Free Agent News: Curtis Lofton Agrees to Deal With Saints
Curtis Lofton Will Be Swapping Colors From This Picture Next Season
ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting tonight that former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton has reached a 5-year deal with the New Orleans Bounty Hunters...err...Saints. Terms of the deal yet to be disclosed. Lofton became a free agent this season, and it had been reported that he was in talks with both the Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Saints said they have reached agreement on a 5-year deal with former Falcons LB Curtis Lofton.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 25, 2012
Lofton lead the Falcons in tackles last season, and has been regarded as one of the top available linebackers in the league. Hope for the Falcons re-signing Lofton began to wane when Atlanta signed veteran free agent linebacker Lofa Tatupu, and then recently agreed to terms with defensive end John Abraham.
Lofton goes to a Saints team in a lot of turmoil and upheaval given last weeks severe penalties handed down by the NFL in regards to the bounty scandal.
In four seasons in Atlanta, Lofton totalled 351 tackles, 4 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions
Michael Collins is a contributor to the Grits Blitz Blog. Check out his weekly "Bird Droppings" column and visit his website Georgia Sports Craze. You can follow him on Twitter @GaSportsCraze.
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By the way, a big THANK YOU for handing over Lofton. You say the Saints do not take care of their own, it seems the Falcons do not take care of their own. Drew Brees will retire a Saint and he will receive the money he deserves. For the Falcons not giving Lofton what he deserves is heartless. I see why he left the Falcons. You have a nice day also my friend. WHO DAT SAY DEY GONA BEAT THEM SAINTS?! WHO DAT WHO DAT!!! BLACK AND GOLD ALL THE WAY TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!
First of all, whatever the Saints were accused of doing, they did it in front of millions of viewers, including the staffs of every team and every competition committee.NFL officials and NFL corporate view each game tape every Monday/ Tuesday, at which point NFL corporate will issue fines and penalties called/missed concerning illegal hits and player safety. If the Saints did anything illegal on the field, it would have been dealt with. You did not see any James Harrison-type scrutiny. You did not see hundred thousand fines for illegal, malicious hits. Why? Because they did not exist.As soon as the NFL let out the "bounty" allegations, players from many other teams, past and present including Hall Of Famers and many analysts all said to the affect, "Yeah, we all do that, but perhaps "bounty" is the wrong word.In addition, as the word "bounty" every team Gregg Williams was a part of admitted to using a bounty system under him. The point is that this is nothing new. From pee-wee football up to the NFL, every defensive player is trying to knock the opposing QB/star player out of the game with a legal hit. Duh. If a player had injured ribs, the opposition will target them and try to put "hot sauce" on the ribs.They game plan for that sort of thing, always have and always will.Can you remember for one instance a Saints defender dove at a knee three seconds after a play and actually looked like he was trying to cause a injury? Nope. Everything the Saints did and did not do was within the confines of the game, within the rules. Roger is just mad because he was lied to.Roger has evidence (otherwise known as heresay in a court of law) from multiple sources, some of whom lied at first (translation: no credibility), others who were man at the Saints for no longer being employed and others were sore losers. Well guess what, this Saints team is full of anger. It is the Saints against the world, but most especially the NFL. While they may lack a few defensive players, Drew Brees still has all of his weapons and we are going to come out of the gates swinging.So the "dirty birds" and the NFL better be prepared, because the Saints are about to be the team you love to hate! And unlike the comics, this is this is the real world where "bad guys" usually win. The Saints are coming. WHO DAT!!!
wow. such a strong statement and classless comments. what happened, did i strike a nerve? Every team in the nfl plays with alot of motivation. Saints are being singled out. Dont say the Falcons have not ever played dirty. Duh, thats why they are the dirty birds. Just calm down and take a deep breath. Go to church and let some of your anger go. Once again my friend, WHO DAT!!!!!
@who dat baby When you call me foul names, and make bold, sweeping (and incorrect) statements...yes, it strikes a nerve. Also, you have no idea where the "dirty bird" name comes from or why they were called that, so don't even pretend that you do. It had nothing to do with a dirty style of play. If you want to get into a debate about Falcons history, trust me, you are bringing a knife to a gunfight.
"Saints are being singled out" is a cop-out. You sound like every other criminal who says that they are being picked on just because they were dumb enough to do something illegal and get caught.
As far as losing Lofton, you are welcome to him. He has shown by his comments that he's just the classless type of person who belongs on a heartless New Orleans Saints team. The way your management and owner are treating Drew Brees (the guy who basically SAVED your franchise) is proof of that, and Curtis Lofton will find out soon enough what it's like to play for a team that really DOESN'T take care of their own.
Have a nice day. GRITS BLITZ FOREVER! DIRTY BIRDS! RISE UP!! FALCON FEVER 2012!! RED AND BLACK ON THE ATTACK! (who u?)
@who dat baby The Saints were told flat out to quit what they were doing and they refused and then lied to the NFL. There is no singling out. The Saints thought they were better than the system and found out that they weren't.
when you say up the flagpole with him and the saints. thats a classless comment. my comment is directed to all of the who dat haters out there. saying is gona b a pleasure watching him flop like a fish out of water is a pathetic comment which shows no class. so u can sit home along with the falcons and watch my saints whip ass this year and win the superbowl. stop running that mouth like roddy white. who dat
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Obviously not great news for Falcons fans. On one hand, Falcons fans should have been preparing themselves for this. He wasn't coming back unless it was for a lot less money then he wanted.
That being said, the real kick in the balls for some Falcons fans is that he's going to our #1 rival. That's always hard to take.
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@CFBZ You know what...up the flagpole with him and the Saints. It's going to be a pleasure watching him flop around the ground like a fish out of water on that decimated Saints team. He can sit home and watch the Falcons playoff run this year.
@CFBZ you know what.... up the flagpole with you and the falcons. i know its kind of hard to swallow that the dirty birds try and try to beat the saints but always fail to beat the them. the saints will be in the playoffs this year and make it to the superbowl and win it. so show a little class and take your loss of lofton like a man should asshole. we are the who dat nation and the saints will beat the falcons again this year... as usual
No, apparently our linguistically challenged friend was directing his misguided comments at me. So let's clear it up. You said "The dirty birds try and try to beat the Saints but always fail to beat them" (I left out your unnecessary 'the') Well, the all time series record is Falcons 46, Saints 40. So there goes that statement.
You said "The saints will be in the playoffs this year and make it to the superbowl and win it" That's quite a bold prediction considering you've just lost your head coach, your GM (for 8 games), your 2nd round draft picks, a ton of money, and most likely some key defensive players because you CHEATED. How is that in the least bit classy? The Saints have just proven to the whole league that they are the most classless and cowardly team in the NFL. So you and your little "who dat nation" can go take some English tutoring classes at the nearest Sylvan learning center, and take a back seat in the division where you belong.
@who dat baby Are you directing this at me? You tell me to show a little class and then call me an asshole? Pot...Kettle...Black
