New Orleans Saints

2013 NFL Crimesman Trophy: The New Orleans Saints Are on the Board!

The calendar flips over to June this weekend, which means that perennial criminals are going to need their game up if they're going to make a dent in this offseason's Crimesman Trophy standings for outstanding criminal performance among NFL players. Much like some ballparks in MLB lend themselves t ... More >>

Early Betting Lines On NFL Weeks 1 Through 16

It's always good to get in on something at the beginning, at the ground floor. In the world of sports wagering, for bettors equally long on hubris and illness (gambling is a sickness, my friends), some betting outlets realize that no time is too soon to put out lines on NFL games. The draft just en ... More >>

Surviving The Great Blackout Of Super Bowl XLVII

Last night's Super Bowl blackout in New Orleans went something like this. At first, the lights dimmed in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome after Jacoby Jones' 100-something yard kick return. Just like they had done in preparation for Beyonce's pyro-laden halftime show. Then, the screaming scoreboards an ... More >>

The NFL Experience Lands In New Orleans

On Wednesday, the The Super Bowl 47 NFL Experience opened to fans at the Morial Convention Center. Featuring a mind-boggling amount of merchandise, GMC automobiles, and chances to exercise your crazed fandom, the 850,000-square-foot fan fest is a feast for the eyes and a strain on the muscles. Seri ... More >>

Texans-Bills: 4 Winners, 4 Losers, "Judgment Day" Edition

So that was "Judgment Day" huh? All righty then. What was billed (by Mario Williams) as Mario Williams' authoritative homecoming, basically turned into a fairly ho-hum day of work for the Texans, a 21-9 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Consider the following numbers: - The Texans won by 12 points. ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets And The World's Weirdest Lawsuit Victory

For this week's random person with newfound wealth via frivolous lawsuit or dumb luck, we go to northern China and a fellow by the name of Jian Feng. Until recently, Feng was married to the love of his life, an unnamed (in the article, at least) beauty who had also recently given birth to their daug ... More >>

Wouldn't It Be Cool If the Houston Texans Only Played Texas Music at Games?

Much like most Houstonians, I will be in front of a television on Sunday watching our Houston Texans play the Miami Dolphins at Reliant Stadium. It's a big and promising year for our team, one of only professional sports franchises in town that are successful. Did you know that Billy Ray Cyrus is ... More >>

Saints 34, Texans 27: Five Things We Learned

In name, Saturday did represent the clichéd dress rehearsal for the Texans. In practicality, it was only the case on one side of the ball. With the defense missing Shaun Cody, J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing, there isn't that much use to reading fortunes on that side of the ball. The Saints are an eli ... More >>

Texans-Saints: Five Things To Watch

Every even-numbered year since I got into radio in 2007 (and perhaps even before that, I just wasn't paying attention), the Houston Texans would travel east on I-10 in mid-August (actually, to be more accurate, they probably flew charter) to practice for the entire week against the New Orleans Saint ... More >>

Louisiana Senate Votes to Beg Roger Goodell to Unsuspend Saints Players and Coaches

Let me preface what I am about to say by noting that I love the State of Louisiana. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip to the state. It's one of my favorite places to visit, complete with otherworldly cuisine, ultra-accessible alcohol and gambling, and unintentional comedy galore. In short, I a ... More >>

Houston Texans Grieving Process 1.0: At Least We're Not in Louisiana!

Ha-ha!​Forty-eight hours have come and gone since Sunday, and the Texans' loss to the Baltimore Ravens is still maddening and painful. How does one process the anguish coming out of a sporting event in which your team had every chance to win the game and put themselves one step away from th ... More >>

Texans, Saints, Tebow and Eli! This Weekend's NFL Playoff Best Bets

The scarcity of games on these NFL playoff weekends is a huge reason why wagering in the postseason can be a death trap of second-guessing for me. Fewer games on the board means there's way more time to focus (and, frankly, OVER-focus if there is such a thing) on the scant few games being played. ... More >>

Texans, Saints and Tebow! This Weekend's NFL Playoff Best Bets

PLAYOFFS?!?!!? Oh, yeah​So is Houston ready for some playoff football? How about we go through the Reliant Stadium checklist for Saturday's game with the Bengals to find out. Notifications to season ticket holders to be in their seats 30 minutes before kickoff? Check. Colored placards in sea ... More >>

Merry Christmas! This Weekend's Football Best Bets

Santa's offering up some money-line action​Before I get into this weekend's best bets, a couple paragraphs on the Texans' 19-16 loss to the Colts last night: Was that officiating crew terrible last night? Yes. But good lord, I've never seen a bigger bunch of whiny babies than Texan fans last ... More >>

Saints 40, Texans 33: Five Plays That Got Away

The Texans found out Sunday.​The latest chapter in the long-running series of Texan near misses might have been the most painful. Sure, there were plenty of positives. The Texans (2-1) proved they were capable of hanging with the NFL's elite on the road. They weren't outclassed. Looking for ... More >>

The New Normal

The Texans start operating like a bona fide NFL team.

NFL & College Football Best Bets -- It's Crime Time

Lennie knows all, eventually​To some of you this may sound obvious, to some it may sound weird, and to some it may sound deplorable -- I wish I had time to watch more television. With the advent of episodic television on cable channels like HBO and Showtime, the ante has been upped and the ne ... More >>

Fifth Ward Saints

Carlos Honore and his wife Tatum started up a youth football league out of nothing in an area of Houston not much known for opportunity or hope.

Texans 30, Redskins 27: This Was The Game Great Teams Win, And The Old Texans Lose

Arian Foster's a perfect 6-0​On the surface, it could seem silly to characterize a 3-point overtime escape in Washington as more of a season-defining moment than a blowout of rival Indianapolis. But when you consider where the now 2-0 Texans have been, that appears to be exactly the case.Ask New O ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Fantasy Football For (Immature) Dummies

​Football season is almost upon us. For many people, this time of year offers renewed hope for the future, ranging from the merely possible (can the Saints repeat?) to the improbable (will the Texans makes the playoffs) to the "You gotta be fucking kidding me" (Kris Brown kicks a last-minute f ... More >>

GAME TIME: Texans-Saints -- 5 Winners, 5 Losers

Oh, what the hell...go ahead and panic.​I keep trying to tell myself that the results of the Texans' trip to New Orleans last week didn't really count. Texans fans everywhere (and my liver) seem to disagree. New Orleans is one of a handful of places on earth that embodies the "too much of a ... More >>

GAME TIME: Houston Texans - Final Practice Report (LIVE from New Orleans)

Sean interviewed former Oiler Spencer Tillman Friday.​As we head into the back end of our trip to New Orleans for Texans-Saints Practicepalooza 2010 (also known as the "realizing there actually can be too much of a good thing" phase of the trip), I'd like to take a minute to wish a very happy thir ... More >>

GAME TIME: Texans Thursday AM Practice Report (LIVE from New Orleans!)

Maybe the Texans can get a little Rebirth in NOLA​While on the surface, this is technically a "business trip" for me, it's really hard to call any trip to New Orleans an out and out "business trip." I mean, I spent fifteen years in the corporate world, where "business" meant mind-numbing meeting ... More >>

Game Time: Texans Wednesday AM Practice Report (LIVE from New Orleans!)

Land of Super Bowl champions​Safe, sound, and functioning on three hours of sleep, I am LIVE in New Orleans at the Saints practice facility in Metarie, LA covering the Texans and the Saints inter-squad practice sessions. For those unaware of the agenda, the Texans spent this morning and will spen ... More >>

Telling New Orleans

The Wire's creator moves south in Treme on HBO.

Albums All You Sudden Saints "Fans" Can Enjoy While You're Smirking

Far be it from Rocks Off to rain on anyone's Super Bowl parade, but are we the only ones bothered by this massive, conveniently timed outpouring of love and affection for New Orleans? It started right after the Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, when admitting you were ... More >>

Who Dat?

​Hell has frozen over. The New Orleans Saints are going to the Super Bowl this Sunday. So, to celebrate, we give you our twist on traditional Buffalo wings, Cajun Chicken Wings. These wings are so good and so easy, you'll look for any excuse to make them. Even Colts fans will be begging for mo ... More >>

Where The Hou-Dats Will Be For The Super Bowl: Ragin' Cajun, Big Woodrows Or I-10

​There are a ton of New Orleans Saints fans in Houston, and the number grew after Katrina rocked Louisiana.They call themselves "Hou-Dats," and they are making big plans for Sunday. The two biggest HQs in town for Saints fans: the Ragin' Cajun on Richmond and  the Big Woodrow's on Chimney Roc ... More >>

A Scientific Comparison Of Indianapolis And New Orleans

​Even before Katrina, Houston was long a brother to New Orleans. Cars packed with revelers make that I-10 drive come Mardi Gras time, or whenever the urge hits.Katrina only cemented the bond. So with the Saints in the Super Bowl, as odd as those five words strung together may sound, we're firmly r ... More >>

Texans Could Learn Something From The Saints

​When the Houston Oilers split for Nashville, I found myself searching for a NFL team to adopt. As a native Houstonian, there was just no way that I could make myself a Dallas Cowboys fan. Especially if I wanted to keep my self-respect.I adopted the New Orleans Saints. The team had a lot of si ... More >>

Is Anyone Rooting For The Colts In The Super Bowl?

​Now that the NFL is down to two teams, the big question remains -- who the hell is going to be rooting for Indianapolis?Let's examine the options.The cities.On the one hand, you have a town (not a city) full of pasty Midwesterners, a burg that only has an NFL team because the owner of one of the ... More >>

Game Time: NFL Conference Title Predictions...Channeling College Football

There's no two ways about it, my NFL playoff predictions have been terrible. As I outlined on Monday, I reached a point this past weekend, after going goose eggs on the first seven games, where I picked the Jets to beat the Chargers outright merely because every rational thought and shred of evide ... More >>

Experts Ask The Pressing Question Tonight: Are You Ready For Some Football?

​The NFL season opens tonight. We've already given you our astute and accurate take on the Houston Texans. (9-7, if you must know.) But what about the rest of the league? Do you actually want to sit through all the games, or learn what will happen in the next few grafs?We thought so.So here is how ... More >>

What To Look For If You're Looking At The Texans And Saints

Photo by wackykramer​It's time for preseason game number two for the Houston Texans. This week, they're taking on the New Orleans Saints. The two teams have been practicing against each other this week, and yesterday, things got a bit heated as there were multiple fights punctuated by Saints tight ... More >>

John Royal's NFL Power Rankings

Jason Friedman’s NFL Picks, Week 16: Super Mario Snubbed, But That’s a Good Thing

John Royal’s NFL Picks, Week 15: Texans Are Gonna Get Bucked

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week 14: Longest. Season. Ever.

John Royal’s NFL Picks, Week 12: Forget the Drumstick, Let’s Wing It

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week 11: Andre Johnson Is Back, But Take the Saints Anyway

John Royal’s NFL Picks, Week Ten: Georgia (the Country, Not the State) Loves the Texans

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week Nine: Getting Rid of the Hired Help, Going with the Raiders

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week Eight: Take the Texans. That's Right. The Texans.

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week Seven: Sorry, Mario. Even If Vince Young Doesn't Play, It's Gonna Be a Tough One.

John Royal’s Pigheaded Pigskin Picks, Week Six: Loving and Hating the Cowboys

John Royal’s NFL Picks, Week Five: Sports Writers Are Athletes Too…

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week Three: Colts, Chargers and Greeks

Stealing the Show

New Orleans musicians blew into Houston on Katrina's winds and everything was magic for a while

Bush-whacked fo' Sho