Tag: Fans

Saints fans take aim at OC Pete Carmichael after blowout loss to Buccaneers

The Saints lost to the Bucs in a landslide. Fans and analysts had a lot to say about the team’s latest loss, and many focused on OC Pete Carmichael:

Things hardly went the Saints’ way on Sunday as the team recorded a 26-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the largest loss in terms of total margin of the season so far.

Outside of that, the Saints had kept it in the reach of single points in games that came down to the wire.

In what was still a respectable defensive performance and a continuously unimpressive offensive outing, here’s a look at what fans and analysts had to say across social media about the Saints’ performance:

Bucs WR Chris Godwin shares unique perspective on Saints home games

Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin says playing the Saints at home presents a challenging environment inside the Caesars Superdome:

We hear a lot from New Orleans Saints fans, players, and coaches about the team’s strong homefield advantage — but it’s awful cathartic to hear it from the opposing sideline. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is set to make his latest trip to the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, and he shared a unique perspective on the matchup during his Wednesday media availability session after practice.

“It’s always a fun time when we get to play the Saints. When you go into that stadium, you know what you’re getting into,” Godwin began. “Those fans, they have that stadium rocking. There’s no windows in there. It’s like they go in and they lock the doors behind you, and it’s just you and your guys going to battle. Let’s figure it out.”

Godwin has played six games in New Orleans during his seven-year career, winning just twice (he was also inactive for their Week 2 victory last season due to an injury), including the playoffs. He knows exactly how loud that stadium can be and how many challenges the crowd noise creates for communication on offense.

And there’s a note of appreciation in his voice when talking about it. Godwin played for Penn State in college, where more than 100,000 fans crowd Beaver Stadium each week. That’s not an environment he’s been able to enjoy with the Buccaneers, whose fair-weather fanbase didn’t show up for games until Tom Brady came to town. Tampa Bay ranked 30th in home attendance during each of Godwin’s first two years in the NFL. Maybe he should consider switching sides once he’s free from his contract with the Bucs?

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Sean Payton assures Broncos fans he will right the ship

“We’re going to work our tail off and get this ship straightened away,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “That’s going to happen.”

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton accepted blame following the team’s 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

“You always start inwardly and look at, all right, where can I be better, and then you start with the staff, then we go through the tape, and then you get on to the meetings with the players,” Payton said after the game. “So these next two days we’ll have a lot to look at and discuss. Again, it’s disappointing. I mean, I’m at a loss for words because I’ve never been in – I’ve been on the other side of some games like that, and every once in a while in this league you get your butt whopped, but this was more than that.”

So, what comes next for the 0-3 Broncos? Payton assured fans during his Monday conference call that he will right the ship.

“First off to the fans, we’re going to work our tail off and get this ship straightened away,” Payton said. “That’s going to happen. There’s going to be a process involved in that. Certainly, there’s a lot of work ahead of us. The key is finding these guys, putting them in the right positions to be successful, and then that confidence that comes with winning. That’s the main thing.”

Denver will have an opportunity to secure its first win of the season when the Broncos go on the road to face the 0-3 Chicago Bears in Week 4. That game will be a great opportunity to “right the ship.” The blowout loss to the Dolphins was embarrassing, but if Denver can’t manage to defeat a struggling Bears team, alarm bells will be going off in Broncos Country.

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Photos: Most spirited and colorful American, European fans at the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain

If you’re traveling to Spain for the Ryder Cup, you might as well be decked out in your team’s colors.

CASARES, Spain — There’s just something special about team golf, and that’s been evident this week in Spain for the 2023 Solheim Cup.

Players and captains relish the opportunity to represent their country (or continent) on a global stage, and every other year fans flock to join in on the fun. The best players from the United States take on the best from Europe in some must-see matches that highlight the best of golf, and there’s always a handful of spectators that stand out among the crowds with wild outfits and costumes.

Check out the best photos of both American and European fans at the 2023 Solheim Cup.

MORE: Best (and worst) Solheim Cup team uniforms over the years

Social media reacts to Saints’ 20-17 win over Panthers

Fans and analysts on social media shared a range of reactions to the Saints’ most recent victory, having taken down the Panthers in Week 2 | @crissy_froyd

The New Orleans Saints improved to a 2-0 overall record on Monday night on the road as they topped the Carolina Panthers, 20-17 in a game that was more of a testament to the defensive effort than anything else.

It was a low-scoring affair for the better part of the contest as the Saints walked into the locker room at halftime with a 6-3 lead before a mind-boggling, one-handed reception for 42 yards by wide receiver Chris Olave changed everything midway through the third quarter.

The Saints will look to make the tweaks needed to play better complementary football as they prepare to take on a talented Green Bay Packers team in a short week.

Carr noted that he didn’t believe the team had yet played to its ceiling and is eager to put that on display moving forward.

“We’re 2-0 and I don’t think we’ve played at the level that we’re all expecting to play at yet,” Carr said afterwards. “We’re going to keep working and make those corrections, but it feels good to do it with a win.”

Here’s a look at what fans and analysts on social media had to say about the Saints’ latest victory:

Russell Wilson praises Broncos fans for being ‘super supportive’

“I think the biggest thing for us is we feel that as players,” Broncos QB Russell Wilson said of home-field fans. “It really does matter.”

Despite playing a mile above sea level in sold-out games at a 76,125-seat stadium, the Denver Broncos went 4-4 at home last season. The year before that, they went 4-5 in 2021. Three years ago, the Broncos went 2-6 at Empower Field at Mile High in 2020.

Denver has not had a winning record at home since the club went 5-3 in 2019. Fans have continued to show up as the team continues to disappoint, but even the well-supported Broncos have had some ugly no-show games in recent seasons.

Denver had an opportunity to start the 2023 season with a win at home in Week 1 but squandered it, falling to the Las Vegas Raiders, 17-16.

After the loss, quarterback Russell Wilson credited the fans for sticking with the team, and he promised better results next week.

“The atmosphere was great,” Wilson said. “I mean, that means the world to us as players. We’re in it, the fans were in it the whole game. [The fans were] super supportive, lifting us up. I think the biggest thing for us is we feel that as players.

“It really does matter. This is an electric city in terms of sports and in terms of fanbase and everything else. We’re going to be better next week, and that’s what we have to do.”

The Broncos will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday before back-to-back road games. Fans in Denver expect the Broncos to field a winning team, especially at home. Wilson plans to deliver that in Week 2.

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Saints issue statement on the death of longtime fan Jimmy Buffett

The Saints issued a statement on the death of longtime celebrity fan Jimmy Buffett, expressing condolences to his family, friends, and fans:

The Who Dat Nation got a little smaller on Saturday with the news that longtime celebrity fan Jimmy Buffett has died at 76. Buffett, a lifelong New Orleans Saints fan and native of Pascagoula, Miss., was a frequent sight at the Caesars Superdome and Saints training camp over the years.

Buffett was also a legendary singer and songwriter, building an empire out of his unique brand of country music with pop and calypso influences that celebrated the “beach bum” lifestyle. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, he developed an appreciation of the natural world around him that led to charitable efforts supporting hurricane relief, wildlife conservation, and cleanup following the BP oil spill disaster.

And he had a tight relationship with the Saints. Buffett was friends with former head coach Sean Payton. He sang the national anthem before the infamous 2019 NFC championship game, and was so hurt by the game’s decisive no-call that he mocked the whole incident a few months later onstage at Jazz Fest.

The Saints issued a statement on Buffett’s passing, expressing condolences to his family, friends, and sprawling “Parrothead” fanbase: “He was an iconic performer, a true Saints fan, a dear friend of New Orleans, and the life of the party. Jimmy will be dearly missed but celebrated forever.”

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Chargers limiting attendance to joint practices with Saints

Tough break for West Coast Saints fans. The Chargers are limiting attendance to this week’s joint practices to their own season ticket holders:

This is disappointing for New Orleans Saints fans in California who were hoping to catch sight of their team at this week’s joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers: the Chargers are only allowing their own season ticket holders to attend practice sessions with the Saints on Thursday and Friday.

Last time the black and gold were in town, Saints fans took over the Chargers’ Hoag Performance Center, and obviously that’s not something the Bolts would like to see repeat. Attendance has been a major problem for the Chargers since team owner Dean Spanos burnt his bridge with San Diego, which had been home to the team since 1961 — fracturing generations of ties to the community and leaving the Chargers with little support in Los Angeles.

Under Spanos’s leadership the team struggled to pack out the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer arena before moving into SoFi Stadium as renters of the Los Angeles Rams, where their home crowd has often been overwhelmed by droves of visiting fans supporting the road team.

The Chargers lost their first home game at SoFi Stadium to the visiting Dallas Cowboys in 2021; afterwards, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy agreed that “It felt a lot of ways like a home game, definitely a home game.”

Odds are good that some enterprising Saints fans will find a way to get into these practice sessions and cheer on their team, and maybe get some autographs after the final whistle. Odds are better that many more of them will be packing the stands at SoFi Stadium when the Saints kick off on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT. The matchup will be nationally broadcast on NFL Network.

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Ron Rivera, Commanders players can feel the fans’ energy

Rivera and Washington players are excited about fans packing the house for training camp.

We’ve all noticed that Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera looks relaxed and comfortable this summer. Change can energize everyone. It probably helps that Rivera has gone through an ownership change before.

Therefore, while some would be nervous in Rivera’s situation, he’s just happy to be focused on football — and football only.

After Washington’s first training camp practice Wednesday, Rivera was asked if he felt the positive vibes surrounding the team were solely due to the ownership change.

While Rivera acknowledged that, yes, new ownership is a big reason for the positive vibes, the prospects of fans packing training camp beginning this week has everyone excited.

“I don’t think it’s the sole reason,” Rivera said. “I think it’s all part of it. It’s all part of the excitement. Tomorrow [Thursday] should be even better with the opening of the stands and us having our fan base here. I think it’s gonna be dynamic and electric. I’m excited about it. I really am. I think our players will feed off of it as they fed off today. You know, having Mr. Harris, having Mr. [Mitchell] Rales here, and the players knowing they were here, I think, really helps add to that, and so tomorrow, I’m excited to see it.

Mr. Harris will be here again tomorrow, as will some more of the partnership will be here, so it is an opportunity for our fan base and our players to really kind of get a little bit of interaction going. It should be fun.”

It’s refreshing to see Rivera this happy. Regardless of what you think of his coaching decisions and his record, no coach has had to deal with what he has over the past three years. He deserves a clean slate after having to answer every question he faced about the organization over things that occurred long before he and his players did.

Washington’s training camp looks like a professional outlet this summer. The new bleachers are nice. And something about the fans packing camp always excites the players. They feel the energy. And the ownership change has really rejuvenated the fan base.

 

 

NFL fans on social media react to Saints’ surprise Jimmy Graham reunion

NFL fans and analysts on social media had a range of reactions to the Saints’ surprise Jimmy Graham reunion

Wow: the New Orleans Saints shook their fanbase — and many outside observers on social media — by announcing a one-year deal with tight end Jimmy Graham on Tuesday, just before the start of training camp. Graham rose to prominence with the Saints early in his career but had a falling-out with head coach Sean Payton that led to him being traded away in 2015. After sitting out of football in 2022, he’s returned to compete for a spot on their roster.

Reactions were varied, but largely celebratory. Here’s what everyone is saying in the wake of this unexpected news: