ESPN | Who Dat Saint

America’s Team

2010 Dec 30

Demonstrating yet again the remarkable TV drawing power of the new America’s Team, the New Orleans Saints’ 17-14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons rated as the most-watched “Monday Night Football” telecast of the season and the most-watched cable program overall in 2010, according to ESPN.

The telecast, which was simulcast locally on NBC affiliate WDSU, drew a 13.0 rating, representing 12.9 million households and 19.1 million viewers, the network reported. That makes it the third-largest cable TV audience of all time, excluding breaking news programming.

The second most-watched cable telecast of all time is also a Saints “Monday Night” game: Last year’s prime-time drubbing of the New England Patriots. The most-watched cablecast ever? Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre’s “Monday Night Football” matchup against his old team, the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 5, 2009.

Monday’s telecast marks the second television milestone of 2010 for the Saints, whose Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 7 was the most-watched program in TV history.

Once the ratings doormats of a league traditionally dominated by East Coast powers in large TV markets, the small-market Saints are now clearly established as one of the hottest television properties in all of sports.

The huge Saints-Falcons audience lifted “Monday Night Football” to its highest-rated season since ESPN acquired the rights to the telecast in 2006.

Posted by Who Dat Admin in Around the NFL, Football (American), Saints News | 722 Comments »

Who Dat on Da Cover of Madden 2011 – Drew Brees Dat’s Who

2010 Apr 26

What’s the best thing about being a video game quarterback as opposed to playing the position in real life?

Nobody better to ask than “Madden NFL 11″ cover boy and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees.

“No pain,” Brees says with a laugh. “I’m not worried about getting hit in ‘Madden.’ It’s a little different when you’re out there for real and you have to be aware of who is trying to knock your head off. If I get hit in the game, all that happens is my controller shakes.”

But there are some things Brees loves about the real NFL that he thinks can never be captured in virtual form.

“I think the atmosphere of a game, where you step out on the field and you hear the crowd noise, is really special,” Brees says. “Then when you throw a touchdown and run into that end zone and jump on a teammate … that interaction and that atmosphere is obviously something where you have to be there to feel.

“But to me, being in ‘Madden’ is just another way to connect with the fans. It helps educates the fans about the plays, the players, the teams. I have a Wii, and when my son gets older, it’s going to be fun to be able to play the game together. I have a feeling he’s going to be a gamer pretty soon.”

Posted by Who Dat Admin in Drew Brees | 74 Comments »

The Golden Mask – Sports Science or Science Fiction

2010 Feb 4

Sport Science - The Golden Mask

I was on my drive around Louisiana today and was listening to WWL 870 when I heard them discussing a segment on ESPN. Apparently the segment pitted Peyton Manning against Drew Brees and the likelyhood of winning the Superbowl based on their facial features as well as some other aspects, such as the state where past Superbowl winning quarterbacks were born. Apparently the segment was titled “Sports Science: The Golden Mask”.

I did not get a chance to see the segment, but after listening to the radio announcers discuss it on WWL I thought to myself, “This sounds more like science fiction rather than actual sports science. I remember the video that was produced in which it highlights Drew Brees’ accuracy as compared that that of a World Class Archer. In fact I really enjoyed watching that segment and still do today. That video was titled “Sport Science” and if I recall correctly was made by Fox Sports Net (FSN). Since I did not get to see the ESPN segment, I am not sure if it was the same production company or just a nearly identical title.

As I stated above, it sounds like science fiction. Well apparently ESPN came to the same conclusion. All instances of the video segment have been removed from their website as well as other sites where they posted the video. These sites include the following:

Posted by Who Dat Admin in Uncategorized | 234 Comments »