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NFC South Final Word: Vikings at Saints

January 24th, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, Sports by bloom | No Comments »


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By Pat Yasinskas
AFC Championship: Graham | Kuharsky » NFC Championship: Seifert | Yasinskas

Five nuggets of knowledge about Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings (13-4) and the New Orleans Saints (14-3).

Scott Cunningham/Getty ImagesA victory in the NFC Championship Game would be a signature win for quarterback Drew Brees.
1. This is Drew Brees’ game. Yes, all the hype has been about Brett Favre. When a 40-year-old legend gets his team this far, that’s expected. But I think this game is more about the legacy of Brees. For the past few years, he has put up numbers that put him in the conversation with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Favre as the league’s best quarterback. But the one thing Brees doesn’t have that they all do is a signature win. It might be time for Brees to sign his autograph.

2. Reggie Bush will be a huge factor. I wrote in this space a week ago that Bush would be a huge factor against the Cardinals — and he was. My logic was simple. When you throw a bunch of good athletes on the field, the best athlete out there will rise up and make plays. Once again, I think Bush is the best athlete stepping onto the Superdome floor Sunday.

3. Matchup of the week? It seems like the ultimate mismatch with New Orleans left tackle Jermon Bushrod going against Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen. On paper, it probably is. But let’s face it, the Saints aren’t going to leave Bushrod on an island by himself. They’ve been covering him up with help all season as he’s filled in for an injured Jammal Brown. Bushrod hasn’t really been exploited because the Saints help him and their offense is designed for Brees to get rid of the ball quickly. This matchup might not be as big a deal as many people think.

4. Payton’s big chance. We already mentioned how important this game is for Brees’ status. It’s kind of the same deal for his coach, Sean Payton. This will be two NFC Championship Games in four seasons. Win this one and Payton will go from being just a great offensive mind to being a great head coach.

5. Sharper image. We’ve heard all week about New Orleans safety Darren Sharper’s familiarity with Favre. A lot of people have said that could work to the Saints’ advantage. But Payton has done his best to downplay that aspect and frequently said players going against former teams is overrated. I disagree. I think Sharper’s knowledge of Favre is important, and I’m guessing that the Saints have been tapping into it all week. But I think the real issue here isn’t so much what Sharper can tell his teammates. I think it’s whether Sharper can take all his knowledge of Favre and come up with an interception against his former teammate.

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NFC South, 09 NFCCG Final Word, 09 CG Final Word, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Superdome, Sean Payton, Darren Sharper, Jared Allen, Peyton Manning, Jammal Brown, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Final Word, Jermon Bushrod, NFC Championship Game, 09 vikings-saints final word
NFC North Final Word: Vikings at Saints
January, 22, 2010
Jan 22
4:02
PM ET
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By Kevin Seifert
AFC Championship: Graham | Kuharsky » NFC Championship: Seifert | Yasinskas

Three nuggets of knowledge about Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings (13-4) and the New Orleans Saints (14-3).

1. Hopefully you’ve caught most of our preview work this week. If not, click here for a filtered refresher. New Orleans and Minnesota seem pretty evenly matched, but one fact seems clear: We’re guaranteed a fresh NFC storyline no matter who advances to the Super Bowl. The Vikings have lost in their past four appearances in the NFC Championship Game (1977, 1987, 1998 and 2000) and haven’t been in the Super Bowl since the 1976 season. The Saints, meanwhile, are making only their second appearance in this game. It’s the first time they’ve hosted it. If they win, the Saints will become the first team in NFL history to advance to the Super Bowl after losing its final three regular-season games.

AP Photo/Paul BattagliaThe Saints will want to put more than one person on Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen.
2. Recent Saints-Vikings games have been wild, and the circumstances of this game — the teams ranked No. 1-2 in scoring this season — promise another entertaining affair. There have been four other conference championship games that featured the regular season’s top two scoring teams. Seven of the eight participants scored at least 20 points in those games, and the winner has always scored at least 30 points. The only offense that went belly-up in that situation was the 1989 Los Angeles Rams, who lost 30-3 to San Francisco. So if you’re into the over-under, odds are you should take the over.

3. Defensive linemen Ray Edwards and Kevin Williams both are battling knee injuries and won’t be 100 percent for Sunday’s game. That will place even more emphasis on the matchup between Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen and New Orleans left tackle Jermon Bushrod. It would make sense for the Saints to give Bushrod plenty of help, but they probably will balance it with their schematic desire to get tight ends and running backs into the pass routes. Allen has torn up most one-on-one matchups he’s faced this season and is fast enough to get to quarterback Drew Brees even on three-step drops.
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NFC North, 09 NFCCG Final Word, 09 CG Final Word, Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Drew Brees, Jermon Bushrod, 09 vikings-saints final word

Local commerce will temporarily halt for today’s New Orleans Saints game

January 24th, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, Sports by bloom | No Comments »

By Jaquetta White, The Times-Picayune
January 24, 2010, 6:15AM

One could credit the New Orleans Saints’ unexpectedly successful football season with sending team merchandise sales skyrocketing, canceling a few Carnival parades and inspiring many local musicians to pen celebratory songs. And today the team’s winning season will get credit for one more feat: halting local commerce.

closedsign.jpgDavid Grunfeld/The Times-PicayuneGordon’s in Metairie is closing early today because of the Saints game.”Nobody’s going to stay open and miss that,” said Greg Dombourian, who owns Dombourian Rugs on Magazine Street and is president of the Magazine Street Merchants Association. Instead of closing at 5 p.m., Dombourian Rugs will remain closed all day.

The Magazine Street store will not be alone. Several area retailers and service providers say they will either not open or close early on Sunday in deference to the NFC Championship game.

No orders will be taken at the popular Mid-City eatery Mandina’s Restaurant after 5 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant, which usually closes only on Thanksgiving and Christmas and for mandatory hurricane evacuations, will shut down early this weekend, general manager Martial Voitier said.

“We’re figuring that probably by about 4 p.m. there will be nobody on the streets or in the restaurant,” Voitier said. “They’ll be in the Superdome or in somebody’s house.”

‘No one would be out’

A sign posted on the door of Gordon’s of Metairie alerts customers of the store’s plans to close on Sunday.

“We knew that no one would be out shopping,” said Robyn Soileau, manager of the craft store. “I’ll be at home celebrating with the family.”

Soileau said the 100 employees between Gordon’s two stores in Metairie and Kenner were thrilled to get the day off.
“Everybody was excited and very grateful that they can stay home and watch it,” Soileau said.

Although they won’t get the entire day off, employees at Creole Creamery, which is usually open until 10 p.m. on Sunday, will be able to leave early this weekend. The store, which has a location Uptown and another in Lakeview, will close at 5 p.m., 20 minutes before the game’s scheduled kickoff.

“All of our employees want to see the game,” Creole Creamery Chef Bryan Gilmore said. “If we stay open, by the time the game is over and people filter out we’re going to be about to close anyway.”

Pam Clark, who owns Aesthetics & Antiques, said the slow pace of business during last week’s playoff game convinced her to close this week. Business was so slow, Clark said, that she and other shop owners spent much of their time last Saturday watching the Saints game on the television of a nearby restaurant while standing in the street and keeping an eye on their respective businesses.

“We were open. We partied, but there was no business,” Clark said. “I really thought we’d have more business that day but it seems like everybody was tailgating.”

Gilmore said the slow pace of business during last week’s game was also a factor at Creole Creamery.

“Last week we brought in TV, but there was nobody in here but the employees,” Gilmore said. “When a game comes up like this it’s kind of like a local holiday.”

‘It’s hurting me’

Not everyone will close.

Although he’s expecting business to be slow, Vic Loisel, who co-owns vintage furniture store Neophobia, doesn’t plan to close the shop on Sunday. Loisel said he has no real interest in football and admits that the successful season has disrupted his business.

“It’s hurting me, businesswise. It’s a little frustrating too,” Loisel said.

Meanwhile, Feet First does its most brisk business when people are in a “joyous mood, throwing caution to the wind,” much like they feel before a Saints game. The shoe boutique will operate as usual on Sunday, said Evie Poitevent, the store’s co-owner.

“You want to be open as long as possible to catch all the tourists who will be in town,” Poitevent said. Feet First has locations on Royal Street in the French Quarter and on Magazine Street Uptown.

Some Saints games have provided banner sales for the shoe boutique and the later the game, the better, because potential customers have a full day to shop and are in a joyous mood, Poitevent said. “Given that the game is on Sunday after 5 p.m, we’re expecting it to be really busy.”

Should the Saints win today’s game and earn a spot in the Super Bowl, area business owners and operators say they are already prepared to close again.

Voitier of Mandina’s has had two black and gold signs printed. In the case of a Saints loss, a sign will display the restaurant’s earlier operating hours on game day. But if the home team advances, the sign will read, simply: Closed Super Bowl Sunday.

Jaquetta White can be reached at jwhite@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3494.

New Orleans Saints First-and-10: Streak of parity in the NFC

January 22nd, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, Sports by bloom | No Comments »


By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
January 22, 2010, 5:05PM

sainsts fan.JPGMichael Democker/The Times-PicayuneFirst (take) …

Regardless of who wins the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, it will extend a remarkable streak of parity in the conference.

The Saints or Vikings will be the ninth different NFC team in a row to make the Super Bowl.

The streak began in 2001 when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXVI. Since then, in order, the Buccaneers, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Bears, Giants and Cardinals have represented the NFC in the Super Bowl.

If you include the Falcons (1998) and Packers (1997), the NFC will have sent a remarkable 11 different teams to the Super Bowl in the past 13 years. That’s in direct contrast to the AFC, which has sent just seven teams to the big game during the same span. New England, Pittsburgh and Denver have made multiple appearances since 1997.

The Vikings have not been to the Super Bowl since 1977. They are winless in four appearances.

The Saints, of course, have never been in the 43-year history of the franchise.

So, one way or the other, a long drought will end on Sunday. But the NFC’s string of remarkable parity will continue.

… And 10 (more observations)

1. Casual locker-room observation of the week: If the Saints are tight you sure couldn’t tell it from the way the Saints conducted themselves in the locker room this week. They were extremely loose. On Friday Sedrick Ellis and Mike Bell waged an aerosol spray can war, which Ellis eventually won. The defeated Bell actually scaled the locker stalls along one side of the locker room to escape the deodorant drenching. On Thursday, Anthony Hargrove duct-taped assistant equipment manager Shaun Alfred and dumped him cold-water tub in the training room to the delight of several teammates.

2. Tweets of the week: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Jeremy Shockey, 2:57 p.m., Jan. 22.

3. Quote of the week: “They can fly you safely to your destination or they can take you right into a mountain.” – Saints coach Sean Payton on the importance of quarterback play in the NFL postseason.

4. Didya notice of the week: Anthony Waters was the one Saint excused from practice this week. Waters missed Friday’s practice to attend the funeral of former Clemson teammate Gaines Adams in Easley, S.C. Adams, a defensive end for the Chicago Bears, died Sunday of heart failure. He was 26.

5. Fact of the week: Thanks to his breakout performance last week, Reggie Bush now has three Saints postseason records for longest touchdowns. They are: the longest punt return TD (83 yards vs. Arizona); the longest rushing TD (46 yards vs. Arizona); and longest pass reception TD (88 yards vs. Chicago, 2007). Bush is only the second player in NFL history – and the first in more than 60 years – to produce touchdowns on a rushing play and a punt return in a postseason game. The only other player to do it was Hall-of-Famer Charlie Trippi, playing for the Chicago Cardinals in the 1947 NFL Championship Game. Playing against the Eagles, Trippi scored on a 44-yard run in the first quarter and on a 75-yard punt return in the third quarter. The Cardinals went on to win the game, 28-21, the only time in their history that they have won a league championship game.

6. Encouraging stat of the week: This from Yahoo.com’s Jason Cole: In 18 home games during his two seasons with the Vikings, including two playoff games, Jared Allen has 21 sacks. By contrast, in 15 road games in two seasons, he has 11 sacks. Clearly Allen is a different player on the road than at home, where he can take advantage of the crowd noise at the Metrodome to get a jump on opposing offensive linemen.

7. Disturbing stat of the week: The Vikings have won their last three matchups in the Superdome against the Saints and are 2-0 against New Orleans in the postseason. Overall, they have won eight of the last 10 games in the season and 12 of the last 15, including the last four in a row.

8. Something I liked from the divisional round: The pass defense. As they’ve been all season in the Superdome, the Saints were tough on an opposing quarterback. Kurt Warner, who entered the game with the second highest passer efficiency rating in NFL postseason history, posted just a 73.4 rating. He’s the third Super Bowl-winning quarterback that the Saints have shut down in the Dome this season. The collective passer efficiency ratings of Warner, Eli Manning and Tom Brady in their three games against the Saints this season was 55.9.

9. Something I didn’t like from the divisional round: The shaky run defense early. Tim Hightower’s 70-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage was the fourth long touchdown run the Saints have surrendered this season. They also gave up scoring runs of 68 yards to Ricky Williams, 66 yards to DeAngelo Williams and 67 yards to Jonathan Stewart. Each run came in the first quarter. In fact, Williams and Stewart’s scores came on the second play from scrimmage.

10. Fearless prediction for the NFC Championship: The Vikings lost their final three road games of the season by a combined score of 92-54. Now they face their toughest road test of all. With the Saints hosting their first NFC title game ever, the atmosphere in the Superdome is certain to be electric. If the Vikings can’t beat the Panthers or Bears on the road I can’t see them putting together the kind of complete game it will take to win Sunday. The Saints have been at their best in big games this season and this one’s the biggest of them all. If the Saints get off to a fast start, the Vikings could be in touble. My prediction: Saints 41, Vikings 20.

Minnesota Vikings hope for running start against New Orleans Saints defense

January 22nd, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, Sports by bloom | No Comments »

By Nakia Hogan, The Times-Picayune
January 22, 2010, 6:00AM

tim-hightower.jpgChris Granger/The Times-PicayuneArizona Cardinals running back Tim Hightower ran 70 yards for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on the first play from scrimmage of the divisional playoff game. The Saints have allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 yards or more this season, eight of which have been in the first quarter, including six on the first possession of the game. At an early morning staff meeting the day before Saturday’s 45-14 victory against the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams had another game he wanted to play with his assistant coaches.

The “What If” game.

“As trite as this may sound, the day before the game at an 8 a.m. staff meeting, I posed a bunch of what ifs, ” Williams said. “The first what ifs was tell me what your body language is going to be, tell me what your demeanor is going to be, tell me what your coaching point is going to be, tell me how you are going to react if something bad happens on the first play of the game.”

Guess what?

“I’ll be damned if it didn’t happen.”

More TP coverage

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On the first play from scrimmage, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner took the snap from center and handed the ball to running back Tim Hightower, who dashed through a hole on the right side of the line, avoided two failed attempts at tackles by Saints safeties Roman Harper and Darren Sharper and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.

“I didn’t even watch the back run to the end zone, ” Williams said. “What I did was I stepped back and looked at all my coaches. And they responded very well. The players needed us. They didn’t need more stress.”

What the Saints defenders got Saturday after the long run was some tutelage and motivation.

The coaches worked almost in unison, Williams said, to help correct the miscues on Hightower’s score. They chatted with players and looked at the offensive set the Cardinals came out in.

This wasn’t anything new for the players and coaches, though. They’ve been in this position more times than they have wanted.

While Hightower’s run was the longest run allowed by the Saints’ defense this season, it wasn’t the first time a back has broken free for a big gain.

In their 17 games this season, the Saints have allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 yards or more.

Continuing a perplexing trend, eight of those runs have come in the first quarter, including six on the first possession of the game.

The Saints likely can’t afford such miscues in Sunday’s NFC title game against the Vikings and All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 1,383 yards and 18 touchdowns in the regular season.

“We are definitely trying to get that fixed, especially against a team like the Vikings, who are known to come out and score a lot of points in the first quarter, ” Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis said. “We can’t continue to allow that to happen. And we are doing our best to get that fixed.”
Adjusting-on-D.jpg

Typically, the Saints have mended their blown assignments during games. But the task this week, several Saints said, is to not allow the big runs to happen in the first place.

Williams and Coach Sean Payton said the Saints’ struggles to stop the run early on in games have no recurring theme.

“No, I don’t think (there’s a theme), ” Payton said. “I guess the similarity being when they happen early in the game. But they’ve been plays that have been different schemes, different type of runs.

“When it happened last week, certainly on the first play of the game, it takes a little of the energy out of the stadium. But we were able to come back with the next drive and score. So I think it’s just been the start, and I know Gregg and those guys on defense are working their tails off to start games the right way and will continue to do that.”

At times Williams said the Saints have used poor run fits, meaning the players have attacked through the wrong gaps, allowing gaping holes for the runners to sprint through.

On other occasions, running backs have cut back against the Saints’ over-pursuing defense, running across the back side of the line for long runs.

Hightower’s score was simply defensive end Bobby McCray getting sealed and Harper and Sharper whiffing on tackles.

“It’s real simple when you watch the film, ” Williams said. “In this last ballgame, we have two unblocked players at the point of attack and they don’t make the tackle. So that (touchdown run) is probably going to happen.

“It usually comes down to fundamentals. It really is not as much about schemes, it usually just comes down to the execution of fundamentals. And that player (Hightower) made two of our better tackling guys miss at the point of attack.”

Although that run stunned the crowd, momentarily silencing the sold-out Superdome, the Saints players and coaches said they didn’t come close panicking.

Instead they buckled down, yielding just 31 yards on the Cardinals’ next 14 carries.

“Obviously, it’s not good to have experience with that, but we have experience with that, ” Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said. “It had happened before so we knew that game wasn’t going to be determined by that one play. Since we had seen that before earlier in the season, there was never any panic.”

The key, however, is trying to play with the same discipline in the opening of the game as the Saints do in the later stages.

But that’s easier said than done.

“I don’t have any explanations of why that happens, ” Shanle said. “If I knew why, Gregg would be mad at me for not telling him why.”

“Do I like those big runs? No, it kills me, ” Williams said. “I don’t like those big runs. But the fact that we are able to adjust and not let them happen again is real good.”

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