Connor Hughes

As I move on to the tight end position in my breakdown of the New Orleans Saints' depth chart, it starts to look a little thin after superstar Jimmy Graham on the roster. This is why I was adamant about bringing in Dallas ... of the 2010 NFL Draft.  

Sports briefs: NFL upholds New Orleans Saints’ suspensions Published Apr 9, 2012 05:25PM MDT FOOTBALL • The NFL upheld the season-long suspension of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton on Monday, and the shorter suspensions of two other team executives, as the league continued to grapple with a bounty scandal. In keeping the original suspensions in place, Commissioner Roger Goodell rejected a defense that Gregg Williams, the former...  

Head coach Sean Payton's yearlong suspension will be difficult to overcome by itself. Coaching still makes a difference in this league, and a team without a strong leader on the sideline is a ship without a rudder. Interim coach Joe Vitt ...  

Coach Sean Payton was suspended for the 2012 season; General Manager Mickey Loomis for eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six games for their roles. The team was docked two second-round draft picks and fined $500,000 as well.  

Fordham University senior running back Darryl Whiting (E. Elmhurst, N.Y./Holy Cross) signed an NFL free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans it was announced by the team. He becomes the third Ram in the past two years to sign an NFL free agent contract, joining Isa Abdul-Quddus and Stephen Skelton, who signed with the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals, respectively, last year.  

Already reeling from a bounty scandal that led to Coach Sean Payton's suspension for the 2012 season as well as an 8 game suspension for Loomis, a 6-game suspension for Coach Joe Vitt, and the loss of draft picks and a $500,000 fine, the Saints now find ...  

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis needs to remember one thing as he sits down to participate in the 2012 NFL draft: Calm down. It’s bad enough that the Saints traded away their first-round pick this year to New England in the deal that eventually brought running back Mark Ingram to New Orleans. But it gets worse. Relax, Mickey. Because of the bounty scandal that brought on a one-year suspension to head coach Sean Payton, an...  

(AP) NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Saints have named Joe Vitt as interim coach, despite the top assistant's six-game suspension for his role in the club's bounty system. The Saints had to find a one-season replacement for head coach Sean Payton ...  

The New Orleans Saints enter the 2012 season chalk full of anger. Their head coach Sean Payton was ... In other words, this team is out for blood and ready to show the world they aren’t cheaters. Expect a very focused team that comes out guns-a-blazing ...  

The New Orleans Saints have named Joe Vitt as interim coach, despite the top assistant’s six-game suspension for his role in the club’s bounty system. The Saints had to find a one-season replacement for head coach Sean Payton, whose season-long ...  

Vitt will assume the day-to-day duties of Saints head coach Sean Payton ... His leadership will be missed,” said Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. “But we need to set a course of action that gives us the best chance to win this season without ...  

The New Orleans Saints have named Joe Vitt as interim coach, despite the top assistant's six-game suspension for his role in the club's bounty system. The Saints had to find a one-season replacement for head coach Sean Payton, whose seasonlong ...  

As I suspected when the whole storyline began, Bill Parcells will likely not be roaming the sidelines as head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2012, according to ESPN. While it made sense to me that Saints head coach Sean Payton would reach out to ...  

The Saints, along with general manager Mickey Loomis, head coach Sean Payton and assistant coach Joe Vitt ... Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was at the heart of the pay-for-pain system, did not appeal his indefinite ...  

Here were how the questions on this were asked: The New Orleans Saints were recently punished by the NFL for implementing a bounty system to encourage team members to injure opposing players. Coach Sean Payton was suspended for a year without pay ...  

Although the team's fan base is electrified by the prospect the Saints may hire former Super Bowl champion coach Bill Parcells as a one-year interim replacement for suspended Coach Sean Payton, the excitement is probably premature, league sources made clear.  

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and the club will file separate appeals ... The announcement Friday afternoon joins one earlier in the day in which Coach Sean Payton is also expected to appeal his full-year suspension.  

For the second time in as many months, Roger Goodell and the NFL came down hard on the New Orleans Saints for the team's role in one of the worst league scandals in recent memory. After suspending head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season, along with eight games for GM Mickey Loomis and six more for assistant head coach Joe Vitt, Goodell banned linebacker Jonathan Vilma for all 16 games of next season and defensive end Will Smith for...  

"Phil (Marfuggi) tried to give it a shot this week after a slight injury, but we felt it was best that he not risk further damage," said Soul head coach Doug Plank. "We decided to reach out to Connor Hughes. He's a guy that's been here before; he's won here.  

The city of New Orleans is an American original. From jazz to voodoo, from the French Quarter to the Mississippi River levees, from the bead-strewn Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras to a quiet sunrise on Jackson Square with coffee and beignets ...  

Linebacker David Hawthorne: Hawthorne was another great signing ... his departure leaves a big void in the Saints’ secondary.  Cornerback Leigh Torrence: Torrence signed with the Washinton Redskins. Torrence provided the Saints with some ...  

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who had visited with the Tennessee Titans and fielded interest from other teams as well, is likely to sign his tender offer with the club, according to a league source. The signature should come in the next ...  

The Titans will host a visit from Saints linebacker Jonathan Casillas today. Casillas is a restricted free agent, so if the Titans choose to sign him to an offer sheet, the Saints would get five days to match the offer. Because the Saints gave ...  

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, assistant head coach Joe Vitt ... the Saints organization during the length of their punishments. Goodell can lay down the law with one simple word: “nothing.” The hard-line NFL commish has already ...  

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean in Nashville reported this morning that the Tennessee Titans will host the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 of the preseason at LP Field in Nashville. Date and time not set yet and the remainder of the preseason schedule is supposed ...  

Titan SizedTennessee Titans Host LB Jonathan CasillasTitan SizedDecember 4, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith (30) carries the ball against New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas (52) during the second quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.and more »  

(Reuters) - The National Football League (NFL) suspended four players on Wednesday for their role in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scheme that paid players for hurting opponents. Here is a timeline of key events since the scandal surfaced: March 2 - NFL investigation shows Saints coaches and between 22 and 27 players had a bounty system that gave cash rewards for knocking opponents out of games from 2009-11. March 6 - Saints' head coach Sean...  

As Doug Farrar pointed out, remembrances of Junior Seau filled Twitter from the moment the news of his death broke. Most came from his contemporaries, the men who knew Seau  on the football field and in locker rooms. But one came from an unlikely source who didn't start in the NFL until after Seau retired. Eric Olsen, an offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints, shared a sweet story about how he met Seau in high school, and the encounter...  

Following the NFLPA’s decision to file a grievance on behalf of Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita for the suspensions handed down earlier this week for participation in the Saints' bounty scandal, the NFL has released a statement in response.  

Even as defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove was appealing his NFL suspension Monday for participating in the Saints' bounty program, it was learned that a signed document was received by the league through the NFLPA that details how he was instructed in 2010 by current and former New Orleans assistant coaches Joe Vitt and Gregg Williams to deny the team had a bounty program.  

The Green Bay Packers might not have to immediately overcome an eight-game suspension on recently-signed defensive end Anthony Hargrove. Hargrove and three other players are expected to appeal NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's suspensions that he handed out for the New Orleans Saints' bounty system.Hargrove's declaration to NFL regarding Saints bounty scandal can be found here. The gist of it was this: Hargrove lied to NFL investigators in 2010...  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove describes in a sworn statement how he was told by ex-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and current New Orleans assistant head coach Joe Vitt to deny the existence of a bounty program to NFL investigators.  

This Mother's Day, instead of getting your mother flowers or a basket of cheap bath and body products, get her something she would really like. If you have a mother who is a fan of the New Orleans Saints, this Mother's Day will be no sweat for you. Here is your gift guide to the top New Orleans Saints Mother's Day gifts:  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) An email from an imprisoned friend of the Saints coaching staff with a postscript saying, ''put me down for $5,000'' on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has become another sore point between players being punished for New Orleans' bounty system and the NFL.  

The New Orleans Saints will honor Sean Payton this season by leaving an empty seat for the suspended head coach in their locker room and on team buses and planes. Payton, who is in exile in a downtown New Orleans skyscraper after his season-long ban, won't rejoin the team until after next year's Super Bowl. The Saints will compensate for his absence by acting like he died, rather than looked the other way during a pay-for-play bounty system...  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Drew Brees said in a radio interview Wednesday night that he is frustrated by what he views as a lack of communication with the New Orleans Saints in his ongoing contract negotiations, adding the club should have shown more urgency to get a long-term deal done.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league's top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.  

The Saints might not have made any long-term decisions about where Martez Wilson fits best in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, but they are experimenting with Wilson, a 2011 third-round pick who played in 13 games as a linebacker last season, at a new position and are happy with what they have seen so far.  

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said he did not cooperate with the NFL's investigation of the Saints bounty system, because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would not show him the evidence of his alleged misdeeds, NFL.com reported Thursday.  

It all comes down to this. The championship of PFW’s “In the Trenches” bracket pits the Detroit Lions against the New Orleans Saints to determine the best offense in the NFL. The fans decide who is crowned the champion, but here’s what the PFW staff had to say about the final matchup:  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) A documentary filmmaker says in a long website post that Drew Brees, Scott Fujita and the NFL Players Association knew about his recording of a vicious motivational speech by ex-Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams before it was released.  

After months of suffering penalties in the form of suspensions, fines and forfeited draft picks, the New Orleans Saints had another setback on June 1 when Yahoo Sports reported that the NFL has obtained specific records of bounty payments in the form of a "ledger." As a Saints fan, I believe I speak for many in New Orleans when I say that I am ready for my team to move on from this controversy. It is clear that many current and former Saints...  

Very soon after New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma did an interview with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com to forward the notion that he's innocent of all charges in the bounty scandal that has him suspended for the 2012 season and suing Roger Goodell as a result, Yahoo! Sports' own Jason Cole came through with a real bombshell . On Friday afternoon, Cole reported the existence of a ledger allegedly kept by the Saints' coaching staff to keep...  

The 2012 Green Bay Packers home schedule consists of home games against the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans. They also have preseason home games against the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.  

The players union is scheduled to have its grievance against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell heard Wednesday, with the NFLPA questioning the league's authority to punish players for participating in an alleged bounty program with the Saints.  

(Reuters) - Suspended New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has filed a defamation lawsuit against National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell over statements regarding a "bounty" scheme reportedly used by the Saints.  

Rookie minicamp is a time for the new kids to come into a new team facility and basically learn where to line up. Running in the right direction is considered a plus, and anything else is gravy in what is … Continue reading →  

METAIRIE, La. (AP) Chase Daniel has completed 75 percent of his passes during his first three years in the NFL, which would rank him among the league's top quarterbacks if not for the fact that he's only thrown eight passes.  

(Reuters) - A key piece of evidence held by the NFL in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal is a "ledger" that shows there was a system for paying football players to injure their opponents, Yahoo Sports reported on Friday.  

NEW YORK (AP) The NFL players union has challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell's authority to suspend players who participated in the New Orleans Saints' pay-for-pain scandal and wants him removed from hearing appeals.  

NEW YORK (AP) A former U.S. attorney hired by the NFL to evaluate its investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty program said Thursday the evidence shows players received payments for hits on targeted opponents.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) The attorney for suspended New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma says a ledger of under-the-table cash bonuses and fines for Saints players shows no proof of bounties placed on targeted opponents.  

Drew Brees expressed frustration over the “lack of communication” between the Saints and his agent in the ongoing contract stalemate, according to a report by PFW correspondent Mike Triplett of The Times-Picayune.  

Evidence shows that New Orleans Saints players received payments for hits on targeted opponents, according to a former U.S. attorney hired by the NFL to evaluate its investigation of the team's bounty program.  

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for an entire NFL season, one of four players sanctioned Wednesday for taking part in the bounty scheme that paid players for hits on opponents.  

New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who was suspended Wednesday for the 2012 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for Vilma's reported involvement in the Saints' bounty scandal, vows to clear his name.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Documents gathered in the NFL's bounty investigation of the Saints include a ledger detailing payments for plays such as ''cart-offs'' and ''whacks,'' a person familiar with the probe said.  

The Louisiana State Senate voted to formally request the NFL reconsider penalties against the team as a result of the bounty program the Saints allegedly employed under defensive coordinator Gregg Wiliams.  

Text Wednesday of the statement issued by NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith on penalties issued by the NFL for players involved in the New Orleans Saints' pay-for-performance/bounty program:  

PHILADELPHIA (AP) An arbitrator has met with the NFL and the players' union in a dispute over Commissioner Roger Goodell's authority to punish players in the New Orleans Saints bounties scandal.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and three other players suspended in the NFL's investigation of New Orleans' cash-for-hits bounty system challenged their punishments Monday.  

Update: According to interim head coach Joe Vitt, Toon displayed good hands and speed in separating himself from other players at Saints minicamp, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune.  

As the Saints' bounty saga gets more titillating with an alleged pay-for-hit "ledger," it obscures the real problem – hard hits and how their lingering effects are hurting the sport.  

NEW YORK (AP) An arbitration hearing into whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has jurisdiction to punish Saints players for the team's bounties program has been set for May 30.  

Browns LB Scott Fujita, facing a three-game suspension with the NFL alleging he was part of the Saints’ pay-for-performance scandal, once again denied his involvement Tuesday.  

Saints interim head coach Joe Vitt denied instructing defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove to "play dumb" when questioned by NFL security about the team's bounty program.  

With the possibility that Drew Brees won't attend the Saints' offseason program next week, interim head coach Joe Vitt said the team might bring in another quarterback.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says he isn't taking any of Drew Brees' recent complaints about the slow pace of contract negotiations personally.  

The Saints announced Sunday the restructuring of several top management positions within the organization, including the promotion of Dennis Lauscha to team president.  

The New Orleans Saints modified the contract of running back Chris Ivory by adding a $72,900 signing bonus to the final year of his contract, NFL.com reported Sunday.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Rita Benson LeBlanc will become vice chairman of the board of the New Orleans Saints and Dennis Lauscha will take over as president of the team.  

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's ruling to suspend four players in the New Orleans Saints bounty program reportedly has been contested by the Players Associaton.  

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) The Louisiana Legislature is asking the NFL to reconsider the penalties imposed on the New Orleans Saints because of its bounty program.  

NEW ORLEANS (AP) A person with knowledge of the surgery says New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his knee.  

New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt told reporters Thursday that he expects Drew Brees to join the team for the opening of training camp.  

Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson has knee surgery recently and may miss the rest of the team's voluntary workouts and minicamps.  

Though Joe Vitt will coach the New Orleans Saints in Sean Payton's absence, no one will sit in the suspended coach's chair while he's away.  

With the Saints bounty case moving to grievance hearings and court, NFL owners will talk about player safety when they meet on Tuesday.  

The NFL has a copy of a "ledger" that details week by week earnings of New Orleans Saints players involving the team's bounty system.  

The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees have made no progress on a long-term deal, according to an ESPN.com report.  

Drew Brees continues to be bold in expressing his emotions regarding the slow pace of contract negotiations with the Saints.  

NEW YORK (AP) The NFL players' union grievance against the league in the Saints bounties scandal will be heard Wednesday.  

BEREA, Ohio (AP) Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita says he is innocent in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal.  

The union is wrong to challenge the NFL’s suspension of four players without also saying bounties are reprehensible.  

METAIRIE, La. (AP) Curtis Lofton admits that as a former Atlanta Falcon, he used to hate the rival Saints.  

A ledger obtained by the NFL shows payments for "cart-offs," "whacks" and deductions for "mental errors."  

The Saints' veteran is essentially being viewed as the brave kid standing up to the schoolyard bully.  

The New Orleans Saints promised that a long-term contract for quarterback Drew Brees will get done.  

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is appealing his season-long suspension from the NFL.  

A possibly exorbitant third franchise price tag may provide the team extra incentive to ink Brees.  

The Saints signed DT Remi Ayodele to a one-year contract, the team announced on Monday.  

Defensive tackle Remi Ayodele signed a one-year contract with the Saints.  

Roger Goodell better have the goods.