One early hint the New Orleans Saints weren't chalking this season up as a lost cause was the ample work they performed at linebacker in preparation for Jonathan Vilma's suspension.
They signed Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne and Chris Chamberlain to help bolster the position. The big name here is Lofton. He'll be counted on as an every-down middle linebacker and the team insists his signing had nothing to do with Vilma's troubles. New Orleans faced Lofton in person twice a year during his 63 starts for Atlanta. They were happy to sign him away from a rival.
(Falcons fans: You won't enjoy a single word that follows.)
"The reason why I came here was to win a championship, and that's what everyone's expectations are," Lofton told The Times-Picayune this week.
"You know, when I was going through the process and they said the Saints were interested in me ... I only took one visit, and that was here," Lofton said. "Being in Atlanta, I hated these guys. And that's the rivalry, you hate each other. And so, once I got here, hanging around coach (Sean) Payton, (general manager) Mickey (Loomis) and (interim coach) Joe Vitt and coach (Steve Spagnuolo), it felt right. It was family."
Lofton said his former Falcons teammates have playful taunted him as a traitor. We're intrigued by the players who joined this team after news of the "bounty" scandal broke. Lofton mentioned the family atmosphere in New Orleans. Today, it's a family under fire, but Lofton and the Saints aren't taking this season off.