Anthony Parker
Podcaster/Writer
AP is a native New Orleanian and a graduate of Brother Martin High School. He attended LSU before beginning a career in the restaurant service industry, where he is currently a franchise owner and operator of two restaurant locations in South Louisiana.
AP played football at Brother Martin and has maintained a lifelong connection to the game through his passion for the New Orleans Saints and LSU athletics.
He is married and a proud father of three—two daughters and a son. His oldest daughter, now in college, was a cheerleader and softball player. His youngest daughter is a cheerleader and dancer, and his son plays high school football. In 2024, AP had the opportunity to be part of his son’s journey to a state championship with the Edna Karr Cougars.
In December 2025, AP turned his passion into purpose by launching Timeouts and Tangents, a live-streamed podcast covering football, LSU, the Saints, and the Pelicans.
AP is committed to authenticity. He shares real emotions without being over the top, keeping everything grounded in his passion for the game. He strives to provide thoughtful, knowledgeable insights that help listeners understand his perspective while forming their own informed opinions.
With Timeouts and Tangents, AP’s goal is to create a space where fans can not only learn about the game and the teams involved but also feel like they are part of a community.
AP has also reignited his passion for writing and looks forward to delivering high-quality written content covering the Saints and LSU.
Saints football is officially back. The Saints locked up with the Jaguars in the Caesars Superdome this afternoon and opened the game with a bang. Ty Chandler took the opening kick back 86 yards to the 9-yard line, setting up an Audric Estime 9-yard touchdown run. Estime looked really good. He shared time with Ty Chandler as the primary backs in the game. The two combined for 11 carries for 52 yards, averaging 4.72 yards per carry. In the opening half of the game, the Saints played very well. The defense was really strong, forcing turnovers, generating pressures and sacks, and keeping the running game under control. The offense and special teams, however, were very up and down. Spencer Rattler got the start for this game, and coming into the matchup, Rattler had been having a great training camp. He was displaying the ability to stretch the field, get rid of the ball quickly, and avoid bad turnovers in critical moments. Unfortunately, today, all of those issues came back. Rattler finished the day 8-of-11 for 42 yards. He was sacked twice for a loss of 16 yards and had a fumble that led to a field goal for the Jaguars. Rattler looked like the Spencer Rattler that we have seen throughout his time with the Saints. The offense could not get into a rhythm until Zach Wilson entered the game midway through the second quarter. Coming out of this game, Wilson was able to make a case that he should be the backup going into the season. Wilson finished 11-of-16 for 145 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. He was also sacked only once, and that was a byproduct of poor blocking. The offensive line did not have a single starter play in this game, and the pass blocking reflected that. The Saints allowed four total sacks spread across the three quarterbacks who played in the game. Wilson finished with the best quarterback rating of all the Saints quarterbacks at 118.0. He was able to find Bub Means, and that connection has been there throughout camp. Means finished the day with four receptions for 77 yards and was one big toe away from having a touchdown. The defense was led by Jalyan Ford, who finished the game with eight total tackles, a quarterback hit, and an interception on Jacksonville's opening drive that prevented the Jaguars from attempting a field goal. Jaydan Price was another standout in the first half, finishing with two PBUs and an interception. Brandon Staley is a fantastic defensive coordinator. Considering the Saints were playing with so many reserves, they were still able to consistently pressure the Jaguars and confuse their quarterbacks with post-snap coverage rotations. As mentioned earlier, special teams were also inconsistent. Ryan Wright made his debut and blasted his first punt more than 50 yards, but his very next punt was shanked out of bounds for only 15 yards. Wright did not allow that mistake to become a recurring issue, but it is still something you never want to see. The kickers had their moments as well. Tanner Brown was solid, going 2-for-2 with a long of 49 yards, while Charlie Smyth had one attempt in the second half and missed from 52 yards. The half ended with the Saints leading 20-6, but the game finished with the Jaguars winning 24-20. In the second half, more reserves entered the game for the Saints, while the Jaguars took a more physical approach offensively and focused more heavily on running the football. That adjustment worked well. The Saints played third-string quarterback Hunter Dekkers for the majority of the second half. Dekkers finished 8-of-15 for 69 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. He also had a fourth-down opportunity to win the game from inside the 5-yard line, but his fade-route attempt to Moreno-Cropper was very well defended by the Jaguars cornerback. The Saints had their moments early, but the obvious struggles late ultimately became the difference between building a 14-point halftime lead and being shut out for the entire second half despite not turning the ball over. The Saints will be back in action next Saturday at 3 p.m. against the Rams in Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see what changes are made within the roster, especially considering the battle for the backup quarterback job has just turned up another level. Also, fourth-round draft selection Bryce Lance was held out due to some minor injury concerns but is expected to be back at practice on Monday. Several other players also came away from the game with injuries that will need updates later in the week.
The Saints went through the offseason making major investments around rising starting quarterback Tyler Shough, but one of their biggest investments came along the offensive line. If the Saints want to have more success and improve upon the way they closed out the 2025 season, it has to start with the group controlling the line of scrimmage. The Saints have invested a great deal of high-end draft capital into the offensive line over the past several seasons. They have finally answered the questions at both tackle spots and have solidified the center position with Erik McCoy. Now, however, McCoy enters his eighth season with questions of his own. Can the veteran center make it through an entire season healthy? Alongside McCoy, the Saints had questions at both guard positions, but the free-agent acquisition of David Edwards answers one of those concerns. Edwards was the top available offensive lineman in free agency this year and immediately solidifies the left guard spot. That leaves right guard as the final position up for grabs, currently occupied by veteran Cesar Ruiz. Ruiz is entering the seventh year of his career after being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Michigan as a center. It was a questionable selection at the time, considering the Saints had drafted McCoy in the second round just one year earlier. Despite not having a first-round pick in 2019, McCoy stepped in as a rookie and played exceptionally well. This is a contract year for Ruiz, so he must prove that he is a dependable guard capable of holding onto his starting job. However, the leash on that position may have gotten much shorter. The Saints used a fourth-round pick in this year's draft on Jeremiah Wright, a road-grading offensive guard with outstanding size, athleticism, and strength. Wright still has areas of his game that need refinement, but through training camp and the preseason, he could push Ruiz to either elevate his play or lose the starting job altogether. If either of those scenarios plays out, the Saints will have a significantly improved offensive line, and that should translate into a much better offense overall. Follow AP on X , as well as his podcast Timeouts & Tangents
Adding Etienne Jr. and keeping everyone healthy will immediately improve the running back room.
Saints QB Room will be one of the better position groups on the team.
When Lane Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge at the end of 2025, he came with the title of “Portal King.” He earned this name by consistently evaluating and recruiting high-level talent from the transfer portal and bringing them to Oxford to play for Ole Miss. Many expected that the level of talent Kiffin could acquire through the portal would take another step forward once he became the head coach at LSU. LSU has always been a school with a strong recruiting base, with one of its greatest advantages being that it is the only Power Four program in the state. Kiffin capitalized on that immediately when the portal opened to start 2026. Lane Kiffin and LSU secured the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class this offseason, landing several players ranked No. 1 at their respective positions. What many did not expect, however, was Kiffin elevating his high school recruiting to this level. Opportunity can breed success when it is fully embraced. At Ole Miss, the opportunity to consistently recruit elite in-state talent was not as strong as it is in Louisiana. When Kiffin stepped off the plane, his first meetings were with the No. 1 overall player in the nation, Lamar Brown, who attended a high school just minutes from LSU’s campus. Next was the No. 1 defensive tackle in the country, Richard Anderson, who is only about an hour away to the east on I-10. And the 2027 class in Louisiana is not slowing down either. The Tigers currently hold the No. 7-ranked recruiting class for 2027 with only five commitments so far—and three of those players are from Louisiana. There is still plenty of time left in the cycle. Kiffin and LSU are actively pursuing several elite prospects, including five-star wide receiver and No. 1 overall WR Easton Royal, who plays at Brother Martin in New Orleans—just about an hour from Baton Rouge. There is still a long way to go until signing day in December, but there should be little doubt that if Kiffin can push this class into the top three and follow it up with another top-10 transfer portal class at the end of the year, he will have a strong case to be considered the current King of Recruiting. Make sure to follow Anthony Parker on X
At the start of the transfer portal, it was widely rumored that LSU was going to go after the top two quarterbacks: Sam Leavitt and Brendan Sorsby. The pursuit of Sorsby was very significant, as LSU made a strong push to land the incoming transfer from the University of Cincinnati. Sorsby was widely considered all but a shoo-in to land at Texas Tech, but when you look at what he is able to do on the football field, it’s no question why a Lane Kiffin-led LSU would have been in hot pursuit. Sorsby is a 6’3”, 235-pound quarterback who threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. In addition to that, he rushed for 580 yards and nine touchdowns on 100 attempts. Sorsby has one year of eligibility remaining, and many have him projected as a first-round pick entering this season. He visited Texas Tech first, but then made his way to Baton Rouge. His visit to LSU was met with mixed emotions. Some believed he was only there out of respect for giving Lane Kiffin his word that he would visit, while others thought he was seriously considering committing. It ultimately turned out that the former was true—and that ended up being the best outcome for all parties involved. LSU was able to land Sam Leavitt to step in as QB1, while Sorsby returned closer to home to play for Texas Tech. The intriguing part of all of this is that everyone knew Leavitt would face adversity this offseason, but no one expected Sorsby to deal with much beyond adjusting to a new environment. However, earlier this week, that changed dramatically. News broke on Monday that Brendan Sorsby would be checking himself into a facility to seek help for a gambling problem. A gambling addiction is a serious issue for anyone to deal with, so he deserves credit for acknowledging it and taking steps to get help. Unfortunately, that is not the only concern. Reports indicate that Sorsby was gambling while enrolled in school and playing football, including betting on a team he played for. Each of these actions is a major violation on its own, and considering they occurred simultaneously, it is fair to question whether he will be able to play this upcoming season. As of now, Sorsby has hired Jeffrey Kessler to represent him in an effort to maintain his eligibility. This remains an ongoing investigation, and no official determination has been made regarding his status. This situation would have dominated headlines for weeks had he been LSU’s starting quarterback. With LSU having one of the most polarizing head coaches in sports right now, the added layer of a QB potentially facing a suspension during Lane Kiffin’s inaugural season would have created a feeding frenzy among opposing fan bases and media. In that sense, LSU was fortunate to avoid this situation. It would have been a significant PR issue and a major setback for Kiffin’s first season, especially after the work he and his staff put in during the transfer portal and spring. Now, with Sam Leavitt paired with Lane Kiffin and the weapons LSU has assembled, he has the potential to make a legitimate run at a Heisman-caliber season. In comparison, having a quarterback managing a repaired foot now looks like a much more manageable situation—and perhaps even a blessing—given everything that has come to light. Make sure to follow Anthony Parker on X