tag:blogs.trb.com,2010:/news/local/sports/neworleans/167 2010-02-08T18:14:35Z Your opinion on what's happening in local sports this week, provided by ABC 26. Movable Type 3.36 tag:blogs.trb.com,2010:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.231544 2010-02-08T18:08:17Z 2010-02-08T18:14:35Z

The Saints not only won their first Super Bowl honestly, they won it in dominating fashion. The Saints scored 31 of the last 38 points. Once he got rolling, Drew Brees was unstoppable. He completed 32 of 39 passes, and...

Ed Daniels The Saints not only won their first Super Bowl honestly, they won it in dominating fashion. The Saints scored 31 of the last 38 points. Once he got rolling, Drew Brees was unstoppable. He completed 32 of 39 passes, and 16 of 17 in the second half. After falling behind 10 nothing, the Saints held Peyton Manning and the Colts to one TD over the final 3 quarters. The Saints had lots of motivation. Despite a 13 win season, they were almost a touchdown underdog. And, during the week, former Colts coach Tony Dungy made a major mistake. He told USA Today the Colts would win by two touchdowns. That clip was more bulletin board material for a club that was already stung by the disrespect it felt it received from the national media. The bottom line on this Super Bowl victory is this: all year long, the Saints played in the better conference. Against 4 AFC East opponents, the Saints were convincing winners. That should have been a tip off for Super Sunday. After watching the Super Bowl, I say this convincingly. The Vikings were better than the Colts. tag:blogs.trb.com,2010:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.230966 2010-02-04T04:14:59Z 2010-02-04T04:21:13Z

The Saints injury report, issued for the frst time in Super Bowl week, listed running back Lynell Hamilton as the only who did not practice. Hamilton is hobbled by an ankle injury. Former Saint Archie Manning attracted a huge media...

Ed Daniels The Saints injury report, issued for the frst time in Super Bowl week, listed running back Lynell Hamilton as the only who did not practice. Hamilton is hobbled by an ankle injury. Former Saint Archie Manning attracted a huge media throng as he appeared to honor the Saints offensive line as the Madden most valuable protectors. The inaugural award is symbolic of the best offense line in football. Many said what he has said many times in the past 10 days. He will pull for his son Peyton's team in the Super Bowl. But of the Saints he said, "I knew they would make it eventually. I told Olivia (his wife) that I wanted to see the Saints in the Super Bowl and Ole Miss again in the Sugar Bowl." Ole Miss has not appeared in the Sugar Bowl since January 1, 1970 when Manning quarterbacked the Rebels to a win over Arkansas. Saints quarterback Drew Brees knows his New Orleans. He was asked by a member of the media throng what was the meaning of the fleur de lis? Brees explained it expertly, harkening back to the time Louisiana was under French rule. It was Brees, as always, superbly prepared. tag:blogs.trb.com,2010:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.230588 2010-02-02T03:44:55Z 2010-02-02T03:51:52Z

At this evening's press conference, head coach Sean Payton wouldn't even address the issue of the ankle injury to Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. Payton said he "wouldn't speculate" about what affect it might have on the outcome of the...

Ed Daniels At this evening's press conference, head coach Sean Payton wouldn't even address the issue of the ankle injury to Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. Payton said he "wouldn't speculate" about what affect it might have on the outcome of the Super Bowl if Freeney can't play. Losing Freeney would be a major blow for the Colts, who have relied on a good pass rush to cover up a secondary playing without injured safety Bob Sanders. The Saints did have one obstacle to overcome when they arrived in Miami. They drove to the University of Miami, south of town in Coral Gables to dress. Then they had to leave and go north to Davie to the Dolphins facility to practice indoors because of rain. Tomorrow's media day at Sun Life Stadium has been moved indoors to the club level because of wet grounds and a 60 percent chance of rain. The rest of the week, past Tuesday, is supposed to be good weather days. Sunday's forecast is for a 70 degree day and no rain. Stat of the day: first time organizations in the Super Bowl are winners only 4 times out of 19 against repeat clubs. In the NFC south, Tampa won its first Super Bowl trip in 2002. But, Atlanta and Carolina were both losers in their only Super Bowl visits. Said Reggie Bush, "I didn't know that stat. I wish you hadn't told me.." Ed Daniels Miami, FL Monday February 1st tag:blogs.trb.com,2010:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.226745 2010-01-04T01:47:05Z 2010-01-04T01:56:41Z

Saints head coach Sean Payton has it right, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell does not. Payton rested quarterback Drew Brees and several other key starters in a 23-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers Sunday in Charlotte. The Saints Panthers game had...

Ed Daniels Saints head coach Sean Payton has it right, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell does not. Payton rested quarterback Drew Brees and several other key starters in a 23-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers Sunday in Charlotte. The Saints Panthers game had almost zero relevance in week 17. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hopes to change that. Goodell floated the idea of awarding additional draft choices to teams who play their starters, even though they cannot enhance their postseason position. The idea is silly. New England will head to the playoffs without their best receiver. Sunday at Houston, Wes Welker's left knee buckled as he made a cut. Welker reportedly has a torn ACL and MCL. He is not only done for the playoffs, but could miss the start of next season. What justification would Payton have, if early in the first quarter, a Panther had rolled up on the ankle of Drew Brees? The Saints will head to the playoffs with a three game losing streak. And, head coach Sean Payton has no problem with that. tag:blogs.trb.com,2010:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.226698 2010-01-03T03:22:07Z 2010-01-03T03:41:20Z

A 19-17 loss to Penn State was a snapshot of the LSU football season. The defense does enough to keep the Tigers in the game. And, somehow on the final drive clock management issues plagued the LSU offense: enough to...

Ed Daniels A 19-17 loss to Penn State was a snapshot of the LSU football season. The defense does enough to keep the Tigers in the game. And, somehow on the final drive clock management issues plagued the LSU offense: enough to get the Tigers beat. Penn State's Collin Wagner kicked a 21 yard field goal with :57 seconds left to give the Nittany Lions a 19-17 lead. But, there was still time, after Trindon Holliday returned the ensuing kickoff from the LSU 15 to the LSU 41. Jordan Jefferson scrambled for a gain of 10 and a first down on the next play. The next play call was curious: with no time outs, a screen pass to the middle of the field to wide receiver Brandon LaFell. LaFell was tackled after a four yard gain. As the clock ticked down several mistakes were made: 1) the officials should have stopped the clock after Penn State linebacker Sean Lee would not let LaFell get up off the ground. 2) LSU guard Lyle Hitt was assessed a 15 yard penalty for trying to pull Lee off the pile. The Tigers were penalized back to the LSU 40. After the dead ball, the game clock started again: but, the LSU offense let 10 seconds run off before the ball was snapped. Two plays later. The LSU season was over, one that was draped in confusion. As the Tigers go into 2010, there are several question marks, all of them on offense. Can quarterback Jordan Jefferson improve in his decision making and game management? Can the offensive line not only do a better job of protecting Jefferson, and establish a running game? In the press conference after the loss to Penn State, head coach Les Miles said LSU must do a better job of running the football. LSU will need huge improvements on the offensive line to tackle a challenging 2010 schedule. The season opener is the Chick Fil'A kickoff classic in Atlanta against North Carolina. A week later, LSU goes on the road to Vanderbilt. West Virginia also visits Baton Rouge is September. The Tigers have league road games at Florida and Arkansas. Alabama comes to Baton Rouge. Winning 9 games used to be a banner season in Baton Rouge. Not anymore. But, based on the schedule, and the returning talent, 9 wins in 2010 could be the high side for LSU football. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.223907 2009-12-05T16:41:29Z 2009-12-05T16:58:01Z

I walked into Joe Yenni stadium one hour, fifteen minutes before kickoff and the Curtis Patriots had their setup in place. Portable heaters were set up in several locations. In two areas under the west stands at Joe Yenni, portable...

Ed Daniels I walked into Joe Yenni stadium one hour, fifteen minutes before kickoff and the Curtis Patriots had their setup in place. Portable heaters were set up in several locations. In two areas under the west stands at Joe Yenni, portable walls were set up to keep the heat in. When the ball changed hands, the Curtis unit that was not on the field huddle under the stands in the warmth. It was interesting to watch. Then at halftime, the Patriots changed jerseys and socks. The first string units were assisted in shirt changes by the backups, and then the backups got dressed. The weather also seriously curtailed the St Charles passing game. In a 19-18 October loss to Curtis, quarterback Henri Faucheux hurt Curtis throwing the football. Last night, in terrible conditions, a driving wind and rain, and biting cold, completing "a" pass was an accomplishment. Curtis was the better running team, and better defensively. It paid off in the 2A state semifinals Friday night. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.222319 2009-11-22T05:58:24Z 2009-11-22T06:07:42Z

You would have to be hard pressed to find a worse coaching moment in the history of LSU football. Saturday's final minute in Oxford was a classic in how to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. And, Les Miles...

Ed Daniels You would have to be hard pressed to find a worse coaching moment in the history of LSU football. Saturday's final minute in Oxford was a classic in how to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. And, Les Miles gets 100 percent of the blame. Trailing 25-23, LSU recovered an onside kick. Jordan Jefferson, then tossed a 26 yard pass to Brandon LaFell to the Ole Miss 32. So, why not run the football and try the field goal? Why drop back and throw with a quarterback who has shown all season he takes ill advised sacks? Of course, Jordan Jefferson was sacked for a nine yard loss to the Ole Miss 41. But, that wasn't the worst of it. Jefferson then threw a screen pass to Steven Ridley for a seven yard loss. That play started with 32 seconds left. Inexplicably, it took the LSU coaching staff till 9 seconds left in the game to get a final time out called. Then, Jefferson completes a 42 yard pass to Terrance Tolliver to the Ole Miss 6 yard line. With 1 second left on the clock, LSU didn't run the field goal team on the field. Jefferson went to the line and as the clock ran out, spiked the ball. Time had run out. And, the debate over the most embarrassing moment in Les Miles' coaching tenure at LSU began. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.222131 2009-11-20T05:41:48Z 2009-11-20T05:47:48Z

I would have to jog the memory way back to find a better Hornets regular season win than this one. Let's see: the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul, is in a boot, watching... fellow all star David...

Ed Daniels I would have to jog the memory way back to find a better Hornets regular season win than this one. Let's see: the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul, is in a boot, watching... fellow all star David West was in early foul trouble and scored only 6 points in 28:51 of action .. and the Hornets managed to beat Phoenix, who has the second best record in the Western Conference. As wins go this one was quality. Some thoughts .. the Hornets rookie backcourt is small but talented. Point guard Darren Collison scored 15 points, handed out 5 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds in 32:15 of action Collison also had one turnover. Marcus Thornton was terrific off the bench, scoring 19 points. One of the Hornets most effective backcourts is Devin Brown at the point, Thornton at the two guard. Peja played his best game since the Hornets 56 win season two years ago. His 7 three's brought the crowd to its feet, but Peja also grabbed 13 rebounds. For the 14,520 at the Arena Thursday night, it was quality entertainment. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.221439 2009-11-15T22:37:27Z 2009-11-15T22:44:19Z

You would think that it is no great accomplishment to beat a 1-7 Rams team that was averaging less the 10 points a game. But, the Saints 28-23 win over the Rams was one of their better wins of 2009....

Ed Daniels You would think that it is no great accomplishment to beat a 1-7 Rams team that was averaging less the 10 points a game. But, the Saints 28-23 win over the Rams was one of their better wins of 2009. The Saints secondary was decimated by injury before kickoff, and then lost cornerback Tracy Porter with a knee injury on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter. On the field for the Saints in crunch time were cornerback Leigh Torrence (not usually on the field in dime packages), and defensive tackle DeMario Pressley (promoted from the practice squad). Yet, the Saints pulled out the victory. Despite the fact the Drew Brees had a subpar game (2 TD passes, but 2 interceptions). In their current state, with so many injuries on defense, the Saints will have to grit it out every week. That they were able to do in St Louis doesn't seem like a quality win, but it was. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.221368 2009-11-14T06:31:04Z 2009-11-14T06:36:20Z

New Hornets head coach Jeff Bower has already made his imprint on the Hornets. Friday night against Portland, Bower didn't change his starting lineup, but made several significant changes. Rookie guards Darren Collison (18 points) and Marcus Thornton (20 points)...

Ed Daniels New Hornets head coach Jeff Bower has already made his imprint on the Hornets. Friday night against Portland, Bower didn't change his starting lineup, but made several significant changes. Rookie guards Darren Collison (18 points) and Marcus Thornton (20 points) got over 50 minutes of game time. Granted, some of that time was because of the injury to Chris Paul. But, increased roles for the talented rookies will likely continue under Bower. Bower also resurrected Sean Marks off the inactive list. Marks scored only 1 point, but grabbed 7 rebounds in 15:26 of action. Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright, both played at the end of the game in garbage time. The Hornets also played solid defense. Holding Portland to 86 points was a fast improvement over the total lack of effort Wednesday night against Phoenix. In one night, Jeff Bower made big changes. And, they paid off with big nights from a pair of Hornets rookies. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.220737 2009-11-10T15:44:43Z 2009-11-10T15:55:49Z

The Hornets finally looked like a cohesive basketball team Monday night at Staples Center. Sure, they beat the Clippers, a team they have defeated 10 straight times. But, the Hornets did what they were supposed to do, bludgeon a bad...

Ed Daniels The Hornets finally looked like a cohesive basketball team Monday night at Staples Center. Sure, they beat the Clippers, a team they have defeated 10 straight times. But, the Hornets did what they were supposed to do, bludgeon a bad club. Several significant events happened within the game Monday night. Peja was back in his starting role. The Julian Wright experiment seems to be over, and that is a good thing. When Peja is on the floor, other teams have to respect him as one of the great three point shooters in the history of the game. Sure, he's a liability on defense, but he has one great skill, and that skill must be in the game. Julian Wright cannot shoot effectively from the perimeter. I do not know how a player who can't make jump shots succeeds at the small forward spot in the NBA. Do you? Devin Brown played very well at the two spot. I thought Brown was finished as an NBA player. But, if he can contribute 10-12 points a night and play solid defense, that will do until .. Marcus Thornton is ready. The former LSU Tiger is small (6-3) for a two guard in the NBA, but he has enormous offensive skills. He can shoot threes and drive to the basket. Thornton was 0-6 last night from three point land, but he kept shooting. He has a scorer's mentality, something the Hornets desperately need from the two guard spot. First round pick Darren Collison made some mistakes, but it is clear Collison can dribble penetrate and kick, in other words do some of what Chris Paul can do when he subs for CP3. With Collison, Thornton, and Brown in the game, the Hornets played faster last night. They were actually a running team that got cheap baskets. And, it was fun to watch. Maybe the Hornets 2009-2010 season can be a solid one, after all. Ed Daniels tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.220504 2009-11-08T19:49:40Z 2009-11-08T19:56:25Z

The 2009 LSU football team is dramatically improved on defense. That defense is the reason why the Tigers have a chance to win 10 games for the 4th time in Les Miles' 5 seasons at LSU. That defense did everything...

Ed Daniels The 2009 LSU football team is dramatically improved on defense. That defense is the reason why the Tigers have a chance to win 10 games for the 4th time in Les Miles' 5 seasons at LSU. That defense did everything it could to keep LSU in games against the best two teams on the schedule. Think about it. Florida and Alabama have scored a combined 37 points on LSU this season, yet the Tigers lost both games. How did those two losses happen? Simply because the LSU offensive line has been the weak link on the 2009 football team. LSU managed only 95 net rushing yards against Bama, and 49 yards were compiled on a two runs, a 34 yarded by Charles Scott and a 15 yard scramble by quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Alabama meantime, ran for 176 net rushing yards. Like Florida, the Tide was superior in this matchup. Their defensive line against the LSU offensive line. Players graduate and move on, but you can only wonder if Herman Johnson and Brett Helms were still on LSU team, how much better the LSU record would be. The Tigers are not a good running team in '09. And, it will cost them a berth in a BCS bowl game. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.218119 2009-10-20T22:18:25Z 2009-10-20T22:23:53Z

Coaches get upset all the time, especially after bad losses. Sometimes they say things that later they find to be truly regrettable. Tulane coach Bob Toledo had one of those moments Saturday night after a 44-16 loss to Houston. Toledo...

Ed Daniels Coaches get upset all the time, especially after bad losses. Sometimes they say things that later they find to be truly regrettable. Tulane coach Bob Toledo had one of those moments Saturday night after a 44-16 loss to Houston. Toledo criticized Tulane fans, saying there was "no homefield advantage". He also said there was nobody in the stands. I was there Saturday, and I can vouch for this: nobody in the stands was close. There may have been 1,500 Tulane supporters actually in the seats. At his Tuesday presser, Toledo apologized. There was no doubt the orders for that apology came from his superiors, either in the school or in the athletic department. I like Toledo's frankness. And, I like him personally. But, I wonder if he stepped on the wrong toes on Saturday October 17th .. and how much that misstep will cost him, later. tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.217762 2009-10-18T05:27:40Z 2009-10-18T05:34:17Z

With just under six minutes to play, Hornets rookie guard Marcus Thornton drove to the basket, scored and was fouled. His three point play tied the game at 88 with 5:53 to play. The play was indicative of Thornton's style...

Ed Daniels With just under six minutes to play, Hornets rookie guard Marcus Thornton drove to the basket, scored and was fouled. His three point play tied the game at 88 with 5:53 to play. The play was indicative of Thornton's style as he fearlessly attacked the basket. Head coach Byron Scott clearly likes Thornton's ability to shoot threes and couple that with drives to the basket. Scott said he understands as a rookie that Thornton will make mistakes defensively. But, clearly Thornton gives the Hornets something in very short supply since they moved to New Orleans 7 and a half years ago. And, that is a slashing two guard. Other observations from a 108-96 win over Indiana. Back up point guard Bobby Brown will make a nice contribution. Brown can shoot the spot up three and clearly can break down defenders off the dribble. Center Hilton Armstrong, while still not a good finisher, is improving in that area. Armstrong played solidly, and with Emeka Okafor likely to play somewhat limited minutes as the season tips off, a solid contribution from Armstrong is needed. And, Peja, could benefit from fewer minutes coming off the bench. He had his stroke back Saturday night, hitting 6 of 9 three pointers. Ed Daniels New Orleans Arena Saturday 10 17 09 tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/news/local/sports/neworleans//167.216848 2009-10-11T04:29:30Z 2009-10-11T04:41:28Z

Florida has a great defense. There's no question about that. But, LSU's offense is a mess. It has been all season long. Did you expect anything different from what you saw in the first five games? Jordan Jefferson again held...

Ed Daniels Florida has a great defense. There's no question about that. But, LSU's offense is a mess. It has been all season long. Did you expect anything different from what you saw in the first five games? Jordan Jefferson again held on to the ball too long. Jefferson was sacked five times. But, in fairness to Jefferson, he is a quarterback playing behind a poor offensive line, and a running game that is almost non existent. Maybe Les Miles hasn't recruited well enough up front. Maybe coaching is the issue. But, with this offense LSU will have difficulty beating every team left on the schedule except for Tulane. Over the last ten seasons, LSU elavated itself to the elite in college football by doing two things: running the football (to set up play action pass) and playing great defense. The Tigers are again doing the latter. Holding Florida to 13 points and 327 total yards was a spectacular effort. All wasted by a putrid offensive effort. A 5-0 start by LSU hid some of the Tigers offensive warts. They were all exposed tonight by a terrific Florida defense.