Saints Nation: Jeremy Shockey Stirring More Trouble this time via Twitter

Jeremy Shockey publicly blasted former Saint Kevin Houser on his twitter page 2 days ago by saying: "thx chad houser our long snapper for losing my coaches ,teamates, and me around 2mill$.. what a dumb ****. you think your buying LA film tac creits. but the ***** snapper didnt... wow this is a ****** up world we live in". The post has since been deleted from his page.

We all know Shockey speaks before he thinks on a daily basis, but this time it's pretty idiotic. First off, his former teammates name is Kevin and not Chad. At first I thought maybe it was an impostor posing as Shockey on twitter as it would be easy enough to create a fake profile. In fact, there's two Shockey profiles out there (here's the other). But Drew Rosenhaus follows him (which I know is a real twitter page), and Times-Picayne reporter Jeff Duncan (also real) tweeted: "Going to weigh-in on the Houser case in tomorrow's Times-Pic, hopefully with a little more tact than Shockey did yesterday via Twitter."

Ok, so maybe it is the real Jeremy Shockey - and after investigating as thoroughly as I could, I think it is. For him to put something open to the public out there like that and include profanity tells you all you need to know about his maturity level. If it doesn't, how about his "dehydrated" episode in Las Vegas?

I just know how Drew Brees approaches things, and it's very different from Shockey. Brees has been visibly upset with Reggie Bush for similar maturity issues, and he's a choirboy compared to Shockey. When you lack mental discipline like Shockey does, you're a ticking time bomb. You're even more at risk of imploding when the stakes are higher and the level of concentration is even more necessary.In other words, when/if we make the playoffs, that's when a lack of maturity (personally or professionally) is magnified.This is not adding up to be a good thing. I'm starting to see why he's such a red flag, why Brees doesn't get along with him, and why he was run out of New York. I also don't think he's a big enough contributor to make him worth the trouble. If he turns himself into the the type of tight end he was 3-4 years ago, then ok, but I'm starting to doubt he can do that and clearly age is not helping his maturity level. I supported the Saints for trading a 2nd and 5th round pick to attain Shockey, but I'm regretting that move more and more every day.

Saints Nation: ESPN National Poll features Saints

Thanks to noblitz and all4saints: A national poll on ESPN that can be found HERE (on the right) asks: Which Team That Has Never Been To The SuperBowl Will Get There First?

The options are of course the 5 teams that have never been: Jaguars, Browns, Lions, Texans, and last but not least, the Saints. Nice to see the Saints leading this poll by a pretty wide margin (Saints currently first at 48%, Jags second at 24%). Glad America believes in the Saints more than the other 4 teams, I sure hope they are right. No doubt the recent state of each franchise has a lot to do with the voting percentages, and who knows what this poll would look like in 3-5 years. Hopefully the Saints will no longer be an option. Get on there and vote for the Who Dats!

DID YOU KNOW? Former Saints head coach Jim Haslett will be coaching the "Orlando" team in the new 4 team UFL, scheduled to start in the fall. The other coaches are Jim Fassel (Las Vegas), Dennis Green (San Francisco), and Ted Cottrell (New York).

Saints Nation: The skinny on new long snapper Jason Kyle

With the recent addition of long time Panther Jason Kyle, I thought I would ask a fellow blogger to give me the scoop on him. Kyle is a player you can find little about given his position, so who better to ask than a passionate Panther fan? Hopefully you'll forgive me for conversing with the enemy.

I caught up with Jaxon, head blogger for the Panther's top blog - Cat Scratch Reader, and this is what he had to say about Kyle:

"There really isn't much to say which is always a good thing when talking about long snappers. I think he had one bad snap in 7 seasons of service for the Panthers so he was a very reliable guy. We hated to lose him but it was the economics of the salary cap and the impact of the Peppers franchise tag. He should do fine for you guys...except when he plays the Panthers of course. We secretly implanted a chip in his brain so when he gets ready to snap the ball for that winning FG over the Panthers...Zappp! Snap over the holders' head for sure!"

Thanks to Jaxon for taking the time to fill us in on our new long snapper as well as the obligatory hubris, hopefully you won't miss him too much. Now that he mentions it, if Kyle wins the job I will be paying extra attention to those long snaps when we play the Panthers. Besides the trash talking, I got about the response I expected: Kyle is a solid long snapper that will go quietly about doing reliable work. I'm sure it will be comparable to Kevin Houser, though remember we still can't rule out Rob Ninkovich in this competition.

Saints Nation: What you can expect from Saints Nation post game

This year after each game I will evaluate the performance of each starter in the regular season games by giving them a letter grade. Over the course of the season I will adjust their "GPA" accordingly, so you can get a chance to see how they have performed according to Saints Nation. Stats will play a role in the evaluations, of course, but keep in mind receivers still need to block, offensive lineman still need to remember the snap count, etc etc. Should be a fun way of keeping track of each player's progression. The 22 starters will all be eligible for grading, of course, along with role players, key reserves, and prominent special teamers. Players that are injured, held out or very limited will not be graded. Going into training camp and in preparation for WEEK 1 this is currently the starting 22 I envision:

QB: Drew Brees
HB: Pierre Thomas (Reggie Bush, though a backup, would be graded as a starter)
FB: Heath Evans
WR: Marques Colston
WR: Lance Moore
TE: Jeremy Shockey
C: Jonathan Goodwin
G: Jahri Evans
G: Carl Nicks
T: Jammal Brown
T: Jon Stinchcomb
E: Bobby McCray (Will Smith & Charles Grant TBD)
E: Paul Spicer
DT: Sedrick Ellis
DT: Kendrick Clancy
SLB: Scott Fujita
MLB: Jonathan Vilma
WLB: Scott Shanle
CB: Tracy Porter
CB: Jabari Greer
FS: Darren Sharper
SS: Roman Harper

Saints Nation: Kevin Houser's release seems to be related to off field matters

As more details are emerging about the issues associated with the lost investments of many Saints players, staff and coaches, it's becoming more and more clear that Houser's release has nothing to do with his performance on the field. I stand firm in my belief that Mickey Loomis was giving both fans and media lip service by claiming that the move was strictly made in an effort to improve the kicking game. Hogwash. The move was made because he's a replaceable role player and he may have led several of his peers down a wrong path. An extensive article on the matter can be read HERE.

In different matters, the NFL community was shocked and saddenned by the death of Steve McNair this weekend. ESPN.com is reporting that his death has been ruled a homicide (story HERE). McNair was a tough player that enjoyed a terrific career. May he rest in peace.

Below are the last 2 games Steve McNair played against the Saints, and his stats.

Baltimore beats Saints 35-22 in 2006. McNair: 17-23, 159 yds, 2TD's 0 INT's, 1 rushing TD
Tennessee beats Saints 27-12 in 2003. McNair: 22-33, 252 yds, 2 TD's 0 INT's

Saints Nation: Happy 4th of July from Saints Nation!

The Saints Nation staff will be taking a vacation from July 2nd through July 5th, with limited internet connection at best. The bad news is you probably won't be able to read updates on the Saints via Saints Nation during this time, but the good news is you'll be able to know you're not missing anything as you spend time celebrating July 4th with your families and away from the internet. Enjoy the holiday and please check back as they'll be lots of catching up to do once we return.

Lagniappe: THIS ARTICLE discusses a financial investment that may have burned several Saints, including Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Looks like Charles Grant especially may lose a lot of money, and don't forget he's suspended without pay for the first 4 games already. They're playing innocent so far, but it easily could have been a scam. I guess Grant will only make $4.5 million this year for underproducing, what a discount! Sorry - I couldn't help myself. This also may explain why Kevin Houser was cut. Sounds like a very messy situation.

Saints Nation: Pierson Prioleau Showing His Worth

The New Orleans Saints' official website posted THIS ARTICLE about how backup safety and special teams standout Pierson Prioleau has been doing so far. Barring an injury or something unforeseen, I can't imagine Prioleau will not make the team. If Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams has any say, he'll also have a decent role with the team on top of making it. Prioleau has played on Williams coached teams his whole career in Buffalo, Jacksonville and now New Orleans. Prioleau is also running with the first team coverage units and the coaching staff expects big things out of his contributions in that area. The 10 year veteran is a solid character guy and a solid addition, so he's a great one to have around. It may be at the expense of the spot Chris Reis held last year, but I believe he is an upgrade. While Reis was a good player and that said upgrade is marginal on special teams, I believe it's a major upgrade at backup safety.

By the way, yes, I'm still fuming over the Kevin Houser release.