The New Orleans Saints have announced that they’ve acquired linebacker Barrett Ruud in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks.
“New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday that the club has acquired veteran linebacker Barrett Ruud from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a future undisclosed draft pick,” the Saints announced on their website.
The Saints have acquired LB Barrett Ruud from Seattle for an undisclosed draft pick, the Saints said Monday night.
Ruud, 29, has made 77 career starts. He signed with Seattle in April after starting nine games for Tennessee at middle linebacker in 2011.
Saints LBs Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne are each dealing with injuries, and Jonathan Vilma, the Saints’ starter in the middle a season ago, is facing a season-long suspension in connection with the NFL’s investigation into New Orleans’ alleged bounty program.
Larry Holder, the Saints’ beat reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, said that a league source told him the Saints signed free-agent WR Greg Camarillo on Sunday.
According to Holder, the team also placed LB Chris Chamberlain, who suffered a torn ACL in Friday night’s 27-24 loss to the Jaguars in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and OL Fenuki Tupou, who suffered a torn triceps muscle last week, on injured reserve.
Camarillo adds depth to a WR corps that has been hit by injuries, with Adrian Arrington (knee), Nick Toon (foot) and Andy Tanner (ankle) all sidelined.
A Saints LB corps already facing a season without the suspended Jonathan Vilma has suffered a further blow with the loss of backup LB Chris Chamberlain. Chamberlain suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in the second quarter of Friday night’s exhibition game against the Jaguars.
Chamberlain’s injury occurred in the second quarter on the first play following a Saints turnover. He signed with the Saints this offseason after four years in St. Louis, including three with Steve Spagnuolo, now the Saints’ defensive coordinator. Chamberlain was a full-time starter for the Rams in 2011, in addition to being a quality special-teamer in his time in St. Louis.
In the opening few weeks of training camp, Chamberlain had been working as a backup weakside and middle linebacker and was involved in several of the Saints’ special-teams units.
A Saints LB corps already facing a season without the suspended Jonathan Vilma has suffered a further blow with the loss of backup LB Chris Chamberlain. Chamberlain suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in the second quarter of Friday night’s exhibition game against the Jaguars.
Chamberlain’s injury occurred in the second quarter on the first play following a Saints turnover. He signed with the Saints this offseason after four years in St. Louis, including three with Steve Spagnuolo, now the Saints’ defensive coordinator. Chamberlain was a full-time starter for the Rams in 2011, in addition to being a quality special-teamer in his time in St. Louis.
In the opening few weeks of training camp, Chamberlain had been working as a backup weakside and middle linebacker and was involved in several of the Saints’ special-teams units.
By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The NFL Players Association filed documents in federal court disputing Commissioner Roger Goodell's sworn statement that he was prepared to discipline players for their involvement in the Saints bounty pool back in March but waited until May as a courtesy to the union.
Attorneys for four players suspended in the bounty investigation have argued the punishment handed down by Goodell should be overturned, in part because the commissioner’s public statements last spring showed he had improperly pre-judged the players’ actions.
The documents filed Friday include sworn declarations by sanctioned LB Scott Fujita and union chief DeMaurice Smith. Fujita reiterated comments he made in an interview with The Associated Press in June in which he described a phone conversation he had with Goodell in March.
“During our phone conversation on or about March 20, Mr. Goodell told me that he would be coming down hard with punishments on Saints coaches, but that with respect to Saints players, he was not quite sure what he had on them, and that player punishments would therefore take some time,” Fujita’s declaration said.
U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan had asked for the league and union to file evidence this week related to the NFL’s contention that Goodell delayed ruling on the players only because he was asked to do so by the union while it conducted its own bounty probe.
In a declaration filed Thursday, Goodell stated he agreed in a phone conversation with Smith “to address discipline of the club and non-player employees and then to afford the NFLPA a reasonable opportunity to conduct its own investigation and express its views before I imposed discipline on the players.”
Smith, however, stated in his Friday declaration that while a phone conversation with the commissioner took place, he and Goodell never reached the agreement the commissioner described.
The NFLPA also noted in its filing that as late as April 24, Goodell was quoted in media reports saying he and league investigators “have been continuing our work” investigating player conduct, and “I hope to reach those decisions very soon.”
Goodell disciplined the Saints, coaches and general manager Mickey Loomis on March 21. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire season, while Loomis was docked half a season and assistant head coach Joe Vitt six games. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely for running the bounty program, which the NFL said paid defensive players improper cash bonuses for hits that injured opponents from 2009 through 2011.
During the following weeks leading up to May 2, Goodell made public comments describing player involvement in the Saints bounty pool, including statements that Saints LB Jonathan Vilma had offered $10,000 bounties on QBs Kurt Warner and Brett Favre during the 2009-10 playoffs.
NFL attorneys have argued that Goodell was performing his duty to keep the public informed on what league investigators had uncovered — information he had used to make his judgment in the matter as the league's labor agreement allows.
Goodell later suspended Vilma for the entire season, and he is currently barred from Saints headquarters, where he was hoping to rehabilitate from offseason knee surgery.
Saints DE Will Smith has been suspended for the first four regular-season games and is currently participating in the preseason.
Two former Saints who are still active also were suspended: Green Bay DE Anthony Hargrove was penalized eight games and Fujita, now with Cleveland, got three games.
Vilma has asked Berrigan to grant a temporary restraining order that would allow him to return to the Saints while his case proceeds, and the judge has said she would be inclined to rule in his favor because she found the NFL’s disciplinary process in the bounty matter unfair and the punishment excessive. However, she has held off while trying to determine if she has jurisdiction to intervene in the NFL’s collectively bargained disciplinary process and has urged all sides to try to settle out of court.
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New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham told the media that he’s not even thinking about getting the type of long-term contract that Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski cashed in during this past offseason.
“I’m already breaking the bank I think,” Graham told the media on Thursday, via comments transcribed and distributed by the team. “I don’t even think about those aspects of it right now. We have such a big season and we have so many hurdles to get over until that really comes in the picture. I know if I handle and I take care of the things I need to on the field that this organization will take care of me.”
Graham has the right attitude, he’ll certainly get the money he deserves in due time.
There’s some serious concern about the status of TE Jason Witten for the season opener vs the Giants, as he has a nasty lacerated spleen. – Dallas Morning News
The procedure performed Tuesday to alleviate swelling and soreness in the left knee of Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was not the first this offseason. – Bears Gab
Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. said the coaching staff is looking for better ball security from third-year running back Chris Ivory. – The Times-Picayune
Terrell Owens is expected to play for the Seahawks on Saturday in Denver, his debut for the team. “I’m not going to tell you how many plays it will be,” coach Pete Carroll said. – Seattle Times
During the New Orleans Saints practice on Wednesday, a plane flew over that was pulling a banner that read “FREE PAYTON.”
Saints quarterback Drew Brees got a kick out of the banner.
“It’s creative,” Brees said, via The Associated Press, via NFL.com. “I want to know who did it.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if Sean Payton himself ordered up the banner.
AP Photo
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees admits that he would be worried if the regular officials aren’t back in time for the regular season.
“I would be concerned if it went into the regular season, certainly,” Brees said.
Brees believes the familiarity with the regular officials is very important.
“It’s the level of experience that obviously the officials have,” Brees said. “They’ve become so recognizable. We have our officials’ reports throughout the week. We know these crews, and in a lot of cases these crews have officiated our games many, many times. So I think you know and respect and trust their level of expertise and the type of game they are going to call.
AP Photo
“It’s just like on a team if we say we are going to put five rookies in front of you and a bunch of first-year players catching the ball and running the football around you. You just don’t have that same level of trust and confidence.”
Brees was asked if the replacement officials could end up costing them a game this season.
“There is always that possibility,” he said. “But we are going to worry about the things that we can control. And that’s playing football and trying not to give them a reason to make it close.”
The NFL needs to put their greed aside and take care of their officials.
By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — At first glance, running back Travaris Cadet would seem like a long shot to make a New Orleans roster that already includes Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram, and Chris Ivory.
The undrafted rookie does have his versatility in his favor, though.
While he has yet to do much in the running game in two preseason contests, his 14 catches lead the team and his 109 yards receiving, highlighted by a 24-yard gain against Arizona in the Hall of Fame game, ranks third on the team.
Cadet scored a touchdown on a four-yard reception against the Cardinals. He also has returned both punts and kickoffs, and hopes he can continue to carve out a niche as a utility player when the Saints (No. 9 in the AP Pro32) play their first home game of the preseason against Jacksonville on Friday night.
“You can bring one guy in to catch kickoffs. You can bring one guy in to catch punts. You can bring one guy in to be a running back and you can bring one guy in to be a receiver. I feel like I have all those talents and that I can do all of those things at once,” Cadet said. “I really think it gives me a chance to make this football team.”
Cadet played two seasons at Appalachian State after a stint at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College.
At Pearl River, he played seemingly every skill position on offense including quarterback. At Appalachian State, he was a running back in some formations and a slot receiver in others.
Although he is not quite built the same as Sproles, his skill set is similar to the all-purpose back.
“He’s a great fit for this offense,” Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt said of Cadet after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s a guy that can line up on the outside lanes, create mismatches against the linebacker, and potentially create mismatches against the safety. I know we saw some of his receiving skills coming out of the backfield. You couple that with the fact that he can be a factor in the return game and he’s an interesting prospect.”
Quarterback Drew Brees said Cadet seemed to get comfortable in the Saints’ complex offense rather quickly.
“It never feels like it’s too much for him, he is always in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing and you can count on him,” Brees said. “That’s really what you want out of that position.”
Brees and Thomas have taken an interest in Cadet, and he could not ask for much better mentors. Brees can tutor him on the offense, while Thomas can share his experience of making the Saints’ roster as an undrafted rookie in 2007.
With the potential he has shown, Cadet could be a strong candidate for the practice squad if there’s no room for him on the active roster, but he’s aiming a little higher than that right now.
“I shoot for the stars,” Cadet said. “I will just go out there and continue to work, not complaining, because you know I never complain about anything in life. I just take advantage of every opportunity that has been given to me. If I’m put on the practice squad, maybe I’m doing something I’m not supposed to be doing right at the time. But right now, I’m just trying to take it a day at a time and at the end of the day hopefully I’ll be on the active roster.”
In any event, Cadet’s emergence early in preseason has been a pleasant surprise, even for a coaching staff and scouting department that has had success mining NFL talent from the ranks of the undrafted.
“It surprised all of us a little bit or else he would’ve been a drafted player,” Vitt said. “This is a kid who’s really taken full advantage of the opportunity he has right now. He’s shown us his versatility. He really is grasping the offense. You don’t see the kid making a lot of mental mistakes. He gets lined up and plays at a high level. I guess he really can create some mismatches.”
©2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
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The waters were treacherous for the Saints over the past several months, and another ripple with at least a bit of boat-rocking potential will soon form around the club.
New Orleans is about to have its third different head coach in a little more than four months.
From all accounts, the decision to make Joe Vitt interim head coach has worked well for the Saints thus far. Players like and respect Vitt. He is suspended head coach Sean Payton’s right-hand man and has conducted camp in a way that would garner Payton’s approval.
The transition from Payton to Vitt was a smooth one, but Vitt will leave the team in less than four weeks when he begins a six-game suspension for his involvement in the Saints’ “bounty” program.
Will the next big transition for the team be just as seamless as the last one?
Owner Tom Benson and GM Mickey Loomis have had more than enough time to consider their options for an interim interim head coach in Vitt's stead. Loomis, who will begin serving an eight-game suspension of his own at the start of the regular season, said in April that the right choice would “reveal itself” to him and Benson over the course of the offseason and training camp.
They have not dropped hints, though, about the coach they might choose or whether they already have made a choice. Benson and Loomis are in no rush to reveal the one who captured their confidence. If a decision has been made — and there is speculation Benson and Loomis have had a pretty good idea of who their choice will be for some time — no one has let it leak out.
It seems unfair to give Vitt’s replacement so little time to prepare for such a demanding job, which makes it seem even more likely that there has been some sort of preparation going on behind the scenes. In this unique situation, Benson and Loomis could surprise us with their announcement, whenever they choose to make it, but they are not going to spring something so important on an unsuspecting and under-prepared candidate, right?
Why not give the choice to fill in for Vitt at least one preseason game to man the controls for a taste of what is ahead of him?
Fortunately for the Saints, their depth chart of assistants with the chops to be an NFL head coach is well stocked.
The candidates that always have seemed like the front-runners are offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and offensive-line coach Aaron Kromer.
Kromer made sense as the choice before the Saints picked Vitt to step in for Payton because Kromer was not facing a suspension and it would be less disruptive to the coaching staff to have a non-coordinator — like Vitt, the linebackers coach — take on the head-coaching duties. Kromer still seems like a fine, and perhaps the best, choice for the job.
Like their bosses, players have mostly stayed mum on the topic, too, but starting ORT Zach Strief gave Kromer a vote of confidence when he recently was asked about the issue.
“I know playing for (Kromer), it’s obviously going to be a guy that's going to be a head coach one day,” Strief said, per a NOLA.com report. “I think he has that personality and he has that type of knowledge. I think he has the respect of guys. … I think he’d do a good job.”
It’s conceivable that Carmichael or Spagnuolo, or a lower-ranking assistant, would do a good job, as well, but overseeing the transition to a new defensive system, as Spagnuolo is doing in his first year on the job, is plenty of work for one person. The same goes for Carmichael, who will be calling plays on offense. He handled those duties for much of last season, but Payton isn’t there to bounce ideas off of — or overrule him — this time.
If the Saints want to choose the path of least disruption, Kromer still seems like the most logical choice.
After missing two weeks of training camp and being gone for a week for personal reasons, Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. – Bears Gab
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt dismissed a report by ESPN that John Skelton is the favorite in the race for the starting quarterback job over Kevin Kolb. – Arizona Republic
The bag could not have been more fixed for the Atlanta Falcons rookie draft picks making their NFL debut(s) last Thursday. One draftee led the team in tackles. Another was lost for the season with an ACL injury. – Falcons Gab
The New York Giants revealed today veteran defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is being treated for a blood clot in his leg. – Newark Star-Ledger
Saints owner Tom Benson spent Tuesday morning discussing his team’s embattled offseason with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a meeting. – ESPN
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints owner Tom Benson has met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York to discuss matters concerning both the team and the league.
While the NFL and the Saints are providing very few details, Saints spokesman Greg Bensel says the meeting was productive and that Benson looks forward to many more discussions with the commissioner.
The meeting comes amid the backdrop of lawsuits filed by current and former Saints players who’ve challenged the findings of the NFL’s bounty investigation. Benson also has hired the firm of former FBI director Louis Freeh to investigate the accuracy of the league’s bounty probe.
Goodell has used the NFL’s findings as the basis for season-long suspensions of Saints head coach Sean Payton and defensive captain Jonathan Vilma.
©2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
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According to the Associated Press, New Orleans Saints head coach Joe Vitt said that running back Darren Sproles will miss this week’s game against the Jaguars because of a sore knee.
“New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt says running back Darren Sproles will not play in the next preseason game against Jacksonville on Friday night because of knee soreness,” the AP reported.
Louisiana State police said Monday that they have found no evidence to back up allegations that the Saints rigged wiring at the Superdome to eavesdrop on opposing coaches.
“This has been an intensive investigation, and after numerous interviews we have determined that there is no evidence that state laws have been violated,” State Police Col. Mike Edmonson said.
The state police have been working with the FBI to investigate the accusations since an April ESPN story first reported that sources alleged GM Mickey Loomis had a device in his Superdome suite that enabled him to listen to opposing coaching staffs during 2002, ’03 and ’04 seasons.
Loomis has emphatically denied the accusations made in the report and the Saints have hired former FBI director Louis Freeh to do their own investigation.
While the Saints wait to hear whether suspended MLB Jonathan Vilma will be allowed to suit up for them this season, we hear the team could not be more pleased with Curtis Lofton.
Lofton has stepped in to fill the void created by Vilma’s absence at middle linebacker and has some added motivation to exceed expectations after the Falcons didn’t re-sign him this offseason. Lofton — who signed a five-year deal with New Orleans in March — is in great shape and has been playing like a house on fire, according to the description from one training-camp observer.
Although Lofton’s hardworking and understated approach has been well received in New Orleans, Vilma is still very much on the minds of the Saints.
Saints players and coaches have voiced their support for Vilma, still considered their defensive captain, as he battles the NFL in the courtroom over a season-long suspension for his alleged role in the team’s “bounty” program.
“(Vilma is) the heart and soul of our defense” Saints FS Malcolm Jenkins said earlier this week. “The sooner he can get back, the more of an impact he can make. I think obviously right now, he’s missing time as far as getting the install and the playbook (but) Jonathan Vilma’s still a great player. He’s proven that year in and year out with his performance.
“We’re definitely excited about the thought of having him back.”
Jenkins made those comments when reports were circulating that the NFL had offered to reduce Vilma’s suspension to eight games if he agreed to drop a civil lawsuit against commissioner Roger Goodell. The NFL denied such an offer was made, and legal proceedings to determine Vilma’s fate are still playing out.
Lofton is not going to earn the same level of trust from the Saints that Vilma has in one offseason, but he was a well-respected player upon joining the team and the club seems to be growing more encouraged by Lofton each week.
When he signed him this spring, Saints GM Mickey Loomis praised Lofton for his versatility and ability to play any of the three linebacker positions, even though Lofton always had been a middle linebacker during his four seasons with the Falcons.
It appears more and more likely that if Vilma does return to the field this season, he will be the one feeling displaced.
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Saints LB Jonathan Vilma and the NFL’s legal team returned to federal court in New Orleans on Friday, but U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan did not rule on the league’s motion to dismiss Vilma’s lawsuit.
Vilma seeks to have the court overturn his yearlong suspension for his role in the Saints’ bounty program. He also has requested a temporary restraining order against the league so he can return to work as his lawsuits move forward. Vilma has also filed a defamation lawsuit against commissioner Roger Goodell.
According to reports, Berrigan said that she would be in favor of ruling for Vilma if she is able to do so legally. On Aug. 30, Vilma has an appeal before arbitrator Stephen Burbank, and Berrigan was not sure if she would rule by then.
Berrigan urged the two sides to work toward a settlement. ESPN reported last week that the league offered to reduce Vilma’s suspension to eight games on the condition that he drop his lawsuits.
The NFLPA argues that Goodell does not have the jurisdiction to be the arbitrator and that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement does not allow suspensions as punishments for pay-for-performance pools, as no Saints player has admitted publicly or under oath that a pay-to-injure program took place.
The league maintains that federal courts do not have jurisdiction to interfere in a process that was collectively bargained.
Saints LB Jonathan Vilma and the NFL’s legal team returned to federal court in New Orleans on Friday, but U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan did not rule on the league’s motion to dismiss Vilma’s lawsuit.
Vilma seeks to have the court overturn his yearlong suspension for his role in the Saints’ bounty program. He also has requested a temporary restraining order against the league so he can return to work as his lawsuits move forward. Vilma has also filed a defamation lawsuit against commissioner Roger Goodell.
According to reports, Berrigan said that she would be in favor of ruling for Vilma if she is able to do so legally. On Aug. 30, Vilma has an appeal before arbitrator Stephen Burbank, and Berrigan was not sure if she would rule by then.
Berrigan urged the two sides to work toward a settlement. ESPN reported last week that the league offered to reduce Vilma’s suspension to eight games on the condition that he drop his lawsuits.
The NFLPA argues that Goodell does not have the jurisdiction to be the arbitrator and that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement does not allow suspensions as punishments for pay-for-performance pools, as no Saints player has admitted publicly or under oath that a pay-to-injure program took place.
The league maintains that federal courts do not have jurisdiction to interfere in a process that was collectively bargained.
