NFL: New Orleans beats Arizona in Hall of Fame Game

Hall of Fame Game ? Brees sharp as New Orleans triumphs.

Canton, Ohio ? Tour the Pro Football Hall of Fame and see all the bronze busts. Cheer tackle Willie Roaf?s induction. Watch Drew Brees produce a touchdown on his only try.

Pretty good weekend for the New Orleans Saints. And boy, did they need it.

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Saints 17, Cardinals 10

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees completes 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards and a TD in his only drive.? Without a labor agreement with its referees, the league uses replacement officials

Brees didn?t need much time to top off a good visit, smoothly leading a touchdown drive in his only series Sunday night during a 17-10 victory over Arizona in the Hall of Fame game.

"Just to be up here and see all those guys get inducted and take a tour of the Hall of Fame, that was really special," said Mark Ingram, who scored the first touchdown on a 1-yard run. "For us to all be here, it puts a lot of things into perspective going into this football season."

The game was canceled last year for the first time in 45 years, a casualty of the NFL?s lockout of the players. Labor issues also came into play in Sunday night?s game ? the seven officials were replacements.

It showed.

The referee announced the result of the coin flip incorrectly ? Craig Ochoa said the Saints won the toss and deferred, then caught his mistake and said the Cardinals had won the toss. There were some other communication problems as well for the first-time crew.

The win completed a good trip for the Saints (No. 9 in the AP Pro32), who needed a few smiles after their offseason dominated by their bounty scandal.

Suspended coach Sean Payton got the league?s permission to attend a dinner for Roaf and the other five Hall of Fame inductees on Friday night. Payton isn?t allowed to have any contact with the team this season as punishment for the team?s bounty program.

Players got to tour the hall and sat in the back three rows of the stadium for Roaf?s induction on Saturday, wearing black t-shirts with his No. 77. It was a proud moment for a franchise that?s been overshadowed by the bounty scandal all offseason.

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"The induction was great," interim coach Joe Vitt said. "Our young players went through the Hall of Fame yesterday and saw a lot of history of the NFL and really took it in. From that standpoint, it was a great weekend."

Don?t forget that opening drive.

Brees was sharp on the 10-play drive, completing 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards with one off-target throw. Brees skipped offseason workouts and minicamp because he was unhappy getting the team?s franchise tag. He later agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal.

The Cardinals (No. 23) are using the preseason to pick a quarterback, with Kevin Kolb and John Skelton competing for the starting job. Kolb got to start the game but had a tough time, throwing an interception on his first pass and leaving after bruising his ribs on the third series.

Skelton took over and completed 4 of 6 for 32 yards.

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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54636057-77/hall-fame-game-brees.html.csp

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