THIS WEEK: After being on the road for two weeks, the New Orleans Saints will return to the Louisiana Superdome to face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at 12 p.m. Kickoff is noon. The Browns will be the first of two consecutive AFC North opponents for the Saints with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to New Orleans on October 31
TELEVISION: The game will be televised on CBSwith Kevin Harlanproviding play-by-play and Solomon Wilcotshandling color analysis.* The game will air in the New Orleans area onWWL-4 and in Baton Rouge onWAFB Channel 9. The game also airs onKLFYin Lafayette,WJTV *in Jackson, MS and *WKRG *in the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast.
RADIO: Jim Henderson and Hokie Gajan will call the game on the Saints Radio Network with Kristian Garicon the Saints sidelines. The game will air live on Saints Radio Network originating on WWL 105.3 FM and 870 AM, with pre and post-game analysis. The radio pregame and postgame shows will feature former Saints Steve Korte and Bobby Hebertas well as host Deke Bellavia.
SPANISH RADIO:Saints 2010 games air in Spanish on*radio stationLa Fabulosa, WFNO 830 AM. Emilio Peralta andMarco Garcia *handle announcing duties.
SERIES:New Orleans is 4-11 all-time against the Browns. The two clubs were both members of the NFL's Century Division in 1968, New Orleans' second season as a franchise. The Saints opened up the era of head coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees by defeating the Browns in the 2006 season opener 19-14 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Seven of the last eight games have been decided by a touchdown or loss. New Orleans has a 2-3 record in contests played at the Louisiana Superdome.
LAST MEETING: Sept. 10, 2006: Saints 19, Browns 14 @ Cleveland Browns Stadium – Marking only the second time in club history that a new head coach - Sean Payton - opened his career in New Orleans with a win, the Saints never trailed in their initial visit to Cleveland Browns Stadium. After the Saints notched a pair of sacks on Cleveland's opening drive to push the Browns back to their own seven-yard line, New Orleans took over at the 48. After 10 plays, K John Carney drilled a 43-yard field goal to give the Saints a 3-0 lead. The Saints would begin a lengthy drive at the end of the opening quarter, marching 73 yards on 12 plays to set up another field goal by Carney. QBDrew Brees completed three passes for 37 yards on the mark, which stalled at the Cleveland 7 and the Saints settled for the kick.
New Orleans would add another field goal on its following possession, a 21-yarder by Carney with 8:29 left in the second quarter. The kick was set up by an interception by LB Scott Fujita, who had an interception at the Saints' 48 with a 19-yard return. Cleveland drove to the New Orleans 21 before halftime, but DT Brian Young recovered a fumble on a mishandled snap to end the drive and the second quarter. The Browns got on the scoreboards in the third quarter on an 18-yard TD catch by TE Kellen Winslow. The Saints took a 16-7 lead on a 12-yard TD pass from Brees to WR Marques Colston, and Carney added a third field goal in the final quarter. Young had 2.5 sacks in the contest, part of a five-takedown day for the Saints. New Orleans only allowed the Browns 186 total net yards. RB Deuce McAllister bounced back from 2005 season-ending knee surgery to post a team-high 90 rushing yards on 22 carries.
CONNECTIONS:Browns LB Scott Fujita served as New Orleans' strongside starter from 2006-09. Fujita was also coached by asst. head coach/linebackers Joe Vitt in Kansas City from 2002-04 and was a teammate with RBJulius Jones and LB Scott Shanle in Dallas in 2005. Jones played for Cleveland team president Mike Holmgren and senior advisor to the President Gil Haskellin Seattle in 2008...RB Mike Bell played for the Saints from 2008-09...S Malcolm Jenkins and DE Will Smith both played at Ohio State...S Usama Young played at Kent State, where he was a teammate of Browns WR Josh Cribbs...Browns QB Jake Delhomme prepped at Teurlings Catholic (Breaux Bridge) HS, starred at Louisiana-Lafayette and played for the Saints from 1997-02. Delhomme and LS Jason Kylewere teammates in Carolina from 2003-08. Kyle was a member of the Browns in 1999...Head Coach Sean Payton served on the staff at Miami University (Ohio) from 1994-95. He served as quarterbacks coach in 1994 before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator the following season. Payton served on the same Dallas staff as Browns offensive line coach George Warhop from 2003-04...Strength and Conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple played for the offensive line at Miami from 1983-86 and running game/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer played for the Redhawks from 1987-89. Dalrymple spent 17 seasons at Miami in a similar capacity, including 16 as director of athletic conditioning. He was promoted with the additional title of assistant director, a position he held from 2003-06, when he left for the Saints. Kromer spent nine seasons (1990-98) on Miami's coaching staff. Kromer and Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan served on the same staff in Oakland in 2004…Tight ends coach Terry Malone was an assistant at Bowling Green from 1986-95...RB Chris Ivory played at Tiffin College in 2009 ...Assistant secondary coach Tony Oden is a Cleveland Heights, Ohio native who played linebacker at Baldwin Wallace from 1992-95 and also served as a summer coaching intern with the Browns in 2001...WR Lance Moore originally signed as a undrafted free agent with the Browns in 2005...Running backs coach Bret Ingalls served on the Miami staff in 2005...Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael served as tight ends coach and as an offensive assistant in Cleveland in 2000...Coaching assistant Frank Smith played at Miami from 2000-03 and then served as a graduate assistant from 2004-05...CB Randall Gay was tutored by Browns head coach Eric Mangini In New England from 2004-05. LB Jonathan Vilma played in New York for Mangini from 2006-07...Cleveland quarterbacks coach Carl Smith served as offensive coordinator in New Orleans from 1986-96 and also served on the staff at Louisiana-Lafayette from 1974-78...Assistant director of college scouting Brian Adams is a Berea, Oh. native who graduated from Cleveland State and worked in both coaching and personnel with the Browns from 1984-95...Area scout Josh Lucas is a Canton native...Browns LB Marcus Bernard played at Jackson State.
NEXT WEEK:The 2009 and 2008 Super Bowl Champions will face off when the Saints will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, October 31 at the Louisiana Superdome. Kickoff is 7:20 CT and the game will be nationally televised on NBC.
