Saints Nation: Saint Reggie Shows a Big Heart

I was approached by a story that I just couldn't keep to myself. As much as Reggie Bush has been a playmaker and deadly weapon on the football field, he's proven at times to be even more Saintly off of it. His donations to the community and contributions of his time have been plentiful and well documented. This story, though, trumps most benevolent acts I've heard from many athletes off the field and it's flown under the radar.

Thanks to Kathe N. for this story:

"I just want to let you know what an awesome human being we have in Reggie Bush.  We were able to make contact through his agent, and Reggie called my sister's terminally ill patient today. She was unable to talk, other than a very soft, "hello" but the smile on her face was priceless! Reggie took time to call from Germany today, and truly made a difference in the short life of a precious little girl. He fulfilled an end of life wish for a very sick little girl whose life was cut way too short. He's also sending an autographed jersey, overnight. Unfortunately, she passed away three hours after Reggie's phone call, but the jersey will mean the world to her family. A lifelong memory. I'm overwhelmed and want everyone to know the person Reggie Bush is. A true hero."

Reggie probably won't get much press or credit for this, but you know what, that's the way it should be. All great acts that do not go thanked are the best kind. This wasn't about Reggie getting good publicity, or boosting the public's perception of his character. If I didn't write about this, maybe no one would have ever heard about it. In a time where he's under a good amount of scrutiny for the USC sanctions, he could have easily mentioned something about this on his twitter account to let people know how great he is... but no mention. I applaud you, #25, for being a great and humble guy. What a heart warming story, and I believe we are lucky to have Bush in our community.

Saints Nation: Sean Payton's New Book is Now Available for Purchase

Saints' head coach Sean Payton's book "Home Team" is out today and now available for purchase. You can go to your favorite book buying location to seek it out, I'm sure it's available everywhere... but you can click HERE if you're having trouble finding it. I ordered mine already and I can't wait to get it as it should be a terrific read. If you've been paying attention to all the snippets that are surfacing out there, it sounds like it will be fairly candid and revealing. Speaking of which, does all the portions of the book that have already been revealed make you think that Sean Payton is a bit of a booze hound? Work hard, play hard, I guess. Anyway, I'm not trying to be critical of the man, clearly he's done a lot for the city of New Orleans and he's a fantastic football coach that seeks out high character and moral people to align himself with. You have to respect that. Besides, we don't want to be throwing stones when we live out of a glass house... just saying that alcohol (or vicodin) and Sean Payton do come up together from time to time (like the bottle of wine he stole from Jerry Jones) Anyway, I highly recommend checking this out and I will post a review as soon as I'm done with it.

Saints Nation: VOTE NOW as Your Saints are Up for Numerous ESPY Awards

The Saints are up for a large number of ESPY awards this year. Click HERE to go vote for them. Below are the Numerous categories you can find them in:



Best Male Athlete (Drew Brees)
Best Championship Performance (Drew Brees, Super Bowl XLIV)
Best Moment (New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV)
Best Team (New Orleans Saints)
Best Coach/Manager (Sean Payton)
Best NFL Player (Drew Brees)

That's 6 chances for the Saints to win a nationally recognized award. GO VOTE!

Saints Nation: Amit's Power Rankings

Below are Amit's offseason power rankings. 

1.Saints - Would you expect anything else? TWO DAT!

2. Vikings - Everyone knows Brett Favre is coming back.

3.Colts- With the loss of Tom Moore as their offensive coordinator, will Peyton Manning suffer a dropoff?

4.Packers - Aaron Rodgers is quickly making a name for himself as a top 5 elite quarterback, and with a great quarterback you're always going to be competitive.

5.Ravens- With the addition of Anquan Boldin and a spectacular draft which included Sergio Kindle, are the Ravens prepared to take over the AFC North?

6.Cowboys- With the addition of Dez Bryant, an explosive offense just became more explosive.

7.Jets - They appear to have gotten much stronger in the offseason, but will it translate on the field? Mark Sanchez will need to improve drastically for the Jets to have a real chance

8.Chargers - The LT era is over, but the Rivers era is as strong as ever.

9.Bengals- The additions of Antonio Bryant and Jordan Shipley will give this offense a potent passing attack to go along with a smash-mouth ground game.

10.Falcons- Will Matt Ryan’s progression be enough to lead the Dirty Birds to the playoffs?

11.Patriots- While Tom Brady is still the quarterback, the Patriots are still playoff contenders.

12.Texans- Will the addition of Kareem Jackson be enough to replace Dunta Robinson?

13.49ers- The additions of Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati will give the 49ers offense a better opportunity to move the ball down the field.

14.Dolphins- Will the additions of Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby send the Fins into the postseason?

15.Redskins - Depending on how healthy and performant Donovan McNabb will be, the Redskins will be dangerous, but good on paper has not translated well for them on the field.

16.Raiders - Can Jason Campbell resurrect the Raiders' previously dormant offense?

17.Giants- Can the Giants generate a pass rush to prevent other teams to pass all over them?

18.Titans- Can Chris Johnson repeat his 2009 performance in 2010?

19.Bears- Can Mike Martz help Jay Cutler fix his interception problem?

20.Eagles - How long before Kevin Kolb gives way to Mike Vick?

21.Steelers- Without Troy Polamalu, the Steelers’ defense was mediocre.  Will it be any better?

22.Panthers - Steve Smith being out for a big chunk of training camp won't help Matt Moore's development.

23.Broncos-Who will be their starting quarterback?

24.Cardinals- Matt Leinart has finally taken over the reins from Kurt Warner.

25.Seahawks- Is Pete Carroll just a college coach?

26.Bucs - The Bucs are still in rebuild mode and a year or two away from being competitive.

27.Lions- Can Ndamukong Suh be a dominant force for Jim Schwartz like Albert Haynesworth was?

28.Rams- Is Sam Bradford pro-ready?

29. Browns- Colt McCoy is the future, but Jake Delhomme is the present…present = bad

30.Chiefs- Can Jamaal Charles carry a team on his shoulders?

31.Jaguars- How can you justify taking a 2^nd-3^rd round prospect at #10 overall?

32.Bills- How will the addition of C.J. Spiller improve a team with an already crowded backfield?

Saints Nation: Starting Lineup by Position (Special Teams)

As the season approaches, I'm taking a look going into training camp at the Saints position by position.Below are our special teams starters.

K: Garrett Hartley (pictured) has put his 4 game suspension and bad game winning miss opportunity against Tampa Bay behind him with a spectacular performance in the playoffs, including the kick that sent the Saints to the SuperBowl and three solid field goals in the SuperBowl. The Saints haven't brought in any competition for Hartley, so unlike last year when Hartley had John Carney looking over his shoulder the job is his to keep.

P: Not only is Thomas Morstead a fantastic punter, he's also a terrific kick off man. His boots have terrific hang time, and like Hartley there's no competition being brought in for him. The job is his and that won't change for a very long time. It's nice that the Saints have such good young specialists. Hopefully they won't need to worry about upgrading either position for a long time. 

KR: Courtney Roby comes back as the main return man. He's also a terrific gunner, and he was pretty spectacular last year. Don't expect anyone to unseat him.

PR: Reggie Bush was very shaky last year returning punts, but having him as the punt returner is another way to give his breakaway speed another chance to score. Bush sees limited reps in the offense with Pierre Thomas and Lynell Hamilton also splitting the carries, so you want to get him on the field more. I expect the job to be his again, but don't forget Rod Harper who was electrifying on punt returns last preseason.

LS: Don't forget Kevin House appeared to be a lock after having the position to himself for about 7 years last year. So, while Jason Kyle appears to be the clear favorite to long snap for the Saints again this year after doing a solid job last season, don't count out rookie free agent Clint Gresham, who is apparently pretty good in his own right.

Saints Nation: Joe Horn Retires a Saint

Per Greg Bensel's twitter page:

"Saints sign WR Joe Horn to a contract; will retire a Saint!"

Bensel is the Saints' Vice President of Communications, for those of you that don't know him.

I for one am very happy about this news. I know Horn left the Saints on less than ideal terms, and his signing with the rival Falcons directly afterward really ticked me off. That said, Horn was arguably the best receiver in New Orleans Saints history, and he was a big part of the team for a long time. Glad to see him retiring where he belongs, in black and gold. Horn ended his career with the Saints as the #2 all time in receptions and yardage (behind Eric Martin) and the #1 all time in touchdown receptions.Horn was a Pro Bowl selection four times during his tenure with the Saints. He stuck it out during some tough times, especially in the Katrina season where I thought he stood up for the city. Thanks for the memories #87!

Saints Nation: Starting Lineup by Position (Defense)

As the season approaches, I'm taking a look going into training camp at the Saints position by position. Below are our defensive starters.

LE: Charles Grant is gone. Bobby McCray is gone. That leaves it pretty clear that Alex Brown will be the main man in charge on the left end position as a new starter in the lineup. Jimmy Wilkerson, Anthony Hargrove and Jeff Charleston will both rotate in, but the job is Brown's.

RE: Will Smith is coming of his best season as a pro last year. Clearly Gregg Williams' scheme has helped him blossom, as well as a full season of health, and he'll continue to get the lion share of reps because he's an elite end regardless of down and distance. There's no scenario where he's not the best defensive end on the team's roster.

DT: Sedrick Ellis had this starting spot on lockdown and that's not going to change anytime soon.

DT: Remi Ayodele is the incumbent starter, but I would say his starting spot is in more jeopardy than pretty much any starter the roster. That's not to say he's not a promising up and coming young player, but Hargrove, DeMario Pressley and Al Woods will all push for playing time.

WLB: Every year the Saints bring in some veteran to compete with incumbent starter Scott Shanle, and every year he remains the starter. Whether you love him or think he's replaceable, the bottom line is Shanle is one of the more dependable guys in the league. The coaching staff loves him because there are no unknowns with Shanle. I think the Saints are very lucky to have him.

MLB: Jonathan Vilma. He's the captain, and this will not change. Gregg Williams relies on Vilma as much as anyone to carry out his scheme and direct his troops.

SLB: Right now the job is Jo-Lonn Dunbar's to lose, who will replace recently departed Scott Fujita. Dunbar is young and somewhat unproven, though, so he'll face some stiff competition from veteran Clint Ingram and promising youngster Stanley Arnoux. It's entirely possible that Ingram ends up as the opening day starter. Arnoux has a little more to prove at this point.

CB: Tracy Porter has become in a very short period of time one of the best young corners in the entire league. His name recognition around the country has risen significantly with his pick six in the SuperBowl, but if you're a Saints fan you know his worth in so much more than that one play he made.

CB: The Saints are fairly deep at corner and have good competition going on for different spots in the rotation. The starting spots, though, are entirely set. Jabari Greer (pictured) is the other corner, and he's arguably a better man to man defender than Porter. The Saints have the best cornerback tandem in team history. Still, consider the promising players behind them: Randall Gay, Malcolm Jenkins (who will play some safety), rookie Patrick Robinson, and Leigh Torrence.

FS: I mentioned Jenkins who is being moved to safety and being groomed as the eventual free safety of the future for the Saints. That said, the job currently belongs to Darren Sharper, and he hardly needs an introduction.

SS: Roman Harper is a hard hitting, young up and coming player. It'll be interesting to see if Chip Vaughn can give him some competition, but it's hard to see Harper losing his spot.