Who Dat Nation Champions of the World

The biggest day in sports is over, and the New Orleans Saints are the champions of the world, which I - personally - am pumped about. As expected, it was a great game with a great finish, and I believe Drew Brees officially lost his title of the Most Underrated Player in the NFL. Hey, I respect Peyton Manning, he's one of if not the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, but how great was it to see the old Peyton Manning face, dumbfounded after making a key mistake and once again coming up short in a big game. Ahhh, so nice to see it one last time to close out a decade in which it was so prominently featured in the domination of the Patriots.
Danny only had one friend take part in the game, and though David Thomas' final stats are a forgettable 1 catch for 9 yards, he had some key blocks throughout the game and will end up with a Super Bowl ring for his efforts - I don't think he's complaining.
So alas, the 2009 football season comes to an end...only 5 1/2 months til Training Camp 2010!
Congratulations to the Saints; go crazy Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras has started early this year.

Big Day is Almost Here

So it's Thursday night, which means 3 days from now America will either know who will be crowned Super Bowl XLIV Champion or be glued to a tight game that comes down to the wire - for the record, I'm pulling for the Saints. I expect it to be a good game, and there are a number of former Patriots taking the field Sunday to be of interest in the New England area. The most decorated of course is Adam Vinatieri, though he won't be taking the field...and hey, most Pats fans aren't rooting for the Colts anyway. So to the Saints it is! Heath Evans will be sidelined, but Randall Gay will be one of a number of Saints defenders charged with trying to slow down Peyton & Company.
And you didn't think the biggest sports days of the year would take place with no friends of the banner did you?? Of course not. TE David Thomas will be suiting up in the black and gold, the only man taking the field who can proudly call himself a friend of Dan the Banner. So best of luck to you David - I have no doubts your meeting the banner this summer will lead you to great things in the biggest game of your life.

Another One Bites the Dust....

Well, the Patriots cut Joey Galloway yesterday. While yes, it was not really a shock to anybody, it adds yet another to the list of Patriots who took pictures with Danny that are no longer on the team.

In a startling display of 24 hours or so it appeared that list would grow even larger when the Patriots cut Tully Banta-Cain and Eric Alexander. Fortunately though, the latter two were re-signed (I think, there's talk out there Alexander was never actually cut). Nevertheless, both remain on the team, so it's just Galloway joining a long list with David Thomas, Greg Lewis, Kevin O'Connell, Russ Hochstein, Ray Ventrone and others. Yikes, Dan the Banner may be bad luck. I think Tom and Randy are safe from being cut and/or traded, but maybe I shouldn't underestimate the power of the Banner...for the sake of the team and New England fans, I'll stay positive the banner tones it down a bit.
So adieu Mr. Galloway, we hardly knew ye. Hopefully he lands somewhere else and resurrects a thus far lost 2009 season.

Is Danny bad luck?

Last year I joked with Danny that the reason Jerod Mayo had such a great year was probably because he took a picture with the banner during training camp that summer. Given the moves the Pats have made in the past week, I can't help but wonder if maybe this year Danny was bad luck. Now I know, I know, that this year I got a lot more pics with Danny at camp, and obviously a decent number of guys were going to get cut from the team before the season starts, but with the surprise release of WR Greg Lewis today by the Pats - yes, a Dan the Banner picture taker this summer - I'm starting to think Danny may be bad luck. First, Kevin O'Connell surprisingly was cut last week. He took a picture with Danny, and was really nice about it. Russ Hochstein & David Thomas? Both took pics, both unexpectedly got traded. Andrew Walter didn't make the team. Then, Ray Ventrone got cut on cut day as well, not a total surprise but still unfortunate given he'd taken a picture with Dan and was a fellow Villanova alum. Now today, Greg Lewis, who took a picture with Danny and was really really nice about it, gets cut as well. What is going on?!? I hope it's just a coincidence and not Danny being bad luck because I did get that picture with Brady...
In other notes, I apparently have no eye for what's going on at Training Camp. I thought O'Connell had a great camp, a couple miscues here and there but also some glimpses of greatness. Apparently I was way off on that one as he didn't even make it through the preseason. Greg Lewis also seemed to have a great training camp, and a pretty good preseason. Still really surprised about his release, makes me think Bill's got something up his sleeve. Time will tell I suppose.
Keep an eye out for the banner, and cross your fingers Dan's not causing these Patriot problems!

-The Banner Keeper