"Live From the Mercedes-Benz Superdome!" Not Exactly Rolling Off My Lips

The recent announcement of Mercedez-Benz buying the naming rights to the Superdome eliminates the $13.8 million annual payment made by the State of Louisiana according to the article below.  Not sure how I feel about this (nor was I asked), although the funds were definitely needed.  The Superdome is such a classic icon that it seems having a corporate name attached to it would somehow lessen its authenticity, even though its existency depended upon a government sponsor since it was built.  Mercedes-Benz is obviously a classic to me, but it also seems a bit ironic to me that the home of a fan base that takes such pride in its blue collar image is now named after a luxury car maker.  The Zatarain's Superdome falls off my lips a little more naturally, but as good as their packaged Jambalaya is I doubt they have the purchasing power of Mercedes-Benz to buy the whole building.

NEW ORLEANS -- The home of the New Orleans Saints and site of six Super Bowls will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a deal with the German automaker announced Tuesday.
The deal will allow Mercedes-Benz USA to have its name associated with championships in college and pro football and men’s college basketball over the next 16 months -- plus an NFL team that has gone from a doormat to Super Bowl winner. The stadium also hosted a Republican presidential convention and a visit from the pope, and once served as refuge for thousands of miserable victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The team holds authority to sell naming rights to the 73,000-seat, state-owned stadium through their lease, which runs through 2025.

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/10/04/3484655/mercedes-benz-buys-superdome-naming.html#ixzz1ZxJ1r8Or

Big Weekend For Gulf Coast Running Backs Across College Football And The NFL

Gulf Coast native running backs put on some superb performances throughout college football and the NFL this past weekend.

Pensacola's Trent Richardson ran all over his home state team in Alabama's 38-10 domination of Florida, gaining, 181 yards and scoring two touchdowns to also boost his Heisman Trophy candidacy.
Ole Miss running back Brandon Bolden of Baton Rouge got into the end zone for the first time this season with a two touchdown performance in the Rebels 38-28 win over Fresno State.  Bolden only had 43 total yards but he did it just on 6 carries for an impressive 7 yards per carry average.
Slidell High School and Tulane Alum Matt Forte had 205 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Chicago Bears 34-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
And Perry Florida's LeGarette Blount bulldozed over the Indianapolis Colts defense for 127 yards rushing on 25 carries.  Blount's 35 yard touchdown with 3:15 left to play sealed the victory for the Bucs.

Cameron Jordan Meeting Early Expectations

He hasn't gotten a sack yet, but his solid play against the run and ability to grasp the pro game, has earned Saints first round draft pick defensive end Cameron Jordan a starting position in his first four NFL games.  Nice feature from James Varney of The Times-Picayune on Jordan's progress:

New Orleans Saints rookie Cameron Jordan proves to be answer at defensive end

In at least one sense, New Orleans Saints' first-round draft choice Cameron Jordan has fulfilled what the club had hoped for him: he is a starter. In fact, Jordan has started every game at defensive end in his rookie season. Although he has yet to get one of the glamour stats of his position - a sack, a forced fumble or, best of all, a sack that causes a fumble - Jordan has been there against the run. He has been credited with four solo tackles and three assists in three games.
To continue reading:  http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/09/new_orleans_saints_first-round_1.html

LaRon Landry Makes Strong Return In Redskins Loss

Playing for the first time since November 15, 2010, Washington Redskins Strong Safety LaRon Landry made an enormous presence in his team's 18-16 loss to the archrival Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night.  He had been out with injuries to his achilles and then hamstring according to http://www.redskins.com/. 

It was evident that Landry, a former All American at both LSU and Hahnville High School in Boutte, LA, was ready to get back to his hard hitting ways.  He tackled Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones on the very first play of the game, tomahawked the ball out of the arms of wide receiver Kevin Ogletree causing a fumble, blew up Cowboys wide receiver Laurent Robinson on a pass forcing an incompletion and pressured Tony Romo to get rid of the ball early on a safety blitz leading to an underthrown pass that was intercepted by Kevin Barnes.

Ogletree's fumble was recovered by cornerback Josh Wilson at the Cowboys ten yard line and led to a Redskins field goal.  However, the offense's inability to get a touchdown was typical of their ineptness, and the reason they were unable to get a victory, despite a strong defensive performance against a Dallas Cowboys offense that was only slightly better.

Landry, who has had some of his best career performances against his nearby hometown New Orleans Saints, is now under the tutelage of former Saints Coach Jim Haslett.  Haslett, as you probably know is now the Redskins defensive coordinator; and just like when he was coaching the Saints, the Redskins are much stronger defensively.  However, this time, Haslett can't be held responsible for the offense's inefficiencies, which the Aaron Brooks' led Saints offense certainly was under his reign.

During the 2009 Saints Super Bowl run, they were barely able to get out of Washington with a victory.  An 18 yard field field goal by Garrett Hartley in overtime clipped the underachieving Redskins 33-30, to extend the Saints winning streak to twelve games.  In that contest, Landry had 12 solo tackles and three pass defenses (stats via Wikipedia). 

The previous year the Saints also visited Washington, but came away unsucccessful.  It was during the second week of the season, and took place on a blistering hot September afternoon with temperatures in the high 90's.  Making the elements even more challenging were the black jerseys the Saints wore, as the Redskins naturally opted for their home team whites.  I was still living in DC and attended the game, along with a good number of other who dat fans. 

Midway through the fourth quarter with the Saints in the lead and facing third and long, Drew Brees threw a pass over the middle to Reggie Bush, who had picked up a few extra yards before Landry solo tackled him in the open field.  Landry's stop prevented  the Saints from picking up the first down giving the momentum back to the Redskins, who made a very rare touchdown winning drive when quarterback Jason Campbell threw a scoring bomb with under a minute left to Santana Moss. 

The last lead of the game for the Saints came on a Bush touchdown punt return early in the fourth quarter.  With only about ten yards of open field remaining between him and the end zone, Bush turned back and waved at the last defender chasing him.  It reminded me very much of the NFC Championship Game against Chicago when he did the same thing on the screen play that he had gotten loose on, and I knew it would come back to bite us.  Just a few minutes later, Bush had once again found the open space he is so dangerous in, but at that moment Southern California born speed could not match the toughness born of the Gulf Coast and the SEC, causing the momentum to shift and the tables to turn

- Win           

Spear In Back Ignites Saints 4th Quarter Comeback

Great article from Jeff Duncan of The Times Picayune on the Saints 4th Quarter comeback victory over the Houston Texans yesterday which was triggered when cornerback Kareem Jackson speared Drew Brees in the back late in the third quarter:

Drew Brees leads epic fourth-quarter comeback for New Orleans Saints

You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Drew Brees. Not in his house. Not with his good buddy on the sideline. And not on the five-year anniversary of one of the most important wins in Saints history.

The Texans messed with Brees on Sunday and didn't live to tell about it.
They returned to the Lone Star State beaten and wiser, having learned a valuable gridiron lesson: When you're fortunate enough to have the Saints and Brees down, the last thing you want to do is kick him. Or in Kareem Jackson's case, spear him in the back.
To continue reading:  http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/09/drew_brees_epic_fourth-quarter.html