Good afternoon SFL!!!

After a brief break from column writing, your boy Craven is back to bring you some entertaining and informative journalism as the SFL cycle is winding down into it's last few seasons. Today I want to take a look at the spuddering Saints, who have been steady in the middle of the pack but have not been able to peak the mountain that is the NFCS. Three seasons in the books and no playoff appearance for the Saints. What does season 4 in the NFC South have in store for the Saints? Let's take a look...

The Saints added QB - Tyrod Taylor to be the lead signal caller this year after Blake Bortles struggled to progress. Missing intermediate throws and having a less than 30% completion rating on deep throws isn't going far in job security in the SFL. Taylor adds a new dynamic with his ability to escape the pocket and has proven to be quite accurate on short to intermediate throws. He was also able to complete 2 for 2 on deep throws in his debut with the Saints. Look for T-Mobile to climb the ladder of SFL passers and once again put the Saints' lead signal caller back on top of the passing charts.

The Saints added some help on the DL with Trey Cravens (no relation unfortunately). This guy is a monster on the field at 6'7 - 327 lbs. I watched him dominate the LOS in their pre-season opener against the Vikings of Minnesota. Cam Jordan, Trey and the rest of the Saints' DL will have their hands full trying to contain some explosive running backs and Cam Newton who emerged late last year as a true threat.

The other note-worthy addition to the Saints roster, Michael Kriss - slot WR, will also be expected to contribute early and often. When you look across the landscape of NFCS secondaries, it can be likened to that of Vietnam in '56. A jungle loaded with killers. The Falcons don't have less than a 90 rated player in their secondary, so finding holes in their Cover 2/Cover 3 will be few and far between. Michael Kriss made a splash in his first game against a decent Vikings' secondary, raking in over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. His speed and sure hands will hopefully make a name for this young WR in the NFC.

Overall, the NFCS has 3 playoff teams entering this fourth season. The Saints aren't here for a participation trophy and with a league leading 14 defensive touchdowns last year, they look to build on a sturdy foundation. I may be a bit of a homer, but I do not see the Saints being held out of the playoffs for a fourth year in a row.

Watch out NFCS, the Saints are out for blood this year!! Watch out for my Pre-Season recap in a few days. Once again, signing off from the bayou...

~Craven Moorehead

It's time for the only rankings that matter... The all-new K-RATINGS separate the contenders from the pretenders. Take a look and see how you match up against the rest of the league. Do you have ice in your veins, or are you a victim in this league of killers?! These rankings will be updated again week 12 and once more prior to the play-offs.

~Craven Moorehead

#StatsDontLie

So, the New Orleans Saints lost again. And okay, they lost to a wildcard AFC team and dropped to 1-2 on the season. This article is to discuss the highlights that Saints' fans can use to get pumped moving forward.

The Saints' offense has been known to be quite potent under coach Norris' reign, but it looks as though they may have taken the next step. Through three games (at the time of writing this article), Blake Bortles is the number 2 passer in the league and Mark Ingram is the number 4 rusher in the league. The Saints have the 6th ranked scoring offense, 1st in overall offense, 2nd in passing ypg and 5th in rushing ypg!! If the Saints can remain this balanced, their offense should pose a grave threat to opposing defenses.

On the defensive side of the ball, things are not as bright...Save for a couple players making a splash across the league. Deone Bucannon and Cameron Jordan!! Cam Jordan is currently leading the league with 10 sacks through 3 games! Bucannon has attributed 5 sacks as well through as many games. Both these star defenders are tied for fifth in total tackles this year.

With a divisional game against the Carolina Panthers on deck, look for the New Orleans Saints' Offense to continue piling on the stats. This looks like it will be a shoot-out in the Super Dome. I'll see you guys next week with my post game comments and some interviews with several Saints' players and coaches!! Stay chill SFL.

~Craven Moorehead

The wait is over, the time has come... On Sunday night in Minneapolis, MN, the New Orleans Saints debuted the highly anticipated "Gold Rush" defense. The return of Delvin Breaux and Nick Fairley, paired with newcomers Gerald Hodges Jr., Deone Bucannon, Logan Ryan and Bradley McDougald culminated in everything the fans of New Orleans have been imagining for the past 8 months or so.

The Saints held the Vikings to just 3 points with "Gold Rush" on the field, allowing them to get into field goal range after a 3rd down, roughing the passer call. Delvin Breaux shut down Vikings' standout WR Stefon Diggs on multiple deep pass attempts. While we only got a brief glimpse of the starters, the second and third strings held their own as well.

The Vikings got into scoring position only ONE more time all game, late in the fourth. They attempted to convert the 4th down as a field goal would have left it a two score game with time dwindling. There were not many standout stats coming from the game. The Saints picked the Vikings off 3 times and turned the ball over ZERO times theirselves. Kamara scored the games' only touchdown on a sweep from 23 yards out midway through the second quarter.

In conclusion, the Saints defense ranks 1st in points allowed, 3rd in yards allowed and 2nd in passing defense after the first week of pre-season. We will try not to get too hyped over a pre-season game, but don't say we didn't tell you so if you miss the bandwagon!!! I'll be back after the Saints finish the pre-season schedule up to give a pre-season round-up and a regular season preview. Stay balla NOLA!!

~Craven Moorehead

To call the 2017-18 New Orleans Saints season a disappointment, would do no justice to the atrocity that it was. I mean, the third-worst defensive team in the SFL giving up over 400 yards per game and almost 40 points per game? These guys built a stairwell to the Pro-Bowl for their opponents. Speaking of Pro-Bowl, not a single member of the New Orleans Saints was elected All-Pro. The offense piled up passing yards and touchdowns through the air, almost nitching an unbelievable four receivers with over 1,000 yards! That was the only bright spot though as the offense had the second worst rushing attack and lead the league in interceptions thrown.

BURN THE GAME FILM

For the meat of the article!!

Word coming from the front offices in New Orleans are echoing an interest to move some pivotal pieces to help bolster the defense. Drew Brees was reported to be clocking out as the captain of the Saints, but we have yet to see official documentation that he is on the way out the door. Perhaps the biggest news to come from front offices is an interest to move Michael Thomas, the young up-and-comer who led the team in receiving yards this past year. Other players have been listed as being shopped around such as; PJ Williams, Sheldon Rankins and Cameron Jordan.

THE FUTURE...

The Saints' team picture could look a lot different next year, but there will be a lot of familiar faces returning that could cause the NFC South some heartache and lost sleep. Delvin Breaux will be back anchoring the cornerback position, as well as Nick Fairley returning to bolster the DL. Coby Fleener fell just 80 yards short of hitting the 1,000 yard mark while missing the last 5 games of the year with an injury.

THE DRAFT...

Look for the Saints to focus on defense this upcoming draft. The Saints have reported to have spent a lot of time and resources closely monitoring a deep linebacking and secondary class this year. They could potentially be looking for someone to take the reigns of the offense and replace an aging Drew Brees. The Saints still have Ingram and Kamara in the backfield and do not seem to be interested in a deep wide-receiver class. New Orleans Saints WR coach had this to say, "It's no secret we could potentially be losing Michael Thomas next year. This kid is going to do great things in the league and I guarantee you there is NO ONE that works harder than he does. Mike was our anchor at wideout, but we have a lot of young receivers that I believe are ready to play."

That's all we have for today folks... With free-agency and the draft rapidly approaching, look for moves to be made in New Orleans. I'll be back post draft to give you my take on the winners and losers of the draft, and give you my week-by-week prediction for next year!!

~Craven Moorehead

The New Orleans Saints entered Sunday's game with a less than stellar record. Their opponents, the Green Bay Packers come in with an equally atrocious record. The Saints found their stride on offense as Brees completed 60 percent of his passes for 481 yards and 4 touchdowns. Almost half of those yards (231 to be exact), went to a rejuvenated Ted Ginn Jr. The former Ohio State Buckeye turned two short tosses into blazing, highlight-reel worthy TD scampers. Despite the milseading 39 points the Packers put on the scoreboard, New Orleans' defense stepped up again, only allowing 18 points. The other 21 points came from TWO kick-off returns for TDs and a scoop and score off of a Ted Ginn Jr punt-return fumble. Will these be the explosive Saints offense we see moving through the middle of the season? We will see next Sunday when the Saints go toe-to-toe with the Chicago Bears.

~Craven Moorehead

I am pleased to present the first Weekly Odds for the SFL Week 5 Matchups. I am working on a layout at the moment, but I was anxious to get these out. Please let me know if you guys have any comments or thoughts moving forward. Picks are listed below, enjoy...

49ers (30) vs Indy (27) - San Francisco by 3***

Bills (27)  vs Cincy (30) - Bengals by 3

Cards (27) vs Eagles (36) - Philly by 9

LAC (31) vs Giants (27) - Chargers by 4

Chiefs (27) vs Texans (34) - Houston by 7

Jags (34) vs Steelers (26) - Jacksonville by 8***

Jets (23) vs Browns (32) - Cleveland by 9

Packers (18) vs Dallas (36) - Cowboys by 18

Carolina (33) vs Lions (20) - Panthers by 13

New England (30) vs Bucs (25) - Patriots by 5

Ravens (28) vs Raiders (27) - Baltimore by 1***

Seattle (31) vs LAR (18) - Seahawks by 13***

Titans (29) vs Dolphins (22) - Tennessee by 7

Vikings (35) vs Bears (23) - Minnesota by 12

*** Denotes possible inaccuracies as teams involved have not finished Week 3 at the time of posting this!

Below games are being dubbed, MUST-WATCH TWITCH/MIXER Match-ups!!!!

#3 - NINERS VS COLTS

#2 - BILLS VS BENGALS

NUMBER ONE MUST-SEE....... RAVENS VS THAAA RAIDAAAAS

Below games are the sick-pick LOCKS for the week.

#3 - VIKINGS OVER BEARS

#2 - PANTHERS OVER LIONS

NUMBER ONE LOCK!!! COWBOYS OVER THE PACK!!!

Hope everyone enjoyed. Feedback will be much appreciated. Keep your eyes peeled for our updated spreadsheet weekly!!!

~ Craven Moorehead

Happy Friday SFL fans.

The New Orleans Saints proved Sunday why they are not to be overlooked in the stacked NFC South. After putting forth lackluster performances in each of their first 3 weeks, the Saints cleaned house. They welcomed former Pittsburgh Steelers' QB coach, Randy Fitchner as their new offensive coordinator before last week's game against the Carolina Panthers. It added a much needed boost to the once highly explosive, but most recently irrelevant offense. Drew Brees' returned to his 300+ passing yards per game form and the Saints were able to once again stretch the field. This wasn't enough as their defense let them down. Unable to stop the Panthers on more than a couple occasions, it was clear a change was needed on Defense as well. 

So this past Sunday, the Saints unveiled Defensive Coordinator Bill Yoast out of Alexandria, VA. One could suffice to say it was successful. The New Orleans Saints not only got their first win of the season, they pitched the first shut out of the season in the SFL and held Miami to under 100 yards of total offense. Miami came into the game win-less as well, but had been managing over 18 points per game and moving the ball well with Ajayi as one of the premier backs in the NFL. Head Coach Norris said following the game, "I think we've got the right pieces in place now. I have to take the blame as Head Coach of this team for not being prepared. But I think we have made the proper adjustments and have identified our keys to winning on both sides of the ball. We aren't here for last place, or even second place. We are here to compete for a championship and we will take it one game at a time until we make it there." 

The Saints have a bye this week, so we will have to wait another week to see if this win was a fluke, or if the Saints have found their stride. I'll be monitoring other news around the league throughout this weekend, so stay tuned for all your SFL thirst. 

~ Craven Moorehead

@NOLovesMooreheadNews

After a long break, the New Orleans Saints are anxious to begin competing in the stacked NFC South again this year. Coach Norris feels his team was very productive in the draft, getting help on both sides of the ball. With the additions of both Adrian Peterson and Kamara, it will be interesting to see how the Saints utilize their variety of styles at the RB position. The pre-season didn't go so well, as a lot of the Saints' players didn't show much growth or seem to gameplan correctly each week. Coach Norris referred to an issue with league "settings", as the problem with the pre-season troubles. With the pre-season in the rearview, the Saints look to open their season against a revamped Minnesota offense and that tenacious defense. Stay tuned for all the inside scoop on the Saints' 2017 season. Good luck Saints!

~Craven Moorehead

.....Stay Tuned....

No team in the SFL has an "easy" path to the promise land. A team must be ready for battle on a weekly basis to survive in this jungle of predators. Coach Buttermaker II knew what he was getting into when he agreed to become the Saints Commander-in-Chief. The Saints have consistently improved year to year. After getting off to what would normally be considered a solid start, Coach Buttermaker and the Saints are none too pleased. At 4-2, the Saints already have the must-win mentality. In a loaded NFC conference this year, CB2 feels like, "Each week is a got-to-have-it situation for us. We are going to need at least 12 wins to make it to the post-season this year." This is no small task for the Saints either. With a remaining schedule composed of a combined 41-19 record, the Saints have their work cut out for them.

It all starts tonight with a Game 2 matchup with the division leading Falcons (6-0). With a combined score of 104 points in their first matchup up, the two leading receivers in the league are eyeing this as their chance to solidify the top WR spot in the league. Ben Mangum, rookie CB for the New Orleans Saints had this to say regarding the rematch, "Beasley had one thing going for him in the Week 1 Matchup. And that was, 'Who is this guy?' We didn't even try to cover him and it showed. If the Falcons are going to put up a fight, someone else gonna have to be throwing the punches, cuz this guy won't!" Strong words against a receiver that raked in over 300 yards against the outmatched New Orleans secondary. But with stud safety Kenny Vaccaro and up and coming star Ben "Magnum D" Mangum (pause), we should be in store for some exciting football.

-Craven Moorehead, NOLA Sports News