New Orleans Saints agree to terms with veteran quarterback Patrick Ramsey, rookie tight end Jimmy Graham

Published: Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 2:45 PM     Updated: Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 3:07 PM

Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/07/new_orleans_saints_

agree_to_te_1.html

The New Orleans Saints announced that they have agreed to terms with free agent quarterback Patrick Ramsey (one-year deal) and third-round draft choice Jimmy Graham (four years). Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ramsey, 31, is expected to compete with second-year pro Chase Daniel for the backup job behind Drew Brees. The addition of the former Tulane standout has been long anticipated, but the Saints weren't allowed to add any more unrestricted free agents before last week because of new league rules put in place this year.

Ramsey, 6-2 and 225 pounds, was a first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 2002, though he has spent the majority of his career as a journeyman backup. In nine NFL seasons, the Ruston native has passed for 5,930 yards, 35 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, playing for the Redskins, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions. Ramsey spent last season as a backup with the Titans before being released in October and signing with the Lions in December, when No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford was placed on injured reserve.

Favre Jokes About Playing 'Til He's 50

Favre Jokes About Playing 'Til He's 50
Minneapolis Star Tribune


http://www.prosportsdaily.com/comments/favre-jokes-about-playing-til-hes-50-391767.html


"Brett Favre seemed to be joking during an interview that appeared in USA Today on Tuesday, but then again considering the quarterback's wavering ways, maybe he really will attempt to play at the age of 50. "If you do enough patchwork, eventually you've got to get a new one," Favre told the paper, laughing about the fact he has had three surgeries on his left ankle during the course of his 19-year NFL career. "You gotta quit sometime. Then again, maybe I will be doing this when I'm 50 years old, who knows?" Favre, who will turn 41 on Oct. 10, hasn't announced whether he will play this season.

If '04 national champ USC can't keep title, BCS says no one will

I'm not a fan of Tommy Tuberville, but I agree with his take on this....if they strip USC of the BCS title from 2004, then award it to another team - possibly even Auburn, which went undefeated.
If '04 national champ USC can't keep title, BCS says no one will


By Jeff Miller, Special for USA TODAY


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-07-27-USC-title-vacant_N.htm

IRVING, Texas — If Southern California's appeal of NCAA penalties levied last month is denied, Bowl Championship Series executive director Bill Hancock said Tuesday that the 2004 BCS title would be left vacant.

"The feeling in our group, the commissioners group, is there was not a game, no game happened," Hancock said at the Big 12 Conference's preseason football news media sessions.

Auburn finished second in 2004, but Hancock said BCS policy only covered vacating a championship.

The NCAA gave USC a two-year bowl ban and stripped it of wins in the 2004 and '05 seasons because of improper benefits, some involving '05 Heisman winner Reggie Bush. The appeal could be ruled on as soon as early October.

The 2004 title was decided in the Orange Bowl, No. 1 USC routing No. 2 Oklahoma 55-19. Unbeaten Auburn, No. 3 going into the bowls, beat Virginia Tech 16-13 in the Sugar Bowl.

Auburn's coach then was Tommy Tuberville. He's now at Texas Tech and spoke at Tuesday's Big 12 session just before Hancock. His take on what should happen if USC had to relinquish the title was far different from Hancock's.

"Give it to somebody, because there are other teams that did the right things," said Tuberville, who left Auburn after the 2008 season and was hired by Tech in January.

Utah was the third unbeaten left in what was then known as Division I-A. It beat Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl.

"Why in the world would you not give it to somebody?" Tuberville said. "Oklahoma? Us? Utah? It doesn't make any sense."

Rosetta: Taking a look into my crystal ball for 2010

I disagree with most of Randy's predictions.  Naturally, I want LSU to go undefeated and win the BCS National Championship in January, 2011 like the Alabama Crimson Tide did this year.  Realistically, though, that's not likely to happen. 

Out of the SEC games on the schedule, the ones I consider "must win":

Vanderbilt

Mississippi State

Tennessee

Florida

Auburn

Alabama

Ole Miss

Arkansas 

In other words, they have to go 8-0 in those games!!  Now here's Randy's say...

Rosetta: Taking a look into my crystal ball for 2010

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter

http://www.2theadvocate.com/columnists/99438734.html?index=1&c=y

OK, conference football media days are in full gear, LSU coach Les Miles is almost finished on the rubber chicken circuit and the police blotters in a handful of Southeastern Conference cities (and Tallahassee, Fla.) have finally quieted down.

So that’s got to mean the 2010 football season is getting closer, right?

Before Smiley Anders gets his swings in, here is one man’s peek at the crystal ball for the Tigers’ season.

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton hands out boxes of food to oil spill families in Venice

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton hands out boxes of food to oil spill families in Venice

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/07/new_orleans_saints_coach_sean.html

'The real thing we're about today is hope. Letting people know they are not forgotten,' Payton said.

Former LSU star and New York Giants player Chad Jones has returned to New Orleans

Robert Stewart, The Times-Picayune

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2010/07/former_lsu_star_and_new

_york_g.html

New York Giants rookie safety Chad Jones, a former LSU football standout, was released from a New York hospital and has returned to New Orleans, the Giants announced Tuesday.

Jones had been in the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan since June 29 after suffering serious leg injuries when he crashed his SUV on June 25 in New Orleans. After the crash, Jones underwent nearly eight hours of surgery at the Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans and spent several days there before being transferred to New York.

Jones will rest in New Orleans for six to eight weeks and will return to New York for more procedures, according to the Giants.

July Winding Down....

That's right - July is winding down!  Saturday is the last day of the month, but Friday is the last business day of the month - so there are 3 business days left [counting today].  


Okay, I promised an update on Rusty's status....


My housemate picked him up from the vet after work and brought him home.  She said that the vet told her that the x-ray they did was negative - he didn't see any problems with Rusty's shoulders or paws.  He did give him a shot - of cortisone, I think.  Plus he gave my housemate a prescription of anti-inflammatory pills to give him.  She said that he told her that once Rusty has completed taking the prescription, if he's not any better to bring him back and he will do a sedated x-ray to see if he can figure out what's going on.


Rusty pretty much slept the remainder of the evening - she left him in the den while she went to work out.  That's not something she usually does - she usually puts him out on the patio when neither of us are going to be in the den to "supervise" him, but since he was more or less "out of it" she didn't think he would get into anything while she was gone - and he didn't.  She did put him back out there at bedtime, though.


This morning I got up before she left and was eating breakfast as she was finishing up getting ready to leave.  She put some more food and fresh water out there for him.  I was reading the newspaper while eating breakfast and found a full page ad from Wal*Mart and it had those 3 prong folders like I use every year to make my family's yearly calendar in there for 10 cents each.  It was a "back to school" ad.  


I finished eating, cleaned up behind myself, then went and took a shower and got dressed, grabbed my wallet and car keys and headed out to the nearest Wal*Mart.  I got there and inside the store, then had some difficulty finding the folders that were on sale.  I found some that were marked 15 cents; the person helping me insisted that was the price - he claimed to know nothing about the newspaper ad.  


I got 30 of the folders with the prongs and went on to get a few other items and then grabbed a copy of the newspaper off of the rack and took it with me to the checkout.  I showed the cashier the ad and she got someone to verify and come to find out, the ones that I had were indeed on sale for 10 cents each.  They had to go get another of the folders because a mishap took place.  


I got checked out and had to wait till they brought a replacement folder!  Then I left the store and headed for home.  I got everything put away and am now doing laundry.  


I told my housemate I would check on Rusty during the day.  Right now he's in his doghouse sleeping.  He hasn't eaten the food that she put out for him this morning.  She did get one of the pills down him, though.  


This is about all I have for the present time as far as an update!