Category: Saints

NFL reveals Week 4 announcer schedules

What announce teams got the best assignments for Week 4?

The end of the first quarter is upon us. Announce teams have settled in after not having preseason work, either. Who will be on the call for what games you will watch this weekend (and Monday)?

Sunday

Arizona at Carolina, FOX 1 p.m. – Kevin Kugler, Chris Spielman & Laura Okmin

Indianapolis at Chicago, CBS 1 p.m. – Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon & Amanda Balionis

Jacksonville at Cincinnati, CBS 1 p.m. – Tom McCarthy, Jay Feely

Cleveland at Dallas, FOX 1 p.m. – Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston & Pam Oliver

New Orleans at Detroit, FOX 1 p.m. – Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma & Shannon Spake

Minnesota at Houston, FOX 1 p.m. – Chris Myers, Brock Huard, Greg Jennings & Jen Hale

Seattle at Miami, FOX 1 p.m. – Dick Stockton, Brady Quinn & Sara Walsh

LA Chargers at Tampa Bay, CBS 1 p.m. – Ian Eagle, Charles Davis & Evan Washburn

Baltimore at Washington, CBS 1 p.m. – Andrew Catalon, James Lofton & AJ Ross

NY Giants at LA Rams, FOX 4:05 p.m. – Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth & Lindsay Czarniak

New England at Kansas City, CBS 4:25 p.m. – Jim Nantz, Tony Romo & Tracy Wolfson

Buffalo at Las Vegas, CBS 4:25 p.m. – Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

Philadelphia at San Francisco, NBC 8:20 p.m. – Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth & Michelle Tafoya

Monday

Atlanta at Green Bay, ESPN 8:15 p.m. – Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick & Lisa Salters

Packers run Matt LaFleur’s record to 16-3

Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers have teamed for a wonderful run in Green Bay.

There have been a lot of coaches given their first chance at being the head guy who have not worked. Then there is what is going on with Green Bay and Matt LaFleur.

The Packers downed the Saints, 37-30, Sunday night in New Orleans. That upped their mark to 3-0 in 2020. Tack on a 13-3 regular season in LaFleur’s rookie year and you have a sweet 16-3 record.

The key has to have been the chemistry he has worked out with Aaron Rodgers. There were all sorts of buzz about how unhappy the great QB was when Jordan Love was drafted in the first round.

Buzz silenced as Rodgers continues his elite play and the Packers are maintaining the high level that had left the organization at the end of Mike McCarthy’s run.

Rodgers against New Orleans was 21-of-32 for 283 yards with a trifecta of touchdown passes.

Watch: Alvin Kamara’s astonishing 52-yard touchdown against Green Bay

The Saints’ Alvin Kamara razzled and dazzled his way to a touchdown for New Orleans.

The Saints’ Alvin Kamara put on a one-man show on one play in the final minute of the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers Sunday in New Orleans.

Check this out as the running back takes a swing pass from Drew Brees and refuses to be stopped by anyone, anywhere, anyway in a Packers uniform.

The overall play went for 52 yards and sent the game into the final quarter tied at 27 after the PAT.

Another view:

Report: Las Vegas Raiders under investigation for COVID-19 violations

The NFL is looking into possible COVID-19 protocol violations by the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders’ Jon Gruden was one of five coaches fined $100,000 for violating COVID-19 mask protocols in Week 2. Now, comes a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter the team is being investigated for violating NFL coronavirus protocols.

Per Schefter:

The alleged violation occurred after Monday night’s win over the New Orleans Saints, when an unauthorized team employee entered the Raiders’ locker room without the credentials to do so, according to sources.

The NFL will continue to enforce this limitation and will impose discipline for violations, according to a source. The league, with the help of state and federal committees as well as the NFLPA, has established strict thresholds regarding access — meant to curb and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

According to the report, the league believes an unauthorized person gained access to the team’s locker room.

The league believes there’s evidence that a non-credentialed person eluded the security checkpoints to enter the Raiders’ locker room Monday night, according to sources, and is now closely studying the incident and determining whether discipline is warranted.

Gruden, the Saints’ Sean Payton, the Niners’ Kyle Shanahan, the Broncos’ Vic Fangio and Seattle’s Pete Carroll were hit with six-figure fines and their franchises were fined $250,000 apiece.

 

 

NFL Week 3 announcers’ schedule

Some big games are on tap in NFL Week 3 and the big names got those assignments.

Time to get ready to travel if you are an NFL announcer. The assignments have been posted and you know where you are going. Have to hope you get a good one. For a map of what games will be shown in what parts of the country, click here.

Thursday

Dolphins at Jaguars, NFL Network, 8:20 p.m.

 Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Kristina Pink (reporter)

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Report: High ankle sprain to cost Saints’ Michael Thomas several weeks

The Saints’ offense takes a blow with the report Michael Thomas could be out multiple weeks.

The New Orleans Saints ruined Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers debut Sunday. Now, the NFC South powerhouse has received some bad news.

All-Pro wide receiver suffered a high ankle sprain in the victory and it being reported by NFL Network the injury is worse than the team feared and he will miss several weeks.

Initial reports had given hope to Thomas playing Monday at Las Vegas.

Thomas limped off the field ahead of the two-minute warning after teammate Latavius Murray clipped the back of his legs at the end of a run while Thomas was engaged in a block.

The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year had only three catches for 17 yards in the victory.

Last season, Thomas set an NFL record with 149 catches. Thomas also was tops in receiving yards last season with 1,725 yards

Tom Brady-Drew Brees duel leads to monster TV ratings for FOX Sports

FOX Sports saw boffo TV ratings for its broadcast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints game Sunday that featured Tom Brady against Drew Brees delivered big time .. for FOX Sports.

The network released the ratings and they were through the roof.

The Saints-Bucs drew a 16.2/35 overnight rating, which was Fox’s highest such rating for a Week 1 game since 2016. Fox Sports PR projects that the game is on pace to become the most-watched event of any kind since the Super Bowl, eclipsing Thursday night’s Chiefs-Texans game.

Watch: Janoris Jenkins with a Pick-Six of Tom Brady

Janoris Jenkins of the Saints picked off Tom Brady and returned it for a touchdown.

Tom Brady’s debut as quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is encountering potholes.

The G.O.A.T. went into New Orleans with high hopes but he isn’t having the best day.

He has thrown a pair of picks, including one taken all the way back by the Saints’ Janoris Jenkins.

He didn’t look like he was enjoying himself in his new threads.

And then there was this factoid:

Less than a minute later, he did find O.J. Howard in the end zone for his first TD pass as a Buc.

Report: Tom Brady mulled signing with the Saints if …

Tom Brady in a Saints uniform? It could have happened.

Tom Brady will make his Tampa Bay Buccaneers debut Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints. The G.O.A.T. could have been playing for the home team if things had fallen into place, according to a report.

Per Ian Rapoport:

Brady made no secret of the fact that if (Drew) Brees was retiring and heading to the TV booth, Brady would like to replace him. Brady mentioned this, sources say, to a few Saints players, knowing that word would get back. New Orleans was into it, as well, with Brady seen by head coach Sean Payton as the perfect replacement for Brees.

However, when Brees announced he was not done yet, the Brady-to-New-Orleans move died. Meanwhile, it appears the Patriots would not have had an issue with Brady and New Orleans talking, as NBCSports Boston reported the Patriots wouldn’t file tampering charges if a team spoke with Brady before his contract was up. They wanted him to know his market.

The report also says the Bears received consideration by Brady but cold weather sent shivers into his thought process.

Eventually, the Bucs won out over the Los Angeles Chargers, who saw Philip Rivers leave for Indianapolis via free agency.

As for Brady’s Bucs contract:

Brady gets $500,000 if the Bucs make the playoffs. That becomes $750,000 if they win a wild-card game or get a bye, and that becomes $1.25 million if they win a divisional round game, which turns into $1.75 million if they advance to the Super Bowl. It hits the max of $2.25 million if they win the Super Bowl.

As for the personal performance incentives, Brady can hit the max value of $2.25 million if he accomplishes four of five categories (and has a minimum of 224 attempts). Hitting each incentive by itself earns him $562,000, while four of them net him $2.25 million. Those incentives are: top 5 in passer rating, top 5 in passing TDs or 25 or m

Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara agree to contract extensions

Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook have agreed to huge contract extensions with the Saints and Vikings, respectively.

The Minnesota Vikings’ Dalvin Cook and the New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara will be running … to the bank.

The pair selected in the 2017 NFL Draft agreed to lucrative contract extensions Saturday, on the eve of their season openers.

Cook, a second-round pick out of Florida State, has agreed to a five-year, $62.5 million contract.

The deal includes a $15.5 signing bonus and $28.2 million in guaranteed money. Cook will have an average salary of $12.5 million per year.

Cook has yet to play a full season. In 29 games, he has rushed for 2,104 yards and caught passes for another 914. He was derailed by injuries in his first two seasons.

Kamara, a third-round selection out of Tennessee, reached an agreement on a five-year contract extension worth $75 million in new money, per a source informed of the pact. Kamara will get $77.13 milliion overall and a $15 million signing bonus.

Kamara is a three-time Pro Bowler and has rushed for 2,408 yards and caught passes for another 2,068 with New Orleans.