Dec. 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush (22) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quartet against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a quiet Sunday in the NFL when it comes to New Orleans Saints news, rumors and links, better there are still some nuggets of information worth sifting through as you start your weekend.

Let’s take a look at some of the headlines floating around today.

NOLA.com Details How Players Are Schooled in the Usage of Social Media

Per Jeff Duncan:

Saints vice president of communications Greg Bensel said the team’s players are schooled annually on the positives and potential pitfalls of social media. He said the club encourages players to engage and interact with fans as often as possible.

“We cite Drew Brees, Jon Vilma, Will Smith (as examples of) how to do it right and how to interact with fans,” Bensel said. “If you follow their lead we won’t have issues, and we don’t.”

It helps that the Saints’ roster is largely devoid of lightning rods. The last real social media “crisis” occurred two years ago after Reggie Bush famously tweeted “It’s been fun New Orleans” after the Saints selected fellow running back Mark Ingram in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Otherwise, the Saints have avoided Twitter controversy.

Canal Street Chronicles Reports Reggie Bush is Comfortable in Detroit Thanks to its Similarity to Saints

Per Wallace Delery:

 ”As far as from an offensive perspective it’s a lot like what we did in New Orleans,” Bush said of the team he won a Super Bowl with in 2009. “It’s a lot of spread-open passing. Obviously we can attack downfield, and with the running game, a lot of screens, draws and stuff like that. Basically what I did in New Orleans, so running this offensive system has been pretty easy for me.”

 

Have Fun Trying to Tell the Difference Between Kenny Vaccaro and Kenny Stills

Per SB Nation’s Ryan Van Bibber via Twitter:

Kenny Stills says Vaccaro has better tattoos … “Austin has better tattoo places”

— ryan van bibber (@justRVB) May 17, 2013

Kenny Stills on Kenny Vaccaro: people have a hard time telling us apart. We’re both light skinned, we both have lots of tattoos …

— ryan van bibber (@justRVB) May 17, 2013

ICYMI: We Argue Terron Armstead is Better Than Charles Brown for Next Season

Like Who Dat Dish? Let us know on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook.

Dec 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) scrambles out to the sidelines looking for a receiver against the Carolina Panthers during second half of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Carolina Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 44-38. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL and NFL Network have started naming its top 100 players from the 2012 season, so what better way to celebrate than to create our own NFL power rankings with names from the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

That’s exactly what we did with the help of other NFC South editors from the Fansided network. Leo Howell from The Pewter Plank, Fansided’s Buccaneers blog, and Ken Dye from Cat Crave, Fansided’s Panthers blog, helped us out with the Top 13 players.

The following list was compiled after each editor entered his own rankings, the lists were combined to make an official tally. We picked 13 players because the division is 1/8 of the NFL as a whole, and 13 is 1/8 of a 100.

Let’s take a look.

• 1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
• 2. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
• 3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
• 4. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
• 5. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 6. Darrelle Revis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 7. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
• 8. tie: Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers and Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
• 10. tie: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
• 12. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
• 13. Charles Johnson, Carolina Panthers
• Honorable mention: William Moore, Atlanta Falcons; Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There aren’t many surprises on the list. The NFC South is a very top-heavy division when it comes to quarterbacks and receivers. You’d be hard pressed to find a division more stacked with wide receiver talent.

It is a bit shocking to see most of the teams have an equal amount of players, besides the Saints of course. That’s what happens when you have the worst statistical defense in NFL history and only a few players on offense who stand out from the pack.

If you couldn’t tell from the rankings, the NFC South should be ultra-competitive in 2013. Obviously this is only a fraction of the rosters, but it goes to show how spread out the top talent in the division truly is.

What do you think of the rankings? Let us know in the comments section below or yell at us on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook.

Feb 23, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arkansas-Pinebluff offensive lineman Terron Armstead takes a rest on the bench after participatin in on the field workouts during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints have an interesting positional battle coming up in OTA’s and training camp when rookie Terron Armstead takes on Charles Brown for the right to protect Drew Brees from the left tackle position.

Brown has been with the team for a few years now but has had to deal with injuries while sitting behind starter Jermon Bushrod. Armstead joined the Saints this offseason courtesy of the No. 75 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft and is set to leapfrog Brown for multiple reasons.

Head coach Sean Payton has stressed how uneasy he is about the left tackle position in New Orleans all offseason long, and Brown has obviously read the quotes. As he told Nakia Hogan of NOLA.com, he’s ready to compete and win the starting job:

 ”It’s definitely time for me to step up and prove myself and prove that I can protect Drew back there,” Brown said Wednesday night at Ben Grubb’s charity softball game at Zephyr Field. The Saints’ defense beat the offense 10-2 in the game.

“It’s going to be really exciting,” Brown said. “Right now I’m just trying to get out there and be the best I can and perfect every play and just stay out there.”

Unfortunately for Brown, his battles with injuries and the raw potential of Armstead are not good signs for his chances of getting and holding onto the starting job.

Payton and Co. grabbed Armstead in the draft for a reason. If the staff had the utmost confidence in Brown, Armstead wouldn’t have been selected. Heck, the front office wouldn’t have picked up one of the biggest busts in NFL history in former second overall pick Jason Smith either.

Armstead is the right choice at left tackle based on his athleticism. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 34 ½-feet vertical leap. This is the type of athleticism the Saints need at the position in order to keep Brees on his feet.

The fact of the matter is, Brees has a habit of making his offensive linemen look better than they really are thanks to his exceptionally quick reads and release. With Brees at the heal, Armstead can rely on his raw athleticism to shut down pass-rushers just longenough for Brees to get rid of the ball. This will also allow him to develop in live action rather than while sitting on the bench and only seeing reps in practice.

Brown isn’t a horrible backup by any means, but Armstead should have a tight grip on the starting left tackle job by the time the regular season rolls around.

Like Who Dat Dish? Let us know on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook.