New Orleans Saints - Black and Gold http://blackandgold.com/ en Sun, 26 May 2013 07:18:17 GMT vBulletin 1 http://blackandgold.com/bngforum/misc/rss.jpg New Orleans Saints - Black and Gold http://blackandgold.com/ Devery Henderson reportedly a player to watch for the 49ers http://blackandgold.com/nfl/58070-devery-henderson-reportedly-player-watch-49ers.html Sun, 26 May 2013 04:20:22 GMT John Clayton ✔ @ClaytonESPN

A name to watch for the SF 49ers at wide receiver is Devery Henderson. He might be a better option than Brandon Lloyd

Pro Football Zone | Devery Henderson reportedly a player to watch for the 49ers - Pro Football Zone ]]> NFL WhoDat!656 http://blackandgold.com/nfl/58070-devery-henderson-reportedly-player-watch-49ers.html When did the Saints release Devry Henderson? http://blackandgold.com/saints/58069-when-did-saints-release-devry-henderson.html Sun, 26 May 2013 02:44:31 GMT He isn't listed on the team roster on the official Saints website, but the transaction history doesn't show him released/waived.

New Orleans Saints | Roster

New Orleans Saints | Transactions ]]> Saints WhoDat!656 http://blackandgold.com/saints/58069-when-did-saints-release-devry-henderson.html New Orleans Saints: Seneca Wallace Glad to Be Part of ‘Healthy’ Organization http://blackandgold.com/saints/58068-new-orleans-saints-seneca-wallace-glad-part-healthy-organization.html Sun, 26 May 2013 02:35:16 GMT The New Orleans Saints were in the market for a proven backup quarterback this offseason, and after... The New Orleans Saints were in the market for a proven backup quarterback this offseason, and after it seemed he’d sign elsewhere, they inked eight-year veteran Seneca Wallace. After basically a year out of football, Wallace decided he still had a passion for the game, and fielded calls from several teams. Ultimately, he wanted to join a stable organization, with a clear-cut starting QB.


“It was just being with a healthy organization. Being in Cleveland last, not bashing them, but it was just different. But here with Mickey Loomis, the owner Mr. Benson, Coach Payton, they’ve got a good thing going on here and this late in my career that’s what I’m looking for, somewhere it’s a healthy organization, good people and good players.”

Wallace isn’t bashing Cleveland with that comment, he’s just telling it how it is. The Saints are a way more stable franchise, with a recent history of success, you just can’t say the same for Cleveland. If Wallace wants any shot at a ring, his best chance was with the Saints as a backup.

The backup QB position which Wallace is vying for, is not guaranteed to be his, although he seems like the natural choice over Luke McCown. Wallace has a lot of experience as a backup, and he’s more than capable of running the Saints’ offense in an emergency. That’s the underlying truth, no Saints’ fan wants to see Wallace under center for even one snap this season. Only, if he’s in their during mop up time, will fans be okay with it.

Read more at New Orleans Saints: Seneca Wallace Ready To Go After Year Off ]]> Saints WhoDat!656 http://blackandgold.com/saints/58068-new-orleans-saints-seneca-wallace-glad-part-healthy-organization.html <![CDATA[VIDEO 'NFL Total Access' recap: Can Rob Ryan fix the Saints' D?]]> http://blackandgold.com/saints/58067-nfl-total-access-recap-can-rob-ryan-fix-saints-d.html Sun, 26 May 2013 02:26:30 GMT Can Ryan succeed in New Orleans? Heath Evans said he likes the way Rob Ryan will fit with the... Can Ryan succeed in New Orleans?


Heath Evans said he likes the way Rob Ryan will fit with the New Orleans Saints because he believes coach Sean Payton gets the best out of his coaches and his players.

Brian Baldinger added that he thinks Ryan could be a good fit, if he doesn't try to do too much so they don't end up beating themselves.

'NFL Total Access' recap: Can Rob Ryan fix the Saints' D? - NFL.com ]]> Saints WhoDat!656 http://blackandgold.com/saints/58067-nfl-total-access-recap-can-rob-ryan-fix-saints-d.html Kickstarter campaign launched to support New Orleans web series Least Favorite Love Songs http://blackandgold.com/nola/58066-kickstarter-campaign-launched-support-new-orleans-web-series-least-favorite-love-songs.html Sun, 26 May 2013 00:30:36 GMT Least Favorite Love Songs, a locally made and very funny web series about one woman's adventures in life, love, and marijuana, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund its second season of webisodes. The series is written and produced by Helen Kreiger and Joseph Meissner, the team behind feature film Flood Streets, which made a splash on the festival circuit a couple of years ago.? [ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ] ]]> NOLA admin http://blackandgold.com/nola/58066-kickstarter-campaign-launched-support-new-orleans-web-series-least-favorite-love-songs.html Jerry Jones: I paid Romo $100 million, so I want everything http://blackandgold.com/nfl/58065-jerry-jones-i-paid-romo-100-million-so-i-want-everything.html Sat, 25 May 2013 21:10:19 GMT Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made quarterback Tony Romo one of the highest-paid players in NFL history... Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made quarterback Tony Romo one of the highest-paid players in NFL history this offseason, and he also said publicly that he wants to see Romo spend more time in the facility and get more involved in the offense. That raises a question: If there were any issues with Romo’s commitment, why give him that kind of contract?

But Jones says it’s not about questioning Romo’s commitment. Instead, Jones told Albert Breer on NFL Network that he simply meant that if he’s going to pay someone the kind of money he’s paying Romo, he wants to be certain that player is giving everything he can possibly give to the team.

“When you give somebody $100 million, you’d like to get every ounce of anything they can bring to the table to win a football game,” Jones said.

Jones said he believes Romo is a great offensive mind who can add a lot to game planning sessions.

“He’s outstanding on offensive concepts and he’s got a vantage point that very few people have,” Jones said of Romo. “So anything that he can bring from the concept to the field has got to make us a better football team. I think it will.”

Romo has led the Cowboys to an 8-8 record in two straight seasons, but Jones says that doesn’t mean Romo is mediocre.

“We’ve been disappointed the last two years,” Jones said. “Nobody more so than him. We’re going to take what we’ve got with Romo’s great experience, ability, decision making, all of those things and we’re going to try to win more ballgames.”

Romo will have to help the Cowboys win a lot more ballgames to justify that contract.

Jerry Jones: I paid Romo $100 million, so I want everything | ProFootballTalk ]]> NFL SmashMouth http://blackandgold.com/nfl/58065-jerry-jones-i-paid-romo-100-million-so-i-want-everything.html Crabtree possibly out rest of season http://blackandgold.com/nfl/58064-crabtree-possibly-out-rest-season.html Sat, 25 May 2013 19:29:55 GMT San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a torn Achilles tendon during organized... San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a torn Achilles tendon during organized team activities Tuesday and has undergone surgery, the team announced Wednesday after a report by USA TODAY Sports revealed the injury.

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that Crabtree is not expected to miss the entire season.

The injury used to be an automatic season-ender but has since become one that can sometimes be rehabbed in a matter of months — as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da'Quan Bowers did last year.

Both players tore the tendon in the spring and returned to the field after starting the year on the physically unable to perform list.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas can empathize with Crabtree. Thomas tore his Achilles' tendon while training in February 2011, just after his rookie season.

Thomas had surgery and was cleared to practice about seven months later, after missing all of Denver's offseason workouts and training camp. He didn't play until October 2011 (in part because of a broken finger suffered after returning to practice), but said it took until last summer to feel fully recovered.

"He's a great player and I'm sure he's going to work hard to get back and listen to all the people that he's got to listen to," Thomas said Wednesday. "But it's difficult at first, because it took a while for me to be able to do anything. You know, I had to wear a boot for six to eight weeks, and I couldn't do anything but upper body stuff. Once I got it off, I still had to take time, because it's a serious injury, and you don't want to take it too fast."

Crabtree, 25, is coming off a breakout season in which he had career-highs in receptions (85), yards (1,105) and touchdowns (nine), following three seasons in which he struggled to live up to the expectations placed upon him when the Niners selected him 10th overall in 2009.

The injury to Crabtree comes at an unfortunate point in his career and for the 49ers, though the team has been working to build depth on offense. Perhaps the Niners would consider bringing back Randy Moss, who hasn't yet retired and tweeted in March he "wished we could've finished the job!!"

In March, the Niners picked up receiver Anquan Boldin in a trade with the Ravens, sending Baltimore a sixth-round draft pick.

Crabtree did all he could to help the Niners win a title. He had a huge postseason – 20 catches for 285 yards and three touchdowns, with one of those touchdowns coming in the Super Bowl. But the 49ers needed one more score from him to beat the Baltimore Ravens as time was running out and were unable to get it.

Crabtree, who had a 24-yard catch to move the ball into Ravens territory, was the intended receiver on a quick rollout pass on third-and-goal and a fade on fourth-and-goal that sailed over his head as he was defended by Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. Niners coach Jim Harbaugh wanted a pass-interference call on both plays but was denied by the officials.

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2350547 ]]> NFL TheOak http://blackandgold.com/nfl/58064-crabtree-possibly-out-rest-season.html IRS official who refused to testify, resign signed Tea Party letters in 2012 http://blackandgold.com/poli/58063-irs-official-who-refused-testify-resign-signed-tea-party-letters-2012-a.html Sat, 25 May 2013 15:47:56 GMT The IRS official who refused to testify this week -- while claiming she had done nothing wrong --... The IRS official who refused to testify this week -- while claiming she had done nothing wrong -- signed letters to Tea Party groups a year ago that asked them to turn over everything from printouts of their Facebook pages to the credentials of speakers who participated in their events.
A group representing more than a dozen Tea Party groups now suing the IRS released a sample of one of the letters overnight, after the official Lois Lerner was placed on administrative leave. According to one lawmaker, she was only placed on leave after she refused to resign.
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice, said the March 2012 letters show a "paper trail" that reveals her "direct involvement in sending intrusive and harassing questionnaires."
"It appears Lerner did nothing to stop the abusive conduct. And our evidence suggests she was actively participating in the improper targeting in March 2012," he said in a statement.



It was no secret that Lerner, as head of the exempt organizations division, was aware of the program that had developed in the Cincinnati office under her watch. A timeline provided in the inspector general's report on the practice showed she was first briefed in June 2011.
But while she apparently raised concerns at that briefing over the criteria used, the ACLJ said the March 2012 letters show she was still involved in carrying out the policy.
At the time, the program itself was in flux. Lerner had earlier ordered the criteria to be changed in June 2011. The criteria was then broadened, but somehow it was changed again in January 2012 "without executive approval," according to the IG report.
After that, the unit in question sent out a new round of letters requesting additional information, while giving groups that had not responded to the prior requests an additional 60 days to comply. These appear to be the letters that, in some cases, Lerner signed.
A letter posted online by the ACLJ was sent March 16 to the Ohio Liberty Council Corp. Signed by Lerner, the letter gave the group 60 days to respond to a prior letter seeking information on the group's social media accounts, sponsored events, communications with lawmakers and other material.
Sekulow said their records show Lerner sent 14 other letters to 14 of his group's clients in March and April of that year. He said it's unclear why her signature is on some letters but not others.
Lerner, meanwhile, has maintained she did nothing wrong. She asserted her innocence in a brief statement at a House committee hearing Wednesday, before claiming her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions.
"I have not done anything wrong," she said. "I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee."
Committee leaders are trying to recall Lerner, claiming she waived her Fifth Amendment right by delivering an opening statement.
Sekulow said there are many questions she should answer, including why the letters were sent under her name in March 2012.


Read more: IRS official who refused to testify, resign signed Tea Party letters in 2012 | Fox News ]]> Poli-Sci SmashMouth http://blackandgold.com/poli/58063-irs-official-who-refused-testify-resign-signed-tea-party-letters-2012-a.html ICE-ING OUT OFFICERS? Obama Snubs ICE Union, Hosts Illegal Immigrants http://blackandgold.com/poli/58062-ice-ing-out-officers-obama-snubs-ice-union-hosts-illegal-immigrants.html Sat, 25 May 2013 15:46:21 GMT “The fact that the president and the vice president are hosting illegal immigrants in the White... “The fact that the president and the vice president are hosting illegal immigrants in the White House while constricting citizen tours and refusing to meet with immigration officers says it all,” Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said in a statement to FoxNews.com Friday. “The White House will not even grant ICE officers a low-level White House meeting but invites illegal immigrants into the Oval Office.”
Obama and Vice President Biden met Tuesday with eight advocates of immigration legislation, which is making its way through Congress. Three of the participants were listed in the White House readout as having “deferred action” -- a term that means they were granted a reprieve, likely via the administration directive last year that allowed some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to avoid deportation and seek work authorization.
Some Republicans are open to ultimately granting permanent legal status to these and other undocumented immigrants. But Sessions, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., both complained that the president is at the same time snubbing the law enforcement officials tasked with enforcing U.S. border policies.
Sessions and Goodlatte sent a letter to Obama Thursday asking why the White House had not responded to repeated requests to meet with representatives from the National ICE Council, the union that represents more than 7,000 customs enforcement officers.
According to the letter, the ICE union has been trying to snag a meeting at the White House for three months to discuss the immigration overhaul, to no avail.


Read more: Republican rips Obama for meeting with illegal immigrants, icing out officer union | Fox News ]]> Poli-Sci SmashMouth http://blackandgold.com/poli/58062-ice-ing-out-officers-obama-snubs-ice-union-hosts-illegal-immigrants.html Saints’ Malcolm Jenkins says Rob Ryan is like Gregg Williams http://blackandgold.com/saints/58061-saints-malcolm-jenkins-says-rob-ryan-like-gregg-williams.html Sat, 25 May 2013 15:40:00 GMT In 2012, the Saints’ defense fell apart during a season marked by suspensions for the bounty... In 2012, the Saints’ defense fell apart during a season marked by suspensions for the bounty program run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. In 2013, one Saints player says, they’re going back to that old Gregg Williams mentality.

Minus the bounties, of course.

Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins says new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is a lot more like Williams than he was like last year’s defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo. And Jenkins likes the toughness and aggressiveness that Ryan preaches.



“Personality-wise they are very similar,” Jenkins told the Associated Press. “They’re cut from the same cloth in that they know that players and matchups are what defense is all about and they have a lot of personality and they’re aggressive in their play-calling.”

Williams was an assistant to Rob’s dad, Buddy Ryan, and both Williams and Rob Ryan have said many times that Buddy Ryan’s influence was extremely important.

“They’re all from the same school, the Buddy Ryan defense, so there are a lot of similarities between what Gregg was running and what Rob is bringing,” Jenkins said. “But I think Rob has a few more wrinkles with the 3-4 and everything, and I think we’re going to have fun.”

Jenkins says the Saints under Ryan will have a defense that the rest of the league fears.

“There’s a line and you don’t cross it, but you want to get as close to that line as you can,” Jenkins said. “We definitely want to be a physical, feared defense.”

Williams did cross the line. But a physical, feared defense is just what the Saints want Ryan to bring.

Link Back ]]> Saints SmashMouth http://blackandgold.com/saints/58061-saints-malcolm-jenkins-says-rob-ryan-like-gregg-williams.html NOLA.com Hokie Gajan taking on debilitating aches, pains like he did would-be tacklers http://blackandgold.com/saints/58060-hokie-gajan-taking-debilitating-aches-pains-like-he-did-would-tacklers.html Sat, 25 May 2013 15:34:16 GMT If he weren't in such pain, Hokie Gajan would have a field day describing his physical condition. You can almost hear the colorful New Orleans Saints radio analyst cracking wise in his trademark self-deprecating style.

"I'm walking around like a drunk pelican on a swinging bridge."

"I'm about as comfortable as a mudbug in a worm hole."

But there's nothing funny about Gajan's health problems. A debilitating case of arthritic gout and the physical fallout from an injury-riddled seven-year NFL career has extracted a toll on the former LSU and Saints running back.

Today, Gajan's hands are so swollen and distorted he can't grip a fishing rod. His knees and back are so balky his wife, Judy, suggested he apply for a handicapped license tag. He's walked with a limp for two decades, and his feet are so swollen across the toe joints he's gone from a 10½ regular to an extra-wide 15-EEEE.



All this for a man who will turn 54 on Sept. 6, two days before the Saints' season opener against Atlanta.

"Hokie is 53 but he looks like someone in his early 80s because of his health," said Bobby Hebert, Gajan's former teammate with the Saints and broadcast partner at WWL-870. "We've all had our aches and pains, but he's had it tougher than any of us."

Indeed, while thousands of fans hear Gajan's colorful Hokie-isms on Saints games or see him pitching a local product on TV, few are aware of the decline of his physical condition in recent years. Most just assumed the happy-go-lucky Hokie was just humping along through life just fine.

But friends and family have seen Gajan's once active lifestyle gradually grind to a halt.

Once fast enough as a high school senior to qualify for the state track finals in the 220-yard dash, he can't remember the last time he ran.

Once able to leg-press a team-best 1,400 pounds in the Saints' offseason strength programs, he can barely lift his leg to the second rung of a barstool.

The man who used to bench-press 400 pounds with ease, now needs his wife to open a ketchup bottle for him.

"It hurts to see him like this," said former Saints offensive lineman Stan Brock, Gajan's longtime hunting and fishing buddy. "I understand how painful it is for him."

Gajan has dealt with injuries of one kind or the other for much of his life. At 2, he gashed open his forehead while spinning to the "Hokie Pokie" song his older sister P.J. taught him. The doctor who stitched him up gave him the nickname. Howard Lee Gajan Jr. would forever be known as Hokie.

"I don't recall anybody ever calling me anything else," Gajan said.

The middle son of Howard Gajan's nine children, Hokie's life revolved around three passions: sports; the outdoors; and the Catholic church. He starred as a two-way standout at Baker High School, then earned a full scholarship to his dream school, LSU, located 7 miles downriver from his back yard.

The Saints selected him in the 10th round of the 1981 NFL draft, along with classmates Rickey Jackson, George Rogers, Frank Warren, Hoby Brenner and Jim Wilks.

Gajan started 36 games as a running back-fullback for Bum Phillips' Saints teams from 1981 to 1985. In 1984 he led the Saints with seven touchdowns and an average of 6.0 yards a carry, a season record which still stands for Saints rushers with 100 or more attempts. His 903 yards from scrimmage were second on the team to Rogers.

"Hokie was as blue-collar and old-school as they come," Hebert said. "He was tough, a great teammate. If Bum would've told him to run through a wall he'd have done it or died tryin'."


New Orleans Saints running back Hokie Gajan breaks to the end zone scoring the winning touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in September 1984.
The Associated Press archive

Injuries sidelined Gajan for three entire seasons and half of another one. He battled through back, ankle, head, hamstring and calf injuries during his first five seasons before a pair of severe knee injuries ended his playing career in 1987. The critical blow was delivered by Seattle defensive lineman Jacob Green in Week 10 of the 1985 season, rupturing all four ligaments in his left knee. Then general manager Jim Finks gave him a job as a scout in the personnel department and Gajan worked there for 14 years before moving into the broadcast booth in 2000.

For most of the first decade of his retirement, Gajan enjoyed a clean bill of health. Slowly but surely, though, things started to go awry. He had his right knee scoped and his left knee replaced in 2006. Back surgery came a couple of years later. Two years ago doctors removed the pinkie finger on his left hand. Last month they amputated the middle toe of his right foot.

"We're all dealing with our own injuries," Gajan said from Brock's Black and Gold Classic last weekend, where he spent two days trading fish tales and injury updates with about 30 former teammates. "For some of us, one part of the body is worse than the other. All of us wake up in the morning feeling like (crap). Something is hurting on you."

Indeed, few of Gajan's teammates managed to get through the Black and Gold Classic without some kind of ache or pain. Saints offensive Steve Korte limped around the charity auction on May 17 with his right knee still wrapped in gauze tape from knee replacement surgery last month.

"The injury rate in the NFL is 100 percent," Korte said. "There's only so much pain you can take before you decide to get something done about it."

Gajan's problems are exacerbated by gout, a painful form of arthritis that causes sudden and sometimes serve attacks in the joints. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, affecting about 2 percent of the world's population. It was once known as the "disease of kings" because it was thought to be caused by protein-rich diets of meat and seafood and excessive alcohol consumption. Most gout cases today are attributed to genetics, obesity and physical trauma.

Gajan said his father also battled the disease, which is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. The acid crystallizes and deposits in joints, tendons and surrounding tissues.

Gajan's left elbow is pocked by large bony lumps. Another large deposit on the inside of his big toe has deformed his right foot.




He's long grown accustomed to the awkward looks and probing queries he receives when he goes out in public.

"It's aggravating," Gajan said. "I had my 83-year-old uncle down here and he fished every day all day. And I can't. Hell, I got grandkids that can get out there and hold a fishing pole. It depresses me. No, I'm not going to go home and stick a revolver in my ear but it's aggravating."

The disease is treatable and Gajan is doing everything he can to combat it. He takes the anti-inflammatory Indocin daily to combat the pain and swelling in his joints and Colcrys to limit the production of uric acid. He also pops aspirin and ibuprofen.

Mostly, he's learned to adapt. He wears tennis shoes whenever possible, opens water bottles with his teeth and sleeps on the couch if need be.

Grand Isle fishing guide, Jeff Brumfield, enables his angling addiction by wrapping the butt of his fishing rods in soft stretch tape to aid his grip. Milk crates facilitate boarding and disembarking the boat.

"I'm concerned more than anything else," Gajan said. "I want to be able to hunt and fish with my grandkids. If I can't physically get on a boat, that concerns me."

Gajan doesn't know how much of his ailments to attribute to football and how much simply to Father Time. He's certain some of his knee and back pains are due to blows he suffered during his playing career, but he's hesitant to assign all of the blame to football.

The NFL's health insurance lasts five years after retirement, but as in Gajan's case the most serious health consequences of a football career often don't manifest for a decade or more. Fortunately, Gajan's health insurance through WWL covers most of his costs. Unlike many of his former NFL peers, he hasn't been forced to draw on his NFL pension.

More than anything, Gajan doesn't want pity. The hard-nosed son of a Marine navigates his 50s just as he did would-be tacklers, head down, shoulders lowered and square to the line of scrimmage.

"I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me," Gajan said. "A lot of people have it worse than I do. I'd have to be in a wheelchair before I'd get a handicapped sticker."

The good news is Gajan is getting better. At the advice of Brock and through the encouragement of Judy and his four daughters, Gajan changed his diet in January and began exercising regularly for the first time in years. He also stopped drinking. He's lost 30 pounds and is as close to his playing weight of 235 points as he's been in decades. Far from nimble, he nevertheless can feel the difference when he plays with any one of his nine grandchildren.

"He's working hard to change his lifestyle, to pay more attention to the things he needs to be doing," Brock said. "That's part of his makeup. He is very, very mentally tough. He's made some changes as opposed to giving up and quitting. The beauty of it is, his hard work is starting to pay off. He's getting better. I just saw him dancing with his grandkids at his daughter's wedding."

Link Back
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version Name: 12801360-mmmain.jpg Views: N/A Size: 46.4 KB ID: 6904  
]]> Saints SmashMouth http://blackandgold.com/saints/58060-hokie-gajan-taking-debilitating-aches-pains-like-he-did-would-tacklers.html Saints are $5.1 mill under the cap http://blackandgold.com/saints/58059-saints-5-1-mill-under-cap.html Sat, 25 May 2013 11:34:12 GMT That's after restructuring Roman The Neck.

That puts the team about average in the NFL.

Here's list of FA status; 2013 NFL Football Free Agents - CBSSports.com Player Movement

So what do we do with the money? Go after another OLB? OT? WR? Or just save it for a rainy day (aka training camp nightmare injury) ]]> Saints saintsfan1976 http://blackandgold.com/saints/58059-saints-5-1-mill-under-cap.html Blueberry crops are down this year; call before you load the car to pick your own http://blackandgold.com/nola/58058-blueberry-crops-down-year-call-before-you-load-car-pick-your-own.html Sat, 25 May 2013 07:38:15 GMT We're not wiped out' we're just not ripe yet ... We should have opened two weeks ago." -- Carol Dufrene, Ridemore Ranch and Berry Farm in Covington

Read the full article here... ]]> NOLA admin http://blackandgold.com/nola/58058-blueberry-crops-down-year-call-before-you-load-car-pick-your-own.html Sean Payton Signing Guitars http://blackandgold.com/saints/58057-sean-payton-signing-guitars.html Sat, 25 May 2013 04:03:09 GMT New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is back where he belongs, coaching the New Orleans... New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is back where he belongs, coaching the New Orleans Saints. Check out Payton spotted with a big Saints fan who asked him to sign her Saints guitar. We know Payton can shred, but he’s not exactly a rock God. How about have him sign a football? -TO

Read more at Sean Payton Signing Guitars | Terez Owens ]]> Saints WhoDat!656 http://blackandgold.com/saints/58057-sean-payton-signing-guitars.html OTA Position Spotlight: Lewis can beat out Greer http://blackandgold.com/saints/58056-ota-position-spotlight-lewis-can-beat-out-greer.html Sat, 25 May 2013 02:21:34 GMT In the team’s first week of organized team activities, Keenan Lewis started with the first team and... In the team’s first week of organized team activities, Keenan Lewis started with the first team and made a case for a starting position at defensive back. If veteran Jabari Greer doesn’t step up in training camp, he’ll lose his starting job.

Last season, fans were livid with a Saints pass defense that allowed nearly 300 yards passing per game last year. The names to blame? Defensive backs Patrick Robinson and Jabari Greer.

Greer and Robinson both stand at 5-foot-11 and both struggled mightily last year in pass coverage. They both managed to get three interceptions last year, but Robinson posted 18 passes defended to Greer’s 13 passes defended.

Greer is 31 years old, losing a couple of steps in terms of his speed, and coming off a season where the entire defense is being scrutinized. The Saints acquired Keenan Lewis in the off-season as well and he definitely has the ability to take away one of those top corner spots.

Lewis is four years younger and about 20 pounds heavier than Greer. That’s important against strong receivers in the NFC South like Atlanta’s Roddy White and Carolina’s Steve Smith. He wasn’t a starter in Pittsburgh but that didn’t stop him from defending 23 passes last year for the Steelers.

He isn’t significantly taller than Greer but displays better leaping ability to attack the ball while it is in the air than Greer did last year. Every inch helps against NFC South receivers like Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Tampa Bay’s Vincent Jackson.

In the first day of OTA’s, Lewis started with the first team and displayed his ability to break up passes and even came away with an interception. While head coach Sean Payton will be the first to tell you not to put any stock in Lewis starting with the first team, you’d be crazy to think that Lewis’ performance didn’t catch his eye.

It’s still May and nobody (outside of quarterback Drew Brees) has won their position yet. After this first OTA session however, the stock for Keenan Lewis is on the rise.

OTA Position Spotlight: Lewis can beat out Greer - Who Dat Dish ]]> Saints WhoDat!656 http://blackandgold.com/saints/58056-ota-position-spotlight-lewis-can-beat-out-greer.html