Tag: progress

Report: Saints have ‘little glimmer of hope’ Michael Thomas can play vs. Raiders

The New Orleans Saints have some optimism that superstar WR Michael Thomas can play through an ankle injury against the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Don’t count him out just yet: while New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas isn’t expected to suit up for Week 2’s road game with the Las Vegas Raiders while recovering from a high-ankle sprain, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Thomas was encouraged by how his body responded to light work after Wednesday’s practice session.

Now, that’s hardly the same thing as reporting that Thomas will be cleared to play. He was listed as a non-participant in Thursday’s practice on the Saints injury report, and high-ankle sprains typically sideline players for six to eight weeks; it’s the sort of injury that is only healed by time and rest. And even if Thomas can play through the pain, it will still take time for his ankle to recover to full functionality.

The importance Thomas has to the team almost goes without saying, but let’s run through it again: he’s the best player on the squad, having caught 149 receptions for 1,725 yards (leading the NFL in each category) last season and helped keep the offense on schedule when Drew Brees was taken out of six games with a thumb injury. Missing him puts lesser players into more prominent roles, and forces Saints coach Sean Payton to reconfigure big chunks of his playbook.

And for his part, Payton refused to say one way or the other whether Thomas will play. When asked if Thomas would be ruled out, Payton declined to speak on injury situations for any players.

So we’ll believe that Thomas is going into the game when we see it. Because the Saints are playing on Monday night this week, their daily injury reports will be delayed, and we won’t learn if he’s ruled out until Saturday. It could end up coming down to the inactives list release an hour or so before kickoff. So maybe cross your fingers for good luck, but don’t hold your breath while waiting to see him return to action.

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Pete Carroll: Seahawks have made significant progress despite lockdown

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on a Zoom call about the progress made by his team despite the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Seattle Seahawks have been preparing extensively for the 2020 NFL season using whatever measures they can. This has primarily involved communicating through virtual chats to avoid exposure to COVID-19.

Coach Pete Carroll recently joined reporters on a Zoom call and revealed that the state of Washington has informed the Seahawks that they can follow the guidelines set forth by the NFL for their annual training camp.

“So that freedom is there, which is good,” Carroll said. “But we’re going to be very, very, very protective of our players and in the environment and make sure that we’re doing the right thing.”

Carroll stated that carrying out business, as usual, could be beneficial to the team.

“Maybe we find out that being outdoors is really a better way,” he stated. “We may want meetings outdoors . . . we may wind up having everything outdoors as much as possible.”

Preparing for the season virtually has not been easy, but Carroll is excited at the progress the Seahawks have made since being forced into lockdown.

“I am so fired up about what we have been able to accomplish during this time,” Carroll said. “We didn’t have a clue what was going to happen here. And I asked the coaches to use every ounce of their creativity that they could, and their energy that they could to keep the meetings proactive and involved and upbeat and moving in like we always like to do and didn’t know if that would translate.

“But it has and we’ve made incredible progress. I think we’re smarter at this point, because of the added time that we’ve had to work and really focus on the mental side of it than we’ve ever been.”

Carroll emphasized that he and his coaching staff do not know what is in store from here on out, so they must be ready for anything.

“We have to be wide open,” he said. “Ready to adapt.”

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Look: Rams’ under-construction SoFi Stadium raises Oculus videoboard, Saints to visit

The New Orleans Saints will help open the Los Angeles Rams’ SoFi Stadium in a preseason game, where construction is continuing to progress.

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The New Orleans Saints are set to open the 2020 calendar of events at SoFi Stadium in a preseason game with the Los Angeles Rams, and the NFL’s new $5 billion venue just passed a big milestone.

Designed around an innovate wrap-around Oculus videoboard, SoFi Stadium is centered on a unique 120-yard display that will display scores, stats, and highlights for fans in attendance. And now it’s up in the air, and anchored into position. That’s an important big step towards putting the finishing touches on the stadium and, one day soon, opening doors to fans.

See it for yourself:

The Rams will share this venue with the Los Angeles Chargers, in much the same way as the New York Jets split rent with the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Check out the Oculus videobard from a few different angles:

The exact date of the preseason kickoff between the Saints and Rams at SoFi Stadium is unclear, but it’ll take place some time between August 13-17 (depending on NFL national broadcast rules, which will be determined later). So stay tuned for details as the 2020 NFL season inches closer.

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Latest look at Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium, which Saints will visit in 2020

The New Orleans Saints will play the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in 2020. A viral video showed how construction is progressing.

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The New Orleans Saints will hit the road in 2020, and help ring in the then-Las Vegas Raiders’ inaugural season at Allegiant Stadium. That venue is still under construction, but is progressing well towards its Aug. 2020 opening date, and The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the NFL is considering it to host the 2020 season’s first Sunday night game.

That means there’s a scenario where the Saints and the Raiders headline the NFL’s Week 1 schedule next year. While the reigning Super Bowl champions traditionally host the first game of the next year (and the Saints are very much contending for that championship), the NFL has shown a willingness to go in other directions when it benefits them. For example, they scheduled a game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers to open up the league’s 100th season in 2019, putting the Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Next season, there’s the added factor of Los Angeles opening the new SoFi Stadium, which will house both the Rams and Chargers. The Review-Journal report adds that a Rams home game is being considered for Thursday night in Week 1, which would boot the Super Bowl champions (whoever they are, and hopefully the Saints) into another time slot.

So the Saints and Raiders could kick off on Sunday night in early Sept. 2020, even in the event that the Saints win Super Bowl LIV in Miami. While it would be disappointing for the Saints to lose that prestigious opening-night game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Week 1, it’s tough to complain about the idea of opening the 2020 season in Las Vegas at a shining-new venue against a fringe playoff team. With NFL superstars like Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara and one of the league’s best-traveling fanbases involved, this would be a tantalizing draw for the NFL.

As for Allegiant Stadium itself: it’s a $1.8 billion project that will host 65,000 seats and host both the Raiders and the UNLV Rebels. A recent viral video shared a street-side view of the under-progress stadium, along with its glossy black exterior. Yeah, it’s easy to picture the Saints playing here (and leaving with a win):

 

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