The Party Has Begun...

We actually kicked off the season at my buddy's house. Tab and his wife were the ultimate hosts with excellent food lots of beer and of course our beloved Saints on the Big Screen. I am still waiting on a replacement bulb or lamp as they call it for my Big Screen TV. My buddy Tab took the bull by the horns and said "man we can't start the pre-season with out a party, so he made it happen. Thanks to my buddy and his wife for having us over. It was a great time.
Now, for the game. What did you expect? That's what happens when we actually prepare. Luckily for the Texans Drew left early. it could have been much worse. Much worse indeed. Now the only question mark is Patrick Ramsey. Can he match the performance of Chase Daniel. He'll more than likely get his chance this weekend against the Chargers. The guess here is that if he puts up similar numbers Sean Payton may be forced to keep 3 quarterbacks this season.

Party Review.....

So Yes we all watched the game...And yes we were all disappointed by both of the first teams--offense and defense. Keep in mind though, after last pre-season there were none of you proclaiming a 13-3 record for the regular season. So, you don't mind if I point out a few things. Number one...Was Sean Payton really gonna show Bill Belichick and the Patriots everything in our arsenal knowing that the Patriots look like a team on their way back up and could easily be the team we face should we make it back to the Super Bowl. Payton doesn't want to give anyone an edge. So, Yes we were not putting our best face on. However, defensively there was a lot lacking and apparently after Gregg Williams' comments we are still searching for the right mix for this years version of the "Takeaway Defense". The only stand out in Thursday's exhibition was number 52-Jon Casillas who seemed to be all over the field and was rewarded with the starting WILL LB spot for now. It of course is his to lose. As Vilma said after the game we were disappointed because we came away with zero turnovers. Not exactly what you expect from a Gregg Williams defense. Remember, it is still early and we have a lot of football left. It is WAY too early to get too HIGH or too LOW. Like I said before, I will not make my prediction until after the last pre-season game.
Be sure to check out my other blogs...www.saintsfootballfanatic.blogspot.com and
www.footballfancrazy.blogspot.com                                 

Not A Silver Tongue Devil....

Although Rickey Jackson was fleet of foot no one will ever accuse the now Hall of Famer of being fleet of mouth. I should preface my comments by saying no one and I mean NO ONE is a bigger Rickey Jackson fan than I am. To quote "Dirty Harry" though "A man's got to know his limitations". By now you would think Rickey would know his. For someone who is not accustomed to speaking to groups of people of any size let alone the crowd he spoke in front of yesterday, Jackson would have done well to have a prepared speech written for him with his own input of what he wanted to communicate. But as he did during his playing days he freelanced it all the way with rambling thoughts and disjointed sentences. Those of us who have come to know Rickey as fans and I am sure his close friends as well, know Rickey is going to do it "his" way. That's Rickey Jackson. He never relied on someone else to help him to the quarterback and he wasn't going to rely on someone writing a speech. That's Rickey Jackson. He fought his way out of a small town in Florida to become a Star Player in the NFL. Knowing that many of his friends and family had chosen the wrong path, Jackson refused to follow in that direction because he had a vision and laser focus of what he wanted to be. The best in football at his position. It would be hard to argue that he isn't.
Second in the NFL at the time of his retirement in fumble recoveries with 28. Tied for most fumble recoveries in a single season with seven in 1990. He played for 13 seasons with the Saints and his last 2 with the Forty-Niners culminating his career with a Super Bowl ring which Jackson knew he wouldn't get with the Saints of that era. He had eight interceptions in his career and 128 total sacks(3rd all time at his retirement) officially and unofficially 136. You see Jackson had eight sacks in his rookie season, one year before sacks became an official statistic in the NFL. So, really he still ranks up there in the top tier of sack leaders. Also, worth mentioning is that Rickey rushed in the face of opposing quarterbacks unlike some of his counter parts in the NFL who rushed from the blindside of the quarterback. Quarterbacks could see Rickey coming and still they got sacked. In his 15 seasons he played in 195 games with the Saints(still a team record)as an outside linebacker and 32 with the Forty-Niners as a defensive end slash pass rush specialist. As a Saint he never left the field playing throughout the game including Special Teams. His durability is truly unmatched.
Finally, we have a true New Orleans Saint in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. Thanks Rickey, for the memories. Saints fans never forgot you, now the world will never forget you as you are a permanent fixture in Canton.

Rickey Jackson....

Look for Saturday's blog which we will devote entirely to Rickey

Hall Of Fame

Remember Saints Fans the induction ceremonies are Saturday and the game is Sunday night. So we have a 2 Part Party...Make sure you chime in about what you will be doing this weekend. We will definitely talk about Rickey Jackson more over the weekend.

Hall Of Fame Game...

With Rickey Jackson being inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame this weekend, we will definitely be having a party this Saturday. It is a must for Saints fans. Tell us about what your plans are for the Hall Of Fame festivities. We will hopefully have some great things to talk about. Your input is always appreciated.