Sporthappens

Three Things to Watch For: Saints at the Denver Broncos

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:31:04 -0400

All right, Who Dat Nation, one game at a time. At this point, every game this season is a playoff game. If the Saints are going to win this one, we’re watching for some defense, Sir Marques Colston and the primetime advantage.

1. The Defense - Not any single part of the defense, the whole damn thing. If the Saints are going to pull this one out, they’re going to have to stop Peyton Manning (currently the second-highest rated passer in the league) as well as Willis McGahee and the Broncos’ running game. This means we need to see a pass rush, we need to see better coverage, we need to see better tackling, we need to see better push by the run stoppers on the defensive line and we need to see linebackers taking good angles and stopping the run. It all needs to happen if the Saints are going to make a couple of stops and give the offense a chance to win the game. Last week, they allowed over 500 yards to the Bucs; it could be so much worse against a good quarterback and offense.

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Saints Under Pressure

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:22:13 -0400

saints11:

By Ryan Chauvin

I don’t know how else to say this. We’re off our game.

The Saints have the best offense in football since Drew Brees arrived in 2006 (finishing with the NFL’s most yards in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011), and despite putting out pretty decent raw numbers in the first two games of this season, the offense hasn’t had the same oomph we’ve grown accustomed to over the years.

And I think I know why.

I don’t want to oversimplify the problem, but, the offensive line has allowed too much pressure, Drew hasn’t handled that pressure well, and his receivers haven’t been as consistent as we’ve seen in years past.

A deep dive into the statistics coming up after the jump.

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This is not a rational analysis of the 2012 New Orleans Saints.

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:34:21 -0400

saints11:

by Ryan Chauvin

That’s not what this is.

But this is what I know to be true:

Despite one of the most lackluster opening day performances in recent memory, these Saints won’t roll over in 2012. Despite losing one of the best active coaches in the NFL, the 2012 Saints will Do Their Job. Despite having his least accurate day in the Dome ever, Drew Brees is still the most integral player in the NFL and can lead this team to a deep playoff run.

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The Art of Choosing a Saints Jersey 2012

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:33:25 -0400

saints11:

By Ryan Chauvin

A year ago we brought you our inaugural “Art of Choosing a Jersey” column. It focused on the very quaint problem of how to distinguish yourself from bandwagon fans. After 2009, the Saints underwent a Pink Hat Effect. Bandwagon fans came out of every swamp and creek bed donning spiffy new jerseys and an unabashed ignorance of Saints history.

In their minds, the Saints had always been winners and Drew Brees was the quarterback when the team began. Now I don’t mean to bash the bandwagon—we all have to start somewhere—but don’t want to be perceived as one of them either. Last season, when a Saints fan was wandering the street in his proper black and gold, he had to stare strangers in the eye and be able to answer this simple question without saying a word:

“Were you a fan before?”

The weight of this question grows as you increase your distance from New Orleans. I, a resident of Washington, DC, needed people to know that my fandom ran deep. Our answer, of course, was to create a list of our very best indie jerseys. The simple idea was that real Saints fans would see a #16 jersey and know it said Moore on the back, but a fan of any other team (or a bandwagon fan) would have to swivel their head to know.

But see, times have changed.

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aint-bobby-so-cool: Coach on a stick! We fully embrace the...

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 12:16:15 -0400

aint-bobby-so-cool:

Coach on a stick!

We fully embrace the Coach on a Stick. I want every fan in the ‘Dome with one of these come Week 1.

Preseason Superstar: Scrubs Got Talent

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:46:28 -0400

saints11:

By Ryan Chauvin

Every year, round-abouts mid-July (you know, those days where only baseball is being played and you’d rather tear your eyes out than watch a Braves game?), I convince myself that football starts in the beginning of August.

Training Camp! I tell myself. PRESEASON!! I whisper in my sleep. This year, (I invariably say to myself) I’ll follow camp as much as possible and watch every snap of every preseason game. This season, I’m more football starved than last, and that starvation will result in me actually caring about Saints preseason football.

So what if the plays are vanilla? So what if Drew Brees attempts five passes? It’s still football, right? Wrong.

And yet, the third quarter of the Hall of Fame Game rolled around on Sunday and I came to my second annual revelation “I hate the preseason”

Even if you ignore all the reasons stated above, there’s still one glaring problem with preseason football: ALL consequence from the games are removed (except for the scary permanence of injury). Sure, it kinda matters historically if you go 0-4 (we’ve already won a game, hell yeah!) or 4-0. Sorta. Kinda. I guess.

But this season, we here at The Black and Gold Review have devised a way to force ourselves to stay invested in this year’s preseason malaise: by raising the stakes. After the jump, we’ll unveil a new B&G game: Preseason Superstar. Get excited.

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saints11: Back by popular demand, it’s the very first SAINTS...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 18:42:38 -0400

saints11:

Back by popular demand, it’s the very first SAINTS BINGO of the 2012 season!!! Print it out, post it at your local watering hole, take pictures with it (and share with us), and enjoy SAINTS FOOTBALL!

I Love Breaking Bad

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:44:06 -0400

“The best show on television” is exceptionally well-acted, beautifully shot, constructed perfectly, and is filled with ideas on free will and the nature of evil.

So why do I have to drag people kicking and screaming into the light? I’m writing this in direct response to Bradley Warshauer’s apathetic review of season 2 (even though he hadn’t finished yet and should have closed out the season before flapping his gums, but alas I write regardless)

I, like most fans, came into Breaking Bad later in its life. I picked up one of those fantastic DVR specials where they’d just air two episodes at some random hour every Wednesday. In this manner I was introduced to the wonderful and twisted reality created by Walter White’s fragile ego.

I mention this because in a world of Netflix Instant and binge watching television, I was forced to take a very measured pace through on the most tense show on television.

As Bradley commented, I am an apologist for season 1 of Breaking Bad, it’s an unfortunate blip that I blame primarily on the writer’s strike (also, the second best show on television, Parks and Rec, also had a miserable first season, proving that shows can recover from a slow start).

Having completely devoured all of the show’s first four seasons, I tend to take varying tacts when recommending it to my friends. I recognize that it’s a violent, intense, and occasionally painful show. Those people who prefer a little lighter escapism for their free time instantly shy away from the gritty minutia that defines Breaking Bad.

I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing which of my friends will watch that first episode and be revolted, rather than intrigued by the difficult decision Walt and Jesse are forced to make about the drug dealer in the basement.

But the act of having to kill the man (spoilers don’t count on a four year old trailer, I’m sorry), isn’t the core of this universe. It’s what happens next: Walt assesses the situation, is able to come up with the perfect way to disintegrate a body (hydrochloric acid, bitches) and then sends Jesse to do work that’s completely over his head.

We’ve all seen the rapid descent from regular Joe to abject monster, but Breaking Bad really relishes in those moments between acts. So you kill a guy: now what? You decide to make meth: where do you cook? You have meth: how do you distribute? You’ve started to get noticed: how do you not get killed by the drug lord you’re deposing?

Bradley may be bored by these situations, but it’s what makes this show different.

“Surrounding these brilliant cross-genre suspense scenarios is a whole mess of well-made boredom. When the show chooses to spend time in the White home, it applies the same sort of choices-leading-to-consequences storytelling that serves it so well in less conventional situations. But what, here, is at stake? Walt’s marriage to the soul-sucking Skyler? His relationship with a macho cop friend who is only interesting when he’s suffering from anxiety?”

No matter how much you hate Skyler and the rest of the White clan, the moments of mundanity is what propels the show forward. Sure, it’s fun to watch Walt scheme his way into or out of danger, but it’s here where the stakes are lowest. The show opens with a death sentence. Walt has a maximum of two years left in his heretofore disappointing life.

Out of death row rises Heisenberg; a literal black hate Walt puts on when he wants to play bad guy and while he darts out of impending doom, he’s playing on house money. There’s nothing really at stake here. He figures he’s going to die, so he might as well play a few hands on tilt after a life of conservative behavior.

It’s his relationship with his family that he seems to put before all else (at least at first). Regardless of whether or not he likes his family, he, like all of us, are tied to them through blood. Maintaining his farce of a life is what’s at stake. Without that connection to his old life, all he has left is Heisenberg: A man without a life, without a soul, and certainly without a family.

It’s important to keep that in perspective, Heisenberg began as a means to end (by the end of season 4, I would argue that the darkness has a majority stake in the soul of Walter White, but that comes later).

So in essence, those scenes with Walt Jr. munching down on some breakfast or Skylar is forced to play the bitch, are where Walter White has the most at stake, because without them he’s adrift in a world he’s still not ready to fully rule.

Enjoy these moments of strife for Mr. White and Jesse Pinkman because as the show dives deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. And as I was loosely quote, just wait, season three might be the greatest season of TV ever made.

saints11: Yo Internet. There’s real life football in a month....

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:14:21 -0400

saints11:

Yo Internet.

There’s real life football in a month. Get really, really excited.

Bradley Warshauer: Nation, we have a problem, or: Let's talk Saints football!

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:58:51 -0400

Bradley Warshauer: Nation, we have a problem, or: Let's talk Saints football!:

alexanderjh:

saints11:

What follows is an epic multi-part conversation between Bradley, Alex, and Ryan of The Black & Gold Review. In it, they talk about football, breaking down each Saints position group for 2012.

If you’re sick of bounty static and want to get down to the…

True story. I’m just flying by the seat of my pants over here. I can’t wait until I get my hands on that coach’s film only to find out how little of the game I actually understand. Football!

ESPN Poll shows ESPN's campaign to brand Saints as nefarious isn't working

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:04:26 -0400

saints11:

You ask this question eight days ago and there’s a whole lot more red on this map. For what it’s worth, 49% of Georgia thinks this has elements of a smear campaign. That’s right, even in the cess pool that is the greater Atlanta metropolis, we’ve still got the support of almost half the population.

2minutedrill: The NFLPA made the evidence that the NFL...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:14:38 -0400

2minutedrill:

The NFLPA made the evidence that the NFL collected as proof of the existence of a bounty program run by the New Orleans Saints public on Monday. These images represent some of the more compelling evidence against the Saints.

Yeah, it’s hard NOT to take that page featuring Dog the Bounty Hunter seriously, amiright? I mean, there’s no way that’s a joke? Right? C’mon this isn’t compelling.

It’s a good thing the NFLPA didn’t release annotated notes on the evidence and show that kill the head isn’t illegal at all:

Kill the Heads - Kill the Head (KH), is part of the “Defend every blade of grass” philosophy that the team played with. Its strategy was to get RB’s and WR’s to mentally vacate the game. The logic is that if you allowed RB’s and WR’s to run straight at you and successfully penetrate your defense, then you would basically validate their superiority. You would by default present a passive approach to defense. The result of this would be catastrophic to any defensive game plan. This came from the Dome Patrol Era - part of the great early defensive teams in New Orleans. Tourists would buy shirts with this slogan as far back as the late 90’s.

And the fact that Vitt’s name is on that sheet of paper even though the NFL now admits he wasn’t involved doesn’t question the validity of the entire document, right? I mean, shiiiit. This is all kosher.

Let’s also omit the other 180+ pages of “evidence” released by the NFL that shows no wrongdoing AT ALL.

But yeah. That’s all very compelling. Please

The Rorschach Test

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:24:06 -0400

saints11:

by Ryan Chauvin

Well, this has been an interesting few days. After a month or so of relative silence on all things bounty, the NFL (and the media covering the NFL) decided to turn up the heat and draw as much attention to the case as possible, and this time they decided to play show and tell.

But after Monday’s shamockerry of a hearing, suspended Saints Fujita, Hargrove, Smith, and most importantly Vilma are exactly where they were a month ago: suspended.

We got impassioned speeches, players remaining silent in protest, two hundred new pages of “evidence,” a cool new moniker “The Apostles” (for those selected twelve media members that were shown the good stuff Monday afternoon), and a surprisingly elegant speech from Anthony Hargrove that no network or news agency deemed worthy of coverage.

So what have we learned? A lot—and nothing. Bear with me as I dig through the glitter and offer a Black & Gold Recap.

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On Arrogance

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:07:11 -0400

By Ryan Chauvin

No sports story in the history of my fandom of the New Orleans Saints (which, for the record, does go farther back than 2006, but whatever) has made me feel more like an unstable mental patient than this undying saga about whether or not the Saints actually employed bounties. There are days I’m amused (Vilma sued the Commissioner!) depressed (Scott Fujita, one of the nicest men on the planet, who even after he left New Orleans, spent a large chunk of his Super Bowl check on NOLA charities), enraged (Vilma sued the commissioner!), but most of all I’m confused. The drama surrounding the Saints has been indicative of the fall of the American media.

It seems that this story has brought out every sanctimonious tendency in American sports journalism. Every few weeks, when the Commissioner carefully drops another breadcrumb, reporters from everywhere have another excuse to rehash why they are so disappointed. Sure, Mike Freeman and Pete Prisco at CBS Sports have certainly led the way in this self-righteous crusade, but they aren’t alone. But despite all the handwringing about how wrong the Saints are in all of this, there has been a significant lack of true investigative journalism and unbiased reporting. Instead we’re getting a pure recitation of NFL press releases.

Freeman has taken to the word arrogant to describe the Saints recently, and while that might have had a part in Sean Payton’s demise, it’s time to acknowledge that arrogance has been the driving force behind every stakeholder in this little shindig.

Of Authority

Let’s begin by focusing on the very center of this storm: Roger Goodell.

ALL THE RECORDS

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:58:18 -0400

Do we also have to remind you that our season spawned this post? When we say all the records, we mean ALL THE RECORDS. Go vote: http://on.fb.me/KU5Mfo

saints11:

This is a list of ALL THE RECORDS set by the Saints during the 2011-2012 regular season.

You know where the original pic comes from. Edit via.

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So uh. Vilma Approves of this Message

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:31:24 -0400

feelingthebrees:

saints11:

“@feelingthebrees: hey @JonVilma51 check out this article, makes some good points about #bountyscandal blackandgoldreview.com/post/234793211…”great read
— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 21, 2012

Haha I didn’t think he would respond! I thought it was a great article!

Amazing. Thanks for the shoutout!

On Arrogance

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:13:50 -0400

saints11:

No sports story in the history of my fandom of the New Orleans Saints (which, for the record, does go farther back than 2006, but whatever) has made me feel more like an unstable mental patient than this undying saga about whether or not the Saints actually employed bounties. There are days I’m amused (Vilma sued the Commissioner!) depressed (Scott Fujita, one of the nicest men on the planet, who even after he left New Orleans, spent a large chunk of his Super Bowl check on NOLA charities), enraged (Vilma sued the commissioner!), but most of all I’m confused. The drama surrounding the Saints has been indicative of the fall of the American media.

It seems that this story has brought out every sanctimonious tendency in American sports journalism. Every few weeks, when the Commissioner carefully drops another breadcrumb, reporters from everywhere have another excuse to rehash why they are so disappointed. Sure, Mike Freeman and Pete Prisco at CBS Sports have certainly led the way in this self-righteous crusade, but they aren’t alone. But despite all the handwringing about how wrong the Saints are in all of this, there has been a significant lack of true investigative journalism and unbiased reporting. Instead we’re getting a pure recitation of NFL press releases.

Freeman has taken to the word arrogant to describe the Saints recently, and while that might have had a part in Sean Payton’s demise, it’s time to acknowledge that arrogance has been the driving force behind every stakeholder in this little shindig.

Of Authority

Let’s begin by focusing on the very center of this storm: Roger Goodell.

Read More

saints11: Here’s a little something to get us through the long...

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:52:07 -0400

saints11:

Here’s a little something to get us through the long dreary scary Saints off-season.

Follow the game tomorrow (May 18th!) on our brand-spankin’ new twitter handle!

@Saintsbingo!, where we’ll help you keep track of when to drink.

(See you tomorrow!)

We’re back and with a spiffy new handle! Follow the game with @Saintsbingo!

It’s All a Conspiracy

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:44:01 -0400

“How much was the bounty on Gregg’s Head Coaching gig in Jacksonville, you might ask? $37.88 (including tip).” It’s a #Saints #conspiracy! Read More

It’s All a Conspiracy

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:33:45 -0400

saints11:

By Ryan Chauvin

Have you ever wondered why Roger Goodell’s “Bountygate” suspensions were so severe? It wasn’t because the Saints were openly engaging in a practice that is common throughout football history. No. Did you think that was it? Well, aren’t you cute.

You see.

The secret is.

It’s a whole lot more than that. The now-suspended Saints’ coaching staff began their twisted journey long before they targeted Brett Favre in a playoff game three years ago.

This is a plot so perverse and unbelievable that it simply must be true. From late night calls, to shadowy trips to a place called Jacksonville, to one man’s desire to change the very nature of New Orleans, this plot is so dense that it could only be orchestrated by the devious mind of a grandmaster.

To get to the bottom of this you have to go way back to November 23th, 2005, into the suburban sprawl of Dallas, Texas.

I. Setting up the Dominos

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