Marvin Mitchell News

Marvin Mitchell is as big a fan of quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints' NFL-leading offense as anybody.

A new mouthpiece being used by several New Orleans Saints players this season has been getting much attention since ESPN analyst Jon Gruden praised it during the "Monday Night Football" broadcast.

Sharper, the Saints free safety, has been the team and NFL pace-setter when it comes to interceptions and interception returns this season.

Saints receiver Lance Moore and defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy were officially ruled out of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Saints receiver Lance Moore did not practice Wednesday with a sprained ankle. The injury was originally thought to be a bruised shin, so this might be a little more serious, but ankle injuries can vary in severity.

New Orleans a ' The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints traded physical opening drive with touchdown runs, but Atlanta took a lead with a sack and forced fumble returned for a touchdown by DE Kroy Biermann that has given the Atlanta a 14-7 lead after the first quarter.

As provided by the New Orleans Saints, here is a transcript of Coach Sean Payton's press conference Thursday: Injury report/opening statement: "Scott Fujita with his calf did not practice.

New York's Domenik Hixon tries to turn the corner on this punt return but Saints LB Marvin Mitchell was there to bring him down.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints just announced linebacker Scott Fujita won't return in this game because of a calf injury.

Another round of mailbag questions for you. Here is part 1 from earlier today . I'm fresh out of new queries for this week, so if you have any new questions send them to Saintsmailbag@timespicayune.com. And remember to include your name and place of residence.

Of the things that went wrong in the New Orleans Saints ' season-opening win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, their three turnovers might have been the most egregious in the eyes of coach Sean Payton.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray celebrates with linebacker Scott Shanle after an interception against Detroit on Sunday.

Undrafted New Orleans Saints rookie linebacker Jonathan Casillas said he doesn't worry too much about crunching numbers and trying to figure out if there's room for him on the roster, just like he didn't get too worked up when the team considered bringing in veterans Derrick Brooks and Derek Smith last month.

After two seasons with San Diego were cut short mostly by injuries, linebacker Anthony Waters is getting another shot to play in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.

After their first day off since camp began on July 30th the New Orleans Saints were back on the practice field.

Jonathan Vilma is looking to build on a solid year last season with the Saints when he had 151 tackles.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Saints made it their top priority to re-sign Jonathan Vilma during the offseason, and locked him in to a five-year, $34 million contract before the start of free agency.

Mark Simoneau has a torn triceps and is out for a few weeks. Saints linebacker Mark Simoneau will likely be out of the lineup for several weeks, if not longer, after he tore his triceps in Saturday's scrimmage.

In fact, it wasn't even close for a number of reasons. First, Vilma was lining up for the first time with a team desperate to find a playmaker at middle linebacker - even if he was still running with a slight limp from knee surgery eight months earlier.

For the third straight afternoon, the Saints were forced to move their afternoon practice indoors.