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Tag: Drew Brees

WESTLAKE STATE CHAMPS

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Westlake secured the second state championship in program history at AT&T Stadium in Arlington by relying on one of the oldest coaching clichés in football.

You can’t lose if the other team doesn’t score.

The Chaparrals won the UIL Class 6A Division II crown by blanking Denton Guyer 24-0 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. An interception by defensive back Henry Smogur secured the shutout late in the fourth quarter.

It was the first state championship since Drew Brees led the Chaps to glory in 1996. This time around, the quarterback was Kirkland Michaux, who capped the season with 2,894 yards passing and 44 touchdowns in addition to 404 yards and another seven scores on the ground.

In the title game against Guyer, Michaux tossed all three of the game’s TDs. The senior signal caller found Jake Misch on a 5-yard score in the first quarter and added a 33-yard strike to Mason Mangum in the second period.

“Our defense really kept us going,” Michaux said after the game. “The momentum they gave us was insane. I was able to give us some big plays.”

Michaux helped extend Westlake’s lead to 21-0 in the third quarter after hitting Jackson Coker for a 39-yard TD toss. Just for good measure, Chaps placekicker David Leadbetter tacked on an 18-yard chip shot late in the stanza to give Westlake a commanding lead.

The Chaps finished the 2019 campaign with a 15-1 overall record, with the lone loss coming against Lake Travis back on Oct. 11. That 26-25 setback cost Westlake a chance at the District 25-6A title, but head coach Todd Dodge’s team bounced back and steamrolled each of its next 10 opponents.

How dominant were the Chaps down the stretch? They won their final four district games by an average margin of victory of 50.3 points per game.

In the playoffs, Westlake continued its roll by winning its six contests by an average margin of 30.7 per outing. That includes a 63-3 bludgeoning of Katy Taylor in the state semifinals.

The state championship was the fifth overall for Dodge, who previously claimed four titles as the head coach at Southlake Carroll. However, the latest triumph was especially meaningful.

“This has been a bucket list wish for (wife) Elizabeth and I to come back to Westlake and be able to win a state championship here,” Dodge said. “After a six-year wait, this means everything to me and my family.”

The Chaps’ fearsome defense was paced by senior defensive back Leo Lowin, who led the team in tackles with 98. Lowin, a 6-foot-1 cornerback, also routinely shut down opposing wideouts, as did senior safety Sage Luther, who added 89 total stops this season.

The duo also tallied seven interceptions between the two of them. 

Up front, senior defensive linemen Austin McClendon and Bobby Duncum kept quarterbacks on their toes all year. McClendon posted a team-high nine sacks, and Duncum added another six. As a team, the Chaps registered 38 total sacks and also notched an impressive 33 total takeaways — 17 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries.

By comparison, Westlake’s offense only turned the ball over 14 times during the entire season.

Michaux’s top targets in 2019 were senior wide receivers Ryan Lindley and Mangum, who capped the season with a combined 2,325 yards and 34 scores. Lindley hauled in 101 passes, which was a team-best total by a whopping 37 receptions.

On the ground, junior running back Zane Minors supplied 871 yards and 14 scores on 100 carries.

Is Brees the GOAT?

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

At this point, betting against Drew Brees is just plain dumb.

And yet, somehow, it still continues to happen.

The legendary former Westlake quarterback added another page to his Hall of Fame resume on Monday night when he passed Peyton Manning to become the NFL’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with his 540th. The record-breaking score came on a 5-yard play action toss to tight end Josh Hill during the Saints’ 34-7 destruction of the Indianapolis Colts — one of Manning’s old teams.

And what did Brees do for an encore? He tossed another TD on his next throw, which went for 28 yards to Taysom Hill. 

Brees finished the game with yet another league record in his back pocket, as he set a single-game mark for completion percentage after going 29 for 30 for 307 yards to connect on a ridiculous 96.7% of his pass attempts.

Brees, the one-time Chaparral standout and Purdue alum, now holds those two NFL records in addition to the league’s top mark for career completions (6,792) and all-time passing yardage (72,577).

However, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that Brees would add another few records to his total after he sustained a torn ligament in his right thumb earlier this season. Given that Brees is already 40 years old, some wondered whether he’d be able to make it back to his old self.

But New Orleans kept churning out wins under Teddy Bridgewater, which allowed Brees to be patient with his injury and ensure that he took the proper time to heal from successful surgery. He made his return on Oct. 27 against Arizona and quickly reminded all the doubters why he’s one of the best to ever chuck a pigskin by throwing for 373 yards and three TDs during a 31-9 rout of the Cardinals.

Since then, he’s continued his assault on the record books alongside wide receiver Michael Thomas, who has become perhaps the best wideout in the NFL. As the playoffs approach, though, Brees likely has only one more goal in mind — bringing a second Lombardi trophy back to New Orleans. Now that he’s back to 100%, it would be a huge mistake to overlook the Saints in any round of the postseason.

Westlake High turns 50

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

AUSTIN, Texas – Westlake High School celebrates its 50th anniversary and Homecoming with several events beginning Friday. The weekend of events includes tours of the school, a former WHS staff lunch. an alumni association tailgate and culminates with the Homecoming volleyball game against Del Valle at 6:30pm and the football game at 7:30pm (SOLD OUT).

Saturday, the Eanes Education Foundation will host the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Brunch, which will recognize:

Rich Riley ’92
Former CEO of Shazam & Co-Founder of HomePoint

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) speaks after an NFL divisional playoff football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. The Saints won 20-14 to advance to the NFC Championship. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Drew Brees ’97
Super Bowl MVP-Winning Quarterback & Philanthropist

Alexis Jones ’01
Author, Activist & Founder of I Am That Girl & ProtectHer 

Outstanding Young Alumni

Matt Nader ’07
Advocate of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness

Honorary Alumni

Toody Byrd
Longtime & Beloved WHS Guidance Counselor

The event will be hosted by KXAN meteorologist and WHS alum, David Yeomans, with guest speaker, WHS alum Alexis Jones.

A full list of 50th anniversary/ Homecoming events is below and attached. Westlake junior Ryan Mulcahy created the 50th-anniversary logo (attached) after a school-wide logo contest.

Friday, Oct. 18, 2019

12:09pm – 1:45pm

Former Westlake HS Teacher Luncheon – WHS Courtyard
Former WHS teachers are invited to a free, come-and-go, live music event with lunch provided

5pm

Westlake HS Tour – Front entrance of WHS on Westbank Dr. (near stone marquee)

Alumni are invited to tour the campus, see old hangouts and hear about new student programs

5pm – 7pm

EEF / Alumni Association Tailgate – Across from WHS in Dr. Brian Smith’s parking lot

Free, come-and-go EEF event to gather, recognize and welcome alumni

6:30pm

Homecoming Volleyball Game vs. Del Valle HS – Competition Gym

Tickets required

7:30pm

Homecoming Football Game vs. Del Valle HS – Chaparral Stadium
SOLD OUT; reserved seating for alumni and former teachers

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019

9:45am

Westlake Tour – Front entrance of WHS on Westbank Dr. (near stone marquee)

Alumni are invited to tour the campus, see old hangouts and hear about new student programs

10:30am-12pm

EEF Distinguished Alumni Brunch – WHS Commons

EEF complimentary brunch (RSVP required) to recognize inaugural class of WHS Distinguished Alumni and unveil the new Alumni Wall with Founders Circle in the Commons. All alumni invited to attend.

For 50 years, Westlake High School has been lauded as one of the top high schools in Texas and the nation. The school was constructed after two contentious community elections proposed separation from Austin ISD and the construction of a high school dedicated to Eanes students. The first vote was in favor of the split, 708-564. After disgruntled residents challenged the election, another vote passed in favor, 1,000-601. In 1969, Westlake High School opened making Eanes ISD a K-12 school district. 

For information on the history of Eanes ISD and Westlake High School, visit http://ehc.eanesisd.net/.

For information on Westlake High School’s 50th-anniversary events, visit www.eanesisd.net/WHS50.

Risk-taking Saints advance to host Rams for NFC title

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Coach Sean Payton the New Orleans Saints are anything but risk averse.
After all, Payton’s Saints won a Super Bowl with the help of a surprise onside kick nine years ago, and now New Orleans is one home victory away from its first Super Bowl since then — thanks to a pair of aggressive and pivotal fourth-down play calls when the Saints were trying to come back from a two-touchdown deficit.
“We needed to shift momentum and we were able to, fortunately, and take advantage of it,” said Payton, who’s bound to carry that approach into the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams next weekend.
Facing fourth-and-short on their own 30, Payton called for a fake punt on which third-string quarterback and special teams virtuoso Taysom Hill took a direct snap as the up back.
So when the Saints faced another fourth down on the Eagles 2 later that same drive, it only seemed fitting that they dialed up a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to rookie receiver Keith Kirkwood instead of settling for a field goal.
That marked the beginning of 20 unanswered points scored by New Orleans in a 20-14 triumph in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday.
“It’s that play-to-win mentality,” Brees said. “I’ve been with Sean long enough now to say that he’s always been like that. From ’06 until now, I think it’s something that he knows the offense and the team feeds off of.
“When you get that in guys’ minds that we are going to be aggressive, we are going to play to win, it allows guys to relax and cut loose,” Brees added.
Payton’s gambles often occur with Hill on the field, perhaps because they seem to think alike. Hill had the option to check out of the fake and let the snap sail to punter Thomas Morstead if the defensive alignment looked unfavorable. But Hill was in no mind to wait for a better opportunity. He had seemingly nowhere to go when he got the ball, and powered through anyway.
“At the end of the day I’m going to error on being aggressive. I’m going to error on taking the opportunity to create some momentum and have a game-changing play for sure,” Hill said. “It’s all about taking calculated risks. It’s finding that balance and that was a look that I felt like we could get it. That was a look that the coaches felt like we could get it, and I think at the end of the day it shows how much trust coach has in us.”
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said the Saints’ risk-reward propositions had less to do with the element of surprise than simply New Orleans ability to call a good play situationally and execute.
“You kind of expect it in that situation,” Pederson said. “You’ve just got to be prepared for that. We had our defense stay on the field. It was a great play by them.”
Some other story lines surrounding the Saints’ first divisional round playoff victory since their last Super Bowl title in the 2009-10 season:
LOST LEADER: The Saints stopped short of confirming that top defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins would miss the rest of the postseason with a low leg injury in the area of his Achilles, but when he punched the turf before being carted off the field, it looked serious. Afterward, Payton and players insinuated that Rankins’ injury was season-ending.
“It’s gut wrenching,” Payton said. “He’s played so well for us.”
Rankins was a first-round draft choice in 2016 and his eight sacks this season ranked second on the team .

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during the second half of the NFL preseason game between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 20, 2016. The Texans beat the Saints 16-9.


“To see him go down really hurt,” fellow Saints defensive lineman Tyeler Davison said. “But I think it’s going to give us some fuel as well to play for him and pull this thing out for him.”
ALSHON’S ABBERATION: Normally reliable Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery might have been the least likely candidate to have an accurate Nick Foles pass bounce off his hands and into the waiting arms of cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the final minutes, sealing the result right when Philadelphia was threatening to take a lead in the final minutes.
Jeffery dropped to the turf, face down, after the turnover, but the Eagles tried to console him. Before that fateful play, Jeffery had five catches for a team-high 63 yards.


“He’s so down, but for me it’s about staying positive,” Pederson said. “He’s made many, many big catches for us throughout the season … I told him to keep his head up and don’t let one play define him.”
GROUND GAINS: The Saints outgained the Eagles 137-49 on the ground, with the elusive Alvin Kamara rushing for 71 yards, including a 12-yard, first-down run that let the Saints run out the clock. The hard-charging Mark Ingram added 53 yards. The running back tandem also combined for six catches for 44 yards.
WORN DOWN: If it wasn’t tough enough for the Eagles to have three defensive starters — end Michael Bennett, tackle Fletcher Cox and cornerback Rasul Douglas — leave the game intermittently with minor injuries, Philadelphia’s defense also spent far more time on the field than the Eagles would have liked. During the last three quarters, the Saints possessed the ball for more than 32 minutes and had one 92-yard drive that took 18 plays — or more than 20 plays when counting plays wiped out by penalties.


Brees pointed to that possession as “the turning point in the game.”

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Saints VooDoo Eagles in Divisional

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

NEW ORLEANS — The voodoo of Drew Brees brought an end to Nick Foles’ amazing magic act Sunday during an epic clash in New Orleans.

The Saints, who entered as the NFC’s No. 1 seed, took the defending Super Bowl champion’s best punch before turning the tables in time to record a 20-14 victory at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. 

Philadelphia wide receiver Alshon Jeffery committed the evening’s biggest gaffe when he let a late pass from Foles slip through his hands in the red zone. New Orleans’ Marshon Lattimore was right there for the game-clinching interception.

It was a valiant effort by the Eagles, who had every bit of momentum surging in their direction during the first quarter. After Brees’ first throw was intercepted by Cre’Von LeBlanc on a home-run toss to Ted Ginn, Philadelphia marched 76 yards in seven plays to vault ahead.

Foles struck on a play-action pass by dropping in a perfect throw to Jordan Matthews for a 37-yard touchdown toss.

After the Eagles forced a three-and-out by the Saints, Foles directed a 10-play scoring drive that was capped by his own 1-yard dive across the goal line. New Orleans followed with another punt after looking completely out of sync on offense.

Lattimore may have sparked Brees and company with his first pick of Foles, which set up a 12-play, 79-yard march to the end zone. The drive featured a successful fake punt and ended with a clutch 2-yard scoring toss from Brees to Keith Kirkwood on fourth down.

The Saints tacked on a 45-yard field goal by Will Lutz to trim the Eagles’ lead to 14-10 at the half.

New Orleans then began the third period by forcing an immediate punt and embarking on a marathon 18-play, 92-yard drive. Brees hit Michael Thomas on a 2-yard TD pass to help put the Saints ahead 17-14. 

Thomas shredded Philadelphia’s secondary after intermission and finished the night with 12 receptions for 171 yards.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts after a touchdown carry by running back Alvin Kamara, not pictured, in the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Lutz split his next two field goal tries, and New Orleans’ defense stood tall when it absolutely needed to. Foles had driven the Eagles all the way to the Saints’ 27-yard line when a high pass zipped through Jeffery’s mitts and was snatched by Lattimore at the 19 with 1:51 left on the clock.

It was a bitter ending for Foles and the Eagles, but Brees will carry the Westlake alumni torch this week in an intriguing NFC Championship matchup.

The NFL’s all-time leading passer will look to advance to his second career Super Bowl Sunday when the Rams head to New Orleans for a collision of the conference’s top seeds.

NOTES: Brees is now 2-0 all time in head-to-head postseason games against Foles. The Saints defeated Foles’ Eagles 26-24 in a 2014 wild-card contest in Philadelphia.

Brees is the lone quarterback to have a winning record against Foles in the playoffs.

Eagles-Saints Preview

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By The Associated Press

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Saints coach Sean Payton spent part of childhood in Philadelphia, started NFL coaching career as Eagles assistant in 1997 and is 2-0 against Philadelphia in playoffs since getting only head coaching job in New Orleans in 2006. … Eagles coach Doug Pederson played college football at Louisiana-Monroe, which was then known as Northeast Louisiana. … Philadelphia’s 16-15 win at Chicago was closest margin of victory in team’s postseason history. …

Pederson is 4-0 in playoffs. Only Andy Reid has more postseason wins (10) in team history. Pederson is 13-6 in December, January and February. … Eagles are 22-3 when scoring first under Pederson. … QB Nick Foles has led a winning drive in fourth quarter last two playoff games, including Super Bowl. … Foles has thrown multiple TDs in three consecutive playoff games. He is 38 of 46 (82.6 percent) for 431 yards, five TDs, one INT and 132.9 passer rating on third and fourth downs in last four games. …

WR Alshon Jeffery has 18 catches for 301 yards and three TDs in four playoff games. … Leading rusher Josh Adams only played one snap vs. Bears.

Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood combined for 21 carries and 40 yards. … DE Michael Bennett has sack in three straight playoff games. …

DT Fletcher Cox has three sacks, two forced fumbles and fumble recovery in past two games vs. Saints. … K Jake Elliott has made eight consecutive field-goal attempts in playoffs, including four from 40-plus yards. …

Foles, Sproles did not play in previous meeting. … TE Zach Ertz has 437 catches, most in NFL history during first six seasons of career. … Eagles’ 44 sacks tied for eighth in NFL. Saints’ 49 sacks tied for fifth. …

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during the second half of the NFL preseason game between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 20, 2016. The Texans beat the Saints 16-9.

Saints are 5-0 at home in playoffs since Payton became coach in 2006, when he won first playoff game as head coach vs. Eagles. …

Saints QB Drew Brees had 74.4 completion percentage (364 of 489), highest single-season percentage in NFL history. Brees led league with 115.7 rating in 2018, ranks first in NFL history in career passing yards with 74,437, completions with 6,586, and ranks second in TD passes with 520. …

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) in action during the first half of the NFL preseason game between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 20, 2016.

In five home playoff games, Brees is 116 for 171 (67.8 percent) for 1,529 yards (305.8 per game) and 12 TDs. … Game is Brees’ last before turning 40 on Tuesday. … RB Alvin Kamara ranked second in NFL with 18 scrimmage TDs (14 rushing, 4 receiving) and seventh with 1,592 scrimmage yards in 2018. He has touchdown in each of previous two career playoff games. …

RB Mark Ingram rushed for 97 yards, TD in only career postseason outing on Jan. 4, 2014. … Ingram played in 12 games after starting season on four-game suspension, rushed for 645 yards, six TDs this season. …

WR Michael Thomas led NFL with 125 catches and had franchise single-season record 1,405 yards receiving, surpassing Joe Horn’s 1,399 in 2004. Thomas has 15 receptions for 216 yards, two TDs in two career playoff games. …

DE Cameron Jordan had 12 sacks in 2018, his fourth career 10-plus sack season. He has 3½ sacks, two batted passes in past four postseason games. … LB Demario Davis led team with 110 tackles in first season with Saints. … DT Sheldon Rankins had career-high eight sacks this season.

PHILADELPHIA (10-7) at NEW ORLEANS (13-3)
Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE — Saints by 10
RECORD VS. SPREAD — Philadelphia 6-9-1, New Orleans 10-6
SERIES RECORD — Eagles lead 17-14
LAST MEETING — Saints beat Eagles 48-7, Nov. 18, 2018
LAST WEEK — Eagles beat Bears, 16-15; Saints had bye, lost to Panthers 33-14 on Dec. 30.
AP PRO32 RANKING — Eagles No. 12, Saints No. 1
EAGLES OFFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (28), PASS (7).
EAGLES DEFENSE — OVERALL (23), RUSH (7), PASS (30).
SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (8), RUSH (6), PASS (12).
SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (2), PASS (29).

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

NFL passing record a Brees

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

Texas Sports Monthly is predicting that it will be week 6 of the 2018 NFL Season before Austin Texas’ very own Westlake Chaparral Drew Brees will be the NFL’s All-Time Passing leader. Brees will pass Hall of Fame QB Brett Farve the week before in Week 5 likely. Brees was 37-of 45 in week one this season putting up 439 yards and 3 TD’s in the loss against Tampa Bay.
Given the age of the competition, it is unlikely that anyone in Drew’s generation will catch up to the future Hall of Fame QB in passing yards.
We believe that Drew will ultimately be on top for many years to come with NFL passing. Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers are currently at 8th and 9th on the list while Eli Manning is amazingly only 5 short from his older brother Peyton. While Manning may be on top for the next few weeks, Drew will reclaim the passing title this October. Yet Tom Brady, who is older than Brees, is closing in on #9’s numbers. The biggest challenge for the GOAT (if he is indeed the greatest of all time), is can Tom Brady continue to play and stay on the field longer than Drew Brees?
Only time will tell and it is likely that Brady will be 2nd to the one time Westlake Chap of west Austin Texas. TSM believes that while some believe Brady may be one of the greatest QB to every play the game on Sundays, # 9 will edge out the GOAT as the # 1 all time passing leader in NFL History.
Go Drew!




Drew Brees   #9 QB

New Orleans Saints | Official Team SiteHeight: 6-0   Weight: 209   Age: 39

Born: 1/15/1979 Austin , TX

College: Purdue

Experience: 18th season

High School: Westlake HS [Austin, TX]



                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            
                    

    
        
    
        
        
New Orleans Saints team to beat in NFC South

                            

                Written by Hunter Cooke on .                Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.                            

                
        
        
                    


                
                                    
We can be sure about this for the 2018 iteration of the New Orleans Saints: they will be explosive. On the defensive side of the ball, their aggressive play has offenses struggling to keep their hands on the ball. The Saints pulled in a solid 42 sacks and 25 takeaways in the 2017 season, and with the influx of talent like rookie Marcus Davenport to complement Cameron Jordan, those numbers could increase. The talent is there, but the consistency hasn’t been.


The Saints defense will need to improve on that No. 17 total ranking in 2017, and the talent is there to do it.The offensive side of the ball will blend veteran leadership and rookie speed. Alvin Kamara, the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Mark Ingram will form a formidable backfield once Ingram returns from suspension for PEDs.


The Saints offensive line is solid as well, not star

studded or dominant, but definitely in the upper echelon of the NFL.


The X-Factor on this team is Drew Brees. So far, the 17-year career of the grizzled quarterback

has defied both doctors and expectations. However, he has shown signs of aging in recent

seasons. Brees is still elite, don’t misunderstand me, but with the youth at the skill positions he

can’t afford to be anything less than elite if the Saints are to build on their 2017 season.


New Orleans is still one of the best teams in the whole NFC, and should win the NFC South.


Whether they can take that extra step and be one of the best teams in the NFL remains to be

seen.