http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/ Your opinion on what's happening in local sports this week, provided by ABC 26. en Copyright 2009 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:41:48 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 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. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/hornets_win_over_phoenix_best.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/hornets_win_over_phoenix_best.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:41:48 -0600 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. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/saints_win_over_rams_one_of_be.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/saints_win_over_rams_one_of_be.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:37:27 -0600 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. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/bower_imprint_already_on_horne.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/bower_imprint_already_on_horne.html Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:31:04 -0600 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 http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/okay_it_was_victory_over_the_c.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/okay_it_was_victory_over_the_c.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:44:43 -0600 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. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/tigers_good_but_not_good_enoug.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/11/tigers_good_but_not_good_enoug.html Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:49:40 -0600 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. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/just_wondering_about_bob_toled.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/just_wondering_about_bob_toled.html Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:18:25 -0600 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 http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/count_on_thornton_to_make_big.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/count_on_thornton_to_make_big.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:27:40 -0600 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. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/tigers_putrid_offense_finally.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/tigers_putrid_offense_finally.html Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:29:30 -0600 Four weeks after a 54-3 shellacking at the hands of BYU, there is a pulse for Tulane football. The Green Wave can win its third straight game by defeating Marshall Saturday at the Superdome for homecoming. That hasn't happened since the Wave defeated Navy, Army, and TCU, all in November of 2004. A Wave win Saturday in the Dome is imperative. After Marshall, Tulane hosts Houston, then travels to Southern Miss and LSU. Houston suddenly looks human after a 58-41 loss to UTEP. And, Southern Miss has lost its starting quarterback, Austin Davis, for the season with a torn ligament in his left foot. Tulane's best chance to win in those trio of games after Marshall may be against the Golden Eagles. If Tulane beats Marshall, and can win one of the next three, the Wave would sit with a record of 4 wins, 4 losses. The final four games are: UTEP (Sagarin rating 102) , then road games at Rice (143), Central Florida (99), and SMU (108). Six wins makes the Wave bowl eligible. At his Tuesday press conference, head coach Bob Toledo said Tulane finally got some luck. A field goal attempt by Army that would have won the game in the final seconds pushed wide right. Said Toledo, "All I can say it is about time we got something." Now, the Wave has to follow up. At home. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/glimmer_of_hope_for_tulane_foo.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/10/glimmer_of_hope_for_tulane_foo.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:38:41 -0600 The Hornets gathered at New Orleans Arena Monday for media day. Here some nuggets from the day: Forward Peja Stojakovic acknowledged that he met with head coach Byron Scott and may come off the bench this season. That is if, third year man Julian Wright can play the 3 spot effectively as a starter. Stojakovic said all summer long he did strengthing exercises for his ailing back. Peja said he has confidence he can return to the form of two seasons ago. Said Peja, "I don't see myself as a guy who runs out of fuel." One of backcourt combos the Hornets are likely to use: rookie first round pick Darren Collison teaming with Chris Paul. Paul would be the two guard, giving him fewer minutes with the ball in his hands and more chances to avoid double teams. Last season, Paul played a career high 38.5 minutes per game. Paul said it wasn't the minutes that were the issue, but the fact that he played so many minutes with the ball in his hands. Guard Devin Brown made an interesting observation about last year's dissappointing 49 win season. Said Brown, "we would get down 20 (points) in games, and then we would start to play. We can't do that." The Hornets left today for Lafayette. They will train in the Hub City through Sunday. Ed Daniels http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/hornets_media_day_notes.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/hornets_media_day_notes.html Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:40:18 -0600 There's a lot of things not to like about Sunday's Saints vs Bills matchup. The Bills, in the same division with the Patriots and Jets, desperately need the game. And, for the first time all season, the Saints will face a quarterback not making his first NFL start. The Bills also catch the Saints and the right time. In between the Eagles and before next Sunday's match with the Jets, currently playing the best defense in the NFL. The Bills game is also the Saints second consecutive east coast trip. But, with all of that being said, the Saints should win the game. If Drew Brees plays effectively, he should have a field day against a Bills defense that is allowing 332 passing yards per game. The only thing that could slow Brees down is rain. There's a 40 percent chance of that Sunday. Here's the bottom line: If the Saints are a Super Bowl contender, you win this game. Even against a Buffalo team that is trying to prove it is more than an NFL also-ran. Ed Daniels http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/eds_saints_bills_preview.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/eds_saints_bills_preview.html Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:12:05 -0600 Is it possible to win 31-3 and look unimpressive? If so, LSU accomplished that feat Saturday night against UL-Lafayette. LSU's longest play of the night was 21 yards against an inferior club. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson missed a couple of big play chances down the field early. On one throw, Jefferson underthrew Chris Mitchell and the pass was intercepted. LSU continues to use its most consistent offensive weapon, running back Charles Scott, sparingly. Scott carried only 12 times for 64 yards. The Tigers early season schedule certainly looks tougher after Washington upset USC. But, through three games, LSU has been unimpressive. That can probably be good enough next week against Mississippi State, but not so in October as LSU goes to Georgia and hosts top ranked Florida October 10th. Ed Daniels Baton Rouge, LA http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/tigers_unimpressive_in_win_ove.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/tigers_unimpressive_in_win_ove.html Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:46:40 -0600 It's all coming up roses for the Saints. 1) Drew Brees fires six TD passes in rout of the Lions 2) Carolina implodes at home against the Eagles -- Jake Delhomme is still in the funk he fell into in last year's playoff loss to Arizona 3) Donovan McNabb likely won't play (rib injury) Sunday in key early season NFC game. 4) Grant and Smith are likely available for the entire 2009 season. Smith and Grant didn't have great games against the Lions. They combined for 4 tackles. But, they are better options than backups Bobby McCray and Jeff Charleston. If not, they would not be starting. Sean Payton will never say, but its been a good week. All the Saints have to do to make it a great one is to win Sunday in Philadelphia. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/grant_and_smiths_availability.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/grant_and_smiths_availability.html Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:28:15 -0600 Mike Bell had a great game (143 rushing yards), in part thanks to some great pancake blocks by Jahri Evans. The Saints right guard toyed with the Lions. On one Bell romp, Evans drilled #50 Ernie Sims into the ground. Bell has to do a better job of holding on to the football. His fumble and subsequent Detroit return for a touchdown helped get the Lions back in the game in the third quarter. Bell has fumbled three times in 204 NFL carries. That is once every 68 touches. In comparison, Eagles runner Brian Westbrook has fumbled 3 times in 1,260 rushes. Heath Evans had an outstanding game. He proved his worth as a pass receiving, catching a screen from Brees and running 13 yards for a touchdown. Evans also did a good job blocking in the run game. His block was key in a Mike Bell 22 yard run. Welcome to the NFL Malcolm Jenkins. The Saints first round pick was beaten on a 64 yard pass play from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson. Johnson caught a slant, broke Jenkins' tackle and was finally ruled out of bounds at the Saints three yard line. The play was Jenkins first after replacing Tracy Porter. The Saints had a John Carney field goal blocked. Anthony Hargrove was beaten inside by Dwayne White, who penetrated and blocked the field goal attempt. The next time Carney attempted a field goal, Hargrove was replaced by Saints center Jonathan Goodwin. Ed Daniels Monday September 14th http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/saints_vs_lions_tape_breakdown.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/09/saints_vs_lions_tape_breakdown.html Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:50:13 -0600 You try to take the results of preseason games with a grain of salt. But, Saturday in Oakland, we saw just how good the Saints offense can be. And, just how bad the Raiders really are. Saints quarterback Drew Brees carved up the Raiders defense. Brees has more competition in practices against his own defense on Airline Drive. The Raiders are just plain awful. How a team this bad up front on both sides of the ball can use high picks on skills players is beyond me. In 2008, the Raiders chose running back Darren McFadden. This yea, it is wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey. Meantime, the Raiders have no impact players on either front. In the Raiders glory years, their offensive line had Jim Otto at center, Gene Upshaw at guard, and Art Shell at tackle. For years, they were anchors of a great Oakland offense. The Raiders had Phil Villapiano and Ted Hendricks at linebacker. Their secondary was anchored by Willie Brown and Jack Tatum. Sadly those days are long over. Saturday, the Saints were very good against what is now the worst franchise in the NFL. http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/08/saints_great_raiders_sad.html http://blogs.trb.com/news/local/sports/neworleans/2009/08/saints_great_raiders_sad.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 09:46:21 -0600