Both the Saints and Eagles return to the practice field as they get ready for their NFC divisional matchup on Sunday in the Superdome. A big key in Philadelphia’s upset win over the Bears in the wild card round was the play of the Eagles offensive line, which shut down one of the best defensive players in the game, Khalil Mack. Philly offensive coordinator Mike Groh says after putting Chicago to bed he believes his guys can match up against the Saints best pass rusher Cam Jordan…
cut 18 (19) “….make it”

Saints NFC South Rival, Tampa Bay, has found a new head coach. Bruce Arians is coming out of retirement to coach Jameis Winston and the Bucs.

LSU tipped off SEC play with an 88-79 win over Alabama last night. Tremont Waters led the way with 19 points and seven assists and Javonte Smart came off the bench to score 15 points. Coach Will Wade liked what Smart brought to the game….
cut 20 (16) “…of the season”
Kavell Bigby-Williams also played well as he had 14 points and 13 rebounds, plus five blocked shots. The Tigers are at Arkansas on Saturday.

Details have emerged regarding the duck hunting accident in Mississippi that resulted in the amputation of former LSU offensive lineman Matt Branch’s leg. The Clarion Ledger reports Branch left his loaded shotgun in the bed of his pickup truck and a dog jumped onto the truck bed, accidentally pulling the trigger. Branch was shot in the left thigh and is expected to recover. He played for the Tigers from 2008 to 2011.

The Philadelphia Eagles will arrive later this week in New Orleans looking to redeem themselves after a blowout 48-7 loss to the Saints in November. The two teams meet Sunday in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson says their initial loss to the Saints was embarrassing, but they have improved since then…
Cut 16 (15) “…yesterday”
Both teams will practice today and we’ll get our first injury reports of the week.

Elsewhere in the NFL, Tampa Bay has found a new head coach as 66-year-old Bruce Arians has come out of retirement to return to the head coaching ranks. Arians was the head coach at Arizona for five seasons and led the Cardinals to three double-digit win seasons.

Despite an eleven-day lay-off, the LSU men’s basketball team showed no signs of rust last night in their SEC Opener as they led by as many as 19 points in the second half and held on for an 88-79 win over Alabama. Tremont Waters had 19 points and seven assists, but Coach Will Wade says the difference in the game was six-foot-11 Oregon transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams, who hit season highs in points and rebounds, with 14 points, 13 boards and five blocked shots…
cut 20 (07) “…more games”
The Tigers improve to 11-and-3 on the season and will look to go to 2-0 in the SEC when they visit Arkansas on Saturday.

The college football season ended last night with Clemson winning its second title in three years as the Tigers took down Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide 44-16 in Santa Clara, California. Next year the national title game will be in New Orleans on January 13th.

Sugar Bowl Chief Operating Officer Jeff Hundley anticipates a 300-million dollar economic impact for the city…
cut 14 (06) “…destination”
Usually, when New Orleans hosts the college football national title game, LSU is in the contest. That was the case in 2012 and 2008. The Tigers finished 2018 ranked number six in the AP Poll, their best ranking to finish a season since 2011.

For the first time since November, the Pelicans have won two in a row. New Orleans defeated Memphis 114 to 95 as Anthony Davis had 36 points and 13 rebounds.

The Saints beat the Eagles 48-7 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in November. But New Orleans Coach Sean Payton expects a much tougher game when the two teams meet again on Sunday in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs…
cut 18 (17) “….Super Bowl champions”
Kick-off is at 3:40.

LSU basketball returns from an 11-day lay off to face Alabama in the SEC Opener for the Tigers. So what did the Bayou Bengals do during the extended break, Coach Will Wade explains…
cut 20 (18) :”…every day”
Tip off is at 8 PM.

Finally, It was Alabama on the receiving end of a beating last night as the Clemson Tigers took it to the Tide in the national championship game. Former Jennings standout Travis Etienne scored three touchdowns as Clemson rolled Alabama 44-16. It’s the first time a team beat Bama by 14 points since 2007.

Next year, the college football championship game will be in New Orleans. Jeff Hundley is the Chief Operating Officer of the Sugar Bowl and he says the finale of the college football playoffs has resulted in a 300-million dollar economic impact for the host cities…
cut 14 (06) “…..a destination city”
The championship game will be January 13th.

The Pelicans have hit the halfway point of the NBA with a 19-and-22 record. They won their second straight last night, beating Memphis 114 to 95. Anthony Davis had 36 points and 15 rebounds. Frank Jackson added 17 points off the bench.

LSU returns from an 11-day lay off to face Alabama in the SEC Opener for the Tigers. So what did the Bayou Bengals do during the extended break, Coach Will Wade explains…
cut 20 (18) :”…every day”
LSU has won 15 straight in the PMAC, but Avery Johnson has won five straight over LSU and is 5-and-1 against the Tigers since taking over as the head coach in Tuscaloosa in 2015.

In college hoops last night…Alabama A-and-M defeated Grambling 65-60 in overtime. Texas Southern topped Southern 77-67.

In colelge football, LSU’s straight nose Breiden Fehoko says he’s coming back for his senior season, because in a Twitter post he says the future is bright for the Tigers. Fehoko is also urging defensive end Rashard Lawrence to come back for his senior season.

The Saints will welcome back Philadelphia to the Superdome this Sunday for an NFL divisional round playoff game. The Eagles upset the Chicago Bears 16-15 yesterday as quarterback Nick Foles rebounded from two interceptions in the first half to throw two touchdowns in the second half.

The Eagles and Saints will meet for a second time this season at 3:40 on Sunday. New Orleans smashed Philly 48-7 in the Superdome in November. Eagles coach Doug Pederson expects a much closer contest this time…
Cut 18 (13) great atmosphere”
Philadelphia offensive tackle Jason Peters says the Black and Gold ran up the score on them the first time around and they wanted to play them again. The oddsmakers like the Saints to win big as the Black and Gold is a nine point favorite to advance to the NFC Championship game.

And for the fourth time in four years, Clemson and Alabama face off. Tonight it’s in the national championship game. The Crimson Tide beat the Tigers 24-6 in last year’s Sugar Bowl. Kick-off tonight is at 7:15.

The Pelicans have a chance to get on a winning streak this week as they’ll face three teams that have losing records. New Orleans, who is 18-22, will host 19-and-22 Memphis tonight at the Smoothie King Center. Wednesday, Cleveland, who has the worst record in the league, visits New Orleans. On Saturday, the Pels head to Minnesota, who just fired head coach Tom Thibodeau.

The LSU men’s basketball team will return to the hardwood tomorrow after an 11-day lay off. The Tigers will host Alabama in the SEC opener. The Crimson Tide started its conference schedule by upsetting 13th ranked Kentucky 75-73.

ULM is one of three teams to start Sun Belt play with a 2-0 record as the Warhawks defeated Arkansas State 85-75. Daishon Smith had 24 points. ULM is at Georgia Southern on Saturday.

Grambling and Southern both lost in their SWAC openers. They play again tonight. The Tigers are at Alabama A-and-M, while Southern hosts Texas Southern

The Saints will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the NFC Divisional Round. Former ULM star and Philadelphia Coach Doug Pederson is now 4-0 in the playoffs as a head coach. The Eagles stunned the Bears 16-15 yesterday with a dramatic wild card win in the Windy City. Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles have been unstoppable in the postseason the last two seasons
cut 17 (15) on the sideline”
The Eagles and Saints will meet for a second time this season at 3:40 on Sunday. New Orleans smashed Philly 48-7 in the Superdome on November 18th.

Tonight is college football’s national championship game as Nick Saban seeks his seventh national title as Alabama faces Clemson for a fourth time in four years.

After beating Cleveland on Saturday, who has the worst record in the NBA, the Pelicans host the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. Memphis is three-games under the .500 mark. New Orleans is 18-and-22 and in 14th place in the Western Conference. But the Pels have a chance to start a win streak. They play the Grizzlies on Monday, Cleveland on Wednesday and Minnesota on Saturday. The Timberwolves fired head coach Tom Thibodeau yesterday.

The LSU’s men’s basketball team will return to the hardwood tomorrow after an 11-game lay-off. They’ll host Alabama, who upset 13th ranked Kentucky 77-75 on Saturday.

ULM is one of three teams to start Sun Belt play with a 2-0 record as the Warhawks defeated Arkansas State 85-75. Daishon Smith had 24 points. ULM is at Georgia Southern on Saturday.

Grambling and Southern both lost in their SWAC openers. They play again tonight. The Tigers are at Alabama A-and-M, while Southern hosts Texas Southern.

The top-seeded Saints have the weekend off from playoff football, but there are three teams playing this weekend to keep an eye on. Depending on how the games shake out, the Cowboys, Seahawks, or Eagles could head to the Big Easy next Sunday. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the most dangerous of the three, Dallas, gave the Black and Gold one of their three losses this year…
Cut 13 (10) “…Dak Prescott.”
The Cowboys take on the Seahawks in Arlington on Saturday night, where the winner will likely head to New Orleans, unless the Eagles upset the Bears on Sunday.

Former LSU standouts Kevin Mawae and Alan Faneca, along with former Destrehan High school football star Ed Reed are among the 15 modern era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019. It’s the first time Reed has been eligible. We find out who gets in on February 2nd.

President Trump has signed legislation that results in former Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. Gleason’s work through the Team Gleason Foundation has helped A-L-S sufferers and others have access to speech-generating devices and other tools. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy says the US Mint will design the medal and Gleason will be honored later this year.

In college basketball last night….ULM’s Daishon Smith scored a career-high 42 points as the Warhawks defeated Little Rock 97-84 in the Sun Belt Opener. Smith hit 10 of 12 shots from three-point land.

Louisiana Tech fell behind by 19 on the road at North Texas and lost to the Mean Green 63-59. Junior DaQuan Bracey had 22 points for the Bulldogs.
And the Ragin Cajuns lost to Arkansas State 94-83, despite 25 points from Marcus Stroman.

The Saints are not required to release an injury report, because they do not have a game this week. But we know several players have been sitting out of practice this week. According to Nick Underhill of the Advocate, Alex Okafor, Cameron Jordan, Terron Armstead, Jermon Bushrod, Andrus Peat and Larry Warford have missed practice the last two days.

President Trump has signed legislation that will result in former Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. Gleason’s work through the Team Gleason Foundation has helped provide A-L-S sufferers and others have access to speech-generating devices and other tools. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy says the US Mint will design the medal and Gleason will be honored later this year.

According to Bet-online, the Saints are the favorites to win Super Bowl 53. They put New Orleans’ chances at 5 to 2. Kansas is at 9-to-2, followed by the Rams who are at 11-to-2. New England is 6 to 1.

La Tech needs to find a new defensive coordinator. Blake Baker has left the Bulldogs for the same job at Miami, where Manny Diaz was just named the head coach. Baker has been in Ruston since 2014 and this past season the Bulldogs finished 27th in the nation in total defense.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech takes a seven-game winning streak into North Texas tonight. U-N-T is on an 11-game winning streak and they are 13-and-1 overall, their best start since 1952-53.

ULM has a winning record as the Warhawks begin Sun Belt play tonight by hosting Little Rock. And the Ragin Cajuns host Arkansas State. It’s UL-Lafayette’s first game without senior captain Malik Marquetti. The senior transfer from USC was averaging 15 points a game, before suffering a season-ending injury on Saturday.

Southland Conference play started last night, McNeese defeated Incarnate Word 88-77 as Roydell Brown had his seventh double-double. Nicholls dribbled past Northwestern State 78-72 as Gavin Peppers poured in a career-high 24 points and Southeastern Louisiana lost to Stephen F Austin 65-60, despite having a nine point lead in the first half.

The Pelicans fell to 17-and-22 on the season last night with a 126 to 121 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Anthony Davis grabbed a franchise record 26 rebounds and scored 34 points, while Elfrid Payton added 25 points and seven assists in the loss. Brooklyn led 73-58 at halftime and they hit 16 three-pointers on the night.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has been named by the National League of Junior Cotillions as the one of the top ten best mannered people. Brees received honor for his exemplary conduct both on and off the field and outstanding contributions to families in need through the Brees Dream Foundation.

ESPN reports the Saints Alex Okafor will still receive a 400-thousand dollar bonus even though he failed to record five sacks on the season. Okafor finished with four sacks, one sack short of triggering the incentive that was contained his contract. But apparently the Saints will give him the bonus anyway.

The Louisiana Sports Writers Association names St. Thomas More’s Caleb Holstein Holstein as the Class 4A Offensive MVP. Holstein threw for 3,847 yards and 47 touchdowns for the Cougars who reached the Division Two state title game. Leesville’s Robbie Causey was named the Class Four-A Coach of the Year as the Wampus Cats had the school’s first ever undefeated regular season in school history.

There is no talk of a national championship at U-C-F today. LSU ended the Knights 25-game winning streak with a 40-32 win in the Fiesta Bowl. Quarterback Joe Burrow bounced back from an early pick six and a crushing hit to throw for 394 yards and four touchdowns…..
cut 15 (10) “….keep working”
The Tigers had 555 yards of total offense. Kicker Cole Tracy made four field goals and set the school record for most field goals in a season with 29. LSU also celebrates its first ten-win season since 2013.

The Tigers avoided the upset, but Georgia did not in last night’s Sugar Bowl as 15th ranked Texas beat the fifth ranked Bulldogs 28-21. It’s the Longhorns first ten-win season since 2009 and they open next year by hosting Louisiana Tech and LSU.

After losing to the Carolina Panthers 33-14 in the regular season finale, the Saints say they will use the extra week before their January 13th playoff game to focus on fundamentals. New Orleans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins says the mistakes they made against the Panthers are fixable
Cut 19 (15) “…from there”
The week off allows Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell to interview for head coaching vacancies. Campbell will reportedly speak with the Browns, Packers and Cardinals later this week.

In the NBA, the Pelicans begin a two-game road trip tonight in Brooklyn. The Nets have won six of their last seven game homes.