.  If you’re not from here
and weren’t affected, then you don’t speak.  Have the discipline and
responsibility to not speak.  You have no idea what we went through and
are not qualified to tell us how you think it should be done.  Save your
theories for dissertations on increasing the number of endangerd species on the
northern coast of Africa.  Life is not lived on paper.  That’s why we
play the game.  That’s why the 2001 New England Patriots beat the St.
Louis Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl in the Superdome.  If the game had been
played on paper then, the Patriots would have lost by 40 points.

I’m tired of hearing:

Q: "How can you spend $100 million on a Dome when people still don’t have
homes or running water?"
A: First, the Dome is an icon.  More so than the French Quarter, any
person who enters New Orleans must drive by it.  A ton of famous events
have happened and we take pride in the fact that people want to hold those
events here.  We are a tourist town and the Dome is one of the reasons for
it.  Second, so many people have not been able to build their homes back due
to the BS coming from private insurance companies.  No one hears about
that thought unless you actually speak to residents.  Lastly and most important,
the money spent was allocated through bonds.  It legally has to be used
for that purpose.

Comment: It’s just a football game.  ESPN, the NFL and the city are making
too big of a deal about it.
Response: If you’re in NYC, Seattle or Miami, then maybe it’s just a corporate
event.  Maybe all the good tickets are held by large entities.  In New Orleans, football is a
passion.  It’s ingrained in its citizens.  The people that bought out
the whole season for the first time in franchise history are regular citizens
that really have to think before buying season tickets.  It’s not the CEO
of a company.  It’s the high school math teacher or the administrative
assistant to that CEO.  Maybe the random PhD student living on Long Island
thinks we’re infantile, but football is a part of our identity.  The fans
of college football’s SEC understand.

Even if you have no plans to watch Monday Night Football, please watch the pre-game.  Watch the screen closely and notice
the number of people crying, the number of men that are fighting back tears and
the thunder from the crowd.  Those aren’t corporate dollars.

When all of this happened, there was so many unanswered questions (and still
are) about the future of this city.  My first thought was that the
pro-sports franchises are not as important right now and this might be the time
that we lose them.  We weren’t doing well before Katrina to support them
so how would we now? 

The power of Bush marketing has been unbelievable.  He has done a ton for the community with very little recognition required…class act.  The season has sold
out.  I think it’s a combination of him, Brees (the new QB), a new head coach, Morten
Anderson’s return and the first NFL game back in the city.  Like
all Americans, we are a resilient people.  They know the Saints need to be
a cornerstone in the rebuilding process.  It’s a bright and visual
reminder of the city’s path back.  In a media-world where things are
forgotten in a day, it’s a symbol that keeps us in the forefront of the
country’s minds.

The whole city is getting out of work at 3 pm on Monday to get to the game
and/or tailgate.  On top of the day, the Falcons and Saints are two teams
that have managed to maintain a passionate rivalry despite an era of free
agency.  The fans create the rivalry because players come and go.
The band lineup is U2, Green Day and Foo Fighters.  The first President Bush is flipping the
coin.  They are not rolling out that kind of red carpet for nothing.
The NFL and the city are showing their belief in its people.  No one
thought, it was silly to have a baseball game in NYC days after 9/11.
This is no different.  Because the human spirit is intangible and can’t be
put on paper, it seems to be too often forgotten.  Never underestimate the
power of the human spirit as well as it’s need to be nurtured.

People are always asking others why would anyone want to move back to New Orleans after all that.  It’s because New Orleans is not a place.  New Orleans is an idea, a unique culture running
strong through the blood of its citizens. 

I look forward to writing a recap on Tuesday.

BTW, my prediction is that the Falcons will win this one.  I think it will
be close in the first half because of the emotional value, but Atlanta has a phenomenal
team and will dominate in the 2nd half.  Like I said, the game isn’t decided on paper so I hope I’m wrong.

Sep17

Les Miles Outcoached Again

Posted at 11:48 AM • View Comments

It happened again.  Exactly one year from last year’s SEC opener against the Tennessee Volunteers  in Death Valley.  The LSU Tigers lost their SEC opener again but this time to their bigger rival in the Auburn Tigers.  Last year, I watched my Tigers lose to the Volunteers in person and this year I was able to see a game for the first time inside of Jordan-Hare Stadium.  I made the 2 hour trip from my new home of Atlanta to Auburn.

A quick side note about the stadium.  Jordan-Hare is a beautiful stadium and in many ways is almost the spitting image of Death Valley (or vice versa depending on how one looks at it).  The only real difference is I think LSU holds about another 10,000 passionate SEC fans.  My only criticisms are that they need to get another video monitor on opposite side of the stadium and vastly need to upgrade their sound system.  I know they have the cash so AU needs to step up right there.  I was sitting amongst the traveling Bengal Tiger faithful and after each play they would like up to the right to see the replay but to no avail as there was no video screen.  We’re used to that luxury in Tiger Stadium.

Anyway, Mr. Les Miles was simply outcoached again this year.  Last year, Fulmer had him outcoached and this year Tuberville had his number.  Yes, the refs absolutely blew two major calls in this game.  In the first half, JaMarcus Russell threw a pass in the back of the end zone to Jared Mitchell.  The man was completely bear hugged…no call.  I had a better view than the ref being on the goal line two rows from the field.  And then, on LSU’s 2nd to last drive, one of Auburn’s guys tackled Early Doucet before the ball was even close to him.  They throw the flag and then waived it off.  That was absolutely abhorrent reversal.  The ball had never been tipped until one of Auburn’s DBs tipped it before it got there.  Absolutely, it was pass interference.  ESPN radio and TV raved about it all night.  It reminded me of 2004 at Auburn when their kicker missed an extra point.  About five seconds later, the ref pulls a flag out of his pocket.  He calls us for jumping over a player’s back.  Another complete BS call, ESPN tore up the refs that day too as well they should.  I don’t know what the hell is going on down there with the refs but it’s crap and obvious too!

Now, I am not blaming Auburn football for the refs.  Those guys are out there to play not control the refs.  This is one of the best defensive football games I’ve ever seen at the college level.  This is why the SEC is heads above the rest when it comes to other college football conferences.  LSU annihilated Auburn…on paper.  LSU had 300 plus yards of offense compared to AU’s 150 plus.  As much as I hate to admit this, Tuberville is smart about making adjustments and Miles is not at all.  The things that Miles has to know going in:

1) Auburn’s punter is superb and our defense is stacked, therefore they would punt often and we would have to construct long drives.
2) Auburn’s front four is blazingly fast and strong.  Their linebackers are a complete package.  Outside of #4, their DBs are a major weakness.  They lack the height and speed to compete with LSU’s receivers.
3) Brandon Cox has the tools in the pocket but outside of it he is just an average  athlete.  Bring at least one every time. 
4) Will Muschamp is an amazing D coordinator and he knows LSU’s offense very well, since Jimbo Fisher was the O coordinator at LSU when he was there too.
5) Kenny Irons is a beast.  He only had 70 plus yards rushing, but when he needed those extra yards for the first he got them.

For whatever reason, Les refuses to use the pass to setup the run.  It’s like the only thing he knows is run to setup the pass.  Everytime, Russell put the ball over the middle or on a curl we were successful.  The man was 20 for 35 which proves amazing efficiency.  35 seems like a lot of passes but most came only after Auburn scored the lone touchdown and it was crunch time.  Bo Pellini did a great job with the D.  They held Auburn to under 200 yards and 1 touchdown.  The offense couldn’t get one.  They had their chances, but Miles lacks the killer instinct that Saban possesses.  The first time it was evident was against Tennessee.  It became evident in many other wins.  LSU’s talent alone is so high that it disguises his inability to adapt throughout the game.

I didn’t leave the game upset just disappointed.  The kids played their hearts out and they should have won that game but they are the victims of poor coaching decisions.  It’s a serious problem when people who know nothing about football ask questions about why things aren’t happening in the game.  Last year, my gf at the time asked me why does he keep sending the nickel blitz in when they (TN) are just nickel and diming us down the field?  Until that point, I thought she only knew how to keep score.  My first thought was, "Damn, if she sees that Fullmer must be having a field day." That thought was immediately followed by, "Wow, she’s really hot now too!" I digress.   This year, I was standing (you don’t sit in the SEC) next to a girl who was more focused on taking pictures than watching the game.  She said, "Why do we keep running the ball to the outside?  Auburn is too fast."  I thought, "Wow, if a LSU sophomore thinks that, then Tuberville must be having a field day."

Final thought: It can’t be Jimbo Fisher because he was the O-coordinator under Saban and we would crush opponents as well as out play them.  Saban has a killer instinct and Miles does not.  If you don’t agree come up with another example for me besides Miami in last year’s Peach Bowl.  The U is not the same U anymore.  The plays run may be Fisher’s call, but the game plan, and changes to it, are Miles’ call.   I don’t see us beating Florida this year because Meyer will outcoach him again if he doesn’t learn to make adjustments.  Talent will only get you so far and then you have to be able to use your brain.

Sep14

Kickers: Was Adam Sandler on to Something?

Posted at 10:21 AM • View Comments

In sports, especially professional sports, we can almost assume that once a month we will see some criminal activity taking place.  Certain people get stabbed, certain people take gun shots, certain millionaires shoplift (I’m a thousandaire and don’t really understand this) or certain people hit some racing their new Modena, but for some reason the stupid crazy stuff  always happens to the loneliest guy on the team…the kicker/punter.  Almost without exception on any football team, the wide receivers are prima donnas and the kickers have something mentally challenging about them.  When it comes to the kickers, I think all the pressure and loneliness is getting to them.  Each team needs to hire a sports psychologist just to handle these people. 

Let’s look at the past…Martin Gramatica self-mutilated his hamstring after making a field goal, a Chris Hanson  from Jacksonville chopped into his foot with an axe  and who can forget Ray Finkel going off on Dan Marino.  Now, the reserve punter, Mitch Cozad, from the might Bears of the University of Northern Colorado football team has pulled a Tonya Harding by stabbing the starter, Rafael Mendoza.  What the hell?  Couldn’t he just have thrown a fist in face and got in a fight like most guys do or how about focus on getting better?  Instead he thought, "Nah, let me stab this dude, then we’ll see who’s punting on Saturday." 

I don’t know why maybe it’s the isolation or lack of parental support, maybe Adam Sandler was right on the money or maybe they just aren’t wired right in the first place.

If you’re mad right now, because you’re thinking, "Hey, don’t pick on kickers.  Don’t say those things.  You don’t understand the pressure."  I do.  I was a kicker at two levels…high school and college.  I was the starter in high school, but in college I never pulled a Harding.  Of course, my friends and family always told me that something was different about me.  I thought Harding was kind of weak in her approach.  When I did something, I really…

Sep3

Farewell to Mr. Agassi

Posted at 10:10 PM • View Comments

I have followed Andre Agassi since I was about 12.  The young brash kid who brought to mind images of McEnroe.  He was sponsored by Nike and I had his truly ugly shoes (he is now Adidas).  He was cocky and had every right to be.  I have really enjoyed seeing him transformation from brash young man to wise classy family man he is today.  Agassi is a class figure and I’m proud to have been a fan of his all of these years.

It was exhilarating to watch Andre Agassi’s final run at the U.S. Open this past week.  The 36 year-old with a painful back complication did an unbelievable job of pushing himself to the limits.  Watching him over his 3 matches, I could tell that he was putting everything he had into it and he had the entire crowd at Arthur Ashe stadium in his corner.  I actually watched him in the tiebreaker to beat Pavel from a dive bar in Little Italy (NYC).  Even the bar was cheering for him to finish on each point.   The second match over Baghdatis was, personally, one of the best matches I’ve ever seen.  After the second set, I couldn’t move my eyes from the TV.

Today, the final day of his U.S. Open career, was almost painful for me to watch.  He played Benjamin Becker, a largely unknown player from Baylor via Germany.  I must say I was thoroughly impressed with him.  I turned on the match during the first set and immediately I could see that Agassi was going to have a tough time.  One of his serves was hit 142 mph and was nailing 130 mph consistently.  The only hope Agassi had was early on because Becker had several forehand unforced errors.  Becker may have been a bit in awe of his place in time.  They went through 8 deuces in Set 2 that Agassi lost.  He couldn’t bend over to get the low shots and the serves were just overpowering.  I could tell his back was gone during his service…some barely hit 95 mph (he’s normally in the 120′s).  Every now and then he had a flash of brilliance returning a strong serve, but Becker would outlast him.

Knowing his fate, I left after the second set.  I came back to see that he had just been defeated.  It was closer than I thought it would be.  I’m glad I made it back for the end.  It was great to see the emotion pour out of him from the sidelines.  His opponent took centre court and bowed gracefully.  I love seeing class on both sides of the court.  Becker’s future is promising but he knew Agassi was the man of the hour.  Agassi took the court and the microphone for the denouement.  He simply thanked everyone (the fans) for what they had taught and given him.  Standing in my room, I could feel chills and the drops of sweat tracking down over the erect hairs on my body as he spoke.   A great ending.

Aug5

Sports Shorts 7/30-8/5/06

Posted at 1:41 PM • View Comments

Back in May, I wrote about Reggie Bush’s marketing power for the New Orleans Saints.  I think we (the fans, the city, his sponsors) became a little nervous earlier in the week when camp opened.  A few talked about how he might hold out until the next draft.   Honestly, I had no doubts that he would sign because it would have been marketing suicide.  My worries lied more with his learning curve.  The NFL is a completely different beast than the NCAA.  Cedric Benson is a prime example.  Also, I’m tired of hearing all the preseason hype on him.  No one has a clue how he will do.  Obviously, the potential is there, but give the man some time.  Anyway, I’m looking forward to being in the Dome for the home reopener versus the Falcons.  I spoke to a very knowledgeable person in a coffee shop Wednesday night from AZ.  She commented on how hopeful and optimistic she was about the Saints.  It’s good to hear that from someone that isn’t a Saints fan.  It also gave me a better thought process from my previous ideas about outsiders.

The Other Trojan
Matt Leinart has yet to sign  I’m fearful he will turn into this year’s Cedric Benson.  It’s unfortunate because, unlike Benson and the Bears, the Cardinals have some serious talent.

The Braves
It’s almost surreal, in the loosest form of the word, to see the Braves on a run to not make the playoffs.  I remember when I was 10 back in 1991 the call, "From worst to first!"  Now, I fear this year I could possibly hear, "From 14 years of divisional titles to last."  We are 14 games behind the Mets and they are nearly running on all cylinders.  We are 5.5 out of the wild card, but 9 teams are ahead of us.  Bobby Cox is no one to be argued with and I will give him the benefit of the doubt because he has been so successful.  They better make the move though.

I will be at the TED during the last weekend of September for the season finale against the Astros with one of their fans.  I hope I’m watching a wild card playoff series.  Of course, they’ve been killing teams on the road but not at home…Why?  Because they’re all offense and most parks are designed for HRs.  The offense reminds me a lot of the 2003 Braves.

On another note, the Braves put Andruw Jones on the waiver wire and was claimed.  I’m not going into the details but basically it’s a technical way to trade someone after the deadline.   It goes on all the time, but Andruw is a headliner.  Schuerholz knows what he’s doing.   He’s not going to be traded, but I’m a little surprised by the response from fans.  I understand the frustration that comes from watching him at the plate.  He’s always swinging for the fences instead of going to the opposite field for RBIs and doubles, but he has over 90 RBIs with two months left in the season.  Moreover, he could be the best CFs to EVER play this game.  Too often, defense gets overlooked in this sport because there are few official stats.  That alone warrants him staying in Atlanta.  We’ve been spoiled having him for 10 years (he’s still on 29) and I guarantee if he left, we’d miss him sorely.

NCAA Football
Ok, preseaon polls are a terrible idea.  They should come out about 4 weeks into the season.  Don’t get me started on the BCS either.   The coaches poll came out this week.  Iowa at 17.  I have a feeling they break the top 10 by week 2.  Leadership combined with an easy schedule.  Those boys can play. 

OU lost their QB for taking cash outside the job.  He was kicked off the team and needs to be accountable.  My beef is with the critics.  All of a sudden everyone says they’re going to drop out of the top 10.  Have you seen Adrian Peterson play?  Have you seen their defense?  It proves that people are itching for college football to start because they’re creating unnecessary drama.

MLB Notes
The world series champion is coming out of the AL this year.  If the Twins can get the wild card, I say they win the whole thing.  Their pitching over a 3 game period is unbelievable (think 2001 D’Backs).  If the Twins are home in the postseason, the Red Sox will take it.  Their pitching has lacked some consistency, but they (namely David Ortiz) are money in the clutch

Floyd Landis
Not many in America care about cycling unless they’re in it or an American is winning (which is only known via Sportscenter).  Lance put us on the map.  Mr. Landis comes out of nowhere to win.  Long and short he’s been fired by his team and stripped of the title. because he tested for high testosterone.  I’m not sure what that means, since I’ve never juiced; but can you imagine how many more women will be calling him for dates now.

May19

The Power of Bush Marketing

Posted at 1:42 PM • View Comments

I‘ve been out of New Orleans now since January.  When I’ve been back, things have improved slowly but surely.  I know from being there that the change is so slow that it is hard to notice, but I can see it after having been away for a bit. 

I called my friend Doug from the airport on NFL Draft day.  Knowing who the number one pick had been secured the night before, "Did we draft Bush?" I asked.  Well, we did and it seemed unreal.  I had immediate thoughts running through my head of the marketing potential he would bring to the city.  I’m sure he was bummed about being #2, but I think the city and him won each other over equally.

The marketing presence and timing is fabulous for my city trying to rebound.  25,000 Reggie Bush jerseys have been sold so far and he doesn’t even have a number!  They open at home on Monday night against the Falcons for the first game in the Dome since evacuees owned it.  The best part is that we have broken our season ticket record.  We have less than 50% of the population there, people are worried where they will be next year and look what he has already done.  This is great.

Huge props to the city and Mr. Bush.

Mar25

LSU Tigers Break Horns

Posted at 10:20 PM • View Comments

I just kinda  sat on the edge of my bed for five
minutes staring at the screen with a blank mind. I’ve never seen a team
play so well on pure emotion. There were times at the end when LSU
should’ve run clock, but  it was almost as if they didnt care about
points. They just wanted to play defense. You have to admire that kind
of heart. In my bracket, I had LSU losing to TX.  I figured they matched
up evenly athletically, but TX can shoot.  I couldn’t care less about my
bracket. I’m so happy they proved me and everyone else wrong.  Elite Eight was all ‘heart of gold’ and tonight was a continuation of that emotion.

Buckman was named TX player of the game, but what about Gibson? Holy
crap that boy took some killer shots and nailed like all except one. He
looked like Anderson from UCONN last night. Big shot after big shot.

They’re young, but you can’t overlook commradre. They’ve played together before college for  so long.   It’s like they just know.  Enough can’t be said about the hardcore play of Thomas, Davis, Mitchell, Mitchell and Temple.  Temple gets overlooked because he doens’t put up the points, but damn how many points does his D takeaway from the competiton?  First, he stopped JJ and now Tucker.

It was one of those games that you hate to see end becaue they’re both such hard fighting class acts.   The Tigers taking on the Bruins should be a nice showdown of underdogs.

Mar24

Heart of Gold

Posted at 12:56 AM • View Comments

Two weeks ago I wrote about the Heart of Orange from Syracuse.  Tonight, I saw the Heart of Gold out of LSU live from Atlanta. 

Exactly what I said would happen…happened.  LSU’s quickness and athleticism was too much for Duke.  Defense takes a lot of heart.  They held Duke to their lowest total since 1996 and JJ to only 11 points.  Darrell Mitchell and Glenn Davis lead the way, but I’d have to give co-MVPs to two true freshman in #14 Garrett Temple and #12 Tyrus Thomas.  Temple didn’t let off JJ the whole night.  I saw JJ get two open looks…he made one and missed the other.  Thomas is a blocking machine.  Shelden Williams hadn’t seen anything like that all year. 

There isn’t much more to say about it.