New Orleans Saints

Sean Payton at Saints Hall of Fame Auction The Saints Hall of Fame auction took place last night at the Saints facility.  WVUE, Channel 8 in New Orleans as well as others sponsored the event. We received an opportunity to eat in the Saints cafeteria and view the indoor field, weight room, Lombardi trophy and glimpse the locker room.  After the tours, the HOF held its annual auction the highlight of which was an appearance by Sean Payton. The cafeteria is bright, utilitarian, and had slogans such as “Great performances on the field are fueled by healthy choices at meals” Importance of pregame meals … “I was feeling well in the first half.  I felt down, man.  I had three slices of pizza before the game and the food took me down.”  Leroy Loggins.  (I feel sorry for Leroy.  I am sure he did not expect these words to live on.) The cafeteria chairs had an odd component.  Dark blue or black tennis balls covered each chair leg.  Definitely kept the chairs from moving, and the floor from scarring.  No one could tell us the purpose of the tennis balls; but given the utilitarian nature of the facility, they must serve a function. Personally, I liked the fact the facilities were not luxurious but functional.  It is entirely a reflection of a team that is all about business and ready to strip away the old the replace it with the new when necessary. The indoor practice field is a full size football field replete with field turf and Dome-reminiscent cushy rubber pellets.  It was fun to run and bounce on.  Also, it made me think of all of those pics showing Brees and other players playing with their children.  The “Do Your Job” poster has been replaced with other posters of team moments such as. Steve Gleason’s blocked punt A pre-game huddle up Our Lombardi hoisted above helmets The blocked field goal in the Redskins game Our OLine at the SuperBowl As well as the goal line stance at the Superbowl The weight room seem unexceptional until we were told by the Saints official photographer, Michael Hebert, that Sean Payton had requested a mural be placed on its wall of an inside shot of the Dome – the fan section.  One wall is covered by fans to remind the team we are hanging with them through their journey this year.  There were other indoor shots depicting aspects of football character such as “Stamina” and “Speed.” The Lombardi was especially nice to see as always, and the glimpse of the locker room was just that a glimpse.  There was a shielding wall that you had to traverse to obtain a full view.  Oh well.  There were several posters throughout the building including “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working” “You have to pay a price”  “New Orleans Saints – Strong, Tough, Smart, Disciplined, and Well-Conditioned”  “We win with Strength, Stamina and Toughness” “Individuals Play the Game but Teams win Championships” My favorite, however, was on the exit door “There are Many Exit Doors in Pro Football” There were several auction items that were particularly fun including dinners, hotel stays, and guitars as well as helmets and jerseys. But the really fun items were reserved for Sean Payton’s participation. But before these items were auctioned, Coach spoke for a few minutes.  He said the Hall of Fame weekend is special for the players; and for many of them, their last play came on the practice field on the Hall of Fame weekend.  He talked about the upcoming year and how 100% of the players have participated so far with outstanding results.  Monday, May 20, was a credited day for the players so they had a choice to either play in the HOF golf tournament or work in the weight room.  Coached joked “You will probably see some strong, bad golfers” on the links tomorrow. Coach Payton participated in auctioning off some items including “Bring the Wood” bats for Morestead, Brees and Colston.  Peyton explained the bats began in 2006 when the team wanted to get more physical against AFC teams.  They had had success with NFC teams but not

Tweets #Saints Waive DE Braylon Broughton: bit.ly/10IxEXX— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 20, 2013 Looks like 2014 NFL draft will be held May 15-17. In 2015 and 2016, league year would start early March, combine mid-March.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013 Tentative dates for NFL Draft in 2015 would be May 7-9 and in 2016 it would be May 5-7.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013 At this point, contrary to a report, the change in draft date is not tied to a change in the league year. Full story ahead @cbssports— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 20, 2013 "@bornachef: @juniorg93 wat yu think about Will Smith moving to OLB bruh"man I just work here bros— NuLa C.E.O. (@JuniorG93) May 20, 2013 Saints & Pelicans Announce Hiring of @dougtatum as Executive Director of Digital Media bit.ly/10QEewA— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 20, 2013 Tatum joins the Saints and Pelicans after serving 13 years, first as deputy then as lead sports editor, at the The Times-Picayune— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 20, 2013 "@sedrickellis1: It's taunting me!...damn! twitter.com/SedrickEllis1/…"don't do it lol— Reidel Anthony (@ReidelAnthony15) May 20, 2013 NFL combine dates have been set for 2014. Logistically would be very difficult to move. NFL Draft date hasn't yet been set in stone.— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 20, 2013 The league can move events without union approval, but it cannot change the start of the league year. Which creates an interesting dynamic.— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 20, 2013 Buy a $2 raffle ticket for your chance to be my guest "A Sainted Weekend" here: mf.tt/Xswf ... Ends: May 31st.— Roman Harper (@Harp41) May 20, 2013 AUDIO: Will Smith (@iwillsmith) talks about playing at linebacker bit.ly/16Fk9RE #Saints via @wwlamfm— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 20, 2013 My first piece over @sbnation just posted. Excited to be doing stuff over there now as well as at FO. bit.ly/10gzmEp— Ben Muth (@FO_wordofmuth) May 20, 2013 Watching this game right now at 1am. Good memories huh ? @jonvilma51 @scottshanle #NFCChampionship twitter.com/SaintsTruth/st…— Truth's Scythe (@SaintsTruth) May 19, 2013 @saintstruth @jonvilma51 no doubt!! memories that will last a lifetime. lot of respect for my MIKE backer. hell of a teammate and person— Scott Shanle (@scottshanle) May 19, 2013 @scottshanle we walk together forever— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 19, 2013 @jonvilma51 @scottshanle bad boys for life???... #movietweet— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) May 20, 2013 @camjordan94 @scottshanle stay out of this kind sir— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 20, 2013 @camjordan94 @jonvilma51 I'm will swith right!— Scott Shanle (@scottshanle) May 20, 2013 @scottshanle @jonvilma51 that puts jv as martin Lawrence hahahaha— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) May 20, 2013 @camjordan94 @jonvilma51 sorry jv just trying get you fired up. Ha— Scott Shanle (@scottshanle) May 20, 2013 @scottshanle @camjordan94 Shut. Up. Both of you.— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 20, 2013 Audio: Sean Payton talks about the #Saints starting organized team activities this week bit.ly/10gKYY5 via @wwlamfm— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 20, 2013 Sean Payton Signing autographs at saints hall of fame golf tournament twitter.com/juankinc4/stat…— juan kincaid (@juankinc4) May 20, 2013 _____________________________________________________________ Who dat talkin' 'bout dem Saints? New Orleans Saints eager to start organized team activities | NOLA.com"It's obviously exciting," Payton said. "It's good to be back around the coaches and players. There are a lot of new faces. ... Certainly I'

Broughton spent the 2012 season on practice squad and active roster

Broughton was originally signed as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2012 season

Rachel Whittaker sits in for Larry Holder today on Black and Gold Today as the big news breaks about the Saints' decision to try Will Smith at OLB. We hear from Larry, Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis about the move and then get to your comments.

Saints News: Choosing the Third Member of our New Orleans Saints Mount Rushmore - #saints

Saints News: Saints Defensive End Will Smith Switching to Outside Linebacker - #saints

Coach Sean Payton will lead a Saints practice for the first time since the final practice before the 2011 NFC Divisional playoff game against the 49ers.

Saints GM anticipates Will Smith will be a productive player at outside linebacker

Saints Coach Sean Payton will be back on practice field with team