Mississippi's first NFL exhibition game in a decade will feature two stars with significant ties to the state.
Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will play Deuce McAllister and the New Orleans Saints in Jackson on Aug. 26.
The Colts quarterback's father, Archie Manning, grew up in tiny Drew, Miss., and starred at the University of Mississippi before becoming the most famous player in Saints history. Peyton's younger brother, Eli, was a Heisman Trophy finalist at Ole Miss in 2003.
It's Peyton vs. Deuce in Mississippi NFL battle
METAIRIE, Louisiana (Ticker) - The New Orleans Saints continue to reach out to NFL fans across Louisiana.
Saints return to Louisiana for preseason game (SportsTicker)
The Saints may have surprised some people by deciding to not wait until the draft to address their quarterback situation. The signing of Drew Brees to a six-year, $60 million deal gives Sean Payton a proven veteran to build his offense around - if Brees' rehabilitation from shoulder surgery continues at its current pace. With Brees in the fold, the Saints gained a lot of flexibility for the April 29-30 draft.
New Orleans Saints Strategy and Personnel
--While the makeover of the Saints' roster continued late last week with the release of guard Kendyl Jacox and the signing of three free agents - running back Michael Bennett, linebacker Anthony Simmons and safety Omar Stoutmire - the team brought back two familiar faces this week. The Saints re-signed defensive tackle Willie Whitehead, who has been with the team since 1999, to a three-year contract and strongside linebacker James Allen to a one-year deal.
New Orleans Saints Notes, Quotes
It's hard to discern truth from rumors with NFL Draft Day quickly approaching. And with New Orleans and the debate over Vince Young throwing monkey wrenches around, the look of the first round's getting rather jumbled. Check out our latest Mock Draft to sort it all out.
Mock Draft 5.0: Saints, Vince jumbling board
Little insight came out of the first team meeting presided over by Saints coach Sean Payton on March 20 when players reported to begin their off-season strength and conditioning workouts. Then again, you didn't have to be a fly on the wall to know that things are going to be different under their rookie head coach. Payton was tight-lipped the next day about what he told his team, but running back Deuce McAllister gave a brief synopsis about what they can expect.
New Orleans Saints Inside Slant
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They currently belong to the Southern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL).
Founded in 1967, the Saints have struggled throughout their history. Their early years were especially bleak; they went more than a decade before they managed to finish a season with a .500 record and two decades before having a winning season. Their greatest years of success were from 1987-1992, when they made the playoffs four times. The team experienced a brief renaissance in 2000, defeating the St. Louis Rams in dramatic fashion for the team's only playoff win.
Due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the New Orleans area, the Saints' 2005 home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas and Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All of the team's 2006 regular season home games are scheduled to be played in the Superdome, with the first game at the Superdome on September 24 of that year. It is undetermined where the Saints will play in 2007 and beyond.
Currently, the Saints are one of three teams, along with Jacksonville and Houston never to have played in either a Super Bowl or any other NFL Championship Game. They are the oldest franchise with that dubious distinction.