Former Saints running back Chuck Muncie died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

Muncie was the Saints’ first round draft pick in 1976 out of the University of California. Muncie was part of the Saints’ first-ever 8-8 season in 1979. He became the first Saints running back to have a 1000+ yard season that same year, and he earned his first All-Pro selection. He is regarded as one of the best players in Saints history, but his time with the club was marred by his drug problem. Muncie was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1980. He was selected twice more for the All-Pro team while with the Chargers.

In 1984, Muncie was suspended for cocaine use. He later was sentenced to jail time for selling cocaine. Upon release, Muncie managed to use his personal experience to help others. He established the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation in 1997 to help at-risk youth. The tattoo removal was a major part of the work of the Foundation. This service may seem a little blasé, but the tattoo removal service was highly regarded. Among those who benefited from the program were former gang members. In return for each tattoo removal session, participants were required to volunteer time in the community.

Muncie has been nominated for the Saints Hall of Fame, but he is not (yet) enshrined there.

The New Orleans Saints drafted former Oklahoma Sooner wide receiver Kenny Stills in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.

In the sixth round, the Saints selected DE Rufus Johnson out of Tarleton State.

The Saints have also signed the following undrafted rookie free agents:

• Shawne Alston, RB West Virginia
• Ryan Griffin, QB Tulane
• Tim Lelito, G Grand Valley State
• Elliot Mealer, OL Michigan
• Keavon Milton, TE Louisiana-Monroe
• Ryan Lacy, CB Utah
• Eric Martin, DE Nebraska
• Kevin Riddick, LB North Carolina
• Ray Shipman, LB Central Florida
• Roderick Sweeting, CB Georgia Tech
• Chase Thomas, LB Stanford

 

The Saints made two selections in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. 

With the overall 75th pick, the New Orleans Saints picked OT Terron Armstead out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Armstrong brings speed and agility to the Saints offensive line, and he fills a definite need at left tackle.

Former Saints player Steve Gleason announced the pick for the Saints. Maggie Hendricks on Yahoo! Sports called it “draft Day 2′s sweetest moment.” (See the video of the announcement.)

The Saints traded Chris Ivory to the Jets for the Jets’ fourth round pick (No. 106). The Saints then traded the Dolphins overall picks No. 106 and No. 109 for the Dolphins’ third round pick.

With their second selection of the evening, the Saints picked Jonathan Jenkins, a defensive lineman and former Georgia Bulldog. Jenkins played nose tackle for the Bulldogs’ 3-4 defense., and at 6’4″ and 346 lbs., he could be a big help to the Saints D.

The New Orleans Saints used their No. 15 pick to draft Kenny Vaccaro in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Vaccaro is a safety out of the University of Texas.

He has largely been considered the best safety of this year’s draft class. He’s the Saints first pick out of Texas since Ricky Williams in 1999. Vaccaro is able to cover slot receivers and is a good contributor to special teams.

Vaccaro is one of the safest picks in this year’s draft. He’s a high floor/low ceiling player, which is fine considering the Saints (lack of) luck with first round picks. Vaccaro could be an immediate contributor to the Saints’ secondary.

The selection was announced by Markell Gregoire, a 13-year-old St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patient. Gregoire has good taste. His favorite team is the Saints.

Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft continue tomorrow. The final vestiges of Bountygate punishments linger over the Saints. New Orleans lost their second round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft as a result of the scandal.

On the eve of the 2013 NFL Draft, Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to fans (I must be on some list) outlining an NFL safety initiative called Heads Up Football. The program focuses on safety in youth football.

Here’s the email:

To NFL Fans:

During the 2013 NFL Draft, young men will see their dreams realized as they are selected to become professional football players. And countless younger football players will be watching them. No matter what level they play, all football players should be taught the proper fundamentals and know that their safety is the top priority as they participate in the sport they love.

That is why the NFL is proud to partner with USA Football to announce the national launch of Heads Up Football, a comprehensive youth football initiative whose aim is to take the head out of the game. Your support is a vital component.

Heads Up Football was created with direction from independent football and medical experts. All coaches in a Heads Up Football league must be certified via USA Football’s nationally accredited Level 1 coaching certification course. These leagues also appoint a Player Safety Coach, who is trained by USA Football. Every coach, parent and player affiliated with a Heads Up Football league receives training on the following subjects:

• Heads Up Tackling, which teaches tackling in a safer and more effective way. The head is always up in order to lessen the risk of head or neck injuries;
• Concussion recognition and response in which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols are learned; and
• Proper equipment fitting to ensure the correct fitting of a player’s helmet and shoulder pads.

Piloted in three markets in 2012, Heads Up Football will expand to more than 900 youth leagues across all 50 states in 2013. Many of these leagues will receive the guidance of Heads Up Football Ambassadors, former NFL players who will collaborate with the league’s coaches, administrators, player safety coach, parents and players to help ensure that the game is played the right way.

We want to institute a culture of safety at every level of the game, and we encourage youth coaches, players and parents to join us.

We can play a part in making the game safer. As an NFL fan, here is what you can do to make a difference. If you are the parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend or neighbor of a youth football player, tell them about Heads Up Football and encourage their coaches or guardians to visit www.USAFootball.com to sign their league up as a Heads Up Football league. If you are a youth football coach or commissioner, we invite you to join the Heads Up Football movement by clicking here.

We are committed to football that fans love and the safety the players deserve at all levels of the game. Your support is critical.

Thanks for your help, and we hope you enjoy the NFL Draft.

Sincerely,

Roger Goodell
Commissioner, National Football League

Linebacker Scott Fujita signed a one-day contract with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, and he will retire a Saint.

Fujita signed the contract from Machu Picchu in Peru. He is traveling with former Saints safety, Steve Gleason as part of The Team Gleason expedition to Peru. (Fujita wrote a guest blog about their travels for the Team Gleason website.)

The backdrop of the Incan ruins certainly made for an epic photo as Fujita put pen to paper to sign the contract.

Fujita tweeted:

The picture attached to the tweet shows Fujita with Gleason admiring the view.

It seems that Fujita has an emotional connection with the Saints. Fujita signed with the Saints in 2006; he was the first to do so after Hurricane Katrina. His time with the Saints was the longest stint he had with any NFL team. Of course, he has the Superbowl ring with New Orleans. But, he also seems to have a strong connection with former teammates like Steve Gleason.

The New Orleans Saints 2013 regular season schedule was announced this week. The schedule has four nationally-televised prime-time games, including two at home in the Dome.

We’re just over four months away from the Saints’ first regular season game against Atlanta at the Superdome!

Saints 2013 Regular Season Schedule

The Saints announced on Monday the signing of Seneca Wallace to a one-year contract. Wallace did not play in 2012 after the Cleveland Browns cut him during training camp. Wallace will compete with Luke McCown for a spot on the Saints final roster as a backup for quarterback Drew Brees.

Also on Monday, the team began off-season strength and conditioning workouts at the Saints’ Metairie, Louisiana facility.

Free agency continues. The Saints have minimal salary cap space left, but they’ve made some recent moves.

• Safety Jim Leonhard joins New Orleans. The Saints agreed to a one-year deal with Leonhard, who was an unrestricted free agent most recently with Denver.
• The Saints announced Thursday that they had come to a one-year agreement with tackle Jason Smith. Smith was released by the Jets in February.
• WR Devery Henderson remains an unrestricted free agent, but for how much longer? Henderson is an attractive option for teams still looking for a veteran wide receiver. Sure, New Orleans would love to keep him, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be in the cards for the Saints. I’m loving the “All-Unemployed Team” on NBC Sports. Henderson makes the cut on that fictional team…for now.

Saints running back Pierre Thomas is no stranger to impact. One cringe-worthy hit that comes immediately to mind came during during the playoff game against the 49ers in January of 2012. Thomas left the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Donte Whitner. The hit appeared to leave Thomas unconscious, and he didn’t return to the game.

But, sometimes the impact from a big hit isn’t so obvious that it renders a player unconscious. Concussed players have been known to continue to play in a football game after a head trauma without a proper diagnosis. The player may be confused, but he has the muscle memory to keep functioning in the game. Or a coach or trainer may not recognize just how hard the player was hit quickly enough between plays.

Battle Sports Science is trying to address that issue. According to the website, the company specializes in making “innovative products that address the day’s greatest sports safety challenges.” The company produces the Impact Indicator chinstrap, which is meant to aid in the detection of high impact hits.

The Impact Indicator is worn on a players’ chinstrap. Micro sensors and software technology are used to measure the force and duration of a hit to a player’s helmet. Head Injury Criterion (HIC) is used to measure the likelihood of injury from a hit. If a player sustains a hit above 240 HICs, the Impact Indicator’s LED light flashes red. This alerts players, coaches, and/or referees that the player should be evaluated for possible injury.

Pierre Thomas of the Saints and BenJarvus Green-Ellis of the Bengals both wore the product during the 2012 season and endorsed it. Players at all levels of the game–including high school, college, and pro–have used the Impact Indicator. (There are also impact indicators for other high impact sports.)

Cort Irish, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Omaha-based company (and fellow Omaha Westside grad), answered a few of my questions about the product.

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