Street Talk

RAVENS V. SAINTS CONFIDENTIAL

by Aaron Wilson

October 29, 2006
4:00 am

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Three downs with Bart Scott…

1. On the versatility of Saints running back Reggie Bush: â€œHeâ€™s a running back? I thought he was a receiver. Heâ€™s leading the league in receptions. Heâ€™s a good talent and they have some great passes for him. Heâ€™s a difficult matchup, but I think we have athletes on this team that can match up with him, and it will be a good test for us.â€

2. On Saints running back Deuce McAllister: â€œDeuce is good, Deuce is a strong runner. I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Heâ€™s a tough runner. Heâ€™s downhill. He always falls forward for those positive yards, and heâ€™s coming back and heâ€™s having a great year for them.

â€œHeâ€™s really been the engine that has really been establishing the run. Thatâ€™s setting up the play-action and everything else.â€

3. On Saints quarterback Drew Brees being sacked so seldomly: â€œI donâ€™t know if itâ€™s been so much that their protection has been great, other than he is getting the ball out fast and is making quick decisions. He is making a lot of short passes and a lot of quick decisions and getting the ball to his playmakers.

â€œWhenever a team does that, itâ€™s tough to get to him. We will have to really play well and play tight coverage to make him have to hold that football. Hopefully, we can get to him because that does send a message and sets the tempo for the game.â€

Three downs with Drew Brees…

1. On his initial reaction to his shoulder injury last year: â€œRight when it happened, I was scared to death. Of all the terrible things that could have happened that was about the worst. I just had a bad feeling it was going to be the last time I put on a Chargers uniform. The month of January was one of the worst moments of my life: having surgery, sitting around. It was a rough time.

2. On his decision to sign with New Orleans: â€œI had a lot of people tell me that I was crazy for even considering it, but I didnâ€™t even look at it like that. I looked at it as a fresh start for this city and this organization. I feel like it was my calling, like it was what I was meant to do. I believe everything happens for a reason.â€

3. On the Saints being called â€˜Americaâ€™s teamâ€™: â€œWe have such great fan support here in New Orleans, and I know around the country people want to see this region come back. For us as a team, itâ€™s football, but itâ€™s also more than football. Weâ€™re winning not only for this organization, but for the people of this region. Itâ€™s our way of giving back.â€

Inside slant

Stocky, undersized nose guard Kelly Gregg has registered 404 tackles, 11 1/2 sacks, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Gregg has more tackles than any interior lineman in team history and only one Ravens lineman (Michael McCrary) has more tackles overall in a five-year stretch.

Aaron Wilson

Aaron Wilson covers the NFL for National Football Post as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Carroll County Times and Ravens24x7.com. He has previously covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans and has covered the NFL since 1997. He has won several regional writing awards, including, most recently, Best Sports News Story for the state of Maryland in voting conducted by the Associated Press managing editors.