archie manning

Ok, Brees, you're on the bench. (That, plus you have a bye week.)

Four interceptions, a fumble and zero TD passes. Not what I was expecting out of the Saints QB in their first home game of the season.

Boy, do the Saints look bad. Reminiscent of the 'Aints for all those years. I saw Archie Manning was there, and he probably felt like it was back to the bad old days. But at least Manning was a good QB. Right now I can't say that about Brees.

Is there another starting QB in the NFL worse than Brees so far this year? Alex Smith? Matt Leinart? Rex Grossman? Possibly...but the Saints are 0-3, and that is the ultimate measure of a QB's success (although in fantasy football we don't care about wins and losses quite so much).

And then there's Steven Jackson. He finally puts together a decent game 115 rushing yards on 30 carries, but no TDs) then gets hurt and is out for a week (at least). It's a partial tear of his groin muscle. OK, well, I've never had a partial tear of my groin muscle, but my guess is that's more than a one-week recovery time.

Deuce McAllister. See ya next year. Looks like Deuce is out for the year with an ACL tear. That means all those Reggie Bush owners should be happy, although after watching last night's debacle, I wouldn't be so sure. Yes, Bush scored twice, but both were 1-yard runs, not the razzle-dazzle type that we are used to seeing from him. Without those two scores, Bush's game was nothing to write home about.

And Jake Delhomme will miss at least one week with an elbow injury. David Carr is his backup. Can Carr find some success in a new uniform? Or is he Joey Harrington part two?

Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning was on ESPN tonight during the Saints-Titans Monday Night Football game, giving a sideline interview about his home town of New Orleans.

Manning, of course, is the father of Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, and after Archie was done talking to Suzy Kolber, Mike Tirico said this:


"Archie getting to watch both Peyton and Eli having good seasons. Eli's stats are very similar to Peyton Manning's."


I like Tirico, but that's ridiculous. Just look at the NFL's passing stats. Peyton is averaging 40 more yards a game than Eli, has a higher completion percentage, higher yards per pass average and higher passer rating. Eli has four interceptions, Peyton one. Their stats aren't close. Peyton is much better.

And that's fine -- over the course of his career, Peyton Manning's stats dwarf those of all of his contemporaries. It's not Eli's fault that he's always compared to his incomparable older brother. But it is Tirico's fault that he would make such a crazy statement. He should know better.
Last year, the New Orleans Saints' home opener could have been a Disney movie.

In their first appearance in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina, the Saints made magic happen when they beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-3―the most memorable game in the team's history.

This year's home debut, though, was one the Saints would like to forget.

On Monday night, the 0-2 Saints desperately needed a win over the Tennessee Titans―both for themselves and for their fans.

It didn't happen.

As it stands, the Saints' stumbling start is almost evocative of Archie Manning and the New Orleans "Aints."

During Manning's 10-year tenure as the Saints quarterback, the team never managed a winning season, much less a playoff berth. While Drew Brees accomplished both of those goals in 2006, can he do it again this year?

Another 10-6 record seems unlikely, but the Saints could still get to the playoffs. Remember, they play in the NFC, where even 8-8 teams have a shot at the Wild Card.

What the Saints and coach Sean Payton need to do now is utilize Reggie Bush more. With Deuce McAllister likely out for the season with a torn ACL, it's up to Bush to take the pressure off of a struggling Brees, who threw four interceptions against the Titans on Monday.

This will be no simple task. Although Bush is a quick back, he still hasn't fully transitioned from college to pro football―he has a tendency to run laterally rather than vertically.

That said, any movement by the Heisman winner will greatly help his shaken QB, who needs to get his act together to reinstill a sense of pride in post-Katrina New Orleans.