Tag: pregame speech

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers passionate pregame speech to his Saints teammates

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers fiery pregame speech to his Saints teammates before kickoff with the Buccaneers

The New Orleans Saints have had to lean hard on their captains this year, and Demario Davis has responded. The veteran linebacker is the heartbeat of the defense — if not the entire locker room — and he’s continuing his weekly pregame ritual even under the adversity this team has battled through in 2023. Davis delivered a passionate pregame speech to his teammates before kickoff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Davis implored his teammates to rain on the Buccaneers’ parade: hit them hard, spoil their playoff hopes, and play the game on the Saints’ terms. Tampa Bay can win the NFC South with a victory, which would all but eliminate New Orleans from the playoffs. The gravity of the moment isn’t lost on Davis. Let’s hope everyone in the organization is working with the same level of urgency.

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WATCH: Demario Davis gets Saints ready for Panthers with pregame speech

WATCH: Demario Davis gets Saints ready for Panthers with pregame speech

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers are ready for their Week 14 matchup in the Superdome. While a number of key players are out today, Demario Davis is still in attendance and able to give his classic pregame speech.

His speech today was focused around the phrase: “I am.”

“Who is going to make the plays? I am. Who’s going to dominate the opponent? I am,” said Davis. The hope is that every player on the team will take this feeling and apply it to themselves. Motivation may be hard to find on a three game losing streak, but today is as good of a chance ot snap it as any.

Will this get the players motivated enough to defend their home turf against the 1-11 Panthers? Only time will tell.

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WATCH: Demario Davis addresses the Saints pregame hurdle in Week 10

WATCH: Demario Davis addresses the Saints pregame hurdle before kickoff with the Vikings in Week 10

We’re minutes away from kickoff between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, and All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis is here to lead the way. Davis addressed his teammates in their traditional pregame huddle from U.S. Bank Stadium, delivering a speech to get everyone hyped up. It’s a practice he took over from Drew Brees who led the huddle each week for a decade.

And he’s someone who leads by example. There aren’t many linebackers who play every down for their defense, and even fewer of them do so after turning 34. Davis has beaten Father Time thus far, and the Saints will be counting on him to do it again on Sunday against the Vikings.

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his first Saints pregame speech of 2023 season

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his first Saints pregame speech of 2023 season

The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans are kicking off their 2023 regular season at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, and it’s a new year in a lot of ways — but here’s a familiar sight. Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis is still addressing his Saints teammates with a fiery pregame speech in the final minutes before kickoff.

Davis drove home the importance of the moment — how this is what they train for, this is what they prepare for, and this is where they must stand tall or else fall short. Not tomorrow, next week, or in some playoff game months away.

Hey, I’m ready to run through a wall after listening to him. How about you?

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Saints pregame speech vs. Eagles

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Saints pregame speech vs. Eagles

There’s leadership: Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis delivered his weekly pregame speech to his New Orleans Saints teammates before their Week 17 kickoff with the Philadelphia Eagles, with a lot on the line. A loss would eliminate them from playoff contention while a win could keep them alive.

Nobody knows that better than Davis, the 11th-year pro who started his career with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. Davis never even played in the postseason until Year 7, his first with the Saints.

It’s been a difficult season for New Orleans but having his steady presence in the locker room has meant a lot. If the Saints are going to upset the Eagles on Sunday and keep their season going, it’ll take big-time plays from big-time players like Davis.

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Saints pregame speech before kickoff vs. 49ers

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his Saints pregame speech before kickoff vs. 49ers

It’s been a tough year for the New Orleans Saints, who have leaned hard on team leaders like Demario Davis. The veteran linebacker and defensive captain has enjoyed the best production of his career since signing with the Saints back in 2018, and he’s proven to be an invaluable presence for their defense. It’s on him to set expectations with a fiery pregame speech to his teammates.

Davis first started delivering a weekly address when Drew Brees went down with an injury, picking up No. 9’s long-running tradition with ease. With the Saints experiencing more adversity than ever, having respected voices in the locker room like Davis brings value you can’t quantify.

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Watch: Demario Davis leads the Saints pregame huddle in Week 17

Watch: Demario Davis leads the Saints pregame huddle in Week 17

He’s back: linebacker Demario Davis returned to the New Orleans Saints after missing last week’s game on the COVID-19 reserve list and immediately made an impact, resuming his leadership role prior to kickoff with the Carolina Panthers. Davis addressed his huddled teammates from their home end zone at the Caesars Superdome.

These weekly pregame speeches have been one of the longest-enduring traditions in the Sean Payton era, with Drew Brees passing the torch off to Davis in his later years and Cameron Jordan filling in for him in Week 16. Davis remains one of the best linebackers in the game today, no matter what the obsolete Pro Bowl roster might tell you, but his strengths as a leader are only part of what’s made him such an effective pickup for New Orleans. He’s a game-changing talent on the field, too.

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Watch: Demario Davis gets his Saints teammates hyped up before Titans kickoff

Watch: Demario Davis gets his Saints teammates hyped up before Titans kickoff

Demario Davis is the kind of leader that speaks with his actions and his words. The New Orleans Saints’ defensive captain is known for his All-Pro efforts on the field, but he’s been just as eager to get his teammates riled up in the final minutes before kickoff — so here’s a quick look into this week’s pregame speech.

It’s important to have tone-setters like Davis leading the team. The leadership and sky-high level of play he brings to the table gets everyone around him up and ready to compete. Hopefully they can overcome a long list of injuries to push the AFC-leading Tennessee Titans.

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LISTEN: Demario Davis fires up the Saints before kickoff vs. Bears

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis delivered his signature Sunday sermon to his teammates before kickoff with the Chicago Bears.

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If the New Orleans Saints are going to defeat the Chicago Bears in Week 8 at Soldier Field, it will be because linebacker Demario Davis and his teammates kept the Bears offense in check long enough for their teammates to go to work against the Chicago defense.

So Davis made sure to set the tone right away in their pregame huddle, delivering his usual Sunday sermon after warmups. The veteran linebacker is a fiery orator, and it’s easy to see why he was voted a team captain his first year in New Orleans. Having signed a multiyear contract extension just before the 2020 season started, he’s also going to be here for the long haul.

Hopefully it all translates into results. The Saints defense hasn’t played up to its usual standards this year, allowing 17 touchdown passes in their first six games. They’ll have to do a much better job pressuring Bears quarterback Nick Foles and guarding the weapons he’ll be working with.

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Flashback Friday: 2016 Drew Brees pregame speech from his dramatic return to San Diego

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees delivered a pregame speech before his dramatic 2016 game against the then-San Diego chargers.

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When Drew Brees last played against his former team back in 2016, the Chargers were still in San Diego. And that game happened to be his first return to the West Coast since signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2006, adding an element of drama to it. And that’s not even considering the stakes: the Saints were 0-3 at the time, and desperate for a win before their bye week (sound familiar?). They were fresh off the heels of a blowout loss to the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons, who went on to blow a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI.

The Saints defense had allowed 400-plus yards in each of their first three games, but they came through in the clutch against the Chargers that day. After giving up 24 points in the first half, the Saints rallied to force three Chargers punts to open the second half, and they closed out the game with three consecutive takeaways.

Winning still wasn’t easy. Brees threw an interception (his second of the day) early in the fourth quarter that set the Chargers up to extend their 34-21 lead. New Orleans struggled to move the ball on the ground and through the air, with Mark Ingram leading the team in yards as both a runner (56) and receiver (49). It took a late-game Michael Thomas touchdown catch from 5 yards out to close the gap, and a goal-line scoring run from fullback John Kuhn to take a one-point lead.

But then the defense took over. Nick Fairley sacked Philip Rivers on first down from the San Diego 25, and Rivers fumbled on second down. Then he missed a deep shot on third down, and the Chargers were stuck on fourth-and-22 deep in their own territory with the game on the line. B.W. Webb (remember him?) intercepted Rivers’ final throw, and Brees kneeled as time expired to seal the 35-34 win.

It was exhilarating. But it wasn’t a sign of success to come just yet, as the Saints needed another mediocre 7-9 finish for Sean Payton to recognize that it was time for serious changes to his staff. Jeff Ireland was given more control of the team’s scouting process, and yielded the best draft class since Payton’s first year in town — bringing in talents like Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk, Marshon Lattimore, and Trey Hendrickson. The defensive coaching staff was rebuilt from the ground up, bringing in high-quality assistants like Ryan Nielsen and Mike Nolan.

And all of those changes worked. New Orleans went on to win 41 of their next 55 games, with three straight division titles. Maybe they can capture some of that magic from their last game with the Chargers on Monday night.

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