Saints quarterback Drew Brees looked like a guy in his mid-20s instead of a 36-year-old in Saturday’s preseason game against the New England Patriots. Brees is coming off a season where he threw 17 interceptions, some at critical times, and admitted an oblique injury and another undisclosed injury led to poor technique

Cut 17 (20) “cause bad habits”

On Saturday night, Brees led the first-team offense on three scoring drives as he completed 8-of-10 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

UL-Lafayette and basketball coach Bob Marlin have agreed to a five year contract extension. The new deal will keep Marlin in Lafayette until 2020. Martin led the Ragin Cajuns to the 2014 Sunbelt Tournament Championship and a trip to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The LSU football team is less than two weeks away from the season opener against McNeese State. Coach Les Miles likes what he’s seen from his defensive line, in particular the defensive ends, who have improved under first-year coach Ed Orgeron…

Cut 25 (10) “…rush a pass”

Miles says while the team is coming along, they are not ready to play in a game yet.

The Associated Press’ Preseason Top 25 has been released and LSU comes in at number 14. Last year the Tigers came in at number 13 in the same poll.

Livonia defensive end Willie Baker has committed to play college football at Louisiana Tech. Baker made his choice known Saturday night. The six-foot-four, 235 pound three star prospect opted for the Bulldogs over Arkansas, Illinois, UL-Lafayette, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Baker was a first team All-State selection last season with 97 tackles and 12 sacks helping Livonia to the 3-A state title.

The Saints will have their second test of the preseason on Saturday night as they host Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The first preseason game did not go well for New Orleans as they lost to Baltimore. But despite the bad game last week, second-year wide receiver Brandin Cooks likes the team’s attitude as it gets ready for the regular season…
cut 30 (12) “…special thing”
Cooks had a 28-yard touchdown catch in the first preseason game. We’ll see what he can do in game number two, which kicks off at 6:30 on Saturday night.

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis’ lawsuit against his former employer has been tossed out. That means the legal battle will now be decided in Louisiana as the courts will consider LSU’s lawsuit against Chavis. LSU claims that Chavis must pay a 400-thousand dollar buyout for getting out of his contract early.

ULM Coach Todd Berry says redshirt freshman Garrett Smith remains the leader in the battle to be the Warhawks starting quarterback heading into Saturday’s final scrimmage of fall camp. Berry says Smith is starting to separate himself from the others competing for the job. Saturday is Fan apprecipation night and after the scrimmage, there will be a meet and greet with the players.

Louisiana Tech’s fan fest is at three PM at the Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday. Head Coach Skip Holtz says he looks forward to this event every year…
cut 29 (09) “…this for’
After the annual fan fest, the Bulldogs will hold an open scrimmage.

McNeese State closes out fall camp with with a scrimmage on Saturday morning. It’s also been announced that Cox Sports TV will televise the Cowboys home opener against Incarnate Word. CST will also carry the Pokes game at Nicholls State on October third and the October 10th home game against Southeastern Louisiana.

The Saints are done with training camp at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. They’ve returned to New Orleans, where they’ll play the New England Patriots tomorrow night in the Mercedes Benz Superdome. These two teams are familiar with each other, they spent two days practicing against each other this week. Kick-off is at six thirty tomorrow night.

It looks like there will be another stadium in the NFC South that will have the name Mercedes Benz on the building. Sports Business Daily reports that the Mercedes-Benz has acquired the naming rights to the Atlanta Falcons new stadium, which is set to open in 2017. The German luxury automaker also has the naming rights on an arena in China.

After taking a day off yesterday, LSU is back at practice today. They’ll hold a closed scrimmage tomorrow. Lousiiana Tech will have their annual Fan Fest event tomorrow and then hold a scrimmage afterwards.

The LSU men’s basketball team will wrap up its five game tour through Australia tomorrow morning local time with a game against CTI Melbourne United of the National Basketball League. The Tigers are three-and one during exhibition schedule down under.

ULM has made plans to welcome back the Warhawks 1986 NCAA Tournament team for a 30th anniversary celebration. The reunion will take place during the second weekend of February and the team will be recognized during ULM’s home game against Arkansas State on February 13th.

As the Saints head to New Orleans for Saturday’s preseason matchup against the New England Patriots, they say goodbye to the Greenbriar. The team’s first three weeks of training camp were held at the resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The remainder of training camp will take place at the team’s headquarters in Metairie. The Greenbriar will now get ready to host the New Orleans Pelicans’ training camp from September 29th to October 2nd.

It does looks like the Saints’ may have dodged a bullet. Defensive end Akiem Hicks left Wednesday’s joint practice with the Patriots with an undisclosed injury. He was later able to leave the locker room under his own power. A team source says the injury is not considered serious and should be nothing to worry about. The nature of the injury was not disclosed.

In other NFC South news, Panthers’ wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin will miss the upcoming season because of a torn ACL. As a rookie last season he caught 73 passes and scored nine touchdowns.

Louisiana Tech has reached the mid point of fall camp. Coach Skip Holtz says several Bulldogs are sitting out because of bumps and bruises. One of those players is wide receiver Paul Turner, who has a broken nose. He should be back in action in a few days. Saturday the team will hold its fan fest at the Thomas Assembly Center beginning at 3PM.

UL-Lafayette has their annual Fall Fan Day set for this Sunday at the Cajundome. Ragin Cajun fans will have the opportunity to meet and get autographs from football, volleyball, soccer, and basketball players and coaches. You’ll also get the chance to get some free stuff. Fan Day starts at 5PM.

Detroit right hander Alfredo Simon threw a complete game one-hit shutout as the Tigers beat the Texas Rangers 4-0. This was Simon’s first career shutout.

Tampa Bay right hander Chris Archer also threw a complete game one-hit shutout as the Rays topped the Astros 1-0.

Anthony Rizzo’s three-run homer in the third inning helped the Chicago Cubs drum the Atlanta Braves 7-1.

Safety Jalen Mills has played in all 39 games of his LSU career, but he’ll likely miss a couple of games this year, after suffering an ankle injury in practice yesterday. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says Mills will likely miss the first two games, including the SEC opener at Mississippi State on September 12th…
cut 20 (12) “…this season”
Mills’ injury means Rickey Jefferson will likely be elevated to a starter in the Tigers defensive backfield.

Louisiana Tech has reached the midpoint of fall camp and Coach Skip Holtz says several players are sitting out because of ‘bumps and bruises.” One of these players is Paul Turner, who has a broken nose, but he should be back in a few days. Tech will hold closed practicess the next two days and this Saturday its Fan Fest from 3 to 6 Pm at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees anticipates playing in this Saturday’s preseason game against New England. Brees watched from the sidelines in the exhibition opener. The 36-year-old Brees was asked again about the statement he made last year that he would like to play until he’s 45-years-old. Brees says he thinks he can do it, but it’s not a given in this game….
cut 18 (20) “….for awhile”

In other NFL news…Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is out for the season with a torn ACL. As a rookie last season, he caught 73 passes and scored nine touchdowns.

The LSU men’s basketball schedule is out. The Tigers will host Kentucky on January fifth and visit the Wildcats on March fifth.

LSU starting safety Jalen Mills reportedly miss four to six weeks after suffering an ankle injury during practice yesterday. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says Rickey Jefferson will likely replace Mills in the starting line-up and the injury will also give a couple of freshmen more playing time…

cut 19 (16) “another freshman”

Worsham says the injury could force Mills to miss the SEC opener at Mississippi State on September 12.

The 2015-16 LSU Men’s Basketball Schedule has been released and it features 18 regular season contests in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tigers’ non-conference schedule features games at Houston on December 13 and against Oklahoma on January 30th. LSU kicks their season off November 13th when they host McNeese State.

The Saints have another joint practice with the Patriots today and then the two teams will travel to The Big Easy for a preseason game Saturday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Quarterback Drew Brees says the workouts are spirited and it brings out the best in both teams…

cut 17 (11) “against us”

The Black & Gold is looking to bounce back after a disappointing 7-9 record last season.

McNeese State officials say a new video board inside Cowboy Stadium will be in place by August 28th. The state of the art board will include full LED lighting, a high definition video display that will feature in-game replays, and be a tad bit larger than the old board.

The ESPN 30 for 30 short film on former Northwestern State two-sport All-American Joe Delaney is now available for on-demand access through espn.com and grantland.com. The film tells the story of Delany, who died in 1983 while trying to rescue three drowning children.

LSU starting safety Jalen Mills went down with an injury during this morning’s practice. Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette would not confirm any specifics, but multiple media outlets say the Texas native will miss four to six weeks with a leg injury. If that’s the case, Mills could miss the season opener against McNeese State and the SEC opener at Mississippi State. His injury means that Rickey Jefferson will likely replace Mills in the starting line-up.

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has told ESPN reporter Britt McHenry that he expects that safety Jairus Byrd will return to the field before the preseason is over. Byrd has been on the physically unable to perform list. Payton also confirmed an earlier report that running back CJ Spiller will be ready for the season opener.

And the Jets made it official today by announcing the signing of former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn. But Flynn has an ankle injury that will sideline him one week.

McNeese State officials say a new video board inside Cowboy Stadium will be in place by August 28th. The state of the art board will include full LED lighting, high definition video display that will feature in-game replays. And the new video board will be a tad bit larger than the old board.

The ESPN 30 for 30 short film on former Northwestern State two-sport All-American Joe Delaney is now available for on-demand access through espn.com and grantland.com. The film tells the story of Delany, who died in 1983 while trying to resuce three drowning children.

LSU baseball players have returned from summer leagues. Junior outfielder Jake Fraley hit .302 in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League. Sophomore right-hander Jake Godfrey had a 2.41 ERA, while Hunter Newman had a 2.11 ERA out of the bullpen.

The LSU men’s basketball team takes on the Melbourne United team in a contest that will begin at 4:30 AM Louisiana time on Thursday morning.

The Saints began two days of joint practices with the New England Patriots at their training camp facility in West Virginia. Head Coach Sean Payton says with training camp winding down, going up against another team comes at a good time…
cut 18 (15) “…familiar with”
No fights broke out at this morning’s practice. It’s been reported that Payton told the players they would pack their bags if they started any fights. The coach did tell reporters that he wasn’t happy the NFL Network showed the melee between the Cowboys and Rams numerous times.

The New York Daily News is reporting that Giants quarterback and New Orleans native Eli Manning would like to receive a new contract that pays him about 21-million dollars, which is what Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers recently received.

LSU has its final two-a-day practice of fall camp today. The Tigers are getting ready for the second major scrimmage of the preseason, which will take place Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Linebacker Kendell Beckwith says so far camp has gone well….
cut 30 (14) “…got it”

The Ragin Cajuns are off today after holding their second scrimmage of fall camp last night. Coach Mark Hudspeth says he was pleased with how his team performed. He says quarterbacks Brooks Haack, Jalen Nixon and Jordan Davis each threw touchdown passes.

The ESPN 30 for 30 short film on former Northwestern State two-sport All-American Joe Delaney is now available for on-demand access through espn.com and grantland.com. The film tells the story of Delany, who died in 1983 while trying to resuce three drowning children.

The Saints begin two days of joint practices with the New England Patriots at their training camp facility in West Virginia. The two teams will also play each other in preseason game on Saturday night in the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Coach Sean Payton on what they hope to accomplish by practicing against the Super Bowl champs…

cut 17 (19) “of cards”

The Saints will begin the regular season September 13th at Arizona.

With injured quarterback Geno Smith sidelined, it’s reported that the New York Jets are set to sign former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn to the roster. Flynn, who was released by the Patriots, will be a backup for new starter Ryan Fitzpatrick. Smith will miss at least the first four regular season games after suffering a broken jaw.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is looking to become the NFL’s highest paid player. Manning’s current deal, signed before the 2009 season, will pay him $17 million in base salary this season. That ranks him 17th among the highest paid quarterbacks in the league. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the highest paid quarterback in the NFL with an average annual base pay of $22 million. Manning’s contract expires after this season and he’s currently in contract extension talks with the team.

The Ragin Cajuns 2015-16 men’s basketball schedule is out and it features several difficult non-conference games. UL Lafayette will travel to UCLA, Miami of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana Tech, and Pepperdine. The schedule also features a nice stretch of Sun Belt conference home games in late January as the Cajuns will host South Alabama, Troy, Texas State, UT Arlington, and ULM from January 21st until February second.

And the Pelicans preseason schedule is released. New Orleans will play just one game at the Smoothie King Center and that’s October 23rd against Miami.

Many LSU fans are hoping for a breakout season from sophomore wide receiver Malachi Dupre, who caught 14 passes as a freshman last season. Dupre says new wide receivers coach Tony Ball has been very tough on him…
cut 19 (20) “…for it”

At Saints camp, recently signed defensive tackle Austin Brown went down with a knee injury at practice today and was carted off the field. In response to Brown’s injury, New Orleans has reportedly signed defensive tackle David Hunter, who is 25 years old and was last on an NFL roster in 2012. The Saints also begin two days of joint practices with the New England Patriots tomorrow.

The LSU men’s basketball team defeated the Queensland All-Stars in game three of their five game tour of Australia. Ben Simmons had 18 points and a key offensive put back in the final minute during the 91-88 victory. Antonio Blakeney had 22 points off the bench to lead the way, while Tim Quarterman had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

The Ragin Cajuns released their 2015-16 men’s basketball schedule and it features several difficult non-conference games. UL Lafayette will travel to UCLA, Miami of Florida, Alabama, Lousiana Tech and Pepperdine. The schedule also features a nice stretch of conference home games in late January as the Cajuns will host South Alabama, Troy, Texas State, UT Arklington and ULM from January 21st until February second.

And the Pelicans preseason schedule came out today. New Orleans will play just one game at the Smoothie King Center and that’s October 23rd against Miami.