New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has trained with Marines. He’s visited service members in the war zone, in his backyard and in places few visitors, much less Super Bowl winners, go to. Even his pregame psych-up chant is based on a Marine cadence. So, when he fired off this tweet in response to the NFL’s handling of his teammates’ suspensions stemming from an investigation into bounties being put on opposing players, some might have seen it as out of character: If NFL fans were told there were “weapons of mass destruction” enough times, they’d believe it. But what happens…
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Drew Brees, quarterback of the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, has made a habit of endearing himself to Marines. Considering Marine Forces Reserve is based in his back yard in the Big Easy, that makes sense, but few athletes have gone as far as Brees recently to show his Marine Corps love. This may take the cake, however: That’s Brees, handling some serious small-arms firepower in Djibouti on March 29 during a USO visit. He made the appearance with teammate Billy Miller and Donnie Edwards of the Kansas City Chiefs, meeting members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out…
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MIZAN, Afghanistan -– Staff Sgt. Marshall Fitzgerald grew up in Hattiesburg, Miss., as a die hard New Orleans Saints fan. When the Saints finally marched into the Super Bowl, he was all set to watch quarterback Drew Brees pick apart Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts. One problem. He is stationed in Afghanistan. FOB Bullard in the Zabul Province had a TV with Armed Forces Network, but the night of the Super Bowl a blizzard cut out the signal. Panic set in. He raced to the computer in his room and had his wife set up the web cam…
Former Navy star running back Kyle Eckel won a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints last month, but it appears the restricted free agent might be done in the Big Easy. The Saints have not tendered an offer to the fullback, who was signed during the season to replace injured starter Heath Evans. According to Jeff Evans of the Times Picayune, “it looks as though the club is not interested in bringing back” Eckel, who is one of only four restricted free agents not tendered an offer by the Saints. Meanwhile, New Orleans has signed an another free…
Turns out the Air Force Academy has a connection to the Super Bowl XLIV. Former Air Force officer Joe Lombardi is the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints. Lombardi played tight end and was a three-time letter winner at the Air Force Academy. He graduated in 1994 and began his coaching career two years later at the University of Dayton while he was stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force base, according to a USA TODAY column. The most interesting part of Lombardi’s story, however, is his connection to the trophy that the Saints and Colts are playing for Sunday. Joe…
Is it time for Kyle Eckel to come clean? Yesterday at Super Bowl Media Day, CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel caught up with the New Orleans Saints fullback and former Naval Academy star. Doyel asked Eckel the obvious question: Why aren’t you still in the Navy? Eckel, of course, was kicked out of the Navy in 2006 after less than two years on active duty. The Navy wouldn’t tell us why back then, and Doyel had no luck getting info from them either. When previously interviewed, Eckel himself has never offered any real insight into the issue. Here’s what Eckel had…
Why is this man smiling? Because he’s going to the Super Bowl. Again. Former Navy running back Kyle Eckel punched his ticket to Miami along with the rest of his Saints’ teammates Sunday as New Orleans won a 31-28 overtime thriller over the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC title.
NFL.com is reporting that the New Orleans Saints have re-signed former Navy star Kyle Eckel. Eckel was cut by the Saints a few weeks ago after being signed at midseason. He played sparingly in his first stint with the team, appearing in five games and carrying the ball two times for six yards. The fullback graduated from the Naval Academy in 2004 and is in his fourth year in the NFL. He is the only service academy graduate currently on the roster of an NFL team. The Saints are 13-1 after losing their first game of the season to the…
The New Orleans Saints released fullback Kyle Eckel on Wednesday. The former Naval Academy star was signed by the team in October after an injury to starter Heath Evans. Eckel played in five games and had a total of six yards rushing on two carries. He was the only service academy graduate on the roster of an NFL team this season. A 2005 graduate of the academy, Eckel was booted from the service in 2006 and began his NFL career. He had his best pro season in 2007 with the New England Patriots, carrying the ball 33 times and scoring…
The New Orleans Saints take on the New England Patriots tonight in Monday Night Football, which is as good of a reason as any to share the following: Drew Brees loves him some Marines. At least that appears to be the case, since he not only visited troops overseas with the USO in June, but found motivation in a Marine Corps running cadence. Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune has details: Brees will address the team with a quick intro, then repeat the team’s 2009 mission statements: “Be special,” “Finish strong” and “Smell greatness.” Then the team will break into a…
