Saints fire defensive coordinator Gibbs
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:57:15 PST)
Gary Gibbs, the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator the past three years, was fired on Wednesday. Coach Sean Payton called the decision difficult, saying Gibbs made many contributions to the team despite directing a unit that finished the regular season ranked 23rd in total defense. Gibbs joined the organization after a four-year stint as linebackers coach in Dallas, where he served on the...

Saints: Bush had left knee surgery
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:45:57 PST)
The New Orleans Saints have confirmed that running back Reggie Bush had surgery on his left knee, and will require months of rehabilitation. However, Bush is expected to be ready for minicamp in June. The surgery in December entailed drilling small holes in the bone around the knee joint in order to generate soft tissue that mimics the padding effect of cartilage.

Saints RB Bush undergoes surgery
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:09:20 PST)
New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee Tuesday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.

Steelers' defense best, but offense is No. 1 worry
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:03:54 PST)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are committing the most turnovers of any team left in the NFL playoffs, are getting sacked more often and scoring the fewest points. As good as their No. 1-ranked defense is, the offense is an ongoing worry to coach Mike Tomlin as the Steelers prepare to play the San Diego Chargers in an AFC divisional playoff game Sunday.

Saints Team Report
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:48:21 PST)

While disgruntled fans clamored for the head of defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs, coach Sean Payton said his staff would take a week off before starting on their season-ending personnel evaluations, including the coaches.

As a result, Payton said he had nothing to report and that he would let the media know. Yet, he didn't rule out not making any changes to a staff that has already lost offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Doug Marrone—who left in mid-December to take the head-coaching job at Syracuse.

"We'll see," Payton said when asked specifically about any tweaking of the current staff. "We'll look closely at the makeup of our staff as we head into 2009, and the responsibilities will be clearer."

Payton did take several minutes to defend Gibbs,...

No playoffs for error-prone Cowboys
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:08:31 PST)
Terrell Owens sent an early morning pep text to Tony Romo to let the Dallas QB know he's still behind him. The mercurial wide receiver won't get the chance to do it again this season. "No matter what, I'm still the same guy that shed tears for him in last year's press conference and I'll do it again because that's the type of person I am, regardless of what anybody thinks or says about me," Owens...

Winners and losers: McNabb, Reid stay alive
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:57:00 PST)
Written off after a blowout loss to the Ravens, Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid aren't quite done in Philly.

Patriots miss playoffs despite 11-5 record
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:13:05 PST)
The New England Patriots had television sets on their plane as they flew home from Buffalo, so they were able to watch as their playoff hopes slipped away. On the bus ride from the airport, they learned the Miami Dolphins had defeated the New York Jets to clinch the AFC East. A year after becoming the first NFL team to go 16-0 in the regular season, the Patriots are missing the playoffs.

Brees, Peterson, Johnson lead NFL in major stats
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:52:08 PST)
Drew Brees was comfortable with falling just short of breaking the NFL single-season passing record. The New Orleans Saints quarterback finished 15 yards shy of Dan Marino's mark, but still led the league in passing for the second time in three years. "When I sit back and look at it, that record's stood for a long time.

Thomas inactive, McAllister starts
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:07:42 PST)
The Saints deactivated Pierre Thomas and inserted Deuce McAllister as the starting running back against Carolina on Sunday in what could be McAllister's final game with the Saints. Thomas emerged with a sore wrist and back from the Saints' 42-7 victory in Detroit last weekend and did not practice this week.

Saints RB Thomas inactive
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:42:01 PST)
New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas is listed as inactive for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers due to back and wrist injuries.

Brees guns for record vs. playoff-bound Panthers
(Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:01:40 PST)
The last thing Drew Brees wanted to think about, while digging into a ribeye at a steakhouse in the French Quarter this week, was the hallowed passing record he has a slim chance to break against Carolina on Sunday. He soon realized he didn't have much choice. "I had 10 people come up to me ... and every single one of them said nothing other than, 'We hope you break that record.' That was all they...

Saints TE Shockey's season is over
(Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:19:01 PST)
Jeremy Shockey's first season with the New Orleans Saints will end the same way his time with the New York Giants did.

Saints acknowledge McAllister's uncertain future
(Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:59:53 PST)
Drew Brees gets a loud reminder of Deuce McAllister's extraordinary popularity in New Orleans every time he lines up the Saints' offense near the goal line in the Louisiana Superdome. "The way the people in this city love him, you hear it every Sunday," Brees said, then began mimicking the arm-waving he does when he needs to quiet the crowd.

Week 17 NFL picks: Watch out for reenergized Chargers
(Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:25:50 PST)
The San Diego Chargers have proved they have an electric offense, led by quarterback Philip Rivers.

Titans help prove draft grades are bogus
(Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:15:00 PST)
Players who got low grades by "sudden" college football experts in April are turning heads in Tennessee.

Loss to Raiders denies Texans 1st winning season
(Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:04:31 PST)
The Houston Texans followed up their best game of the year with their worst. The Texans lost 27-16 to the lowly Oakland Raiders on Sunday, a week after beating AFC South champion Tennessee. The loss snapped a franchise-record four-game winning streak -- and made earning their first ever winning season impossible.

NFL asks appeals court to reconsider suspensions
(Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:47:59 PST)
The NFL wants an appeals court to reconsider a federal judge's order that blocked the suspensions of five players for violating the league's anti-doping policy, according to court documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Attorneys for the NFL filed notice they were asking the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to take up the issue after U.S.

Titans will play both to win, avoid layoff rust
(Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:52:28 PST)
All that's left for the Tennessee Titans in the regular season: trying for the franchise's best record in 49 years of play. AFC South title? The Titans wrapped that up, along with a first-round bye, two weeks ago. Home-field advantage? They took care of that Sunday with a convincing 31-14 win over Pittsburgh.

Payton stresses winning over Brees' record chase
(Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:26:18 PST)
New Orleans coach Sean Payton has a conflict of interest, in a sense. A former quarterback himself, Payton routinely expresses his admiration for Drew Brees and the pride he takes in Brees' league-leading production in the passing game. Payton wants to see Brees break Dan Marino's 1984 record of 5,084 yards passing in a single season, but the coach questions whether it would be responsible to...

Harrington sympathizes with Detroit's winless plight
(Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:29:39 PST)
Joey Harrington is the poster child for Matt Millen's failed eight-year regime as Detroit Lions president was...

Winners and losers: Faltering Favre arrives
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:46:00 PST)
The Jets are getting a good look at the late-season Brett Favre collapse that became routine in Green Bay.

Detroit columnist mocks Rod Marinelli during press conference
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:31:58 PST)
As if serving as the head coach for a 0-15 team wasn't bad enough, now Lions coach Rod Marinelli has to deal...

Lions lose to Saints, making history as 0-15 team
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:33:36 PST)
The Detroit Lions somberly dressed after another defeat that was different than all the others. This one made NFL history and set the stage for a perfectly imperfect season. Detroit became the first 0-15 team when it was routed 42-7 by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. "Awful, embarrassing," Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said.

Saints TE Shockey out vs. Lions with ankle injury
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:23:10 PST)
New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey hurt his right ankle in the first half against the Detroit Lions and did not return. Shockey caught five passes for 37 yards Sunday before walking off the field just before halftime. He ranks second on team with 50 receptions, has 483 yards receiving and isn't one of 11 Saints who has caught a touchdown pass this season from Drew Brees.

Winless Lions drawing unwanted national attention
(Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:01:24 PST)
The Detroit Lions are so awful they're becoming a story good enough that it transcends sports. ABC's "Good Morning America," sent a reporter and crew to the team's practice facility, leading to a chest-heaving sigh from kicker Jason Hanson. "It's just bad," Hanson said. "They're not hear to talk about our great season." No, they're not.