Bill Simmons over at Grantland picks the 49ers to win 22-20 on Saturday and advance to the NFC Championship Game. Here's his rationale:

The Saints played last week; the Niners are coming off a bye and have to be the healthiest playoff team in recent memory. The Saints struggle to score if they can't run the ball (as covered above); the Niners swallow up the run as well as anyone. These Saints want to avoid those ugly, hard-hitting, field goal-laden, "22-19"-type outdoor games in which their offense never totally gets going, their opponent shortens the game and special teams (and turnovers) play a giant factor; the Niners specialize in those ugly games, especially at home.

Of course, in typical Simmons fashion, he then goes on for nearly another 500 words to further elucidate why he is picking the Niners, only to wrap up with what amounts to saying, "Hey, this one's a coin toss."

Peter King over at Sports Illustrated isn't quite so optimistic about the 49ers, but he is considerably more concise. He picks the Saints to win, 23-20. Here's what he has to say:

I don't know why I'm hung up on the weather so much, and what it might do to the Saints' offense. I think it's because every time I've covered a January playoff game at Candlestick, it rains for 40 days and 40 nights prior to it, and the turf is a spongy mess. That, of course, would negate the impact of Darren Sproles and the only slightly less speedy Robert Meachem. But it's not going to be cruddy, and so I see the Saints being able to play the game they want to play. And Sproles remains the most dangerous non-quarterback still in the playoffs.

The experts over at ESPN are also split as to who will win the game, with four columnists picking the Niners and four picking the Saints. No further analysis is offered, but it is worth noting that the cold, emotionless robot that is known only as ACCUSCORE comes down on the side of New Orleans.

As previously noted, Kerry J. Byrne is the only contributor at Sports Illustrated that pegs the Niners to overcome the Saints, only to fall to the Green Bay Packers in the subsequent round of playoffs.

Meanwhile, over at CBS Sports, the Niners once again figure to be the underdogs in the minds of most analysts, as three contributors select the Saints to win, against only two in favor of the 49ers. Taking a look at the other selections at CBS Sports reinforces what seems to be the only true consensus: that this game will be the most unpredictable game of the week, perhaps of the entire 2012 playoffs.

Two things are for sure: Bay Area football fans everywhere will be glued to the game for its duration. And Niners fans probably don't put much stock, if any, into what the "experts" have to say. In just a few short hours, we'll all know the answer.

For all news and information regarding the San Francisco 49ers, please visit Niners Nation. For updates and perspective on the New Orleans Saints, head on over to Canal Street Chronicles.

49ers Vs. Saints, NFL Picks And Predictions: "Experts" Weigh In

NEW YORK — Calvin Johnson took one look at the voting and smiled broadly.

"That's sweet," he said, as he studied The Associated Press 2011 NFL All-Pro Team. "That's one of the best honors you can have other than being a Super Bowl champion. To be an All-Pro is a tremendous honor."

Johnson and Vikings defensive end Jared Allen were the leading vote getters, each just one vote shy of being a unanimous pick.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers made the team for the first time, easily beating Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, 47½ to 2½. Rodgers led Green Bay to a league-best 15-1 record this season, after taking the Packers to the Super Bowl title last February.

"I am a competitor," Rodgers said. "I care desperately about winning and doing everything I can to contribute. But personally, speaking for my own self, you learn exactly what you need to do to be able to balance the pressure from the outside with the pressure from within, that you put on yourself to be successful. Last year's run is really going to help all of us and our preparation through the week."

Johnson and Allen received 49 votes Friday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. It was the fourth All-Pro Team for Allen, who led the league with 22 sacks, one-half short of the record. Johnson made it for the first time after hauling in 96 catches for a 17.5-yard average and scoring 16 touchdowns.

"The All-Pro Team to me is one of the all-time accomplishments," said Allen, who also was selected in 2007 through 2009. "Pro Bowls are nice, but guys get voted in longer than they should and guys who deserve to go don't always get to. It's the whole league. It's not just an AFC and NFC thing. So to me this is the honor I hold the highest. It's something to put on the resume and tell the grandkids about."

One rookie made the squad: Arizona's Patrick Peterson was selected as the kick returner. Peterson tied an NFL mark when he ran back four punts for touchdowns, including a 99-yarder in overtime to beat the Rams.

"It's special to be the only rookie on the list and a nice way to end my first NFL season," said Peterson, a cornerback.

Another cornerback, Darrelle Revis of the Jets, was behind Johnson and Allen with 48 selections. Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs got 47.

One oddity: Both first-team guards, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, were from the Saints. That hasn't happened since 1953, with Detroit's Lou Creekmur and Dick Stanfel.

"That's a great honor and that's a long time since it happened," Nicks said. "I think this shows it's recognized that we are strong and physical and not just big guys. We are athletic enough to pass protect 45 to 50 times a game and keep Drew clean."

In the All-Pro backfield joining Rodgers, whose quarterback rating of 122.5 broke Peyton Manning's single-season mark, were Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia, and fullback Vonta Leach of Baltimore.

It's the first All-Pro selections for Jones-Drew, the league's rushing leader with 1,606 yards, and McCoy. Leach made it last year with Houston.

"It is a 'we' thing, not a 'me' thing," Jones-Drew said, praising his teammates on offense and his coaches. "The guys who don't get the glory and keep blocking all day, and the coaches who don't get enough credit, it's for them."

McCoy scored 20 touchdowns, 17 rushing, and was the brightest spot in a down year for the hyped Eagles. Yet …

"There are so many things I can do better," he said. "I look at the numbers and see so many plays I left on the field, so many yards. I can perfect my game a lot more."

Record-setter Rob Gronkowski was the tight end. The Patriot set the single-season mark at his position with 1,327 yards receiving. Teammate Wes Welker (league-high 122 catches) was the other receiver.

Pittsburgh's Maurkice Pouncey was the center, with Philadelphia's Jason Peters and Cleveland's Joe Thomas at tackle.

Joining Allen on the defensive line were ends Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants, and tackles Haloti Ngata of the Ravens and Justin Smith of the 49ers — who also placed third at DE; the 49ers used him at both spots.

"Actually, I knew that I was going to have a great year this year," said Pierre-Paul, in his second season with the Giants. "I came in and last year I had an all right season and I wanted to do better than what I did last year. Next season in 2012, I should be better than this year."

The linebackers were Suggs and DeMarcus Ware of Dallas on the outside, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman of the 49ers and Derrick Johnson of the Chiefs on the inside. Bowman and Johnson tied with 16 votes, half of Willis' total.

Revis and Charles Woodson of the Packers were the cornerbacks, with Troy Polamalu of the Steelers and Eric Weddle of the Chargers at safety.

Both kickers were 49ers: placekicker David Akers and punter Andy Lee.

Repeaters from 2010 were Polamalu, Revis, Willis, Ngata, Evans, Thomas and Leach.

In addition to Johnson, Jones-Drew, McCoy and Peterson, other first-timers were Gronkowski, Nicks, Peters, Pouncey, Pierre-Paul, Smith, Suggs, Bowman, Johnson and Weddle.

The 49ers led the All-Pro Team with five players, a testament to the turnaround in San Francisco under new coach Jim Harbaugh. Baltimore was next with three players. The Ravens are coached by Jim Harbaughs brother, John, whose team beat the 49ers on Thanksgiving night.

There were 16 players from the NFC and 12 from the AFC.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

Calvin Johnson, Jared Allen top All-Pros

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Quite a night for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints — a record and a rout.

Brees set the NFL mark for yards passing in a season, breaking a record that Dan Marino had held for nearly three decades, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Falcons on Monday night.

Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go.

"Honestly, I was really trying not to think about the record or anything," Brees said. "I knew we were close. A couple guys mentioned stuff to me on the sideline. I didn't want to hear it. It's like a pitcher with a no-hitter, I guess."

It was Brees' final pass of the game and it gave him 5,087 yards passing — with one game still to play. Marino finished with 5,084 yards for the Miami Dolphins in 1984.

Minutes after Brees broke the record, Marino offered congratulations on his Twitter account.

"Great job by such a special player," Marino wrote.

As Sproles spiked the ball, Brees thrust his fist triumphantly in the air and started walking toward midfield while the Superdome crowd went wild and his teammates chased him down. Offensive guard Carl Nicks was the first one to get there and tried to lift Brees onto his shoulder, but couldn't do it as teammates swarmed around.

"If I could have put him on my shoulders and paraded him around the whole stadium I would have done that. He deserves it," Nicks said. "It's like a movie, man. Just a movie ending. It's beautiful. … You could tell by everyone's reaction after he did it how much people care about that guy. We all love him."

Brees' four touchdown passes gave him 276 for his career, moving him ahead of Joe Montana (273) and Vinny Testaverde (275) for ninth all-time. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards twice — he had 5,069 in 2008.

Brees' first scoring pass went for 8 yards to Marques Colston and the second for 9 yards to Jimmy Graham. Graham's TD catch was his 10th of the season, a new franchise high for a tight end. In the third quarter, Brees hit Robert Meachem for a score from 24 yards, which made it 28-10.

"I love the fact that everybody could be part of this on Monday Night Football," Brees said. "There's so many people that are a part of this. It's not about me. It's about this team, it's about this city, it's about these fans. So many people contributed to this, and I'm happy for them."

The Saints (12-3) also had 463 total yards, giving them more than 6,857 offensive yards for the season, breaking the 2008 club record of 6,571. New Orleans continues to close in on the NFL record of 7,075 offensive yards in a season set by the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

Brees might have broken the record in the third quarter if not for Sproles' 92-yard kickoff return, which set up John Kasay's 29-yard field goal. Brees also was intercepted twice, once in the Falcons end zone, but New Orleans was still dominant enough to take a three-score lead.

The game became a romp when Julio Jones was stripped by Scott Shanle and Malcolm Jenkins returned it 30 yards for a score to make it 38-16 in the fourth quarter. The Superdome crowd was in full celebration by then, but the play also meant fans would have to wait until later in the fourth quarter before Brees finally got his chance to break the passing record.

"Obviously, it's a special moment for the players, especially Drew," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I couldn't be more proud of him."

The Saints can earn the No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye with a win Sunday over Carolina and a San Francisco loss at St. Louis, which is 2-13.

Atlanta, which won the NFC South last season, is headed to the playoffs as a wild card.

Uncharacteristically, Brees had only a yard passing during a span of a little more than 18 minutes. Knowing he was closing in the record, the crowd howled, "Drewwww" each time he took the field. He finally gave the fans what they wanted after Atlanta failed on a fourth-down try at its own 33. That gave Brees, who needed only 30 yards for the record at that point, just enough space to work with.

"I knew after the touchdown to Meachem that we were really close," Brees said. "I didn't know how close, but really close, and then we had a couple of those drives that stalled out and I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me' — especially since the whole game we had been converting first downs, doing all the right things offensively, both the run and the pass, yet we couldn't put a drive together in the fourth quarter and I thought, we've got to get this ball back, we've got to go down and score and put one together."

Matt Ryan had 373 yards passing and one TD, including a 21-yard scoring strike to Jones that gave the Falcons (9-6) a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.

"We didn't really play well enough in any phase of the game to give ourselves a chance to win," said Falcons coach Mike Smith, whose team came in with a chance to stay in the hunt

Brees sets passing mark, Saints top Falcons 45-16

Madonna, a multi Grammy Award-winning Universal Records recording artist, will perform in the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show on NBC on Sunday, Feb. 5, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the NFL and NBC announced at halftime of Sunday night's game between the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions. Madonna's performance will be imagined by Cirque Du Soleil and Jamie King.

The Bridgestone Super Bowl halftime show is the most-watched musical event of the year. More than 162 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year's show. The Super Bowl and halftime show will be broadcast worldwide.

Madonna joins an esteemed list of recent halftime acts that includes The Black Eyed Peas, The Who, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2.

A world class entertainer, singer, songwriter, producer, director, and video visionary, Madonna has sold more than 300 million records in the course of her three-decade career as The Material Girl. She is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last tour was the most successful tour by a solo artist in history. Madonna is currently in the recording studio working on a new album scheduled to be released next year. Her new film W.E., which she directed, wrote and produced, is opening in a limited one-week release Dec. 9 in Los Angeles and will open nationally on Feb. 3, two days prior to Super Bowl XLVI.

Madonna has partnered with a creative team from Cirque du Soleil, Jamie King, and multimedia artists from Moment Factory, to create a signature performance for the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show.

This year marks the fifth time Bridgestone Americas has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show. The tire company's new brand campaign, fittingly titled "Time to Perform," will debut during the game.

The Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show is an NFL Network production and will be executive produced by Ricky Kirshner and directed by Hamish Hamilton.

Super Bowl XLVI Halftime show will feature Madonna

Drew Brees is currently one of the most successful and popular quarterbacks in the National Football League. It hasn't been an easy road to get there though for Brees. He began his career in San Diego, where questionable play and injuries led many there to lose confidence in him. When it was time for him to test the market, the only team that showed the interest in him that he deserved was the New Orleans Saints. After coming to a team that had been experiencing little success and had just been devastated right alongside its city by Hurricane Katrina, he, head coach Sean Payton, and the rest of the team worked on building the Saints into one of the best teams in the league. That goal was reached following the 2009 season when the team won the Super Bowl by defeating the Indianapolis Colts. With that victory, Brees had really come a long way.

Here are five interesting facts about the Saints quarterback, Drew Brees.

#1 – Through the 2009 NFL season, Drew Brees had accumulated significantly more touchdown passes in the second quarter during his career than in any other quarter. He had thrown 38 first quarter, 47 third quarter, and 49 fourth quarter touchdown passes. During the same period, the total number of TD passes he had thrown in the second quarter was 68.

#2 – The first touchdown pass Drew Brees ever threw in the National Football League came in week eight of the 2001 season while he was playing with the Chargers. It went for 20 yards and was caught by wide receiver Freddie Jones in the fourth quarter of a 25-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. His last touchdown pass as a Charger also came in a loss to the Chiefs, this one was in 2005 and was an 18 yarder that was caught by tight end Antonio Gates.

#3 – Through the 2009 NFL season, nobody had caught more touchdown passes from Drew Brees than wide receiver Marques Colston with 33. In second place on that list was Antonio Gates, who Brees played with in San Diego, with 23.

#4 – Seven of the first 12 touchdown passes Drew Brees threw as a member of the New Orleans Saints were caught by wide receiver Marques Colston.

#5 – Brees was the starting quarterback on his high school football team for two seasons. During that time, Westlake High School of Austin, Texas had one tie game, no losses, and 28 victories.

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Center Olin Kreutz has informed the New Orleans Saints that he is leaving the team after losing his passion for football.

His agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Friday the 34-year-old Kreutz "has to feel really good about the passion he has got for the game and the love he has got for the game." Bartelstein says Kreutz felt that slipping away and "he's just not someone who can go to work every week and collect a paycheck."

In August, the 14-year veteran couldn't agree to a new contract with Chicago, the only other team he has played for, and signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Saints.

After starting the first three games with New Orleans, Kreutz missed two with an injury – ending a string of 137 consecutive starts.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Agent: Saints center Kreutz walks away from team

New Orleans Saints
Projected Record: 11 – 5

If there has ever been a city or team that deserved to win the Superbowl it would be New Orleans. With the things that the city has had to endure since hurricane Katrina and now the oil spill, a Superbowl Champion is the least that the city deserves. I think what I like best about the Saints organization is the how the players and coaches have embraced the challenge to rebuild New Orleans both on and off the field.

With Drew Brees completing over 70% of his passes the Saints didn't need a whole lot of help offensively. But, the Saints were able to add rookie tight end Jimmy Graham from Miami who has the size and potential to be a big time play-maker in this league. Jeremy Shockey is near the end of his career but can still be productive when healthy. Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem are a nightmare match up for secondaries around the league and will continue to produce big plays this season. Reggie Bush may have kicked it with the Kardashians last season, but Pierre Thomas kicked it into high gear rushing for over 5.4 yards a carry last season.

Defensively, the Saints thrived on turnovers. Their secondary routinely jumped routes and baited quarterbacks into making poor decisions. Veteran safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Tracy Porter return to lead a Saints secondary that made several game changing plays in the postseason. Linebacker Johnathan Vilma will continue to make plays and protect the middle of the field for the Saints defense. Will Smith led the team with 13 sacks last year and will continue to get pressure on the quarterback.

As far as the NFC South is concerned I don't think the other teams (Falcons, Panthers, Bucs) have caught up to the Saints just yet. Look for them to repeat as division champs. However, the big question is: Can The Saints Repeat As Superbowl Champs? I think they have the talent offensively, but I think their defense will give up more big plays and force fewer turnovers and that will cause them to fall short of repeating.

Atlanta Falcons
Projected Record: 9 -7

Last season the Falcons finished 9-7 which marked the first time in their franchise history that the team had back to back winning seasons. Unfortunately, for the Falcons their 9-7 record was not good enough to qualify for the postseason in the NFC. Quarterback Matt Ryan returns for his third season as the Falcons starter and is looking to make the leap to the upper echelon of quarterbacks. He was up and down last season and will need to improve his consistency, particularly on the road if the Falcons want to make the postseason.

The Falcons running game struggled last season due to injuries to starter Michael Turner and backup Jerious Norwoord. They should both be healthy to start the season so look for the Falcons to try to reestablish the ground game that brought them so much success in the 2008 season. Receivers Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Tony Gonzalez give Matt Ryan a solid trio of targets at the wide receiver position.

The Falcons struggled a bit in the secondary last year and they are hoping free agent pick up Dunta Robinson will help with their secondary woes. The Falcons drafted linebacker Sean Witherspoon and defensive tackle Corey Peters with their first two draft picks in the hope of adding talent and depth to a defense that was plagued by injuries and inconsistency last season. Defensive end John Abraham can still rush the passer when healthy but his snaps have to monitored so he doesn't wear down over the course of the season.

The Falcons have enough talent to snag a wild card spot in the NFC. Their success will largely depend upon the continued maturation of Matt Ryan into an elite level quarterback and the improvement of a defense that gave up far too many big plays.

Carolina Panthers
Projected Record: 7-9

I've always liked John Fox. But I think last season his loyalty to Jake Delhomme cost him a season where the Panthers could have been a playoff team. A year later Delhomme and the current quarterback, Matt Moore, and quarterback of the future, Jimmy Clausen, are ready to lead the Panthers into the 2010 season.

Matt Moore showed some flashes in his limited starts last season, so the Panthers are confident he can get the ball to their play makers. It should be relatively easy for him to hand off to DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart who are one of the best running back duos in the league. Steve Smith still remains a threat at wide receiver and can still take the short pass for big yards when his team needs it most. Carolina drafted, former Appalachian State star quarterback, Armanti Edwards. He will likely play receiver and potentially add more explosiveness to the position.

Defensively, Carolina lost defensive Julius Peppers via free agency. The Panthers drafted defensive end Greg Hardy, not to replace Peppers, but, to be part of a rotation that can collectively make up for the loss of such a dynamic player as Peppers. Linebacker John Beason still wreaks havoc against offenses and makes those around him better. The secondary still has talent with cornerbacks Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble roaming the defensive backfield.

It's tough to get a good read on the Panthers. They don't have a proven quarterback and their best player on defense left in the off season. Add that to the fact they don't have a solid receiving option behind Steve Smith lead me to believe the Panthers are not a playoff caliber team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projected Record: 4-12

In his rookie season, head coach Raheem Morris did everything you weren't supposed to do. He fired his offensive coordinator right before the start of the season and he fired his defensive coordinator before the season ended. Morris may have saved his job with a late season win at New Orleans, as well the development of Josh Freeman, but he will need to hold on to his coordinators this season so that the Bucs can build some continuity for the future.

The Buccaneers really stocked up on defense in this years draft. They drafted defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with their first round pick. Many scouts have compared McCoy to a young Warren Sapp. They also drafted defensive tackle Brian Price with their second round pick. The Bucs are hoping McCoy and Price can anchor the interior of their defense for years to come. Ronde Barber is the elder statesmen in the Bucs secondary, but Aquib Talib is the younger more athletic corner who is starting to make a name for himself. Linebacker Barrett Rudd still makes plays all over the field and is one of the leaders on a Buccaneers defense looking to become dominant again.

Josh Freeman showed some positive signs last year as a rookie. He made the typical rookie mistakes, but he showed good leadership and decision making towards the end of the season. The Bucs drafted Arrelious Benn to provide Freeman with more weapons through the air. Michael Clayton and Kellen Winslow are veteran receivers who Freeman can rely to get open and make plays. Running backs Carnell Williams and Derrick Ward need to stay healthy so that the running game can keep all the pressure from falling on Freeman.

Last year the Bucs went 3-13. This year I could see them winning 1 or 2 more games. The Bucs are improving and if they can develop Josh Freeman into a playmaker at quarterback, and reestablish the identity of their defense, you could be looking at a legit title contender in a couple of seasons.

Sandra Day O

The Atlanta Falcon's 2010 season is off to an exciting start. Third year Atlanta quarter back Matt Ryan has led the team to impressive wins in two of their first three games. Atlanta's defeat of the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints last weekend has given Falcon fans plenty to cheer about.

Although the Falcons lost their first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, their next two games have been big wins. The Falcons outplayed the Arizona Cardinals in their 41-7 win on September 19. Last Sunday's 27-24 upset of New Orleans was accomplished with a Matt Bryant field goal in overtime. This was an impressive win on the road in the Superdome. The Falcons' next game will be against the San Francisco 49ers at home in the Georgia Dome.

The Atlanta Falcons joined the National Football League in 1966 as an expansion team. The Falcons played their first season at the brand new Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. After several dismal early seasons, the team had their first winning season in 1971. After several more disappointing seasons, the Falcons finally earned a spot in the playoffs in 1978. They made the playoffs again in 1980, finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record, their best up to that point. The team struggled through more disappointing seasons for the next decade and a half, before finally having a breakout season in 1998. That year they won the NFC Championship for the first time in franchise history, advancing to the Super Bowl. They suffered a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. In December 2001 Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot, purchased the franchise. In 2008 and 2009 the Falcons finally achieved the first back to back winning seasons in franchise history.

Mike Smith is in his third season as the Falcons head coach. His strong coaching background includes eleven years in the NFL. He spent four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Before his years in the NFL, Smith spent twelve years coaching college football at Tennessee Tech.

The Falcons have played their home games in the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta since 1992. The Dome has a seating capacity of over 71,000. Exciting new pregame activities this season are designed to encourage fans to arrive early and enjoy their game day experience. The Falcons have seven remaining home games this season.

One of the keys to a Green Bay Packers victory over the New Orleans Saints tonight will be to bring the pressure to Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

The Packers' pass rush, led by linebacker Clay Matthews, is easily one of the most fearsome in the league, and Brees and his offensive line will have to stay on their toes, eyes wide open, to avoid the pressure that is guaranteed to come.

Brees, to his credit, is very adept at reading defensive pressure and can quickly get the ball down the field before anyone can get a hand on him.

Last year, the Saints offensive line had a difficult time protecting Brees, giving up 25 sacks, his most as a Saint. This year, expect the line to be far more cohesive, with the addition of former Chicago Bear and reliable veteran Olin Kreutz as the Saints' starting center.

This cohesiveness may not be enough, however, against the Packers this evening. Matthews is going to continue to bring pressure to Brees as long as it continues to work.

That, however, is the main caveat about the Packers' defensive pressure. If the Saints are able to pick up the blitz, Brees will have no trouble tossing out quick screens to his numerous targets.

Brees is certainly more than comfortable throwing passes to any eligible receiver; at times, it appears that every option could easily be his first, even when it's his fifth. This could serve to confound Matthews and the other Packers linebackers, and result in big gains for the Saints offense.

Clearly, the Saints have been preparing for Matthews and the Packers defense to bring all they've got to stop Brees' passing attack. It will be a hard task to accomplish, but if there's any team that can shrug off the Green Bay defense en route to a win, it is certainly the Saints.

NFL Predictions Week 1: Will Clay Matthews Terrorize Drew Brees in NFL Opener?

That would be, of course, President Barack Obama.

He has a speech planned for Thursday night, and it must be aired on national television. That means Thursday night's regular-season opener between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers must step aside.

But don't worry, the game itself shouldn't be affected.

What will be affected, according to a press release, is the pregame coverage. NBC was supposed to start broadcasting NFL Kickoff 2011 at 7:00 p.m. ET, but the network is going to switch to cover Obama's speech live.

If you must see the pregame festivities, which will feature music acts like Kid Rock and Lady Antebellum, the good news is you can switch over to any one of five cable networks: Versus, USA, Syfy, G4 and, of course, the NFL Network.

The game itself is due to start at 8:30 p.m., and Obama's speech is not supposed to run that long. When the game starts, NBC will be there to show it.

So all things considered, the only football fans that are going to be missing out on Thursday night are those who insist on watching the pregame coverage but don't have cable.

In other words, no football fans are going to be missing out.

I could be wrong, but either way, I hope there's nobody out there that is actually annoyed by all of this. As much as all of us love the NFL, it would be pretty damn depressing if the NFL had enough influence to bump the leader of the free world to cable just so it could broadcast its pointless pregame coverage.

If our culture ever gets to the point where that's the norm, I'm not going to want to live on this planet anymore.

NFL Week 1 TV Schedule: President Obama's Speech Will Affect NFL Kickoff Night

The New Orleans Saints will travel to Lambeau Field on Thursday Night Football to kick off the 2011 NFL season against the Green Bay Packers. The 2010 and 2011 Super Bowl champs have clearly been successful teams in recent years, particularly on offense.

The Saints, in particular, have had one of the best passing attacks in the NFL with the arrival of QB Drew Brees in New Orleans. Last year, they ranked third in passing yards but 28th in rushing yards. It's on that note that SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles argues that one of the keys to the game for New Orleans is establishing a balanced offense.

The Saints need to be strong in running, able to convert that third-and-short on the ground so the Packers can't just jam the TEs and WRs and disrupt that quick pass to stop a drive, and late in the game if the Saints need a grind-it-out, clock-consuming drive.

On the other hand, the Saints also need to have the passing game viable at the mid- and long-range levels to bail them out in case they get into the occasional second- or third- and long, for simple variety of attack, and to help open up the running game.

The Packers may not have a problem dialing up big offensive plays to match the Saints so controlling the ball and effectively utilizing the running game will be a key for them.

Hop on over to SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for a full list of the keys to the game.

Saints Need Balanced Offense On Thursday Night Football Vs. Packers

We all have the lists that are published by the experts. Here's a typical Top Five QB list in the world of Fantasy Football:

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Drew Brees
3. Tom Brady
4. Philip Rivers
5. Michael Vick

Plus or minus, this is what just about everyone has. The next list of five is equally predictable:

6. Peyton Manning (barring injury)
7. Tony Romo
8. Ben Roethlisberger
9. Matt Schaub
10. Matt Ryan

If everyone simply sets their draft based on the list, then the efficient market holds (see Eugene Fama and the University of Chicago) – to put it simply – when everyone makes decisions based on the same knowledge, risk associated with things such as injuries and fluky bounces of the ball will yield the key performance differentiators.

The way to win big is to take a big risk, and perhaps go down in flames. If all of the above quarterbacks were on your draft board, and it was time to draft a QB, then Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers would be the conventional take, but wouldn't you rather take a bigger risk for a bigger potential reward?

What about Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons? He has a new receiver in Julio Jones. He has another year under his belt, and he now has some playoff experience. He looks today to be at a stage comparable to where Aaron Rodgers was last year.

Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns is rated no better than 20 within the conventional wisdom community. Depending on your league, this guy is going to score some points. Yes, the Browns will depend on the running game a lot, but with a west coast offense you can look at play-action TD's coming out the wazoo If you are a Browns fan, Colt McCoy is a no brainer.

Keep in mind that with the addition of Mark Ingram to the New Orleans Saints roster, Drew Brees is going to have a better running game this year than last, so look for his numbers to be down. Also, the New England Patriots running game will take a step back, which when combined with a weak offensive line, will mean that more people can T-off on Tom Brady, making passing more difficult and potentially leading to a higher risk of injury. Further, at this writing, Peyton Manning is falling below 20 on the list because of his neck and Michael Vick is an injury waiting to happen. Risks abound even with the top five.

So, have fun, take a little risk, and think seriously about Matt Ryan and Colt McCoy for your Fantasy QB.

Ten thoughts on Week 1, free of charge …

It's last summer and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is sitting in front of his locker. We're having a conversation and Rodgers is as he always is: smart, friendly and confident. He suddenly pauses in thought and looks around the locker room.

"I wouldn't trade this group of guys for another other in football," he says.

Players say that all the time and in most instances it's just talk, the obligatory stuff. Not with Rodgers. He meant it, and added: "We're prepared for anything."

Prepared is the key word. Rodgers, of course, would go on to win a Super Bowl despite the Packers losing almost two dozen players to injuries and playing the entire postseason on the road. They made one of the great Super Bowl runs in history all because, as Rodgers said, the Packers were ready for anything — even for the onslaught of injured players.

Now that preparedness will be again tested when they open the season against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday and in many ways this will be a battle of philosophies.

It all stems from the lockout. The Packers believe their armor was so hardened by the Super Bowl win that team workouts during the nasty and draining lockout weren't needed.

The Saints, led by the uber-prepared Drew Brees, took the opposite approach. The team practiced often during the lockout.

More on Packers-Saints Related links

• Thursday: Saints-Packers, 8:30 ET
• Experts: All pick Packers
• Prisco: GB 33, NO 26
• RapidReports: Packers | Saints

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"We would all be working out somewhere anyway, so why not do it together and why not do it in an organized fashion, where it's very football-related," Brees said at the time. "It's preparing us to have a championship season, and I feel like it's putting us way ahead of other teams around the league, just by the fact that we're so organized."

Thus this will be a nice test of those different mindsets. The Packers, more faith-driven in their abilities and toned by a brutal Super Bowl run, vs. a Saints team that believes its lockout workouts provided an edge.

Too simplistic a breakdown? Possibly. Simple is the media's middle name, but not as simplistic as some might think. The Packers and Saints are evenly matched and it wouldn't be a stunner in any way to see these two teams in the conference title game later in the year.

This is an appropriate question and comparison, particularly if the Packers look sloppy (and I don't think they will) and the Saints look sharp (I think they will).

Prepared is the key word, indeed.

9. Tom Brady's mind games. Sometimes he does this as well as his head coach, Bill Belichick. Make no mistake about it. His open love letter saying he'd welcome back Randy Moss was a direct frontal assault against Chad Ochocinco. Brady is trying to get Ochocinco to step up his game, and I've been told by one person on the Patriots that so far Ochocinco has been average at best. And yes, there is an outside shot the Patriots would welcome Moss back. Very outside, though. Because the Patriots know Moss would revert back to being Moss, which is a petulant child. So they'll likely stay away.

8. Chris Johnson's hamstring. An ex-player says some of the Titans veterans have a joking bet on what week Johnson will pull a hamstring. The prevailing money so far is Week 2.

7. One thing I keep hearing about HGH testing. Concerns from the league about the origin of the drugs. The players have some legitimate concerns over the validity of the test and testing procedures, and the league is worried mostly about cheaters affecting the league's integrity. Both are fair points.

But another concern I'm told is athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs never know the true origin of the substances. In other words, does every user know where the HGH was physically made? Some of these drugs are now being made in labs in China very cheaply. In some of these labs there may be few precautions ensuring that it's really HGH and not, say, a rat poison derivative. Just one of many factors in the HGH battle.

6. Tiki Barber may never play football again. That's my feeling. Unless it's in Central Park with flags.

5. General manager to me: "The Cowboys will advance to the NFC title game." And, no, the general manager wasn't Jerry Jones.

A) Champ of the week: Roger Goodell and the Colts for suspending Jim Tressel.

B) Chump of the week: The person who designed the University of Maryland football uniforms.

C) Tweet of the week: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson: "Some ppl said I wouldn't make it!! Now them ppl can't take it!! It's real can't fake it!! Ya kno what they say life's only what u make it!!"

4. Speaking of Jackson, he and the Eagles remain far apart in their contract talks. I'm not sure this deal gets done any time soon. Jackson is scheduled to earn $600,000 this year, a disgracefully low amount considering his worth to the Eagles. If Jackson is seriously injured, he's out of luck, and that's the shame of non-guaranteed NFL contracts. Yet he surely shouldn't listen to idiot Terrell Owens, who in an interview with a Philadelphia radio station said if he was in Jackson's situation, he'd hold out.

"I would have to better myself and my family and my situation," Owens said. "That's ridiculous."

Don't listen to him, DeSean.

3. Meanwhile, I continue to hear the contract talks between Brees and the Saints are closer than some believe. But nothing is imminent.

2. Pay close attention to the attendance situation in Florida this weekend. All three Florida teams — Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa — have struggled to sell tickets. The most surprising are the Dolphins, who face some big games being blacked out this season. The NFL remains the most popular of sports, but the blackout situation — and there are other teams facing this issue, about a half-dozen total — has to be concerning.

It's possible the only team that ends up blacked out is Tampa, but the fact that so many teams struggled to sell tickets in the opening week is not good.

The NFL is making billions and people watch the sport in droves, but we may be seeing the beginning of a league-wide trend where many teams, in the future, don't fill their stadiums because of ticket prices, drunken fools going to the game and HD television. It seems only a matter of time before the NFL is forced to alter its blackout rules.

1. Fred Taylor. He has always been one of the best combinations of class and production the league has ever seen, but trust me on this: there will Hall of Fame voters who won't select him. Does he deserve it? Taylor is a curious case. He was productive, but missed a number of games due to injury. That will hurt him. But I'd probably still put him in.

Ten Thoughts on Week 1: Packers, Saints to test preparations

Born in New Orleans on March 24, 1976, Peyton Manning is the son of legendary New Orleans quarterback Archie Manning and Olivia Manning. While Peyton attended high school, Archie was the color commentator for the New Orleans Saints radio station. As a youngster, Peyton would occasionally visit off-season practices with his dad. On one occasion, then Saints coach Jim Mora, allowed Peyton to work out and toss some passes to the Saints receivers. Even more unbelievable than a high school student practicing with NFL receivers is the fact that he fit in perfectly at such a young age. While attending Isidore Newman High School, Manning served as quarterback during all 3 years. At the end of his senior season, Peyton Manning was the top recruited quarterback in the nation and was named as the Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year.

Following high school graduation, Manning decided to attend the University of Tennessee where he, once again, became a star quarterback for the team. While proving his skills on the field, Peyton Manning proved that he had equal skills in the classroom. Earning a BA in speech communication and graduating with honors was important to Manning, which is why he decided to put his football career on hold until he earned his degree.

As 1998 rolled around, Manning became a candidate for the NFL draft. The Indianapolis Colts welcomed Peyton Manning as their first pick in the draft and, as they say, the rest is history. Today, Peyton Manning is the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts where he has remained since his rookie season in the NFL.

On October 29, 2005, Manning's #16 University of Tennessee player number was retired as he, his mom, dad and wife were on hand along with a capacity crowd prior to the University of Tennessee Volunteers game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Everyone at Neyland Stadium watched as Manning's number was unveiled in the endzone. From 1994 to 1997, Peyton Manning played at the University of Tennessee where he broke nearly every passing record and led the team to 39 victories. Prior to the game, Peyton's PeyBack Foundation held a fundraiser, which raised over $12,000.00 to be used for funding grants and events involving disadvantaged youth in Knoxville.

On Friday, February 3, 2006, Peyton Manning was recognized as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. This award was named in recognition of the legendary Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton, who passed away in 1999. This award is the only one in the league to recognize a player's off-the-field community service in addition to his playing excellence. Connie Payton, the wife of Walter Payton, proudly presented the award. Fans around the nation celebrate Manning's accomplishments and achievements in football and in life.

There were six football players from the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. LSU has a rich traditional of football excellence that includes three national titles. Having six athletes taken in the 2010 NFL Draft is on par with the very high standards that head coach Les Miles sets for his football program.

The six LSU football players taken the in 2010 NFL Draft are as follows:

• Chad Jones
• Brandon LaFell
• Perry Riley
• Al Woods
• Trindon Holliday
• Charles Scott

Chad Jones was the first LSU player to come off the board in April of 2010 at the NFL Draft. Jones was selected by the New York Giants in the third round with the 76th overall pick. The New Orleans native who also played baseball in college is a safety by trade and is expected to be of assistance in the Giants secondary right away.

Brandon LaFell also went in the third round of the draft along with teammate Chad Jones. Brandon was picked up by the Carolina Panthers two picks after Jones as the 78th player selected. Brandon is a 6'3 wide receiver that gained national attention as a 2008 first team All-SEC receiver and originally hails from Houston Texas.

Perry Riley is a linebacker that was one of two LSU players taken in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Riley was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the 103rd overall pick. Riley is from Atlanta Georgia.

Al Woods is a large (6'4 314 pounds) defensive tackle from Louisiana State University that the New Orleans Saints were lucky enough to grab in the fourth round with the 123rd pick of the draft. Woods was born in Jennings, Louisiana, played his college ball in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and now looks forward to continuing his professional career in the neighboring city of New Orleans.

Trinton Holliday was the first of two LSU running backs taken in the 6th round of the draft. Holliday landed with the Houston Texas with the 197th overall pick. Fortunately for Holliday the city of Houston is in relatively close proximity to his home town of Zachary, Louisiana.

Three picks after Trinton Holliday was chosen fellow backfield teammate Charles Scott had the distinction of being the final LSU player taken in the 2010 NFL Draft when the Philadelphia Eagles snagged him in the 6th round as the 200th player selected.

Exactly what the future holds for each of these young men remains to be seen. Assuredly head coach Les Miles will be watching intently as he closely follows the professional careers of the athletes he coached.

Several undrafted players from the area agreed to terms Tuesday with NFL teams:

•Cornerback Kevin Rutland of Missouri will join the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rutland started all 26 games in his final two seasons at Missouri and was a team captain for the Tigers. In four seasons, he had six interceptions.

•Northwest Missouri cornerback Ryan Jones, formerly of Liberty High, agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears. In the 2009 Division II national title game, Jones had an interception, three tackles and a returned blocked extra point for a touchdown.

•Missouri State outside linebacker Kolby Hurt signed a free-agent contract with the New Orleans Saints.

•Central Missouri wide receiver Jamorris Warren signed with the Carolina Panthers. Warren was a first-team All-American selection, catching 109 passes for 1,458 yards and 20 touchdowns.

•Washburn wide receiver Joe Hastings signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Hastings led the MIAA with 1,546 receiving yards on 87 receptions.

•Fort Hays State wide receiver O.J. Murdock signed with the Tennessee Titans. Murdock racked up 1,290 receiving yards in 2010 for the Tigers.

•Former Blue Valley West and Missouri kicker Jeff Wolfert said on his Twitter account that he reached a contract agreement with the Cleveland Browns. Wolfert was playing for Omaha in the UFL.

| Randy Covitz, rcovitz@kcstar.com

Area free-agent signings

This is the second part in a full-week feature of Fantasy Football rankings. We have gone over the top quarterbacks, and we'll now continue with the running-backs. We still have the wide receivers, tight ends, kickers, and defenses, left on tap for the rest of the week. We will also be including our "sleeper", "busts" , "break-out", and our "best overall value" picks for you in your fantasy draft. Today, we will be covering the runningbacks for your 2006-07 NFL season. This is a top list for who we think will perform the best, fantasy wise, in the upcoming football season.

1. Shaun Alexander (Seattle Seahawks)

2. Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs)

3. Ladanian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers)

4. Tiki Barber (New York Giants)

5. Edgerrin James (Arizona Cardinals)

6. Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins)

7. Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams)

8. Rudi Johnson (Cincinnati Bengals)

9. Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles)

10. Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins) *INJ*

11. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. Lamont Jordan (Oakland Raiders

13. Julius Jones (Dallas Cowboys)

14. Willis McGahee (Buffalo Bills)

15. Dominack Davis (Houston Texans)

16. Willie Parker (Pittsburgh Steelers)

17. Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints)

18. Jamal Lewis (Baltimore Ravens)

19. DeShaun Foster (Carolina Panthers)

20. Corey Dillon (New England Patriots)

21. Warrick Dunn (Atlanta Falcons)

22. Reuben Droughns (Cleveland Browns)

23. Chester Taylor (Minnesota Vikings)

24. Ahman Green (Green Bay Packers)

25. Kevin Jones (Detroit Lions)

26. Mike Bell (Denver Broncos)

27. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49'ers)

28. Thomas Jones (Chicago Bears)

29. Chris Brown (Tennessee Titans)

30. Greg Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars)

31. Cedric Houston (New York Jets)

32. Kevan Barlow (San Francisco 49'ers)

33. Dominic Rhodes (Indianapolis Colts)

34. Chris Perry (Cincinnati Bengals)

35. Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys)

36. Deuce McAllister (New Orleans Saints)

37. Fred Taylor (Jacksonville Jaguars)

38. Cedric Benson (Chicago Bears)

39. Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) 40. Samkon Gado (Green Bay Packers)

41. T.J. Duckett (Atlanta Falcons)

42. Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots)

43. Joseph Addai (Indianapolis Colts)

44. Michael Pittman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

45. Tatum Bell (Denver Broncos)

46. Ryan Moats (Philadelphia Eagles)

47. DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers)

48. Mike Anderson (Baltimore Ravens)

49. Ron Dayne (Denver Broncos)

50. Najeh Davenport (Green Bay Packers)

Sleepers: Lamont Jordan, Deuce McAllister, Michael Pittman

(Coming off a disappointing season, I expect Jordan to bounce back and have a strong year with a new QB and new coach. McAllister was a Pro-Bowl running back before last year's injury; Bush isn't going to get every single carry for the Saints, so I wouldn't overlook McAllister. Pittman is going to see some time in Tampa, especially if the Cadillac breaks down, which many people expect just might happen.)

Busts: Brian Westbrook, Mike Bell, & Cedric Benson

(I could be wrong about Westbrook, but I'm not sold on the Eagles, or Westbrook's health being 100%. It's a nice story for Mike Bell in becoming named the #1 RB, but let's get real. It's still August and Tatum Bell is still going to get his carries. When has Cedric Benson not been a bust for fantasy owners?)

Best Values: Rudi Johnson & Steven Jackson

(Johnson has quietly put up back to back years of at least 1,400 yards and 12 TD's. This guy is definitely underrated, and will only improve as his team improves. Entering his third year in the league, this is going to be a big year for Jackson. With Marshall Faulk completely out of the picture at this point, this will be Jackson's season.)

Break-Out Year: Ronnie Brown

(Ronnie Brown was impressive when given the ball last year for the Dolphins. With Ricky Williams out of the picture entirely, Brown will be the featured back in the offense for Nick Saban and company. With a legit QB in Culpepper, the Dolphins will be for real, so will Brown.)

Carolina Panthers= Blaine Gabbert

Denver Broncos= Marcell Dareus

Buffalo Bills= Von Miller

Cincinnati Bengals= AJ Green

Arizona Cardinals= Cam Newton

Cleveland Browns= Da'Quan Bowers

San Francisco 49ers= Patrick Peterson

Tennessee Titans= Nick Fairley

Dallas Cowboys= Prince Amukamara

Washington Redskins= Julio Jones

Houston Texans= Robert Quinn

Minnesota Vikings= J.J. Watt

Detroit Lions= Tyron Smith

St. Louis Rams= Aldon Smith

Miami Dolphins= Jake Locker

Jacksonville Jaguars= Adrian Clayborn

New England Patriots= mark Ingram

San Diego Chargers Cameron Jordon

New York Giants= Mike Pouncey

Tampa Bay Bucs= Ryan Kerrigan

Kansas City Chiefs= Phil Taylor

Indianapolis Colts= Gabe Carimi

Philadelphia Eagles= Brandon Harris

New Orleans Saints= Muhammad Wilkerson

Seattle Seahawks= Ryan Mallett

Baltimore Ravens= Nate Soldier

Atlanta Falcons= Torrey Smith

New England Patriots= Derek Sherrod

Chicago Bears= Akeem Ayers

Pittsburgh Steelers= Cameron Heyward

Green Bay Packers= Jimmy Smith

Thanks for Reading!

-i will flip if tha Ravens dont take Jimmy Smith or a Dlineman if he aint there

-ill be shocked if pat peterson drops that low. hes tha #1 player should be top3-5.

-if panthers take gabbert that'll be a surprise. he hasnt proven anything,had low stats in a pass happy offense and doesnt have as high a ceiling as newton. they already have clausen who could improve ALOT..so IF they take a qb it should be cam cause he's a diff type than clausen & could do damage on 3rd down.

-IF cam falls to ariz. idk if they should draft him or get Kevin Kolb/Palmer then draft a qb in round 2..
cause fitzgerald needs a vet. qb. i dont think cam is ready to start yet.

All the top player should refuse to sign for any team other than the Dallas Cowboys. Otherwise they will just be forced to endure mediocrity, never knowing the glory of the Silver Star. Poor fellas.

i dont like carolina drafting a qb #1 not named kellen moore. i think they should go best player available Marcell Dareus and they still dont know what they have in 2nd year players claussan and pike.

Don't see it happening. I know the Cowboys are completely sold on Prince. The Ravens like Sherrod so they take him. its has potential but isn't a very good mock draft.

I think Peterson will go in the top 5, and Amukamara will fall down to 13th and come to Detroit.

Bowers stock is plumetting. Mallet will be lucky to get in the 2nd round. Ravens don't need another lineman,

1st pick is going to be marcell dareus

In a game that really didn't need any additional hype, White managed to stir things up with some incendiary comments he wrote on Twitter leading up to Monday night's crucial contest between the NFC-leading Falcons and the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

White's teammates claim it's nothing out of the ordinary, just some good-natured trash talk from perhaps their most outspoken player.

White

"There's nothing wrong with promoting the fight, just like boxers do," Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said Thursday. "A lot fans like that stuff. It's just like boxing. We're promoting the fight. Roddy is promoting the fight, getting it hyped. He's our hype man. He's our Don King."

The Saints don't see it that way, especially when White brought up the devastating hurricane that slammed into the Big Easy five years ago.

Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove said White crossed the line when he started taking shots "at not just us, but our fans, our city. We're not going to talk about you Roddy, but inside, these guys are definitely upset."

"Thanks, Roddy, for the motivation," Hargrove added.

White initially went on Twitter this week to complain about comments made by former quarterback-turned-TV analyst Trent Dilfer, who said new Orleans was capable of winning twice in Atlanta, including the playoffs, to earn a return to the Super Bowl.

"No chance in hell the Aints come into the dome and win once trent dilfer," White wrote.

Naturally, that stirred the ire of the Saints and their supporters. Defensive end Will Smith tweeted back, questioning how White "has the audacity to call us AINT'S." Some replies, apparently from Saints fans, were downright crude.

White kept up the war of words on Wednesday.

"The grace of god gave them tht championship so tht city wouldn fall apart now and now they think they hot [obscenity]," he wrote.

In hindsight, White said, that post was probably over the line.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I really didn't say anything about the hurricane, but they took it that way. I wasn't trying to say anything mean about the city. I was just talking about the sports team. I am a football player. this is a sports topic. but everybody took it like, 'He hopes the city of new Orleans dies or something.' Come on, are you serious, man? It's not that serious."

Falcons coach Mike Smith said he spoke to White about his social networking but declined to reveal any details. White insisted that his coach didn't scold him for the posts.

"He was like, 'Roddy, just go out there and be yourself. Don't change anything that you do. You're a competitor," the player said.

White is the NFL's leading receiver with 106 catches for 1,284 yards and the catalyst for a star-studded offense that also includes Gonzalez, quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner.

The Falcons (12-2) have already clinched a playoff spot, but they can wrap up the NFC South and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs with a win over the Saints (10-4). new Orleans is one win away from clinching its playoff spot and is still alive in the division race.

"I'm an ultra-competitive guy," White said. "Sometimes I express my feelings too much. but it's not like that's going to make me play any harder."

Still, there's little doubt that his Twitter posts have stirred up hard feelings in the Saints locker room. Running back Reggie Bush even re-tweeted Smith's response to White.

"He took the words right out of my mouth," Bush said of his teammate.

He believes the new Orleans secondary will be especially eager to get some shots on White.

"Of course. And he knows that," Bush said. "Everyone else in the building knows that. And everyone watching TV on Monday night knows that. You open your mouth, you're going to have to answer to somebody."

White doesn't sound too concerned.

"I'm going to be a target every time we play those guys," he said. "Nothing is going to change. I'm just going out there and play my game, be physical and try to win my side of the ball."

White initially protested on Twitter that he was only complaining about Dilfer's comments, but some of the angry responses he got just stirred him on even more.

"The first time we played them their coach gone say after we won the game thts a good win for yall like the saints are the colts," he wrote. That was followed by, "The saints win one championship and want to go crazy well yall … aint winning this year we gone make sure tht doesn't happen."

Smith believes these are more than just stream-of-conciousness ramblings coming from White. The Saints player figures it's all designed to fire up the home crowd at the Georgia Dome, give the Falcons a little extra boost in a venue where they're 6-0 this season.

"He's just trying to speak to the fans, trying to rile those guys up," Smith said. "We kind of think it's a little funny and a little over the top sometimes. He's searching for a little attention. but, I mean, if he needs to do that to get the Atlanta fans interested in a game, then more power to him."

White said he's through tweeting for the week, though he vowed to return as soon as the game is over.

"No more twittering because of the people in new Orleans," he said. "I don't want them overreacting."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press