Bayoubuzz

Louisiana sports updates: Focus on LSU football, New Orleans Zephyrs, Saints scrimmage, Drew Brees answers questions, former LSU Tiger Trinidon Holliday

SAINTS CUT EVANS: The Saints dumped several players on Tuesday. Most notably, they have waived linebacker Troy Evans, the team's special teams captain in 2008 and 2009.

Evans, an eight -year veteran, appeared in every game last season, starting twice.

"Decisions like this are never easy to make," said Saints GM Mickey Loomis. "Troy was an instrumental part of the Saints' Super Bowl championship and we are truly thankful for his hard work and dedication. We know that the fans of our team will be grateful for Troy's contributions and the way he contributed to our success both on and off the football field."

"It's always difficult when you have to make decisions such as releasing players that have contributed as much to the Saints as Troy has." said  Coach Sean Payton. "Troy was our special team captain the past two years and provided us with tremendous depth at the outside linebacker position the past three seasons."

Also released were receiver Mark Bradly, receiver Rod Harper, guard Tim Duckworth and cornerback Danny Gorrer.

SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: Former LSU kick returner Trindon Holliday will need season-ending surgery to repair torn ligaments in his thumb. "It looks like he's done," said Texans coach Gary Kubiak "He can't get it under control, so it has to be fixed."  The 5-foot-5 Holliday, a sixth-round draft choice, will have  surgery on Wednesday. The thumb injury bothered him in the Texans' game with the Saints, when he fumbled two balls. Holliday was on the bubble because of his lack of experience as a wide receiver and would not likely have made the Texans' final roster...


Drew Brees met the media after Tuesday's practice and talked about playing for Sean Payton, Chase Daniel, repeating as Super Bowl champions and playing against his old team, the Chargers:

What does playing for an aggressive coach like Sean Payton do for you guys?

“It gives you a lot of confidence because you know you are going to take some risks and take some chances. He is calling those plays, like the onside kick, the deep balls or whatever it might be because he has confidence in you to make to play and he will put you in a great position to succeed. What that does is it breeds confidence. We practice all those things and we talk about them so we know it’s coming. It is no surprise or shock when stuff like that gets dialed up. It may be a shock to everyone else but not to us..”

After winning a Super Bowl, can a coach like Payton be more aggressive?

“Here is the thing, it is calculated risk. You take chances that you feel are necessary for the situation in a game whatever it might be. You have practiced it enough and you feel like it is a big play opportunity. We work on those things and we talk about it a lot. We know that he is not afraid to call it. You know that when you have a coach like that it breeds confidence amongst the players.”
The third preseason game is typically the game that the starters play the most. Are you looking forward to getting more reps?

“Definitely, this is really the final dress rehearsal before the first game of the season where the first team will get the majority of the playing time. Just like any preseason game, especially this one, we want to come out, look sharp and score some points. We want to get everybody involved. We want to continue to work on the things that we are trying to improve upon and continue to get better.”

You have been in New Orleans for a while but is it still fun to play against your old team the Chargers?

“It has been a long time. This is my fifth year in New Orleans so I am far removed from there but then again I still know a lot of those guys and it makes it fun.”

How did you feel at this point a year ago?

“Well, we weren’t the defending world champs but I think the feeling was very much the same in regards to our approach every day. We are still very much in training camp mentality even though this week has been more of a game-week-like schedule as opposed to two-a-days. We still are grinding through the offense and still installing parts of the playbook that we hadn’t gotten to yet. Slowly but surely we are going back through and analyzing what we have been good at and what we continue to work on.”

Do you see a lot of focus out of your teammates?

“Absolutely. We haven’t been down this road before as defending champs but the fact of the matter is we all know this is a new season and everybody has the same hopes and aspirations. There are 32 teams that believe this can be their year. Certainly, after all we have been through, especially last year, we have a lot confidence and swagger among this group. That is not to say we feel entitled and we are going to step on the field and everybody is going to be intimidated. We know that we are going to get everybody’s best shot. We know we have to put our best foot forward every time we step on the field.”

Knowing what you guys are capable of, is it frustrating when you aren’t as sharp as you are use to being even though it is still the preseason?

“That’s frustrating if that is the case. There are always times where you say ‘man, I would have hit that pass or wish I would have made a better throw there.’ Whatever it might have been. That is what the preseason is for – to work out the kinks. The thing about the preseason is that everybody is playing pretty basic stuff. You are not doing anything real elaborate. The amount of time you spend game planning is so minimal compared to what you do during the season. In that case it is a lot different then preparing for the game in the season. Then again, it doesn’t matter because every time you step on the field you want to look sharp and play well.”

It looked like you were simulating a game with what you were doing after practice?

“Yeah, I was just visualizing some stuff. I will do that from time to time if there is something I want to work on - a situation I want to visualize or a route concept I want to think about.”

You said you sometimes “penalize” yourself with running sprints on your own after practice.  Do you do that from time to time?

“I punish myself from time to time with conditioning or whatever. When you feel like you don’t have something down and it needs some work and time. You spend the extra time to get it done and make sure you feel comfortable and confident with it.”

How do you impose that on yourself?

“I usually pick a number and it means something. If I throw a pick, I might say ‘for every pick I throw, I will run two extra gassers or for every incompletion or bad decision I am going to do this.’ If I ran a two-minute drill that I am not happy with, I might go back through it again and visualize the defense I saw and run the through the routes that I wish I would have done or the throws I wish I would have made.”

How long have you been doing that?

“Since about 2004. I will do it from time to time if I feel like I need it. I am constantly visualizing whether it is out on the field or in the film room. I can sit there and pause the tape and think for 10 or 15 minutes. I might stand up and go through the motions of a pass play. I might draw something on the board. There is a lot of that goes on during the game plan process.”

Some critics doubted both you and Chase Daniel’s ability to be an NFL quarterback when you guys were coming out of college. Do you feel scouts put too much emphasis on height for NFL prospects?
“I feel like they do. I feel like so much about playing the quarterback position is in your head. It’s head and heart. It is so much of the intangibles - things that you can’t measure with a 40-time or just by watching a guy throw and looking at his arm strength or anything like that. I think in a lot of cases you look at a guy and say ‘is this guy a winner? Does he win football games?’

“You look at Chase Daniel’s situation, going back to high school. I think he was 31-1 as a starter at high school. Then he goes to Missouri, where you wouldn’t say Missouri was a football powerhouse before he got there, and they almost make it to a national championship. He won a lot of games for them. Now, he is making the most of his opportunity. I am happy for him. I have watched him work. He works hard and he has a lot of that ‘it’ factor is what you would call it. He can step in to a huddle and demand respect, he can give you confidence that whatever play we call it is going to work and he is going to make it work.”

How do you handle seeing over the tall defenders that you face?

“That is just simple physics. If a six-foot-eight guy is standing in front of me then no I would not be able to see through him but if I know my offense well enough and my defense well enough then I just can anticipate where guys are going to be or where they should be. You don’t throw over guys a lot of times. You throw in-between them and you find passing lanes.”   

Saints have book on super Bowl season for sale           
The Super Bowl XLIV World Champion Saints announced  on Wednesday the publication and sale of a special edition commemorative book that highlights the Saints’ 2009 Championship season, as captured through the photography of official team photographer Michael C. Hebert.

The 264-page hard cover book highlights the unprecedented behind-the-scenes access that Hebert experienced in capturing images throughout the entire season, as well as in team meetings and in his travels with the Saints. Photographs of the team and the individuals that compromised the 2009 New Orleans Saints are highlighted throughout the book and range from a look inside the defensive meeting room in the late hours of an evening leading up to the team’s 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Countless other images taken by the Saints’ long-time photographer bears witness to the team’s Super Bowl Championship Parade through New Orleans, the team’s Super Bowl victory party and Super Bowl XLIV Ring Ceremony, as well as hundreds of never-before shots of team Saints’ march to the World championship..

Among the special moments captured by Hebert is a shot of Head Coach Sean Payton stoically contemplating the merits of calling the now famous onside kick in the Super Bowl.  Payton is shown leaning against a wall in the team’s Miami headquarters the night before the game, moments before he gave his night before the game address to the NFC Champions, and later remarked while looking through the proofs of the book that it was the moment that his conviction in calling the play was solidified. Countless other images throughout the full color high resolution book capture equally poignant moments, including a photo of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams making halftime adjustments to his play-calling sheet during the NFC Championship overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings at the Louisiana Superdome.

The forward of the book was written by Saints’ Owner Tom Benson, while special commentaries on many of the images accompany the corresponding images, including remarks by Owner Rita Benson LeBlanc, Head Coach Sean Payton, Executive Vice President Mickey Loomis, Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees, and players and coaches. The book is on sale and priced at $44  in celebration of the team’s victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

"World Champs: The Official Behind-the-Scenes Perspective of the Super Bowl XLIV Champion New Orleans Saints" offers fans of the Saints the ultimate look inside the New Orleans Saints. The special edition book is now available at the New Orleans Saints Team Shop, located at Gate A Plaza level at the Superdome, or by visiting www.NewOrleansSaintsTeamShop.com.













LSU’s final scrimmage before next week’s season-opener against North Carolina appeared to be the best of the three during the preseason as the offense clicked, the defense made big plays and the special teams executed during the 120-play workout indoors at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.

The scrimmage, which featured the 1s against the 2s, saw the Tigers cover different scenarios including redzone and tight zone as well as goalline and the two-minute drill. The Tigers also worked on 1st-and-10, 3rd- and-short and 3rd-and-long situations.   

“It was really a very productive last scrimmage,” LSU coach Les Miles said following the workout. “The defense looked sharp to me. We had a lot of great effort, some heavy contact and no injuries.

“Our quarterbacks were pretty sharp throwing the football and the receivers seemed to make all of the catches. There were a couple defensive plays that were very strong. As a coaching staff we have a bunch of film that we get to correct, a bunch of film that includes both LSU versus LSU and some small pieces of the North Carolina game plan. It was a productive day.”

Individual statistics were not released, however Miles said the Tigers rushed the ball for about 175 yards and added close to 200 yards passing.

“They’ve really improved, both the quarterbacks and the receivers,” Miles said. “There’s just a lot more chemistry in the passing game. I think they’re starting to understand the run and that philosophy more.

“We had some backs step up and some big fullbacks step into the game today and play significant football. I like the position were in right now. Were still not ready to play a game, but we’ll know what we need to do after we see this film.”

Offensively, Miles singled out the play of running backs Richard Murphy and Stevan Ridley, quarterback Jordan Jefferson and wide receiver Russell Shepard during the scrimmage.

“I think (Stevan) Ridley and Richard Murphy both played well,” Miles said. “We are really getting good quality running back play.”

Miles will give the Tigers off on Wednesday before returning to practice on Thursday afternoon as LSU will turn its full attention to the season-opener against North Carolina.

“Tomorrow will be a day off for the players,” Miles said. “We want to try to refresh those legs as we really turn our attention fully to North Carolina.”




Z'S SPLIT: The Albuquerque Isotopes (64-65) finished up a four-game series with a doubleheader split on Tuesday at Isotopes Park against the New Orleans Zephyrs (62-68), taking the first game in walk-off fashion 6-5 before dropping the night-cap 8-3.
In game one, ‘Topes catcher Mike Rivera crushed a solo home run 430 feet to left in the bottom of the second, giving Albuquerque a 1-0 lead.
New Orleans quickly erased the advamtage with four in the third to grab a 4-1 edge but the ‘Topes stormed back with four of their own in the bottom of the fourth.  With the bases loaded and two out, Russ Mitchell lined a double into the left field corner, clearing the bases and knotting the game at 4-4.  John Lindsey then hit a slow roller to third that was thrown away by Mike Lamb for an error, allowing Mitchell to race home with the go-ahead tally, making the score 5-4 Isotopes.  
The Zephyrs would eventually tie the game at five apiece in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Chris Hatcher, but the luck would swing the way of the Isotopes in the bottom of the seventh.  After Mitchell and Lindsey hit back-to-back singles, Jamie Hoffmann was intentionally walked, loading the bases for Lopez, who came in as a pinch-hitter and promptly laced a single to right-center, scoring Mitchell and giving Albuquerque a dramatic 6-5, walk-off win.  
The Z’s avoided the sweep, which would have been the first Isotope series sweep in 2010, with an eight-run fifth inning which included two home runs and four RBI by former ‘Tope Brett Carroll.  With Albuquerque holding a 3-0 lead, Carroll started the scoring in the frame with a solo home run and after four more runs scored, delivered a three-run shot to cap the inning and send New Orleans to a comfortable 8-3 game-two victory.  
The Isotopes begin a huge five-game series with the Oklahoma City RedHawks on Wednesday looking to erase a five-game deficit in the PCL’s American Southern Division.  Right-hander Charlie Haeger (2-2, 5.55) will get the ball in the first game for Albuquerque against ‘Hawks righty Brandon McCarthy (3-0, 2.39) in a 6:35 PM start from The Lab.  

Game 1                                                                                                    
1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    R    H    E
New Orleans          0    0    4    0    0    1    0    x    x    5    9    1
Albuquerque          0    1    0    4    0    0    1    x    x    6    11    0

WP- Perez (4-2); LP- Sosa (5-3)
Game 2
1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    R    H    E
New Orleans          0    0    0    0    8    0    0    x    x    8    11    0
Albuquerque          0    1    1    1    0    0    0    x    x    3    7    1



WP- Tankersley (4-2); LP- Etherton (5-6)                                                                                  
Attendance: 7,372

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