Tag: reaction

Ex-Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks is the NFL’s hot potato

Brandin Cooks has been traded again, joining the Houston Texans after the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams.

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Former New Orleans Saints first-round draft pick Brandin Cooks found himself on the move again, when the Los Angeles Rams agreed to trade him to the Houston Texans. The Rams themselves acquired Cooks in a trade with the New England Patriots a few years back, meaning the talented wideout will have played with four different NFL teams before his 27th birthday.

Reactions to the news featured mixed reviews, to put it charitably. The Texans swapped a second-round pick (No. 57 in this year’s draft) for Cooks and a fourth-round pick in 2022, effectively negating the draft capital they gained by shipping out a much better wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins just weeks ago. Texans coach and de facto general manager Bill O’Brien essentially traded Hopkins for Cooks, injury-prone running back David Johnson, and a mid-round pick two years from now.

But let’s not lose sight of the Saints’ role in this. They were the first team to trade Cooks, exchanging him for a first-round pick in the 2017 draft (that eventually became all-world right tackle Ryan Ramczyk), following an offseason in which he bellyached to the media about his sometimes-limited role in the offense.

If Cooks had been more of a team player, it’s possible he and Michael Thomas would have grown into the NFL’s most devastating one-two punch at wide receiver. Instead, he’ll be jostling for targets with Randall Cobb, Kenny Stills (another ex-Saints draft pick), and a handful of other wideouts. Maybe he’ll stick better with the Texans after washing out from other programs.

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Full list of 58 NFL prospects who will ‘attend’ the 2020 virtual draft

The New Orleans Saints first-round pick has a good shot of sharing an instant reaction considering the number of prospects available in 2020

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We’re just two weeks away from the 2020 NFL Draft, and final preparations for this year’s event are underway. With the novel coronavirus pandemic limiting travel and group gatherings nationwide, the NFL won’t get to enjoy the fanfare — and rowdy fan presence — that always accompanies its prime-time spectacle. So they’re getting creative and inviting top prospects to share instant reactions to broadcast networks or social media on draft day.

The full list is much larger than the 30-or-so prospects that usually attend the draft and wait to be selected in the “green room.” Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, 58 draft prospects will be on hand when the Cincinnati Bengals go on the clock to start this year’s selections.

There’s a good chance that the player the New Orleans Saints will pick at No. 24 will be included on this list, and it’s possible that their next choice will be, too. While the Saints won’t make their next selection until No. 88, a trade up the board can’t the ruled out. And that player could be available late anyway given such an expansive list.

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Falcons take the baton from the Bucs for the NFC South’s worst uniforms

The Saints and Panthers are on top of the NFC South uniform power rankings, with new Buccaneers and Falcons jerseys buried in the basement.

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There must be some sort of agreement between the teams in the NFC South that one team must wear a terrible numbers font on their jerseys at all times. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ushered in the Tom Brady era with a flourish by ditching their maligned, digital alarm clock-styled uniforms, opting instead for the most generic red-on-white jerseys you could imagine.

Not to be outdone, the Atlanta Falcons introduced their own new uniforms: and boy, are they ugly. Featuring an ill-advised color gradient from red to black — looking more like an old Texas Tech alternate than an NFL kit — the jerseys are offset by a two-tone font for the numbers that tries to create a three-dimensional illusion. Instead, it looks like nothing so much as a child’s unfinished coloring book.

Funnily enough, the Falcons’ new black-on-black look is a near-match for the uniform worn by Adam Sandler in his 2005 film “The Longest Yard,” which the Carolina Panthers official Twitter account was helpful enough to highlight:

Bless their hearts. Maybe the New Orleans Saints can make up for the NFC South’s weak uniform game by upgrading their “Color Rush” variants to full-time status. We can dream, right?

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Cameron Jordan embraces the challenge of Tom Brady-Buccaneers matchup

The New Orleans Saints expect to play Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice in 2020, and Cameron Jordan isn’t taking it lightly.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is expected to sign a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, adding a new challenge for the New Orleans Saints. But team captain Cameron Jordan isn’t sweating it — he’s embracing the opportunity to compete against the best.

Jordan spoke with The Athletic’s Larry Holder, saying in a text message, “Our division just became even tougher. I can’t wait!!!”

But that wasn’t Jordan’s only public statement on the looming Brady-Buccaneers pairing. When the NFL’s official Twitter account shared a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport breaking the expected deal between Brady and the Buccaneers, Jordan responded with plenty of respect for what the legendary quarterback has accomplished:

It’s clear that Jordan doesn’t intend to let his team take the 42-year-old passer lightly. Seeing Brady conduct an offense loaded with weapons against Jordan and his battle-tested Saints defense twice a year will make for must-see TV.

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Klay Thompson named a Washington State player a Splash Brother after a deep three

Klay Thompson went nuts after this shot.

Klay Thompson is one of the greatest shooters the game of basketball has ever seen on any level — NBA or otherwise.

So when he gets excited about a particular player or a particular shot, you know it’s legit. And, man, did he get excited about an insanely deep 3-pointer from Washington State while on the call.

Thompson was being interviewed about having his jersey retired at Washington State by the school’s broadcast team when, all of a sudden, guard Isaac Bonton dropped this bomb.

He even named him an honorary Splash Brother.

Shoutout to Bonton for getting Thompson out of his seat. That’s big respect from an all-time great shooter. Salute.

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Bill Belichick nonplussed by Antonio Brown’s Saints tryout

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick kept his thoughts on Antonio Brown’s tryout with the New Orleans Saints characteristically muted.

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The New Orleans Saints put free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown through a free agent tryout on Friday, sending a ripple effect throughout the NFL. That news eventually reached one of Brown’s former bosses — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who cut Brown after two accusations of sexual assault were leveled against him back in September. Brown responded with a lengthy, explicit social media tirade.

As for Belichick: when asked whether he had a reaction to news of Brown’s workout with the Saints, his first contact with an NFL team since the Patriots released him, the Patriots head coach kept his comments characteristically brief.

“Focused on Miami. Doesn’t really have anything to do with us,” Belichick told NESN’s Doug Kyed.

Brown only played in one game this year with New England, catching 4 of his 7 targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. He also logged one rushing attempt for five yards. The 7.0 yards per target Brown averaged so far in 2019 is the lowest mark of his career, which is probably due to playing with a washed-up quarterback in Tom Brady (who ranks 26th in yards per pass attempt). There’s no doubt Drew Brees (tied for 10th-best) would be an improvement, if the Saints do indeed sign him.

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Steve Gleason taunts the Falcons after early gaffe: ‘Never punt’

New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason didn’t pass up the opportunity to taunt the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons after a botched punt.

No one was happier to see the New Orleans Saints block an Atlanta Falcons punt early in their game on Thanksgiving night than Steve Gleason, the living legend whose own block against the Falcons is immortalized with a bronze statue outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Even though his playing days are long behind him, the Saints’ retired playmaker remains an avid fan of his old team and made sure to tune in for their game with his family After Saints quarterback Taysom Hill cut through the Atlanta line to deflect the punt away, giving his team the ball, Gleason took to his official Twitter account to taunt the Falcons:

Gleason has been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) since 2011, a neurodegenerative disease that has confined him to a wheelchair and taken away his ability to speak. He now relies on cutting-edge software to type on an electric keyboard with his eyes, using a text-to-speech program  to communicate.

But he and his family haven’t let that condition prevent him from living his life to the fullest. The Gleasons continue to travel often, and they welcomed their second child to their family last year. He remains a common sight on the sidelines at Saints games and is actively involved in his Team Gleason Foundation.

So here’s to Steve Gleason, one of the greatest alumni of Saints coach Sean Payton’s management of the team. Despite all the adversity he’s experienced, he still has his sense of humor, and is eager to use it to dunk on the Falcons.

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