NEW ORLEANS (AP)—If Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints are inclined to
reflect back on anything from 2011, it’s not so much their recently concluded
record-breaking regular season as their disappointing first-round playoff loss
to Seattle last January.

“You understand in our game that when you line up in the postseason,
there’s a finality to it,” Payton said Monday as the Saints began preparations
for their playoff opener against Detroit.

“There’s a lot of things that were positive and a lot of things that were
accomplished with the season we just had, and yet the reason you try to win as
many games as you can is to prepare yourself for what we’re getting ready to
accomplish now,” Payton continued. “I don’t think you reflect now. You are
still driven by the challenge ahead.”

The 2011 Saints might be better than the 2009 team that won the Super Bowl.
Both were 13-3 in the regular season, and this season’s squad set several NFL
and franchise records, mostly on offense.

The Saints 7,474 offensive yards set a new league mark by 399 yards. Drew
Brees’ 5,476 yards passing was the most for any quarterback by more than 200
yards, while his 468 completions and 71.2 completion rate also set new league
highs. Darren Sproles’ 2,696 combined yards rushing, receiving and on returns
also established a new NFL single-season best.

Those records were only a sampling of the history New Orleans made this
season, though all that will mean a lot less if they suffer an early exit from
the playoffs.

Last season, the Saints won 11 games and were expected to roll past a
Seahawks squad that was the first division winner in NFL history with a losing
record. The Seahawks wound up celebrating an upset, and the Saints like to think
now that they learned from it.

“It helps that you’ve been through it and experienced a tough loss in a
game you were expected to win in a crucial time,” safety Roman Harper said.
“If you don’t show up and play with a sense of urgency and discipline, a team
can beat you. … If you don’t come prepared with a sense of urgency, you will
get your tail kicked in this league.”

The Saints have been building momentum for two months now, winning eight
straight games, including six by double digits. They’ve outscored their last
three opponents 132-53 combined. Two of those victories came against division
foes who had been playing well lately in Atlanta and Carolina.

On Sunday against the Panthers, the Saints could have begun resting starters
early in the second half, when their chances of improving their No. 3 seeding
diminished as second-seed San Francisco pulled away from St. Louis. Instead, the
Saints chose an aggressive approach that turned a one-score halftime lead into a
45-17 blowout.

In the process, they solidified their credentials as a playoff favorite,
even if they didn’t get a top-two seeding in the NFC and will have to win three
postseason games to get back to the Super Bowl.

“Sean’s been saying for a couple of weeks now that if we just continue to
play like we’re playing and continue in the path we’re on, that a lot of teams
are not going to want to face us,” Harper said. “You can say that now, but
then if we go out and lose a game, it doesn’t really mean anything.”

Saints right tackle Zach Strief also was guarded about the significance of
the Saints’ recent sting of lopsided wins.

“This is a game that can turn quickly on you,” Strief said. “Us playing
well the last few weeks doesn’t give us anything but confidence going in. It
doesn’t give us a win.”

Payton said he was happy to see his players being recognized both for
individual and team records. For now, though, his message to his players is that
they need to maintain the team chemistry that helped them win big lately and
forget about the accolades already accrued—at least until the postseason ends.

“It’s such a team sport,” Payton said. “It seems like the last two weeks
there’s been a lot of talk about individual accomplishments, as there should be
with the passing record, Darren Sproles. … (But) this is the time of year when
the focus really shifts to us playing our best football as a team.”

Gotta run!.

The New Orleans Saints host the Carolina Panthers today at noon at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game will be televised by Fox and broadcast by WWL-870 and 105.3.

Coaches: Sean Payton (61-34 regular season; 4-2 postseason in six seasons, all with the Saints), Ron Rivera (6-9 in first season with Panthers)

TV: Fox-8; Joe Buck play-by-play, Troy Aikman color.

Radio: WWL-870, 105.3.

KEEP AN EYE ON

PANTHERS QB CAM NEWTON

Well, duh, but according to Saints defenders, Newton is a rare, complete package. First, he can run (14 rushing touchdowns this season). “Normally there are a lot of plays where, on defense, you’re 11 going on 10 because you don’t have to account for the quarterback,” linebacker Scott Shanle said. “That’s not the case here. It’s almost like he creates another gap.” In the example Shanle cited, an old school run has the fullback leading a halfback through the hole. One linebacker takes on the fullback, another makes the tackle. But the Panthers can line up their fullback like a wingback and, when the defense adjusts to account for that, the unit is a man short if Newton runs off a play-action fake. In the passing game, Newton’s howitzer arm creates problems. Even in the NFL, many quarterbacks can’t make all the throws once they break containment, safety Malcolm Jenkins said. That means in most games, safeties can cheat, give up on receivers on the far side and collapse the field toward the quarterback. But because Newton can make the deep throw back across, Jenkins said the secondary has to hold its ground even when Newton is on the move, which creates more space for Newton to exploit once he crosses the line of scrimmage and makes it more likely defenders Newton does encounter have to take him on one on one. And if there is another thing that sets Newton apart, Shanle and Jenkins both said, it is his size. At 6 feet 5, 248 pounds, Newton is an intimidating and difficult man to tackle.

PANTHERS WR STEVE SMITH

This is partly a football judgment, because Smith is a very good receiver who has hurt the Saints in the past. He has eight touchdown catches against New Orleans in his career. During his 11 years in the NFL, Smith has averaged better than six yards after the catch, and New Orleans comes into the game allowing the highest yards after the catch in the NFL. Smith credits rookie quarterback Cam Newton with rejuvenating what appeared to be a career in embers, and Smith, an 11-year veteran, has enjoyed a Pro Bowl season with 73 catches for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns. But what will also bear close watching today is Smith’s relationship with the New Orleans secondary because Smith got a nice chunk of his 2011 statistics — along with a post-TD end zone smash — when the Saints visited Charlotte, N.C. In that game, Smith had three catches for 79 yards, 54 of which came on a scoring grab that ended with him sauntering in the end zone and taking a blind side late hit from safety Roman Harper. Harper absorbed a $15,000 fine from the league for his message, and Smith is known to be a brash, outspoken sort of player. Taking the safe route, perhaps, Coach Sean Payton and several players insist that sort of thing rarely carries over even though some tension has always existed between Smith and the Saints since they play each other often as division rivals. As might be expected, Payton had nothing but high praise for Smith, whom he coached in the Pro Bowl after the 2006 season. In particular, Payton said that setting gives insight into the things a player brings to the game that don’t show up on tape, and Smith’s dedication and superb conditioning are what make him “explosive” to this day.

KEY MATCHUP

SAINTS S ROMAN HARPER vs.

CAROLINA TEs JEREMY SHOCKEY and GREG OLSEN

Carolina will rely on its ground attack — the Panthers are on the cusp of becoming the first team in NFL history with three players rushing for more than 700 yards in a season — but the reliable tight end tandem has proved the rookie quarterback’s best friend. Olsen, acquired in an off-season trade with the Bears, is second on the team with 45 catches for 540 yards and five scores. Shockey, the former Saint, carries a streak of 135 regular-season games played with a reception and has caught 34 passes for 437 yards and four touchdowns. Twice this year, most recently against the Falcons on Dec. 11, each has caught a touchdown pass in a game. Though he will have help, Harper is likely to be the main defender on the pair. “I wouldn’t say, ‘old times,’” Harper laughed when asked about playing Shockey. “Shock’s always good to go up against, he’s always teaching me stuff when he was here, and I still use a lot of those tactics today. So it’s always a fun matchup with him because he talks and he’s, he’s just Shockey. Olsen is also a very talented guy. I think Olsen is younger so he probably runs a little bit better than Shockey does now, that’s just downfieldwise. But I would also say Shockey is a little bit more savvy in his routes and doing some things like that. They’re both big and can run. So you look at them and there’s not a lot that’s different, and you have to respect both of their games.”

BY THE NUMBERS

17-16 – Panthers lead all-time vs. New Orleans. 3-0 – Saints’ active win streak against Carolina. 32 – Saints’ NFL rank in surrendering yards after catch. 2 – Saints’ NFL rank in yards gained after catch. 48.1 – Saints’ third-down conversion rate since 2006, best in the NFL. 56.3 – Saints’ third-down conversion rate in 2011. 4 – NFL records Brees has set and is still adding to thus far in 2011.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH

“There’s a lot of improvement statistically. We try to do a PowerPoint every Wednesday on the things we see with the opponent, and statistically there are a ton of areas that they’re playing better than they were the last time we played them. The last time we played them I think we were only three or four games into the season. There’s some uniqueness to what they do offensively, certainly it starts with the quarterback and his ability to hurt you with his arm and hurt you with his legs. He’s very talented. The players around him are playing exceptionally well. They’re doing a better job with the football, so there are a lot of areas where they’ve improved in, and it showed up when you look at their recent games. I think it’s a big test for us.” – Sean Payton on the Panthers.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton on Friday listed three players as out due to injury for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. The players are wide receiver Lance Moore (left hamstring), running back Mark Ingram (right toe) and tight end John Gilmore (right toe). Moore aggravated his injury in the Saints’ Monday night victory against Atlanta, and Ingram, who had been inactive for the club’s past three games, suffered a setback at practice this week.

In both cases, that could spell trouble for the players’ return in the playoffs which, unless the St. Louis Rams can beat the San Francisco 49ers and give New Orleans a shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFC, would begin for the Saints next weekend in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Although Payton has been surprisingly up front and calm this season when discussing injuries, he remains loath to divulge information he thinks could provide a competitive advantage and was thus non-committal Friday when asked if Ingram’s and Moore’s postseason status may be in jeopardy.

“Obviously, there’s a concern each week,” Payton said. “I think you just deal with it on a daily basis. I mentioned Mark kind of had a setback, you just treat and rehab it. With Lance’s hamstring you do that same thing; same thing with John Gilmore. I think the only thing you can do is hit the rehab hard and pay attention to how they’re feeling, and recognize it’s really the same if it was week seven heading into week eight.”

But next week will be a different scenario. As Payton and quarterback Drew Brees have made clear, next week is a “must win” because a loss is a season-ender. Nevertheless, Payton said the thinking in terms of the injury report will remain consistent.

“Obviously, the importance of a playoff game is significant, but the player has to be healthy,” he said. “It would have to be very simple: does he help us, does he help the team in playing well enough to win a game? And if the answer is no, it’s potentially something that is not full speed, and it could hurt the team, then you can’t play him. So that would be a lot like week eight or week nine.”

Nor is it an exact science, as Payton said the Falcons’ game and the preparation for it last week made clear.

“Lance was recovering and recovering, and it seemed like he was doing well, he had a couple of catches, and on the third catch I think it was all of a sudden he pulled up,” Payton said. “Now you’re at 45 (players on active roster) on game day. So you’re always trying to gauge where that player is and if he’s healthy enough to play and help us. If the answer is yes that’s one thing, and if it’s, ‘no,’ sometimes that’s a difficult decision.”

Payton indicated a decision has not yet been made on the status of a handful of other players. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma (left knee) and safety Malcolm Jenkins (neck) were limited at practice and listed as questionable. Cornerback Patrick Robinson (left hip) and linebacker Jonathan Casillas (right knee) participated fully and are probable.

Carolina’s final injury report of the week included sobering news for Panthers fans. Starting defensive end Charles Johnson (back), who is tied for 10th in the NFC with nine sacks, did not practice all week and was listed as doubtful, and defensive tackle Andre Neblett (head) is out.

Also out are two backups, wide receiver Legedu Naanee (foot) and safety Jordan Pugh (head). Safety Charles Godfrey (shoulder) is probable, as is guard Travelle Wharton, who cropped up on the report Tuesday and Wednesday for non-injury related matters.

LEAGUE FINES: Five Saints players were hit with a $5,000 fine by the NFL for uniform violations tied to red and green tape they wore in the Atlanta game the night after Christmas, according to a league source. They were receivers Marques Colston, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson, cornerback Tracy Porter and running back Pierre Thomas. Thomas’ fine for his touchdown celebration, which involved taking a bow out of his pants and tying it around the football which he then presented as a gift to a fan, also drew a fine of $7,500, according to a league source.

NO NEW YEAR’S EVE: The Saints are creatures of habit during the season and that will not change tonight for New Year’s Eve. The holiday requires some additional logistical planning but an identical mindset to any other pregame night, according to Payton.

There are times when altered Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s plans are part of the NFL job description and this is one of them.

“For us, we’re so routine and schedule-oriented,” Payton said. “The challenges really become a little more difficult when you’re playing at home and you’ve got family and friends who are in. But we check into a hotel, we have meetings, we have bed-check and it’s much more structured. The trick is the logistics of noise, traffic, there’s a lot going on in the city and making sure players allow enough time to get to the hotel and dealing with all the other distractions that can come up. But internally we’re on a pretty good and a pretty tight schedule.”

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.

What do you guys think about this.

The Saints will play to win Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Although they could opt to rest some starters in the regular-season finale, Coach Sean Payton said he doesn’t want to give up the Saints’ chance at the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, and he doesn’t want to mess with the momentum they’ve built during their seven-game win streak.

“We’re playing some of our best football here the last few weeks. There’s some value to that,” said Payton, who said he doesn’t plan to keep an eye on the scoreboard to see what’s happening between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams at the same time Sunday.

The Saints need the 49ers to lose at St. Louis to have a chance at the No. 2 seed and the first-round playoff bye that comes with it. That’s obviously a long shot, because the Rams are 2-13. But as Payton reminded, the Rams beat the Saints in St. Louis in Week 8.

“I’d hate to make that decision, (then watch the 49ers lose),” Payton said. “Our league is a league where every week, any team that lines up can win. A perfect example is the team we’re talking about is a team that beat us.”

Safety Roman Harper said he’s glad the Saints are playing to win, saying he wouldn’t want to turn off the switch at this point. But he was skeptical that the Rams will be able to hold up their end of the bargain.

He said in their situation, they probably have their bags packed for the offseason already.

“If they really wanted to help us, they wouldn’t have beat us in the first place. That’s how I look at it,” Harper said. “But we really can’t worry about what St. Louis and San Francisco are doing. We can only focus on how we’re going to control Cam Newton and Steve Smith and the Panthers.”

Fearing the injury bug

If Payton had any hesitation about playing his starters this week, it’s because of what the Saints experienced firsthand in Week 17 last season.

The Saints were in the same position, needing a victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons to lose to a struggling Carolina Panthers team in the final week to have a shot at the No. 1 seed. So the Saints played their starters, and they lost three key players to injuries in the first half — tight end Jimmy Graham, safety Malcolm Jenkins and tailback Chris Ivory — before losing the game.

All three players missed the playoff opener at Seattle the next week, which the Saints also lost. And Payton later said that playing his starters in Week 17 was one of his greatest regrets of the season.

Payton said this season is different, though, because the team is well-rested after a Week 10 bye. And, he said, “knock on wood, we’re healthy.”

Quarterback Drew Brees agreed with Payton’s decision to go all-out this week, saying it didn’t work out last season when they were essentially straddling the fence.

“I think we all found ourselves scoreboard-watching a little bit as to what was happening in that other game (last season),” Brees said. “And therefore I feel like, not that we took a step back in that game, but we just didn’t progress. And our mindset is we want to continue to progress and get better. I think there’s things that serve you well in this game if you can continue to stay on the rise as you go into the playoffs, whether they’re just confidence builders or situations that come up that you fight through.

“So I think we’re taking on a little bit different mindset than we did last year at this time in a very similar situation.”

Records within reach

Payton’s decision likely would have been the same under any circumstances this season. But it would have been an awkward choice to bench Brees.

Brees broke the NFL record for passing yards in a season in dramatic fashion Monday night in front of the frenzied crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and a national-television audience. But he remains only 190 yards ahead of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, so he probably needs to add at least another 150 yards or so to secure the record.

Brees said that wasn’t the reason for the decision to play the starters this week. Neither was the team’s chase for the all-time yardage or first downs records, or Graham’s chase for the all-time receiving yardage record for tight ends, or tailback-kick returner Darren Sproles’ chase for the NFL all-purpose yardage record.

“Listen, there’s a lot of records out there that we could potentially set, break, what have you in this game,” Brees said. “I think our mindset, above and beyond that, was, ‘How do we put ourselves in the best position to play well and win in the playoffs?’”

Not that those records aren’t special.

Kudos flow in

Brees was emotional about breaking the passing record Monday night, as were his teammates, coaches, members of the organization and the fan base. He fought back tears as he addressed the team in a postgame speech, sharing the credit with everyone from his receivers to the equipment managers. And he even went out and celebrated with teammates after the game, not part of his usual routine.

“I figure life is too short. You have to appreciate these moments,” said Brees, who figured he received hundreds of phone messages, texts and emails from friends, family and heroes of his own.

One of them, he said, was a hilarious message from Metairie-born entertainer Ellen DeGeneres, who suggested that her coaching and advice had paid off during her visit to the team’s training camp practices in Oxnard, Calif.

Another came from the former record-holder, Dan Marino, whose mark of 5,084 yards had stood since 1984.

“Dan Marino called me yesterday and we talked for a little bit, and that was obviously a very classy move on his part to reach out and tell me congratulations,” Brees said. “We talked for a while. Obviously I have a ton of respect for him, not only what he accomplished as a player, but the way he has handled this whole situation. I heard from him last week saying he was rooting for me.”

Although Brees had tried to compartmentalize his emotions during the record chase, he said he also tried to prepare for what the moment would be like — especially in case it happened during a tense moment in the game.

That wasn’t the case in the Saints’ 45-16 rout of the Falcons, though it did come down to a late drive in the fourth quarter.

“Mid-fourth quarter we felt like the game was in hand, but the record was still out there,” Brees said. “It was obviously important to a lot of people, I know everybody in that stadium and everybody watching, that we did it that night and in the fashion we did it. But I guess the moment itself was surreal. You still kind of pinch yourself that it really happened. But maybe just because we’re so locked in with where we’re at and what we still have to accomplish.

“It’s not necessarily time to reflect. We can do that after the season. We’re thinking about what’s ahead.”

••••••••

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

That’s all for today.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said his team will play to win on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He said he will not bench any starters for the regular-season finale.

“We’re going full speed ahead,” said Payton, who said he doesn’t even plan to pay attention to the score of the San Francisco 49ers-St. Louis Rams game, which will be played at the same time.

The Saints need to win and have the 49ers lose to earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Payton said he decided to play his starters this week, both because of that shot at the No. 2 seed and because he feels like his team is well-rested and has a lot of momentum going during its current seven-game win streak.

“We’re playing some of our best football here the last few weeks,” Payton said. “There’s some value to that.”

Feel free to leave your comments below.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Tuesday felt very much like Ash Wednesday in New Orleans. The morning streets were eerily quiet as the city slowly rousted itself from the Carnival-like celebration of Drew Brees’ record-breaking passing performance for the New Orleans Saints the previous night.

Alas, there’s always someone who wants to rain on the parade, even one as universally fun as Monday’s surprisingly easy 45-16 flogging of the Falcons.

The criticism of the Saints’ decision to go for Dan Marino’s 27-year-old single-season passing yardage record in the final minutes of a 22-point game was surprising. It also was unwarranted.

In case you missed it, apparently a few Falcons players and media members were offended by the Saints’ decision to go for the record with a 22-point lead and three minutes to play.

Some felt the Saints were running up the score, rubbing salt in the wounds of a bitter archrival when Brees hit Darren Sproles for a 9-yard touchdown pass that gave him 5,087 yards for the season, three better than Marino’s old mark. Others went further, calling the decision classless and disrespectful.

The Falcons’ frustration is understandable. They’d just been embarrassed by their archrivals on national TV in a critical game. It was their most lopsided regular-season loss in years and their fifth setback in the past six meetings with the Saints. Their Angry Bird mentality makes sense.

But truth be told, this really had nothing to do with them. They were just innocent bystanders. This had everything to do with Brees, the Saints and New Orleans.

This was a New Orleans moment, a town and team celebrating one of their own. It was their chance to honor Brees for his remarkable season and celebrate a significant accomplishment in his burgeoning Hall of Fame career. It was as if Coach Sean Payton and the Saints were saying to America, “OK, you can continue to snub this incredible player in the MVP balloting, but you can’t deny this moment. This is our time.” Or more appropriately, “This is his time.”

“I felt like the moment was right, so you go with your gut,” Payton said Tuesday afternoon. “I thought it was the right decision last night. This morning, I thought it was clearly the right decision.”

Right place, right time

Payton wasn’t trying to rub it in the face of the Falcons and their classy coach, Mike Smith, and he said so afterward. In fact, both Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Smith went out of their way after the game to praise Brees and acknowledge the significance of his accomplishment.

“We have a ton of respect for Falcons Coach Mike (Smith), his staff and his players,” Payton said Monday night. “It seemed like the right thing to do. I felt real good about the decision.”

He should. It was the correct thing to do.

Was it a little defiant and impulsive? Maybe. Did it fly in the face of conventional wisdom? You bet. And that’s exactly why New Orleanians loved every second of it. After all, what city loves itself or embraces its eccentricity more than New Orleans, right?

Besides, it’s exactly what everyone — with the exception of the Falcons and their fans — wanted. The sellout crowd had packed the stadium in anticipation of witnessing history. A nationwide audience on the “Monday Night Football” broadcast had stayed up past its bedtime to catch the historic event.

This was the appropriate setting for such a remarkable achievement by such a remarkable player. The alternative was to wait and watch him break the mark Sunday at noon against Carolina. No, this historic mark needed the right moment, and it materialized fatefully in the final minutes of play Monday night.

“He is such a great teammate,” Payton said of Brees. “His leadership ability transcends just the New Orleans Saints team and into this region. I think it is pretty obvious. It was pretty special last night for the fan base to share in that accomplishment.”

Make no mistake, Payton didn’t go for the record to ingratiate himself with fans. He did it for the only reason he should have: because it was the best thing for his team and organization.

The last thing the Saints (12-3) needed was the distraction of the record chase to carry over another week. Brees and his teammates needed to turn their attention toward the Carolina Panthers (6-9) and trying to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

End games

Now Payton has some important decisions to make.

How does he handle Sunday’s game against the Panthers and the dynamic Cam Newton? Does he rest his regulars, knowing the chances of the Rams (2-13) beating the 49ers (12-3) are slim to none? Or does he go for it again and risk losing a key player or two to injury?

Payton was mum about his intentions Tuesday.

In a nearly identical situation last season, Payton elected to play his regulars and watched safety Malcolm Jenkins, tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Chris Ivory drop with injuries in the first half. A dreadful loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs followed.

Moreover, where do all of the records and historic streaks come into play?

The Saints are 219 yards shy of the NFL record for total yards in a season set by the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

Brees has a 42-game streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to consider.

And lest we forget, New England’s Tom Brady trails Brees by a mere 190 yards in the passing yardage race. If Payton sits Brees early, he runs the risk of seeing Brady overtake his star at the season’s finish line. After Monday night’s euphoria, you know he wants to maintain the record for Brees.

Then again, Payton can’t afford to expose his star quarterback to injury for a second longer than necessary. As soon as the 49ers’ game is decided, he needs to pull Brees and all of the regulars he can. This is one time where the team needs to eschew its one-game-at-a-time philosophy. The Saints need to be thinking ahead. The Super Bowl is the priority.

“What we have to do is keep playing,” Payton said. “The playoffs are close. How do we put ourselves in the best position to play well and put ourselves in an opportunity to win a championship?”

From here on out, a championship is the only thing that matters.

Jeff Duncan can be reached at jduncan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3404.

Thanks for reading! .

So what will it come down to this time? A fourth-and-1 attempt in overtime? A missed field-goal attempt? A 90-yard touchdown drive? Two late defensive stands?

Each of the past four games between the Saints and Atlanta Falcons has been decided by three points, so why should Monday night’s showdown at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome be different?

As has become the norm, these longtime rivals will meet with an awful lot on the line. The Saints (11-3) can clinch the NFC South Division and stay alive for the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Falcons (9-5) can clinch a playoff spot and stay alive in the division title race.

“We already know emotionally we don’t have to get up for this game,” New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “It’s probably going to be about trying to calm your emotions so we can function, so we can do the things we need to do to win this game. It’s a huge game for both sides. … It’s going to be a great battle and a lot of fun.”

Even without the playoff implications, this would be a huge game for both sides.

This rivalry, which dates to the 1960s, has never been more intense, and both teams are in the midst of the greatest extended runs in their franchises’ histories.

The Saints have won 11 games or more for three consecutive seasons, and the Falcons have put together four straight winning seasons after never having done it twice in a row before.

New Orleans has won nine of the past 11 games since Coach Sean Payton arrived in 2006, but those wins haven’t come easily in recent years.

The past six games in the series have been decided by eight points or less, including the Saints’ 26-23 overtime victory at Atlanta on Nov. 13, which was ultimately decided by New Orleans’ fourth-and-1 stop in Falcons territory in overtime.

In September of 2010, Garrett Hartley missed a 29-yard field goal attempt in overtime that would have won the game, and Matt Bryant kicked a 46-yarder as the Falcons won 27-24.

Later that season, the Saints drove 90 yards late in the fourth quarter, capped by a 6-yard pass from quarterback Drew Brees to tight end Jimmy Graham, to win 17-14.

In their second meeting of 2009, Vilma stopped Jason Snelling on a pass from Chris Redman on a fourth-and-2 as the Saints held on for a 26-23 win. Vilma also had an interception with 3:55 to go.

Saints receiver Lance Moore said Monday night’s game is mostly important because it’s the “next game” and because of all the playoff implications, but he did admit that there’s something special about games against Atlanta.

“It’s a divisional game, so we’re familiar with one another, and neither team wants to lose to the other. That’s just how it is,” Moore said. “People can call it bragging rights or whatever, but we’re focused on just letting it be one game. We can’t make it bigger than it is. It’s an extremely important game, but we can’t put any extra pressure or any stress on ourselves. I mean, we’ve just got to go out and play.”

Vilma pointed out that Monday night’s game will be the exact reverse of last season, when the Saints went to Atlanta for a Monday night game in Week 16 and won 20-17 to keep their longshot hopes alive for the NFC South title.

Moore said he hopes the similarities end there, with the home team winning this time.

“They’re a real good team,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said. “Every time it seems we play them it comes down to a last possession or field goal. We’ve just played so many close games, so many hard-fought games, that it’s a sign that typically both teams are pretty evenly matched, very competitive and very good.”

Like the Saints, the Falcons seem to be playing their best football after an inconsistent start. They’ve stayed alive in the NFC South race by winning seven of their past nine games, including two in a row. And their last victory was their most impressive, a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday night.

The Saints are even hotter, though, having won six in a row, and they are tied with the New England Patriots for the NFL’s longest active streak.

New Orleans’ 42-20 victory at Minnesota on Sunday was dominant despite some early miscues. The Saints have been even better at home, though, especially in prime time. Their past two home games were a 31-17 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night in Week 13 and a 49-24 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night in Week 12.

Before defeating the Vikings, Payton pointed out to his team that they hadn’t won a Week 15 game since 2007. They steamrolled through that roadblock this season, which he said is significant because teams want to peak heading into the playoffs.

“You’d like to be hitting your stride and playing your best football,” said Payton, though he pointed out that the Saints were the exception to that rule when they lost their final three regular-season games in 2009 before winning Super Bowl XLIV. “You still recognize the importance of playing well here. I think you’re seeing some teams that are doing it, and you’re seeing some teams that maybe aren’t doing it as well. Fortunately for us, we’ve been able to get on a pretty good run, and we hope to continue it.”

EYE ON THE 49ERS: The Saints are openly rooting against the San Francisco 49ers (11-3), who need to lose one more game to allow New Orleans a shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Vilma was asked if he watched the 49ers’ 20-3 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

“I was all for watching it closely until Ben (Roethlisberger) threw those two interceptions early in the game, and then I realized I was bad luck, so I went and watched Sherlock Holmes,” Vilma said.

And when Moore was asked what he wants for Christmas besides a victory over the Falcons, he said: “A win by Seattle over San Francisco (on Saturday) would be good.”

‘DIRTY’ TALK: Vilma and Payton said they’re unfazed by recent accusations from other teams that their defense plays “dirty.”

Payton compared it to the whistle-blowing accusations from the Tennessee Titans last week, and Vilma said whether the accusations are fair or unfair, “it really doesn’t bother me.”

“You know, we’re an aggressive defense, we’ve always been an aggressive defense. I’d rather be labeled that than labeled a finesse defense,” Vilma said. “So I know we’re not out there maliciously trying to hurt anybody. If you’ve seen the way we play, if you’ve seen our games, we go hard — and that’s really about it. If we get a personal foul here or there it’s not intentional, and I know we’re not trying to hurt people.”

VILMA’S HEALTH: Vilma, who has been fighting through a knee injury since having a clean-up surgery performed last month, was asked how he has been feeling.

“The best I can say is good enough,” said Vilma, who said he plans to keep playing through it for the rest of the season. “I got to do what I got to do.”

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New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said three players – linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Jonathan Casillas, and running back Mark Ingram – did not practice Wednesday. It was the Saints first injury report of the week as they prepare to travel to Minneapolis and face the Vikings on Sunday.

Vilma (knee) has played the last two weeks after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery; Casillas (knee) and Ingram (toe) were both inactive last week in the Saints victory at Tennessee.

Defensive end Turk McBride, out for weeks now with an ankle injury, returned to practice but was lmited.

Four players are nicked but practiced fully, Payton said. They were tight end Jimmy Graham (back), defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (hamstring), cornerback Tracy Porter (wrist) and linebacker Scott Shanle (shoulder).

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NASHVILLE, TENN. — An intense flare-up of back spasms during pregame warmups nearly kept Saints tight end Jimmy Graham out of the lineup Sunday — sending Saints fans and fantasy football players alike into a frenzy before kickoff. Ultimately, though, Graham fought through the pain and caught five passes for 55 yards. He almost added a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, but officials ruled that his toe tickled the out-of-bounds grass.

“It kind of scared me,” Graham said of the lower back pain that “came out of nowhere” after he made an “awkward” catch during pregame warmups. “(Before the game) I’m like, ‘I can barely stand up right now. I’m here in the locker room by myself. I can barely put my pads on.’

“I was in excruciating pain. I didn’t think I was gonna go. If you noticed those first three or four plays, (Coach Sean Payton) is telling me, ‘Are you too hurt? Are you too hurt?’ And I’m gritting and gritting, and then eventually it kind of loosened up on me a little bit. But I was pretty much in constant pain the whole game.”

Graham wouldn’t say if he took any shots for the pain, but he was seen getting electric stimulation throughout the day to keep his muscles loose. He said he will get a MRI exam back in New Orleans and hopes he’ll start feeling better over the next few days.

“I’ll be good,” Graham said. “And even if I’m not, I’ll still play. … Doesn’t matter the pain, doesn’t matter what I’m going through, I’m still going to play.”

The Saints did lose starting defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis unexpectedly during pregame warmups. They expected him to play, but his hamstring was too tight, so he was a late scratch. And linebacker Scott Shanle was limited by his lingering shoulder injury. He didn’t start and played sparingly.

The Saints didn’t report any new injuries after the game, though cornerback Tracy Porter was in obvious discomfort and was inspected by the training staff after the game.

The Titans, meanwhile, lost starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a calf injury during the second quarter. But that didn’t seem to be a problem because rookie backup Jake Locker came in and played very well in his absence, completing 13 of 29 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown. Locker also ran six times for 36 yards and another score.

HARPER ACCUSED OF ‘DIRTY’ PLAY: Titans receiver Nate Washington accused Saints safety Roman Harper of being a “dirty player” after Sunday’s game.

Harper was flagged for two personal foul penalties — a helmet-to-helmet hit against Hasselbeck and a full-speed facemask tackle against receiver Damian Williams. But Washington insisted that he considered Harper a dirty player even before Sunday.

“Honestly, he’s a dirty player. I’ve been watching him. We watched film on him,” Washington said. “He’s dirty, and I don’t appreciate it. I’m going to step out in public and say it — he’s dirty. That was dirty, what he did. It was unfortunate that he grabbed the facemask. And at the same time, you don’t walk over a guy and nudge him with your knee. You don’t do that. That’s dirty. Honestly, that’s a dirty player. This is not just one game. He’s been doing it all season. I’m tired of it. I hope the league does something about it.”

Whether or not he’s “dirty,” Harper is clearly an enforcer for the Saints’ defense. Earlier this year, he chased down Panthers receiver Steve Smith in the end zone and knocked him down to make a statement — and draw a flag. He has five personal foul penalties this year, though the NFL admitted one was an incorrect call against the Bears in Week 2.

Harper also regularly pushes the envelope with some extra shoves or push-offs after plays — which was the case last week when he helped incite Detroit tight end Brandon Pettigrew into a personal foul penalty in response.

Harper was not available for comment after Washington made his comments.

Two Titans players also told ESPN.com that they thought a whistle was being blown from the Saints’ bench area late in the game, though no source was identified.

PLAYOFF POSITION: The Saints (10-3) clinched a playoff spot when the Bears lost to the Broncos in overtime.

They also moved into a tie for second place in the NFC when the 49ers (10-3) lost to Arizona. The 49ers would win a tie-breaker based on conference record, though, so the Saints still need the 49ers to lose again while winning the rest of their games to get the No. 2 seed.

FLAG DAY: The Saints were flagged 11 times for 95 yards and the Titans eight times for 54 yards. Many of the Saints’ penalties were costly, including a holding penalty that nullified a punt return touchdown by Darren Sproles and an illegal formation penalty that stalled a drive inside the Titans’ 10-yard line.

The Saints did clean up their act as the game went on, though, with only two penalties in the final 26 minutes.

“We have got to be better there,” Payton said of his team, which also had 11 penalties two weeks ago against the Giants.

PLAY-CALLING SWITCH?: Payton, who worked without crutches for the first time since suffering a severe leg injury in Week 6, appeared to take over most of the play-calling duties in the second half. He said after the game that he and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. were still alternating in the role, though.

“We kind of went back and forth,” Payton said. “Pete has done a great job with it, so I continue to lean on him, and we’ll do that. … So there wasn’t any big change or anything like that.”

PORTER FINISHES STRONG: Porter had a rough day early, missing two tackles that led to long gains by the Titans. But he came up with two huge plays in the final minutes.

First, he nailed Locker for an incomplete pass that was ruled a fumble before it was overturned by replay. Then he batted down a pass at the goal line with five seconds remaining and the Titans trailing by five.

“I was angry,” Porter said of his earlier missed tackles. “I was determined to make up for it.”

MAKING HISTORY: The Saints beat the Titans for the first time since 1993, when they were the Houston Oilers. That was the longest current drought for the Saints. Payton has beaten every team except for the Ravens and the Broncos. … Drew Brees threw a touchdown pass in his 40th consecutive game, moving him closer to Johnny Unitas’ NFL record of 47. Brees has thrown for 4,368 yards this year. He needs to average 239 yards per game over the final three to break Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 in a season.

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New Orleans Saints tailback Mark Ingram missed practice Wednesday with a right turf toe injury. Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (knee) and defensive end Turk McBride (ankle) also missed the team portion practice. Linebacker Scott Shanle (shoulder) and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (hamstring) were limited.

Both Ingram and Casillas suffered their injuries during Sunday night’s 31-17 victory over the Detroit Lions, but Coach Sean Payton didn’t expand on the severity of either injury. Turf toe injuries can vary greatly in significance, from minor to long-term.

The Saints have the luxury to take it easy with Ingram and give him ample time to rest since they can activate backup Chris Ivory to replace him as the short-yardage/power runner. But Payton said the Saints won’t be more cautious than normal with Ingram because of their depth at the position.

“Just like always, if we feel the player can play and is ready to play, (we’ll base our decision on that),” Payton said.

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After winning four straight games, the New Orleans Saints are now 9-3, the same record they had at this point last season. But last year, the Saints didn’t finish strong. They lost two of their final three games in the regular season in 2010, then lost a first-round playoff game at Seattle.

On Monday, Saints Coach Sean Payton was asked if he thinks the Saints are a better team this year than last year.

“We’ll see,” Payton said. “We got on a roll last year, similar to what we’re on now (winning six straight games from October through December). The great thing about our game, we get to see.

“I think we’re a work in progress. I think there’s some areas where we’re better and some areas where we’re not playing as well probably. But we’ll have a chance to see how this team stacks up vs. not only last year’s team but against other teams.”

Up next for the Saints is a sneaky-tough test on the road against the Tennessee Titans, who have won three of their last four games to raise their record to 7-5.

Gotta run!.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said he eventually plans to take over the team’s play-calling duties on a full-time basis. But he’s perfectly comfortable allowing offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael to handle the bulk of that role while he remains limited by his crutches on the sidelines during games. Payton is hoping to be off crutches by Christmas.

“It’s something that I’m comfortable with and it’s something that I like to do. … I think realistically it’s something that I’ll be back involved with more and more each week,” said Payton, who described the play-calling role as a “work in progress.”

“Pete has done a great job, and progressively there will be times during the game where either I’m trying to help him or saying, ‘Hey let’s get to this,’” Payton said. “I think that transition has gone pretty smooth, but right now I think the approach still with Pete is he goes in and he’s prepared to call the offense. And the most important thing is that I’m not slowing down the process.”

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It’s not hard to pinpoint the key matchup in Monday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants.

Both teams have made a strong emphasis this week on the battle between the Saints’ offensive line and the Giants’ defensive line, the two units that likely will determine both teams’ fates for the remainder of the season.

“Those one-on-one battles will be as challenging, if not more challenging, than any game we’ve played to date,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said of New York’s deep group of pass rushers, who arguably generate more pressure with their front four than any other team in the league.

“It’s always important to set the tone up front, but especially with these guys,” Saints guard Jahri Evans said. “Usually, if you allow a team to get pressure with just their front four guys, it’s going to be a long day.”

Conversely, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck knows the same will be true if they don’t get pressure up front against Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“If you allow Drew Brees the opportunity to sit back there and go through his progressions, it’s going to be a long night,” Tuck told the New York media this week.

That New York media microscope has been closing in on the Giants’ defensive line this week. Although the Giants entered the week tied for the NFL lead with 31 sacks, 29 of which have come from their linemen or hybrid rusher Mathias Kiwanuka, they had a sluggish performance up front in last week’s 17-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants (6-4) only got one hit on Eagles quarterback Vince Young. And now they have just five sacks in the past three games.

That latest performance led to some vocal frustration this week. Defensive tackle Chris Canty described the Giants’ lack of intensity against the Eagles as “embarrassing.” And there is no doubt the guys up front will be determined to change their fortunes Monday night.

“You know they’re going to heat it up this week, because they’re going to take a lot of grief,” ESPN “Monday Night Football” analyst Ron Jaworski said.

That emotion is similar to how the Saints’ offensive linemen felt last month after they had maybe their worst performance in the Payton era during a lackluster loss at St. Louis. The Rams were able to generate consistent pressure with just their front four, while also shutting down the Saints’ running game.

Since then, the Saints’ offensive line has been determined not to let that happen again, as their standout performances against Tampa Bay and Atlanta attested. Brees was sacked six times at St. Louis, but he hasn’t been sacked in the past two games as the Saints have gone to 7-3.

“With all the sacks we gave up in that game, we feel like we can’t give up any more for the rest of the season,” said guard Carl Nicks, who said the Saints’ linemen feel like it’s their responsibility to set the tone.

“It’s absolutely up to the offensive line,” Nicks said. “Games are won in the trenches.”

Nicks admitted, however, that they’ll need some help Monday night against the Giants’ front four, with extra chip blocks from tight ends, tailbacks and fullbacks, as well as a successful running game to keep the defense from rushing the passer full force.

The Giants’ line is deep and versatile. They usually line up four defensive ends on passing downs, and even then they mix and match players.

Second-year end Jason Pierre-Paul has emerged as a dynamic pass rusher. He has 10.5 sacks as a part-time player, filling in as a starter for veterans Tuck and Osi Umenyiora while they battled earlier injuries.

Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowler, is back in prime form after having minor knee surgery late in the summer. He has seven sacks. Kiwanuka has 3.5 sacks from the linebacker, end and tackle positions. End Dave Tollefson has three sacks. Tuck has just two sacks while battling injuries and inconsistency.

All of them are a handful, though. Several Saints described the Giants’ pass rushers as “long,” “long-armed” and “strong” athletes who use their size and athleticism as well as their speed.

“I think they’re unique in the kind of guys that they have there,” Saints right tackle Zach Strief said. “They play with their hands well. And they don’t necessarily rush like a lot of teams do. Not just a John Abraham-type that’s going to try to beat you off the ball every snap. They play within the system, and they read and react, which is difficult because it’s unusual for us.”

The Saints handled that matchup quite well in 2009, when they allowed zero sacks while torching the Giants with their passing for a 48-27 rout. They know a repeat performance won’t be easy.

“I think they’re one of the most-talented groups in the NFL,” Brees said of the Giants’ defensive line. “They’re a pretty diverse group, extremely athletic, big, physical. This will be our toughest test of the year, for sure.”

The feeling is mutual.

•••••••

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

That’s all the news for today.

The New Orleans Saints have made two what Coach Sean Payton dubbed “triangle moves,” on their roster. One came at tight end, where the club put tight end David Thomas on injured reserve after he suffered a concussion, his second of the season, at Atlanta. Thomas said the injury occurred in the fourth quarter and became apparent on the sideline when he was talking to fellow tight end Jimmy Graham.

When told Payton described it as initially being diagnosed by tight end John Gilmore, Thomas laughed.

“Well, there you go,” he said, confessing he remembers most of the game but not precisely who he was talking to on the sideline.

At the moment, Payton said there hasn’t been any discussion about how the pair of concussions could effect Thomas’ future. Thomas said he has been assured by doctors that there is no reason to think he can’t play next season.

“I think the fact that the second one came fairly soon after his original one, which was pretty significant, made this a fairly easy decision,” Payton said. “It was difficult, but it was an easy decision in regards to the player’s long-term health. In regards to his future, certainly we’re not at a point where we’re saying he’s not going to play football anymore. It’s just that the doctors, Dave, (general manager) Mickey Loomis, and all of us involved felt that it was going to be a smart thing for us to rest him at this point.”

The Saints promoted tight end Michael Higgins from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and signed tight end Daniel Hardy to the practice squad.

Higgins, a 6-foot-5, 242-pound rookie out of Nebraska-Omaha, said he is thrilled with his opportunity.

“It feels great,” he said. “It’s a tough situation that Dave is in and that’s unfortunate, but I’m really grateful for the opportunity I’m getting here and hopefully I can continue to work my way up. It’s not going to change a whole lot. I’ll spend more time studying film, but otherwise practice will be pretty much the same and I’ll be learning the game plan as always.”

The other “triangle move,” occurred on the offensive line where the team waived tackle Ray Willis from the active roster and called up William Robinson from the practice squad. Replacing Robinson on the practice squad is new signee Phil Trautwein.

Robinson, 6-5, 297, is a tackle with four years NFL experience out of San Diego State.

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