6/13/13: Last season was an unmitigated disaster for the New Orleans Saints. Their trials and tribulations were well documented, all as fallout from the Bounty Scandal. It may have been a good thing for Sean Payton. He was suspended for the season, and the team essentially collapsed without his leadership. The Saints ended up getting a pretty good draft spot and Paytong solidified his grip as the Don of the team. The Saints have every reason to be optiimistic this year, and should be a factor in the NFC South, just like in the pre-bounty punishment days.

6/6/13: The Saints should be back to their old tricks this coming season. That means 5,000 yards from QB Drew Breese and a place in the conversation of best in the NFC South. They need to enjoy this time. Because next season (2014), the team has over $140 million in cap money allocated. That is well, well above the salary cap level and will force the Saints to release or trade away a lot of players - as well as restructure contracts. A big portion of that cap hit is Drew Breese. The Saints do not have a replacement in place for him, so this will require a lot of financial juggling from the team to stay near the top of division.

5/30/13: Saints defensive players are comparing new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to former DC Gregg Williams (of the Bounty Scandal). That is not too surprising, considering Williams did once coach under Ryan's father Buddy Ryan and has that similar attack style defense. Both were also in St. Louis briefly, though neither coached a game. Williams was suspended all of last season and Rob Ryan was just in town for a couple of days. One could say that the bridge DC between the two, Steve Spagnoulo, who was the head coach in St. Louis for three years never coached a game there either.

5/16/13: The Atlanta Falcons are coming off of a NFC Championship Game appearance, the best record in the league, and of course an NFC South Championship. The did lose a lot during the offseason, but gained some too. The Saints are now back in form with their team finally reunited. So the question is who will win the division? With all the talk about the NFC West, the South seems to have ben forgotten. However, both teams have the makeup to get to the Super Bowl, so neither should be forgotten. Oh, and the Bucs and Panthers have improved too.

5/9/13: When the Rams won the Super Bowl with the Greatest Show on Turf team, they had a high-flying offense and a better than expected defense that benefited from other teams having to take chances to score points. Exactly the same with the Saints when they won the championship. Both teams slipped defensively and found themselves in regular shootouts. The Saints are trying to remedy thier issue, and first round draft pick (15th overall) Kenny Vicarro out of Texas, as well as bringing Rob Ryan as the new DC. New Orleans should be competitive this season, but their defense needs to prove they can win games.

5/2/13: The Saints should be all paid up now. All of the punishments from the bounty scandal should be completed and the team can move on with trying to win another Super Bowl in their limited window. New Orleans' first pick was the easily the biggest name. The Saints, with the 15th selection, chose strong safety Kenny Viccaro from the University of Texas. Viccaro will likely start right away, as the Saints need help in the secondary like Augusta needs green grass. But the Saints are still fairly well stocked, and Drew Breese is a master at commanding the offense - so they should be battling Atlanta for the NFC South title this season.

4/25/13: Like the rest of the NFC South, the Saints will play both the AFC East and NFC West this season. The AFC has the always strong New England Patriots as well as the developing Miami Dolphins. The NFC West is no joke any more. Seattle and San Francisco are Super Bowl contenders. St. Louis is rebuilding the right way. Even Arizona can be good if they get some decent play out of Carson Palmer. The Saints will also play Dallas on a nationally televised game and the always competitive Bears. This is the type of schedule that separates the contenders from the pretenders. If the Saints can navigate this gauntlet, then they may be able to make some noise in the playoffs.

4/18/13: It will be interesting to see how the Saints rebound this season. The team is back with their full coaching staff (read: head coach Sean Payton). They also fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoulo and replaced him with Rob Ryan. The defense should be more aggressive this season, as is Ryan's style. The team simply could not win early last season with the instability at head coach. They put on an admirable late charge, but the early portion of 2012 doomed them. With their full arsenal back, it will be great to see the matchups against the Atlanta Falcons again.

4/11/13: Saints fans will never admit this, but perhaps the dismal 2012 season was a blessing in disguise. The Saints bounty scandal and subsequent suspensions and penalties have been well documented, as has their terrible season without head coach Sean Payton. But another point of view would suggest that last year was meant for the Falcons anyhow, so maybe it was better that the Saints struggled and will get a pick in the first half of the draft in every round. There are some strong offensive and defensive linemen out there this draft to help shore up several holes.

4/4/13: Head coach Sean Payton wants everyone to know that just because he is back on the sidelines that does not mean that team will enjoy instant success. The 2012 Saints were an unmitigated failure due to suspensions handed down by the NFL for the bounty scandal a few years ago. The team struggled without their head coach or even their interim coach (for the first six games). The Saints did improve once Joe Vitt took over, but not enough to make the playoffs and not enough for Saints fans to forgive commissioner Roger Goodell. It actually sounds like Payton is trying to build in an excuse if this year goes wrong as well.

3/28/13: After a year in exile, the New Orleans Saints are ready to play again. Each team really only has a limited window to succeed before the cycle of player transition, age and injuries catch up. Considering the Saints are already at the tail end of their window, losing last season to the punishments and appeals of the bounty scandal was especially harmful. But again, the team is back at full strength with a new defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan. The latest rumors out of the Big Easy is that the team will target former Colts defensive lineman Dwight Freeny to bolster their pass rush.

3/21/13: Coach Sean Payton is wasting no time heaping praise on new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (twin brother to New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan). He is continually talking about Ryan's passion and enthusiasm, and what he will bring to the New Orleans Saints this coming season. Some may look at this as disrespect to former Saints DC Steve Spagnuoulo. Spags inheirited a defense short on talent and missing key players due to suspension. It really looks like he was scapegoated for problems that were well outside his control. Don't forget, Spags did decipher the Patriots and ruined their chance at an undefeated season in the Super Bowl just a few years ago.

Unfortunately your team did not have make the Super Bowl and we are truly sorry. Next year! But that doesn't mean you can't have a great time at the Super Bowl this year. Check out more info on Super Bowl 2013 tickets over on the SeatGeek Blog.

3/14/13: Like several other teams, the Saints have been conspicuously quiet during free agency so far. New Orleans does have some salary cap issues, and convinced both Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma to take major pay cuts to remain with the team. The Saints also lost backup quarterback Chase Daniels, who signed a large contract with the Chiefs to backup Alex Smith - despite the fact that he has only thrown nine passes in his professional career. Finally, rumors are circulating that the Saints may have interest in former Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asamugah, though he may be too expensive.

3/7/13: More trouble in paradise this week. Former Saints defensive lineman Remi Ayodele blasted Anthony Hargrove because Hargrove claimed that Ayodele was the player that paid him. Ayodele's response was posted through a series of Tweet where he mocked Hargrove for being out of money and flatly denied any knowledge of a Bounty Program. Hargrove was suspended for eight games, later overturned by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, but stands to lose benefit money in the long run. This case is shut for the rest of the world, but Hargrove, and maybe others, still have hard feelings toward the NFL for their initial punishments.

2/21/13: The New Orleans Saints have some salary cap juggling to do. The Saints are currently about $20 million over the cap, so obviously there is some cutting to be done. And Drew Breese is not going anywhere. First and foremost is Johnathan Vilmar. He will be owed a base salary of $4.8 million, but counts as an $8.7 million cap hit due to dead money. The Saints would like for him to restructure his contract, but the odds are that he will not be wearing the Black and Gold next season. Where he ends up is anyone's guess.

2/14/13: The Saints suffered through their second lost season in seven years last season. The first was in 2005 when the team was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. They played away games as the home team and played their real home games in San Antonio. The result was a 2-14 disaster. Last season, they were paying for the Bounty Scandal, with two players suspended, as well as three coaches and the GM. The team finished with a losing record, rather than contending for the NFC South and a playoff spot. It also meant that they would not be the first team to host a Super Bowl in their home stadium. 2014 figures to be better with everyone back and new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

2/7/13: So Rob Ryan, the deposed defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys and twin brother of New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, will not be joining the St. Louis Rams. But he will follow several other former Rams coaches and go to the New Orleans Saints. Saints head coach Sean Payton announced that he would not hire a DC to replace Steve Spagnuolo (a former Rams head coach) until after the Super Bowl - leading to speculation that the Saints would hire an assistant from either Baltimore or San Francisco. But instead he hired Ryan, who believes he is among the best DCs in the game.

1/31/13: Sean Payton was reinstated from his suspension last week, a few weeks earlier than that the year he was supposed to serve. This may have been NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's way of trying to make peace with the city of New Orleans, who is hosting the Super Bowl (and maybe a way for Goodell to have a meal without getting food poisoning). Payton quickly fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoulo two days after reinstatement and confirmed that the team would play a 3-4 defense next year. No word yet on Spag's replacement, but there is a chance it is a defensive coach for the 49ers or Ravens.

1/24/13: After a year in exile, the real head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton, has been reinstated. Payton was suspended from the league for a year for his role in the Saints pay for injury program, better known as Bountygate. In his absence, Carmichael led the team for the first six games of the 2012 season, before Joe Vitt, who was also implicated in Bountygate, was reinstated, and took over as the temporary head coach. It may have been to Paytons befit that the team struggled. The missed the playoffs, but now have a better draft position to continue on with.

1/17/13: The Saints will send three players to the Pro Bowl in a few weeks: quarterback Drew Breese, left guard Jahri Evans, and punter Thomas Morstead. Evans was among the more consistent players this year for the Saints and is a big reason that New Orleans has one of the best offensive lines in the league. It is his fourth straight Pro-Bowl selection, and marks the first time in franchise history that a player has been selected to three consecutive all-star games. In other news, the team and Sean Payton formalized his extension through 2017, making him the highest paid coach in the game.

1/10/13: Now that the season is over, the Saints can finally begin focusing on winning again. This had to have been among the most difficult and distration-ridden seasons that any team has ever endured. Head Coach Sean Payton was suspended for the season. Interim coach Joe Vitt was suspended for six games. Jonathan Vilma among other defensive starters was suspended - though those were eventually overturned. In the meantime, Drew Breese continued to pile on video game like numbers, but the defense could not stop anyone. But with Payton returning and mid-round picks, the Saints are poised to return next season.

1/3/13: No team has had a more turmoil-filled season than the Saints, and at least it is over. The season ended with a 44-38 loss to Carolina, though Drew Breese passed for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns. Both Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore had over 100 yards recieving, with Graham adding a TD. Off the field, suspended coach Sean Payton signed a long-term extension to remain with the Saints. The move keeps Payton out of Dallas' clutches while making him the highest paid coach in the league. The Saints finished the season at 7-9, but will likely rebound next season.

12/27/12: The Saints playoff fate was finally sealed, despite winning 34-31 in OT at Dallas. New Orleans sits at 7-8, but is mathmatically eliminated. Saints QB continued his masterful play, throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns, but the game was finally won after a Marques Colston fumble. Colston caught a pass, was stripped of the ball, which then rolled 20 yards, but was recovered by Saints tight end Jimmy Graham at the Dallas two yard line. Garrett Hartley then kicked the winning field goal. With nothing left to play for but pride, the Saints host the suddently surging Panthers in Week 17.

12/20/12: The Saints may not be going to the playoffs, but they looked like a playoff contender against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. QB Drew Breese snapped outf of hisrecent slump to throw for 307 yarsds and four TDs, while the defense was mean and aggressive, picking off Josh Freeman four times. The 41-0 routing brought the Saints to 6-8 on the year, with a chance to hit 500 for the season. Management may not want any more wins in order to keep their relatively high draft position, but the players will work anyway. New Orleans travels to Dallas this Sunday with a shot at spoiling the Cowboys playoff hopes.

12/13/12: Any hope the Saints may have had about making the playoffs this year went away in the Meadowlands. The New York Giants proved they are still the champs, as they knocked off the resurgent Saints 52-27. The game was still close going into the 4th quarter - the Giants led 35-27 at the time. The New York piled on 17 points and held Drew Breese and company in the last quarter. Breese threw for over 350 yards, but only one touchdown against two interception. Off the field, all of the players suspended in the Saints Bounty Scandal have had thier suspensions vacated. New Orleans returns home to host Tampa this Sunday.

12/6/12: The Saints' offense has been among the elite in the NFL the past few seasons, but not last Sunday. Drew Breese was intercepted five times and his consecutive games with a touchdown streak came to a crashing halt against the Falcons, as the Saints fell to 5-7. New Orleans' playoff hopes are in doubt now. The early season turmoil and interim interim coaching is catching up. The Saints will have to win out and get some help along the way to make the playoffs as a wild card. And their next test is a tough one, travelling to the Meadowlands to face the Giants, who lost a heart breaker to Washington on Monday night.

8/2/12: In the first NFL action since the Super Bowl, the much-maligned New Orleans Saints took on the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason Hall of Fame Game. It was much needed good news for the Saints. Quarterback Drew Brees led a touchdown drive in his only series during a 17-10 victory. Brees was 4 of 5 for 41 yards in his only series of the game. Backup QB Chase Daniel took over and went 15 of 20 for 203 yards and touchdown and interception. Second year running back Mark Ingram scored the opening touchdown of the game on a one- yard run. Ingram is competing with Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas for time in the backfield. Free Safety Malcolm Jenkins was able pick off Kevin Kolb for his first interception in over a year. After the bounty scandal that erupted in the offseason, the New Orleans Saints needed a good game and Drew Brees and co responded on cue.

New Orleans Saints lineback Jonathan Vilma is not going quietly into that good night regarding his suspension in connection with the bounty scandal. This week, Vilma informed a federal judge in New Orleans that he will file an injunction if his suspension is not overturned by the league. Vilma wrote a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Helen G. Berrigan and plans to file to injunction that would allow Vilma to play during the legal process, in the event that his suspension is not overturned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The saga surrounding the New Orleans Saints and the bounty scandal that shook the league earlier this year continues, as Saints interim head coach Joe Vitt has told league officials that he would be willing to take a lie detector test to disprove allegations of his involvement in the bounty program. The league apparently has evidence that Vitt, who will already be serving a 6-game suspension to start this season, offered up a $5,000 bounty to take out Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in the 2010 NFC Championship game. Earlier, the Saints' appeal to the league offices for the suspensions was denied.

5/2/12 - Four players were suspended for their roles in the New Orleans Saints bounty system. Current Saints' player linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended without pay for the entire 2012 Season. Saints lineman Will Smith was also suspended for four games. Linebacker Scott Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns was suspended for three games. Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, now with the Green Bay Packers, was suspended for the first half of the season. The League released a statement saying Vilma, Hargrove, Smith, and Fujita were suspended because of conduct detrimental to the NFL as a result of their leadership roles with the bounties. According to ESPN NFL Inside Adam Schefter, all 4 players are planning to appeal their suspensions.

4/12/12 The "BountyGate" scandal has rocked the league and has been one of the most-talked-about sports stories of 2012 so far. It has also taken its toll on the New Orleans Saints, as their head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the entirety of the 2012 NFL season. The Saints will have to go with interim coach Joe Vitt, who has been named as Payton's replacement for the final 10 games of the season -- he will also serve a suspension of his own for the first 6 weeks. To make matter worse for New Orleans, star quarterback Drew Brees is locked in a bitter contract dispute with the Saints' front office.

The Saints' historic run to the Super Bowl title in 2009 has made the Saints one of the more glorified franchises in the league. The Saints also have some of the most exciting fans in the leagues. In fact, the fans were rated by a Sports Illustrated poll as being the second most dedicated. The Saints play in the Superdome, which is noted for its loud, energized, loyal crowd and great gameday atmosphere. Buy Saints tickets and watch one of the most exciting teams in one of the best game environments in the NFL.

New Orleans Saints Tickets - The Players

Drew Brees is a warrior. He has a deep receiving core including Marques Colston, Robert Meechem, Devery Henderson and Lance More. Not to mention running backs, Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and rookie Mark Ingram, who all often come out of the back field to catch a pass or two. He will never have a completion to less than 4 different receivers a game. Their defense isn't too bad either. Jonathan Vilma is one of the best linebackers in the game. Will Smith is an enforcer at defensive end. Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins and Jabari Greer take care of anything deep. The Saints have become a successful organization and with its recent Super Bowl win watch for more players wanting to play on the bayou at the Super Dome

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