Saints Nation: Saints trounce Lions 45-27 behind Brees' 6 TD passes

Drew Brees tied a New Orleans Saints record throwing for 6 touchdown passes in the Saints 45-27 win over the Detroit Lions. The record was previously owned by Billy Kilmer for his 6 TD pass performance in 1969. The win runs the Saints record to 1-0, and puts them atop the NFC South standing. The Falcons also won, 19-7 over the Dolphins, but the Saints are currently ahead of them based on getting a conference win. The Panthers lost badly to the Eagles, and the Buccaneers were beaten by the Cowboys behind a very solid Tony Romo performance. Check back tomorrow for my grades on each player. You can check out the box score HERE. The Saints will travel to Philadelphia next week to take on the Eagles. The Eagles, as previously mentioned, looked very impressive in their 38-10 blowout win over the Panthers. They forced 5 Jake Delhomme turnovers, but Donovan McNabb did leave late in the 4th quarter with what appears to be cracked ribs.

Saints Nation: Pregame vs. Lions

The regular season kicks off today for the Saints in their matchup against the Detroit Lions in the Louisiana Superdome. Game time is 12 noon Central, 1pm Eastern.

Out for the Saints: Jammal Brown (hip), Pierre Thomas (knee), Darnell Dinkins (ankle).

The Saints will host in week 1 the Lions who went 0-16 last year. Dating back to 2007 they've lost 17 consecutive regular season matchups. This is a gimme and must win for the Saints. Last year behind 532 yards of offense, the Saints beat Detroit 42-7. The Lions has since drafted Matt Stafford at quarterback, who will start ahead of Daunte Culpepper for the first game. As the 30th ranked offense in the NFL last year, this should be a good way for the Saints' new defense to start. On the defensive side, The Lions ranked dead last last year as well as points given up, so it's a terrific matchup for the Saints and their potent offense. The Saints really cannot afford to lose this one. The Lions figure to be slightly improved defensively with the offseason additions of veterans Philip Buchannon, Grady Jackson, Larry Foote, and Anthony Henry - but it should still be a weakness.

The Lions also have a few players Saints fans will be familiar with in former Saint Terrelle Smith, former LSU guard Stephen Peterman, and Daniel Bullocks, brother of former Saint Josh Bullocks.

Saints Nation's Prediction: Saints 27, Lions 17. I think this game will be closer than some people think. I think Calvin Johnson will make some plays, and I think the Lions will be in the game down a possession with the ball in the 4th quarter. Ultimately I think Stafford's inexperience will lead to a late turnover, but I expect the Saints to struggle a little bit early offensively before finding their rhythm and I expect their defense to give up a few plays.

Enjoy the game! I'll be in the Superdome and I'll be catching a flight directly afterward... so I'll do my best to update asap. Once I have a chance to review game tape I will post my grade for each starter on their performance.

Saints Nation: The season starts tomorrow, time to look out for Calvin Johnson

Take the Cardinals' run to the SuperBowl last year riding on the back of Larry Fitzgerald as evidence: a superstar receiver can carry a team with a mediocre defense and an anemic running game to unlikely wins. While the Saints enter tomorrow's game overwhelming favorites to start the year 1-0, the Lions can still be dangerous and should not be taken lightly. Calvin Johnson is quickly proving his worth, and given the Saints recent history of atrocious pass defense, the Saints may not have as easy of a time as some of us may think. The Saints ability to limit his production will go a very long way in securing a win. The 17 game losing streak the Lions own going into this game should be disregarded, because the roster overhaul that team witnessed in the offseason yielded a very different squad. Who knows what Matt Stafford will look like in his debut as a quarterback, but he was picked 1st overall for a reason. If the Saints want to win this game, slowing down Calvin Johnson and creating turnovers will be paramount.

Saints Nation: Pierre Thomas officially listed as "out"

Pierre Thomas is now officially listed as "out" for the Lions game Sunday. Expect Reggie Bush to get the lion share, no pun intended, of the carries. I think Mike Bell will get reps sprinkled in, but Reggie will get his chance to carry the load. Darnell Dinkins and Jammal Brown are also "out", whereas Usama Young has practice and will play. You can check out the entire injury report for the upcoming games this weekend HERE

Saints Nation: Jammal Brown out longer than expected?

In addition to suffering from a sports hernia, Jammal Brown is apparently suffering a hip condition. According to Times Picayune reporter Jeff Duncan's twitter account, Jammal Brown is now scheduled for surgery on his hip that will keep him out until "at least week 6". The Saints have a bye week in week 5, so the hope is that he could perhaps return after that. Tough break for the offensive line that will now need to rely on Jermon Bushrod for longer than expected at left tackle. Let's hope he's up to the task, but it's definitely a cause for concern. Having an inexperienced left tackle fill in for a pro bowler to cover our franchise's blind side for an extended period is scary. I just hope Bushrod is up to the task.

Saints Nation: NFL Season starts today!

Titans @ Steelers is on the menu tonight as the NFL season kicks off. Are you guys ready for NFL football? Enjoy the game and soak in the inauguration to what I hope will be a magical Saints run in 2009.

Saints news: Pierre Thomas did not practice today, making his status for the Lions game extremely doubtful. I'm starting to wonder if he may be out a few weeks with this lingering knee issue.

Lagniappe:

You can read a cool blog post from Saints fullback Heath Evans HERE
Rickey Jackson will appear at the Superdome's Hall of Fame Museum on gameday between 10am and 11:15am (link)
Sean Payton's Thursday press conference: HERE
An article on Jermon Bushrod's first start: HERE

Saints Nation: The Never Ending StarCaps Saga

Both Charles Grant and Will Smith (both pictured) will play Sunday against the Lions. Once again the looming 4 game suspension that undoubtedly awaits both of them is postponed. Eventually they'll most likely have to serve the said suspensions, and I'm frankly getting annoyed that they're still looking over their shoulder waiting for it to happen. First off, why didn't Charles Grant just revoke his appeal and serve the suspension while he was hurt last year? Both players play the same position, so staggering the suspensions would have been to the team's advantage, as it would have cushioned the blow of missing their star players. At this point the players seem resigned to the fact that fighting the NFL's decision is a lost cause. I just don't see the point in extending this any longer. The deeper into the season we get, the more we'll need these guys healthy and available. Right now we're looking at having both players out from week 2 through week 6 (week 5 is a bye). What if it ends up getting pushed back further? What if they end up serving the suspension in a must win division game? Get it over with and serve the suspension already, guys. If we can't beat the Lions without Charles Grant and Will Smith, we have other issues to worry about.