Saints Nation: Saints Squeak Past Falcons in Atlanta 26-23

It was another ugly win, but the Saints managed to sweep the Falcons and move to 13-0. Another solid offensive performance was overshadowed by a second straight dismal effort by the pass defense. I sure hope Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer can get back healthy. That said, Jonathan Vilma came up with two crucial plays late in the game to secure the win. Check back to Saints Nation for player grades.

Saints @ Falcons BOX SCORE

Saints Nation: WHO DAT

I apologize for the lack of any news today, with a big game in Atlanta tomorrow... My wife and I found out today that the baby we're expecting is a boy! He'll be a bigger Saints fan than I!

You can check out the pre-game @ Atlanta game post I made on Canal Street Chronicles HERE.

Saints Nation: Anthony Hargrove's Holiday Spirit

Anthony Hargrove recently reached out to a family in need. This heart warming story can be read HERE. For those of you unfamiliar with his story, Hargrove is a player that has been plagued in his brief NFL career with addictions to drugs and alcohol. He was suspended by the NFL for the entirety of the 2008 season due to a failed drug test. Since then, the Saints took a gamble on the player with an extremely checkered past based on his potential, and so far it is paying off. Hargrove has cleaned up his act and he's played a nice role on the Saints' pass rushing packages. It's also nice to see that he's drawing from his humble life experiences to benefit the community. A big tip of the cap to this Saint.

Saints Nation: Random Thoughts Going Into the Weekend

Here are some pre-weekend bullets to consider going into Atlanta.

-- Will Randall Gay make it back in the lineup? Now that it's been finally revealed that Porter and Greer will both be back week 17 AT BEST, it scares me that Jenkins and McKenzie are our go-to corner. Especially after what I saw @ Washington. Hopefully Gay can get back in the mix, and soon.

-- Will Matt Ryan play for Atlanta? Michael Turner is all but ruled out, and Ryan is questionable. Some think he'll play, but with the injuries they have along the offensive line, he might be exposed. If Matt Ryan doesn't play, you have to think this game is going to be a gimme for the Saints.

-- Can Minnesota help us out and lose again? They host Cincinnati, so not impossible. This would be the perfect time for the Vikings to start losing confidence. This is about the time Brett Favre starts to have his seasonal meltdown.

-- Apparently Shockey just tweaked his hamstring. Questionable for the game. Shockey has been playing as the 4th receiver in shotgun sets with Lance Moore out, and he's allowed David Thomas to operate at fullback. It would not be good to miss him.

-- Pierre Thomas currently has 666 yards rushing and that kind of freaks me out. Please get at least 1 yard in this game, Pierre.

-- Marques Colston is 146 yards away from another 1,000 yard season. Wouldn't it be nice to see him take one game to eclipse it?

-- Roman Harper and Jonathan Vilma are currently tied for the team lead with 82 tackles. Who will be ahead after this game, and who will end the season as the team's leading tackler?

-- With 4 games left, Drew Brees' 29 TD passes is already the second most in Saints history for a season. He needs 5 more to tie his record of 34 set last year, and 6 to break it. Seems more than feasible in 4 games.

-- Mike Bell did not practice at all on Thursday. This could mean he's out. We'll see if he practices today.

Saints Nation: Drew Brees on Jay Leno video

Saints Nation: The Unknown Who Dat

There's been a recent craze amongst Saints fans everywhere as "the Unkown Who Dat" (pictured) is gaining in popularity and discussion by the second. This brave soul suffered through the extremely cold temperatures in DC to will the Saints to victory last weekend. This man is reaching celebrity status. He's got a facebook group in his honor with over 11,500 members, a main dedicated website designed solely to uncover his true identity, and a discussion forum that's covered this topic for over 30 pages. The webpage is trying so hard to uncover his identity, a twitter account has been created as well, and it has received support from various media icons. What's next? Heres 's hoping
partybets.com will run an online contest or betting poll, with the first to identify The Unknown Who Dat receiving some kind of prize.


Help them find the Unknown Who Dat!

Oh... and in case you haven't seen the "TV Shot to Death" video yet... just take a moment to consider that you root for the same team as these people. I'm still not over it.

Wow. Just, wow.

Saints Nation: Jabari Greer's Injury Finally Revealed as a Sports Hernia

So Jabari Greer has a sports hernia. I knew something was weird about him being unable to shake a groin pull. Granted those things can linger, but it seemed like Greer's condition kept getting worse. He's had surgery, so I think it's safe to say he's out for the rest of the regular season. With the other starting cornerback Tracy Porter also out for an extended period, we'll be relying on Malcolm Jenkins, Randall Gay and Mike McKenzie for the foreseeable future. Oh, and that guy Marcus McAuley we just signed, too. The thing that makes me most uncomfortable about this is that when Porter and Greer do come back, most likely for the Saints' first playoff game, they may not be 100% healthy and they will definitely be rusty. At that point is a rusty and recovering Greer/Porter tandem better than a playing, healthy and worked in Jenkins/Gay/McKenzie trio? That's something the coaching staff will have to figure out, and it won't be easy.