Miami Here We Come!!!

Hey everyone in the Wh0 Dat World!!!

(Am I allowed to say that?!?!…..geez, I can’t believe all this talk about how people can/can’t use “Who Dat”!)

Anyhow………….I can’t tell you guys how excited I am to be getting ready to play in a Super Bowl!  Last week’s game was AWESOME!  It felt really good to get out there and play in such a great game.  I’ve heard alot of people say that they really thought it would come down to whichever team had the ball last.  But, deep down, I knew that our “Dome Field Advantage” would play a huge part.  You guys were AWESOME last Sunday!  The Dome was so loud!!  Thank you!  Thanks to everyone for believing in us and supporting us throughout the season!  I know I’ve had fun, so I hope y’all have had fun!

I’ve never been a part of such an emotional game!  I’ve seen alot of pictures floating around, and there’s a picture of Coach P, Lance, Me, and some other guys all running onto the field after Hartley made the game winning kick.  The picture catches our complete excitement.  It’s pretty cool!

So…..as a team, we had Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off.  It gave us a chance to recover from the game and get ready for all that’s coming at us as we get ready for the Super Bowl!  I really tried to stay off my feet and relax.  But, on Wednesday I had the pleasure of having lunch with a new friend.  His name is Michael, and he is a 6 year old little guy who is working towards remission from a brain tumor.  Michael was awesome!  Phils Grill hosted us for lunch and we had a chance to just hang out and talk over a good burger.  Michael had another friend that joined us during lunch.  His name was Boo and he has gone through two bouts with cancer, and he’s barely 6 years old as well!

Spending time with Michael, Boo, and their families really made my week!  Both of my new friends were pretty funny.  Michael beat me at tic tac toe, and Boo was a little french fry thief! …… I’m gonna be remembering those two boys as I prepare for next Sunday’s Super Bowl.  Their battle with cancer really puts life in perspective.  Michael and Boo have pushed hard to beat cancer, and I want to go out there next Sunday and play hard for them.  They might be my fans, but really……….I’m their fan!!

So…..we’re deep into our Colts gameplan!  We leave Monday for Miami.  I don’t know what to expect, but…..I’m gonna try to enjoy EVERY moment of it!  I hope we are successful in bringing back a Lombardi trophy for the Saints fans!!!

Alright…..y’all take care!  I’ll try to write a little something from Miami next week.  It might be brief since I’m not taking my computer, but I’ll try to give you guys a little insight on what’s going on.

Thanks for being great fans!!!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

NFC Championship Game…..Here We Come!!

Hey Who Dats!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The past few weeks have been amazing!  First of all “THANK YOU” to all of our fans!  You guys have been AMAZING!  I just truly believe that we have the best fans in the NFL!  I love hearing the sportscasters across the nation talk about how loud the Superdome gets on game day.  You guys ROCK THAT PLACE!!!

It was so loud in there on Saturday afternoon!  Coming out of the tunnel was amazing!  You guys really motivated us through the entire game.  Especially after that first play from scrimmage where the Cardinals ran the ball down the field and scored.  You guys never lost faith.  You stuck with us and cheered us on.

I’ve spent a couple of my blogs talking about how we had some things we needed to improve upon as a team.  I’m proud of our team and how we came out Saturday and played a solid well-rounded game.  The coaches did a great job of putting together a gameplan to help us win.  We really kept our penalties to a minimum, and everyone was on top of their game on both sides of the ball.

So, things have been so busy around the Saints facility this week.  We’ve got alot of national media in town covering us.  They had to move the press conference from our normal media room across to the old Voo Doo building where there’s more space.

I’ve really just tried to relax this week and rest up for Sunday’s game.  I’ve spent some time watching the local news and it’s really neat to see all of the Saints celebrations people are having throughout the area.  After we got done with work today, I had to run a few errands.  It was really cool to see so many people walking around in black and gold gear!

Did you guys go buy your Finish Strong t-shirt?! …. They’re being sold at several locations throughout the city.  All of the proceeds from the shirt sales will go back into the New Orleans community via Drew’s foundation.  So, please support the cause!

Well, there’s not much more to say.  I’m really excited about Sunday’s game.  I think we had a GREAT week of work as we prepare to take on the Vikings.  Their Defense is solid!  Did you guys see them against the Cowboys last weekend?!  Sunday’s game is going to be a good one!  It’s games like this that I wish the Superdome could suddenly grow and 25,000 more people could get in to watch us play and cheer us on!  I know that some of you aren’t able to attend the game, but please know that my teammates and I appreciate your support just as much as we appreciate all you Who Dat’s that will be Rockin’ the Dome on Sunday afternoon!

Thanks for being the best fans in the NFL!  One more game to go before we can look towards the Super Bowl!  We’ve got to take care of business on Sunday afternoon!!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

13-3 and Heading into the Playoffs!

Hey everyone in the Who Dat Nation!  How are you all doing?! ….  How ’bout this cold weather?!  I’m from Chicago, so I know what cold weather can really be like.  BUT….getting up at 6:30 in the morning to head to treatment this past week was NOT fun with temperatures in the 20′s!

So…..I’ll be honest, I don’t have anything to say about our game against the Panthers.  Thankfully it wasn’t a game that we had to win in order to make it into the playoffs. 

Coach Payton gave the entire team the week off.  This was our bye week of the playoffs.  We earned a bye, and we had the chance to relax and catch up on rest.  Some guys left town, others just stayed around.  I, personally, stayed in town.  I went into work everyday to just get some cardio in and see the athletic trainers.  There’s really not alot that can be done, treatment wise, for my ribs, so I really just tried to stay in shape and not lose a step.

The bye was also nice since alot of us on the team had just been busy with company in for the holidays.  So, my house was cleared out and I was able to do whatever I wanted or nothing at all!  Like my teammates, we’re all pretty tired physically.  So, I just tried to stay off my feet as much as possible.  I caught up on watching some movies…..I slept…..and I tried out some new restaurants.

We had to go back to work on Saturday.  Everyone reported back and we got focused on installing plays for our game next Saturday.  At the time I’m writing this, we don’t know who we’ll be playing next week because the Cowboys won last night.  So, we’ll play the winner of the Packers/Cardinals game!  I’ll be blogging again before the game, but………..all you Who Dat’s better be getting ready to ROCK THE DOME for us!!!!!!!  We’re gonna need you guys!

Alright…..I’ve got to get ready for practice.  But, when you’re watching the games today, look for Nick Moore on the Patriots…..that’s Lance Moore’s brother!  Congrats to him for being picked up by New England earlier in the week!

Have a great start to your week!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

13-2…..It Pains Me to Type That!

Hey everybody in Who Dat Nation! …. I’m writing this during the LSU Capital One Bowl Game, so maybe I should say “Tiger Nation’?!

Well, just a few brief words on last Sunday’s game because there’s not really much to say……..First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who has checked to see how I am doing.  Each day I get better and better.  I guess I took a hit to my ribs and they were banged up a bit.  It’s just important for me to go in for treatment and get back to 100%.

We obviously didn’t play like we know how to play.  I’m just glad that we have time to fix the problems that we have before entering the playoffs.  (Of course, we need to fix the problems in Sunday’s game against the Panthers, first!)

A huge congrats to my teammates who made the Pro Bowl! …. Sharper, Stinch, Jahri, Drew, and Vilma!  They were all very deserving!  There were certainly more guys on our team who deserved to be named, in my opinion, BUT….the NFC is strong on talent and there are limited spots to be filled!

One thing to remember, though, …… If a team makes the Super Bowl, then their players cannot take part in the Pro Bowl……….I’d rather wear a Super Bowl jersey than a Pro Bowl jersey this year, and I bet those guys would say the same thing!

Alright……so, a look at things ahead…………Saturday we travel to Carolina for our final regular season game against the Panthers.  Then, we are off for 2 weeks.  Coach hasn’t really set our schedule yet for our “bye” week, but I’m guessing it will be sort of like a bye week in regular season……He’ll give us a few days off to see our families and relax.  Any guys that need to get treatment will stay in town just to make sure we’re as healthy as possible for our game the next weekend!

I’m really excited about where our team is headed!!  I know we’ve given you Who Dats some reasons for concern the last two weeks, but……stick with us!  We’re correcting what’s wrong, getting healthy, and we’ll be ready for post-season action!!!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year’s!!

Happy New Year!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

13 and 1 ……..

Merry Christmas Who Dat Nation!

I really hope that all of you have had a wonderful Christmas week.  Growing up in Chicago, I can tell you that I’ve never experienced such a warm Christmas week!  The weather was awesome on Tuesday when we had the day off.  It was a great day to finish up my Christmas shopping.

Well……like every other week, I’ll start the blog off with some thoughts on the previous week’s game.  I wish I were able to title this week’s blog 14-0, but we just didn’t get the job done.  I’m sorry Who Dat Nation!

We worked hard all last week preparing for the game.  I thought we did a good job of blocking out all the media and hype surrounding the game.  Unfortunately, we beat ourselves on Saturday night.  We just didn’t play a balanced game.  We should have been running the ball alot more than we did.  Every week, we talk about needing a quick jump-start when we take the field, and we’re just not doing that.  I give Dallas credit…..they came into the game and took advantage of our mistakes and turnovers to win the game.

I’m just glad that we are identifying our problems now so that we can really focus on fixing them as we head into the playoffs.  There are no other guys in the league that I would want to enter the playoffs with.  We have great guys on this team.  We’re all on the same page.  We know what we need to fix, and we’re working on fixing these things!

So, this Sunday we return to the Dome for our final regular season home game.  Oh yeah……..Thanks to every single Who Dat that was in the Dome last Saturday night!  You guys were AWESOME!  After the game, alot of the national reporters were saying it was the loudest sports venue they’d ever been in.  You guys had that place ROCKIN’!  Thank you!!!!

Keep it up this Sunday and then again when we host the playoffs!  You guys really help us out, I hope you know it!

So, Sunday we’ll take on Tampa.  I know their record says they’ve only won two games, but they really looked good in their last game.  We’ll take Sunday as an opportunity to focus on fixing some of our “problems”.  We really have to work on ball control and turnovers.  We need to patch up a few things with our defense, and of course………..we really need to make sure everyone is healthy.  If we win on Sunday, then we secure home field advantage through the playoffs!  That would be HUGE for us, the way you guys get the Dome Rockin’!

So……I’ll just close by sharing with you guys about the two bowling fundraisers I attended in the last week.  First was Peja Stojakovic’s bowling fundraiser to benefit his foundation.  It was last Thursday when it was torrentially downpouring.  Peja invited me to attend and I  made it out there.  I didn’t bowl, but I spent some time visiting with the guests and some of the Hornets players.  It was a great event that raised alot of money to go right back into the New Orleans community.  Peja told me that his foundation re-furbished a basketball court in Orleans Parish with proceeds from the success of this year’s event.

Also, Monday night, Robert Meachem had a bowling fundraiser.  I went out and took part in that.  It was another nice event.

Alright…..I’m gonna go relax.  It’s been a great Christmas Day and I hope that all of you have had a wonderful Christmas!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

13-0………………Can we make it to 14-0?!

Hey everybody in Who Dat Nation!  How’s your week going?  Do you guys have your Holiday shopping done?  I’m close to being done.  We had off Monday and Tuesday, so I was out there trying to get most of it finished up, but I still have a little more to do next week.

So, Sunday was a tough game for us!  I knew they’d come out and play hard.  First of all, I’ve gotta give credit to our defense.  They came up big for us at just the moment we needed it.  Vilma was a beast out there on Sunday!  We’re just glad we walked out of the Georgia Dome with a win! …. We seriously have the BEST fans in the NFL!  You guys showed up in Atlanta and we could hear you cheering for us!  Thank you!  I hope you guys know how much that motivates us!

How do you guys feel about a game on a Saturday night? …. I’m pretty excited about it……and it’s at home in the Dome?!?!  There’s so much “talk” surrounding this week’s game…………The fact that it’s the team that Coach Payton and some of the other coaches came from……….The fact that Roy Williams made a comment about the game during an interview………the fact that the last time we played the Cowboys, it was on their turf and the Saints totally shut them down (Karney was ballin’ that night!)……..the fact that everybody says that the Cowboys have a tough time during the month of December (just for the record – they played HARD on Sunday against the Chargers…they very well could have won that game)……..Saturday’s game is going to be TOUGH!

Today, we got back to work and turned our focus on Saturday’s game plan.  As a guy on offense, we focus on defensive game film of the Cowboys.  I think I speak for the rest of my offensive teammates when I say that we are definitely interested in seeing of Demarcus Ware will be lining up on the other side of the ball, or if he will have to sit out this week from the injury he sustained in Sunday’s game.  (My sympathy goes out to Demarcus from that injury.  That didn’t look good at all.  I’m happy that he has come out of that and things look very positive for him.)  Demarcus is one of those guys that changes things up for us.  He’s a great player for the Cowboys’ Defense.

We have alot of work to do in preparation for Saturday night, but…………I’m already pumped up!  I just know you guys are gonna have the Dome rockin’!!! …. Just a reminder:  When we’re on offense, please be quiet!  When we’re on defense………..ROCK THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The louder you guys are, the tougher it is for Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense to make plays!

Before closing, I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to see me in the Hammond area on Tuesday.  I really had a good time!  It was nice to meet everyone, and thanks for your support!

Geaux Saints!!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

12-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!………….I’m So Glad I Can Say That!

Hey everybody!  OK, so the game was a nailbiter, wasn’t it?!  I’m apologizing to all of our fans for giving you all a scare!  That was just WAY to close for comfort.  It was a weird way to be named NFC South Champs!

The Redskins came out ready to play.  We knew they’d be ready, but they really gave us a battle.

When I look back at the game, one thing that I think of is how hard we tried to pull away during the game and we just couldn’t find a way.  Thankfully, we were right in there with them, but for about 58 minutes of the game, we couldn’t find a way to pull ahead.  I’ve got to give credit to our defense.  They came up big right when we needed them to with the INT and fumble.  We’re pretty lucky that their kicker missed the FG too.  For his sake, I’m sorry he missed it because he has since been released by the team.  But, the missed field goal left the door open for us to come back.

Honestly, I don’t have much more to say about that game.  I’m just glad it’s over and we walked away from it with a “W”.

As a team, we definitely watched film from Sunday’s game so that we can correct our mistakes, but aside from that we have moved on.  We are focused on Sunday’s game in Atlanta.  If you’re a Saints fan, then you know that there’s a solid rivalry between the Falcons and the Saints.  I don’t care what each team’s record is during the season…..none of that matters when we set foot on the field for gameday.

Two things stick out in my mind from the first time we played them on MNF in November:

1)       We can’t lose the turnover battle this time around.  We have to focus on holding onto the ball.

2)      They had success running the ball against us, so they’re gameplan will probably feature their RB’s.  (I don’t think we know if Michael Turner is playing or not.  But, they do have two other good backs in Norwood and Snelling.)

Matt Ryan is supposed to be back in the lineup against us on Sunday.  He’s a good QB, and he adds a lot to their offense.  You know that I hope we come out of Sunday’s game 13-0, but it’s definitely going to be a battle! ……. One thing I know for sure —–> The Who Dats will be in the Georgia Dome!  I know we’ll hear you guys cheering for us.  Please know that we wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for the support of our fans!!

So…….a little non-football talk………………Yesterday, Lance and I did an autograph signing at a furniture store out in Westwego.  It was GREAT to see the fans that came out to say hello.  Thanks to those of you that I met out there!

Next week, on December 15^th (6-8 pm), I’ll be doing an autograph signing at a trading card shop in the Hammond/Albany, LA area.  Google it online to learn more about the details in case you’ll be in the area!

Tomorrow night (Thursday, December 10^th) a bunch of my teammates and I will be attending Zach Strief’s charity event.  The event is being held at Generations Hall (Club Metro) from 7-10 pm.  I’m not sure if they are selling tickets at the door or not.  I know that all the proceeds benefit Zach’s foundation and Café Reconcile.  A bunch of us are planning to be out there supporting Zach.  He’s a great guy and his foundation is working to do great things here in NOLA.  Zach said that tickets are $35 each and it’s “casual black and gold” attire………….

Alright, good night Black & Gold Nation!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

11-0 ….. Seriously…We are 11-0!!!

Wow!  We are 11-0!!!!  This is such a great feeling!  Monday night was AWESOME!!!!!!!  Thanks to every single fan in the Dome for being there to support us!  You guys had that place ROCKIN’!!!  I had so much fun, and so did the entire team!  We knew we were ready to take the field Monday and give the Patriots all that we had, but the outcome of the game was so much better than I think we every expected!

How ’bout Mike McKenzie stepping in like that for Randall Gay and comin’ up huge on those plays!  I was so happy for him!  He’s a GREAT guy and I’m so glad he was still out there available to come back and play for us when we needed him.  Then, Darren Sharper with ANOTHER pick?! …. That was awesome!

There were so many components of Monday night that came together to help us win….naturally Drew, Coach P, and Coach Williams on the defensive side of the ball, but I’ve got to give ALOT of credit to our Offensive Line.  That’s where EVERYTHING started for us on offense Monday night.  Those guys gave Drew time to make smart decisions.  They gave Mike, Lynell, and room to run with the ball.  They played their butts off on Monday night and I want everyone to know how great our O-Line is!  They’re great on the field, but they’re also GREAT GUYS off the field!  Jon Stinchcomb is one of our best leaders.  We are really lucky to have him.

Okay, I could go on and on about Monday night, but………..it’s over!  We’re past that game and onto the Redskins.  But, before I talk about Sunday’s game, I just wanted to thank ALL of our fans.  Obviously not everyone could be in The Dome on Monday night.  But, as I’ve been out and about this week running errands or grabbing a bite to eat, people keep coming up and congratulating me.  We truly have the best fans in the NFL and I want to thank all of you for being there for us this season!

So………Saturday we head to DC for our Sunday game against the Redskins.  OK, first of all it’s gonna be COLD!!! …. I guess it’s been kind of good for us to have some colder weather in NOLA this week, because it will probably help us out when we take the field on Sunday.  But, STILL…..it’s gonna be cold!

The Redskins may not have a great record, but we know it’s gonna be a battle on the field.  Like I said before, EVERY player on EVERY team practices all week to win.  I know they’ve got the #2 ranked pass defense in the league right now.  So, it should be interesting to see how our passing game works for us on Sunday.  If we play like we did on Monday night, then we’ve got a good chance!  Maybe in our favor is the fact that they are ranked #25 in run defense.  I know Mike, Lynell, and I would love to play a key part in a win on Sunday!!

Welllllll……we’ll see what happens Sunday at Noon CST, won’t we?!

I hope that everyone had a GREAT Thanksgiving?!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

10-0 ….. MNF Ahead!!

Happy Thanksgiving Who Dat Nation!

What a fun time to be a New Orleans Saint!  This is the best team.  We have great guys, great coaches, and great fans!!!  I can’t believe how many people were in Tampa for Sunday’s game.  It was almost like being at a home game.  The Who Dat Nation is awesome!  You guys show up everywhere we play and really inspire us!  THANK YOU!

So…..there’s not much to say about Tampa.  We won………we corrected some of our mistakes………we got a little bit banged up………and we took another step up in our division.  We’ll see Tampa again in a few weeks, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it’ll be another battle.

As for our next challenge……Oh boy!  Monday Night Football in the Dome against Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, and the New England Patriots………….Dang I really think this is going to be a great game!  I think I speak for the entire team when I say we’re glad this game is at home in The Dome!!!

I know I say this every week we’re at home, but……….we need EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO DAT’S to be there in full force on Monday night!  We need the Dome ROCKIN’!  I know that the team is going to be pumped up.  But, I’m asking everyone there to make it SO loud in the Dome whenever our defense is on the field.  You guys have the ability to help get the Patriots offense off rhythm….and maybe even burn up a time out or two!

I’m really excited to play on Monday Night!  This is going to be awesome!

I hope everybody had a Blessed Thanksgiving.  On Tuesday night I had the pleasure of participating in a Thanksgiving food distribution at a grocery store in the Chalmette area.  Approximately 100 families were selected to receive the meals.  It was pretty cool because Deuce also came out.  It was great to see him.  He looks good and I know he’s ready to play the minute he gets a phonecall.

By the way, thanks to everyone who took the time to write and give me your input on touchdown celebrations.  It was a general concensus across the board that a small celebration wasn’t viewed as a bad thing.  Also, alot of people said they like/respect when a player hands the ball to the ref, or points to the sky to acknowledge God’s work.  It was fun getting everyone’s feedback!

OK….we’ve got alot to do before Monday’s game.  I’ll blog next Tuesday after the game!  Until then, have a great weekend!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23

9-0………………Whew!

Who Dat Nation……..what’s goin’ on?!  That wasn’t too pretty on Sunday, was it?!  That was a real nail biter!  Once again, we were shooting ourselves in the foot on offense.  The penalties and turnovers continue to be a factor in our games.

I’d have to give my boy Courtney Roby a shout out for doing a great job hittin’ the hole for 6 points on that kick off return.  That was a huge play for us as a team to get our momentum back!

The Rams came out playing hard, and we knew they would.  They were coming off a bye week and they’d be looking to get a “W” at home.  Our defense held on and stopped Steven Jackson at the end.  That really helped us close out the game.

So….onto our third division game of the season.  Saturday we’ll head to Tampa for Sunday’s game.  On Wednesday we’ll get back in the facility where we’ll watch film on the Bucs and the coaches will begin installing our gameplan.  Although the Bucs might not have a good record so far this season, we do know that they’ll come out playing hard.  It’s always a good game between the Saints and the Bucs!  We respect their game.  But I promise you, Who Dat Fans, WE WILL BE READY!

I had a great day off today.  I caught up on some errands that I needed to take care of.  Then this evening I went to a charity bowling event at Rock N Bowl.  My teammates Lance Moore, Usama Young, Tracy Porter, Jermon Bushrod, and Malcom Jenkins were also there.  We really had alot of fun and we got to hang out with some great fans.  Everyone made us feel very welcome!  I love our fans!

So………I have a question for you guys!  I REALLY want your opinion………

What do you guys think about players celebrating after a touchdown?  Do you think we should just hand the ball to the ref after we score?  Do you wanna see our dance moves?!  Do you wanna see a team an offensive celebration? …… I’m just curious because that’s what the guys and I were talking about tonight.  There are alot of guys around the league who are getting fined for their celebrations.  It really takes alot of work to get into the endzone, so I can see why guys celebrate.  But, I just wanna hear what you guys think.

Thanks for your input!  Thanks for being such great fans!  I hope you guys are still enjoying the season……because we are!  (I promise, we’ll be working on the turnover and penalty issues!!!)

Have a great week!

Who Dat!

Pierre Thomas #23