Inside the Numbers Part III

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:01:05 GMT

In the weeks leading up to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2009 training camp, NewOrleansSaints.com will take an inside look at some interesting facts and figures of various high-profile players on the Saints’ roster. This is part three in the series.

DEFENSIVE END WILL SMITH
Height: 6-3
Weight: 282
NFL Experience in 2009: 6th Season
Years with Saints: 6th Season
College: Ohio State

SAINTSATIONAL NOTES:

Will Smith is one of the Saints’ top playmakers on defense, having recorded 342 tackles (223 solo), 36.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, 13 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 78 contests with 59 starts in 2004. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2006 after recording a career-high 10.5 sacks.
After signing a six-year contract extension during the 2008 off-season and being named one of the two defensive team captains for the second consecutive season, Smith made 77 tackles (44 solo), three sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble last season while battling through a painful abdominal injury that has since been repaired.
Smiths second quarter sack vs. the San Francisco 49ers on September 28 in the team’s victory forced a fumble that was recovered by MLB Jonathan Vilma and set up New Orleans’ first touchdown, which put the Saints ahead for good.
Smith led the defensive line with six tackles (four solo) at Kansas City on November 16, and his first quarter sack on QB Tyler Thigpen on an early third down pinned the Chiefs deep in their own territory and set up the Saints’ offense on a short field after a punt. The Saints scored on the ensuing drive and didn’t look back the rest of the afternoon en route to victory.
Since arriving in New Orleans, Smith has been particularly adept at creating turnovers. He enjoyed a stretch of five-straight games where he caused a fumble (the final four games of his rookie season and the 2005 season opener), the lone player in club history to accomplish the feat. Smith has forced 13 fumbles in his five-year career with the Saints, which ties him for the 12th highest total in the NFL in that period and has six recoveries on his resume.

NFL LEADERS IN FORCED FUMBLES (2004-2008)

Rank	Player, Current Team	No.
1.	Robert Mathis, IND	26
2.	Dwight Freeney, IND	22
3t.	Jason Taylor, MIA	21
3t.	John Abraham, ATL	21
5.	DeMarcus Ware, DAL	18
6t.	Julius Peppers, CAR	17
6t.	Brian Dawkins, DEN	17
8.	Jared Allen, MIN	16
9t.	Leonard Little, StL	15
9t.	Aaron Schoebel, BUF	15
11t.	Charles Tillman, CHI	14
11t.	Nate Clements, SF	14
13t.	Will Smith, NO	13
13t.	Osi Umenyiora, NYG	13
13t.	James Harrison, PIT	13

WILL SMITH ... BY THE NUMBERS
3: Consecutive season Smith led the Saints in sacks (2005-2007).
13: Career forced fumbles, including a club-record five-game stretch in 2004-2005, where he had one in each game.
5: With 36.5 sacks through the 2008 season, the 12th highest in team history, Smith is five sacks behind fellow defensive end Charles Grant for tenth place in the club’s all-time list of quarterback takedowns.
85: Tackles in 2005, marking a career-high despite starting only nine games.
10.5: Number of sacks posted by Smith in his breakout season of 2006-his first as a full-time starter-helping him earn a starting nod in the Pro Bowl.
18: Smith was selected by the Saints out of Ohio State with the 18th overall pick in 2004, the highest the club had drafted a defensive end since selecting Saints Hall of Fame member Joe Johnson 13th overall in 1994.

Sign Up Today for the 2009 Jr Saintsations

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:35:40 GMT

2009 JUNIOR SAINTSATIONS

Future Saintsations can begin their cheer and dance career as a member of an elite group – the Junior Saintsations!
The Junior Saintsations will perform at a New Orleans Saints home football game during the pre-game festivities.
This is a great opportunity for young ladies between the ages of 6 to 16 years of age to learn basic dance and cheer techniques from the 2009 Saintsations while making new friends and having lots of fun! The Saintsations are zealous in their involvement in the community and always look forward to any occasion that they can work with young people.

As a Junior Saintsation you will receive a practice t-shirt, the official Junior Saintsation uniform, pom poms, an autograph session with the 2009-2010 Saintsations, and a 2009-2010 Saintsations Team photograph. Every Junior Saintsation will be required to attend the practice on August 9th, the field rehearsal and the game performance on Friday, August 14th

Go Saints! Come join is at the FIRST pre-season game on the field as a member of the … 2009 Junior Saintsations!!!

All you need to get started is to simply click here for all the information!

Inside the Numbers: Part II

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:02:40 GMT

In the weeks leading up to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2009 training camp, NewOrleansSaints.com will take an inside look at some interesting facts and figures of various high-profile players on the Saints’ roster. This is part two in the series.

RUNNING BACK/PUNT RETURNER REGGIE BUSH
Height: 6-0
Weight: 203
NFL Experience in 2009: 4th Season
Years with Saints: 4th Season
College: Southern California

SAINTSATIONAL NOTES:

RB/PR Reggie Bush has needed little time to establish himself as one of the NFL’s most versatile and exciting players. In his career, the second pick overall in the 2006 NFL Draft has posted 3,647 all-purpose yards (1,550 rushing, 1,599 receiving and 498 on punt returns). Bush has also found the end zone 24 times over the course of three seasons, with 12 of the scores coming via rushing touchdowns; eight on receptions and four on punt returns.
In 2008, Bush played an important role in the Saints offense with 106 rushes for 404 yards and two touchdowns, 52 receptions for 440 yards and four touchdowns, which tied for the third highest total of scoring by a running back, despite playing in only 10 games. Bush also had 20 punt returns for 270 yards, ranking second in the NFL in punt return average (13.5 per return) and three touchdowns.
Despite missing six games and half of another with a knee injury, Bush ranked among the NFL leaders in several categories, including touchdowns, receptions and first downs, as well as all punt return categories.

REGGIE BUSH SINGLE-GAME SUPERLATIVES

Rushing Attempts: 21, vs. Carolina (10/7/2007)
Rushing Yardage: 126, at NY Giants (12/24/2006)
Longest Rush: 43, vs. Atlanta (12/7/2008)
Longest Touchdown Run: 23, at Denver (9/21/2008)
Rushing TDs: 3, vs. San Francisco (12/3/2006)
Receptions: 12, at Houston (11/18/2007)
Receiving Yards: 74, vs. San Francisco (12/3/2006)
Long Reception: 61, at Dallas (12/10/2006)
Receiving TDs: 1 (8 times), last vs. Atlanta (12/7/2008)
Yards from Scrimmage: 168, vs. San Francisco (12/3/2006)
Punt Returns: 5, vs. Minnesota (10/6/2008)
Longest Punt Return: 71t, vs. Minnesota (10/6/2008)
Punt Return TDs: 2, vs. Minnesota (10/6/2008)
Scoring: 24 points, vs. San Francisco (12/3/2006)
Total Touchdowns: 4, vs. San Francisco (12/3/2006)

REGGIE BUSH ... BY THE NUMBERS
213 ... Receptions in his first 38 NFL regular season games. Since the start of the 2006, no other running back has as many receptions.

24 ... Touchdowns for Bush in his career, tied for 11th in the team’s all-time record books.

1,599 ... Yards receiving by Bush in his career through 38 games. It marks the second-highest total among running backs over that span, trailing only Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook, who has 1,787 since the start of the 2006 season.

1,700 ... Yards of offense for Bush in the 18 games since taking over as the full-time starter at running back in 2007.

13 .. Bush ranks 13th in club history in rushing with 1,550 yards on 418 carries, with 12 touchdowns. Next on the list is RB Craig “Ironhead” Heyward (1988-1992), who has 1,813 yards on 432 carries.

131 ... Receiving yards against San Francisco in his rookie season (12/3/2006), the most by a running back in franchise history.

12 ... Bush became just the 12th player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game when he returned a pair against the Minnesota Vikings (10/6/2008).

176 ... Punt return yardage against the Minnesota Vikings (10/6/2008), setting a club-record as he averaged 35.2 yards on five returns.

4 ... Touchdowns for Bush against San Francisco (12/3/2006), tying a club single-game record for touchdowns in a contest. Bush also had three touchdown rushes against the 49ers – also tying a club-record – and a scoring catch.

10 ... Bush is currently ranked 10th all-time in receptions in club history, having recorded 213 career grabs in only 38 games. Bush trails teammate Marques Colston (9th all-time with 215 receptions).

DID YOU KNOW? In 13 games where Bush has combined rushing and receiving totals of over 100 yards, the Saints own a 9-4 record.

TOTAL	RUSH	REC.	OPP.	DATE
168	37 (10)	131 (9)	vs. SF (W)	12/3/06
163	51 (14)	112 (8)	vs. TB (W)	9/7/08
162	37 (6)	125 (6)	at DAL (W)	12/10/06
149	126 (20)	23 (2)	at NYG (W)	12/24/06
148	73 (18)	75 (11)	at DEN (L)	9/21/08
141	97 (19)	44 (6)	at SEA (W)	10/14/07
119	67 (21)	52 (9)	vs. CAR (L)	10/7/07
119	67 (15)	52 (7)	at CLE (W)	9/10/06
115	72 (17)	43 (7)	vs. JAX (W)	11/4/07
113	64 (10)	49 (7)	at SF (W)	10/28/07
109	51 (13)	58 (8)	vs. CIN (L)	11/19/08
106	80 (10)	26 (3)	vs. ATL (W)	12/7/08
104	34 (15)	70 (12)	at HOU (L)	11/18/07

REGGIE BUSH … 2008 HIGHLIGHTS

October 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings – On the primetime stage of Monday Night Football, Bush became just the 12th player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game with runbacks of 71 and 64 yards. His 176 punt return yards set a franchise record.

September 21: at Denver Broncos – Bush ran his consecutive scoring streak to three games, notching his fourth career multiple touchdown game as he led the team with 73 yards on 18 carries with a 23-yard touchdown jaunt while also scoring on a six-yard reception among his team-high 11 catches for 75 yards.

September 14: at Washington Redskins – Bush fielded a punt from Durant Brooks at his own 45-yard line and took a step to the right before backtracking to the left sideline and racing 55 yards to the end zone untouched for his second career punt return touchdown.

September 7: vs. Tampa Bay - Starting his first season as the Saints’ primary runner, Bush capped the 24-20 Opening Day victory with an electrifying 42-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. He caught a swing pass in the flat from Drew Brees and sprinted through the Tampa Bay defense, diving for the pylon in the corner of the end zone. His 112-yard, eight-reception performance accented his 51 rushing yards, including a career-long 26-yard dash.

Inside the Numbers

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:54:24 GMT

In the weeks leading up to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2009 training camp, NewOrleansSaints.com will take an inside look at some interesting facts and figures of various high-profile players on the Saints’ roster.

QUARTERBACK DREW BREES
Height: 6-0
Weight: 209
NFL Experience in 2009: 9th Season
Years with Saints: 4th Season
College: Purdue

SAINTSATIONAL NOTES:

Since arriving in New Orleans in 2006, Brees has provided the Saints with the three most prolific seasons of quarterback play in club history, throwing for 4,000 yards or more each season and ranking at the top or among NFL leaders in virtually every passing category. In 2008, Brees continued his assault on the team and NFL record books with his finest season as a professional, producing some of the top numbers in league history. In his campaign, Brees, voted as one of five team captains for the second consecutive year, completed 413 of 635 (65%) passes for 5,069 yards with 34 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions for a passer rating of 96.2.
Finishing only 16 yards shy of setting the NFL single-season passing yardage record, Brees has only the second 5,000 yard passing season in league history, while also tying a league single-season record with ten days of 300-yards or more passing. In addition to leading the league in passing yardage in 2008, he was also ranked first in attempts and completions as well as trying for first in touchdown passes. He was ranked fourth in passer rating, while leading all quarterbacks in third down passer rating (117.8). Brees was voted by the Associated Press as the 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, the first Saints to ever win the award. He was voted to his second Pro Bowl in the past three seasons as a member of the Saints, thus joining QB Archie Manning as the only Saints signal-caller to be named to the Pro Bowl twice.
Brees also holds club-records for passing rating in a season (96.2, 2008), passing attempts in a game (60, at Chicago, 12/3/2007), completions in a game (37, vs. Cincinnati, 11/12/2006), consecutive completions (17, 12/16-12/20/07), consecutive games with 250+ passing yards (six, 10-15/2006-11/26/2006).
Few players in the era of NFK free agency have made the impact that Brees has had on the Saints. Since joining the Saints in 2006, he leads the NFL with 13,910 passing yards, 1,841 attempts, 1,209 completions and 103 completions of 25 yards or more. Of his passes that have been completed, 665 (55%) have been for a first down.

SINGLE GAME SUPERLATIVES
Attempts: 60, at Chicago (12/30/2007)
Completions: 39, at Denver (9/21/2008)
Completion Percentage: 88.0%, at Oakland (10/31/2004) (as a member of the Chargers)
Passing Yards: 510, vs. Cincinnati (11/10/2006)
Longest Pass: 86t, at Carolina (10/1/2006)
TD Passes: 5 (twice), most recently at Dallas, (12/10/2006)
Passer Rating: 157.5, vs. Green Bay (11/24/2008)
Rushes: 8, at Kansas City (11/28/2004) (as a member of the Chargers)
Rushing Yards: 31, at Kansas City (12/24/2005) (as a member of the Chargers)
Longest Rush: 22, vs. Oakland (10/31/2004) (as a member of the Chargers)
Rushing TDs: 1 (five times), most recently at Carolina (11/25/2007)

BREES BY THE NUMBERS

88: Touchdown passes by Brees through the first 48 games of his Saints career to rank third in team record books. This ties the second highest total in the NFL during this period. With 168 touchdown passes in his NFL career, Brees is ranked 52nd all-time.
5,069: Brees’ club-record and career-high passing yardage total in 2008, the second highest single season total in NFL history and only the second of 5,000 yards or more.
1,209: Completions since joining the Saints in 2006, which already ranks third in team history. This is the most among NFL quarterbacks over the period, including an NFL record 440 in 2007.
20: Games as a Saint with a passer rating of 100 or more. Including his tenure with San Diego from 2001-2005. Brees has surpasses the century mark 36 times during his eight year career.
7: NFC Offensive Player of the Week awards won by Brees in New Orleans, the most recent which he captured for his performance in week 12 vs. Green Bay, and the third time in 2008. Brees has won the most weekly awards of any player in team history.
1: NFC Offensive Player of the Month Awards by Brees. He captured the honor for the first time in his NFL career for his performance in the month of September (2008).
32: Regular season games with 250 yards or more passing, placing him first in team history. Including his tenure with San Diego, Brees and three playoff games, Brees has reached the milestone 47 times in his career.
23: Regular season contests with 300 yards or more passing during his tenure with the Saints, a team-record and the highest NFL total from 2006-present. With 10 300-yard games in 2008, he tied the NFL single-season record which he now shares with Rich Gannon (2002 with Oakland).
4: Regular season games with 400 yards or more passing, including two in 2008.
26,258: Passing yards in his eight-year NFL career, the 53rd highest in NFL history. He’s thrown for 13,910 yards as a Saint. The latter number is the highest total in the NFL during that span.
65.7: Brees’ team-record completion percentage during his three-year tenure with the Saints. His completion percentage is ranked fourth in the NFL during this time period. With a 63.9 completion percentage during his career, Brees is the fifth most accurate passer in NFL history, fourth among active NFL quarterbacks.

Saints sign veteran long snapper Jason Kyle

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:19:21 GMT

New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday that the club has signed free agent long snapper Jason Kyle and released long snapper Kevin Houser.

“Jason is a quality veteran player and we saw in him a chance to upgrade our kicking game,” Loomis said. “I’ve known him since we drafted him in Seattle and going up against him twice a year for the last eight seasons with Carolina, he has always been impressive. I’d also like to thank Kevin for nine seasons of excellent service to the Saints and wish him all the best in the future.”

Kyle is a veteran of 14 NFL seasons and has spent the past eight years as the long snapper for the Carolina Panthers. A fourth-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks out of Arizona State in 1995, the former collegiate linebacker took over snapping duties in his second pro campaign.

The 6-3, 242-pound native of Tempe, Ariz. has played in 178 career regular-season games along with eight postseason contests in stints with the Seahawks (1995-98), Cleveland Browns (1999), St. Louis Rams (2000), San Francisco 49ers (2000), and Panthers (2001-08). He played in 120 consecutive games for the Panthers – including the postseason – and did not miss a game in his eight seasons in Carolina. The 37-year-old snapper has amassed 55 career special teams tackles and recovered two fumbles in punt coverage.

Houser was a seventh-round pick of New Orleans in 2000 and was the long snapper in all 144 regular-season as well as four playoff games. He ranks 11^thin Saints history in games played.