Category: Demario Davis

Saints LB Demario Davis named finalist for NFLPA 2025 Alan Page Award

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis has been named a finalist for the NFLPA’s 2025 Alan Page Community Award:

Demario Davis has been a force for the New Orleans Saints ever since he came to the team back in 2018. He’s racked up plenty of accolades for both, and could be adding another.

Davis was recently announced as a finalist for the NFLPA’s 2025 Alan Page Community Award per a press release shared by John Hendrix of Saints News Network.

The award is handed out to a player who ‘goes above and beyond’ to perform acts of community service. His fellow finalists are Camryn Bynum, Derrick Henry, Ryan Kelly and Darius Slayton. The winner receives a $10,000 donation from the NFLPA toward his foundation. For Davis, that would likely be his Devoted Dreamers non-profit foundation.

He would be the third Saints player to win the honor with Archie Manning receiving it in 1978 and Drew Brees more recently in 2012.

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Demario Davis sees his All-Pro streak snapped at age 35

Demario Davis had made the All-Pro team every year since turning 30. But that streak was broken after five stellar seasons:

Demario Davis has been an ageless wonder for the New Orleans Saints, but nothing lasts forever.

For the first time since 2018, Demario Davis has failed to be named a first- or second-team All-Pro. Outside of J.T. Gray, who made second-team All-Pro, Davis and rookie punter Matthew Hayball were the only Saints to get any All-Pro votes. Two voters put Davis on their first team.

Davis came to the New Orleans Saints from the New York Jets at 29 years old, with no Pro Bowl or All-Pro teams under his belt. When the calendar hit on his 30th birthday, Davis shifted gears into a different mode.

His birthday is in January, and Davis had his season-high in tackles and lone interception of the 2018 season in the playoffs after turning 30 years old.

The following season Davis made first-team All-Pro. It took a little bit longer for the Pro Bowls to start rolling in. From that 2019 season until this year, Davis made five consecutive All-Pro teams. He was a second-team member from 2020-2023.

Davis may have had 136 tackles, a career-high, but he didn’t seem like himself. If you reflect back to last offseason, one of the biggest reasons Davis was being called one of the best linebackers in the NFL was his ability to get behind the line of scrimmage.

Davis recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons. That number dropped to two sacks. Take out his three-game rookie season, Davis’ two quarterback hits are the lowest of his career. Davis only racked up five tackles for loss. He hasn’t dropped under 10 any other season in New Orleans.

Davis blitzed 38 times this year, compared to 39 times in 2023 and 26 times in 2022. The production simply has been different and likely contributed to the snapping of his five-year All-Pro streak.

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Tom Brady reveals which Saints defender he would’ve loved to play with, not against

Tom Brady says he would’ve loved to play with, not against, Demario Davis. The Saints linebacker continues to impress:

Tom Brady is one of the most heralded quarterbacks in history with a reputation of being able to go against the best off them.

But if you can’t beat them, you had better join them. And the New Orleans Saints defender he would have loved to have played with, not against, is Demario Davis. Brady had his chances to spar against him as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he was on the call for FOX Sports during Sunday’s season finale at Raymond James Stadium.

“Would’ve loved to have played with Demario Davis,” Brady said on the game’s broadcast, reacting to a big tackle by Davis in the first quarter. “It’s a toughness thing, your teammates know you’re always reliable.”

His record against Davis when the signal-caller was with the Buccaneers was 3-4. The Saints have had some solid luck against the Tampa Bay in general just looking throughout history, leading the overall series with a 40-26-0 all-time record.

The Saints are not the only team Davis has played for, though, and the Bucs are obviously not the only team that Brady played for as one of the best New England Patriots ever. Brady went 6-2 against Davis and the Jets over that time period, having better luck against him then. It’s clear to see he gave Brady some headaches, though on both squads.

Davis played a single season with the Cleveland Browns in which Brady got the edge in the lone matchup they faced each other in. So, all-time, Brady went 9-7 against Davis — with most of those losses coming once they both arrived in the NFC South.

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Demario Davis shares uplifting message amid Saints’ late-season losing streak

Demario Davis shared an uplifting message to fans and his fellow players after the Saints’ late-season loss to the Raiders:

When the New Orleans Saints lost Drew Brees, they had another leader waiting in the wings. That would be linebacker Demario Davis.

Davis has seen almost everything there is to see in this league and uses his knowledge both on the field and off of it.

As the Saints go through the roughest patch since before Brees, he took to the media after the home loss to the Las Vegas to share what is going through his head.

“When things aren’t going the way that you want the, you cannot panic. You have to know that something greater is going to come,” Davis said. “We will get back to what we all desire to be. We have the right decision makers to do that. If you just look at the team, we draft well, we do great and free agency. And if you look across the game, that is what sustained teams over the long haul.”

If there is someone that know about coming out of the other side of adversity on top, it is Davis. He is from a small town in Mississippi and didn’t play under many spotlights at Arkansas State.

He was a third-round selection in the 2012 NFL draft. The two teams that he played with before coming to New Orleans were the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. Those are two of the most seemingly cursed franchises in the league.

Of course, the Saints have had almost nothing but heart break since winning the Super Bowl as well.

No matter, Davis has played 13 seasons in the NFL and is one of the best linebackers in recent memory. He is especially one of the best leaders and players in Saints franchise history.

The 35-year-old could be seeing his career come to an end soon, but his mark on both the city and the team is clear.

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Demario Davis entered the top 25 solo tackle leaders in NFL history

Saints captain Demario Davis moved into the top 25 for all-time tackles, surpassing Paul Posluszny’s total of 882, with his 8th tackle in Week 17:

The New Orleans Saints have had a few record-breaking moments in recent years, both at the NFL all-time level and the franchise level. This continued in Week 17, as linebacker Demario Davis surpassed Paul Posluszny on the list of all-time solo tackle leaders. Posluszny set a career total of 882 total tackles in his 11-year career, and with Davis’ 8th tackle in Week 17, he surpassed this mark, entering the game with 875.

The next five up on the list within reach of Davis are as follows:

24. LB Mike Peterson – 896 tackles

23. DB Eric Weddle – 903 tackles

22. DB Brian Dawkins – 911 tackles

21. DB Rodney Harrison – 920 tackles

20. DB Antoine Winfield Sr. – 935 tackles

Demario Davis has been one of the greatest free agent signings in Saints history, and has provided the team with veteran leadership and elite level play for many years now. He will go down as one of the best Saints defenders alongside the likes of his current teammate Cameron Jordan. For now though, he still has plenty of gas in the tank, and will continue to climb the ladder of the best tacklers ever to play the game.

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Demario Davis had just three words for his Week 9 Saints pregame speech

Demario Davis had just three words for his Week 9 Saints pregame speech. His team needs to dig deep for a win, even if it’s against the Panthers:

Demario Davis called his New Orleans Saints teammates together for a quick address before kickoff with the Carolina Panthers. It’s a tradition he continued after inheriting the leadership role from Drew Brees, so what did he have to say on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium?

Davis started with just three words.

“Fire, fight, finish,” Davis chanted. He went on to talk about everyone’s motivations,  why they put in the hard work to prepare for this game, and what they need to do to come away with a win.

His team needs to dig deep for a win, even if it’s just the Panthers. Nothing is  guaranteed in the NFL and any team can win on any given Sunday. If they’re going to end this losing streak, it has to start here.

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13-year streak of starts for Demario Davis is coming to an end

Demario Davis has started his last 101 games with the Saints, and his streak of 197 games played goes back to 2012. But that’s coming to an end on Sunday:

It won’t be easy for Demario Davis to watch this week’s New Orleans Saints game from the sidelines (or from the couch at home with his family). The five-time All-Pro linebacker’s 13-year streak of games played is coming to an end after he suffered a hamstring injury last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. So the Saints will kick off with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday without him for the first time since he signed with the team.

This will be the first game Davis has missed due to injury in his lengthy NFL career. He’s played 197 consecutive regular season games, starting the last 101 of them with the Saints. Sure, there’s a caveat — Davis was forced to sit out a 2021 game with the Miami Dolphins while in the league’s COVID-19 protocol — but he’s never been too injured to play before.

You have to wonder if Davis would be out there if it were up to him. But Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Friday the team wouldn’t risk turning something like a strained hamstring into something more severe by playing him.

“We’re not going to put anybody out there that we feel like we’re putting at risk of injuring themselves,” Allen said. “We had to do the same thing with Cam (Jordan) at one point in time. I think with all these things, you’re always just looking at, you know, what’s the proper thing to do, what’s the right thing to do for the player and for the team. That’s all that goes into any of those types of decision.”

So while it’s a shame Davis can’t play this Sunday, the hope is he can return sooner rather than later. In the meantime, Willie Gay Jr. is confident he can fill in at linebacker next to Pete Werner. The Saints need to learn to win without Davis eventually. He’s the NFL’s oldest linebacker and he won’t be around forever. Here’s a good opportunity for some guys he has mentored to show what they can do.

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Willie Gay Jr. has no doubts stepping into the starting lineup vs. Falcons

Willie Gay Jr. is stepping into the starting lineup due to Demario Davis’ injury with full confidence: ‘I don’t feel like it, I know I’m ready’

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis is missing his first game ever due to injury — breaking a streak of 197 consecutive starts, dating back to 2012. Because of that, Willie Gay Jr. is expected to join Pete Werner in the starting lineup against the Atlanta Falcons.

It’ll be interesting to see how often the Saints bring second-year linebacker Anfernee Orji in for base sets with three linebackers on the field together. Orji was a stud in camp, and Atlanta’s run game with Bijan Robinson would normally command some base packages.

Gay and Werner will play likely every snap, and Gay is prepared for the moment: “I know I’m ready. I don’t feel like it, I know I’m ready.”

At the time Gay said that, Davis wasn’t confirmed to miss the game. It was clear it was expected by Gay’s response. It’s not as if he’s never been a starter before. He was a starter in Kansas City, so there should be full confidence coming from him.

Even with New Orleans, Gay has played in every game. He’ll just be stepping into a larger role. Davis’ injury thrusted Gay into the starting lineup, but Werner will likely be taking over for Davis at the middle linebacker spot. Gay would then step in at Werner’s normal position of weakside linebacker, with Orji possibly getting the first shot on the strongside.

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Week 3 pregame speech

Demario Davis pumped up his teammates with a pregame speech before their Week 3 kickoff with the Philadelphia Eagles:

Demario Davis is back again with his charismatic pregame speech for Week 3’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The New Orleans Saints captain pumped up his teammates with words of encouragement before kickoff on Sunday.

His message for the team on Sunday: “Taking the high ground.”

Fittingly so, the team is in a position to claim their spot amongst the NFL’s elite. With a win  today against Philly, they would most certainly be placed in that category. Marching to 3-0 on the season while beating two of the leagues best in back-to-back weeks would solidify their spot at the top.

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Week 1 pregame speech

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Week 1 pregame speech to his New Orleans Saints teammates before kickoff with the Carolina Panthers

https://twitter.com/Saints/status/1832821197156847784

It’s the first New Orleans Saints game of the 2024 regular season, which means it’s time to check the first Demario Davis pregame speech, which you can watch here.

The team’s charismatic leader picked up where Drew Brees left off and maintained this tradition of fiery speeches and group chants to get his teammates fired up,  and it’s always worth watching as the first highlight of game day.

Davis’ message for Week 1? We’re about to jump out of the airplane and skydive, so strap in and trust the guys around you. It’s time to go to work.

The Saints are kicking off the 2024 season where it will end as the home of Super Bowl LIX. Let’s see if the black and gold can get back to the playoffs and make their bid to chase another championship.

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