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METAIRIE, La. -- Saints receiver Brandin Cooks sees no connection between his readiness to speak up when he was unhappy last week and the out-of-sync performance of the offense the following game.I laugh when I hear some stuff like that because that wasnt the case at all, Cooks said after practice Thursday as the Saints prepared to play at Tampa Bay this Sunday.New Orleans lack of rhythm on offense last weekend against Detroit begged the question whether there was a carry-over effect from the dissatisfaction Cooks expressed after not having a single pass thrown to him during a lopsided Week 12 triumph over Los Angeles .But Cooks had other explanations for the Saints struggles, and his teammates tended to agree with him.We werent able to get our run game going, and when our run game is going is when our offense gets lethal, Cooks said. I dont feel I disrupted (the offense) at all because if it was the other way around and I had a huge game and we won, then what are people going to say?Cooks had nine passes thrown to him against Detroit, more than any other of Drew Brees targets in that game. He caught seven for 73 yards, but New Orleans struggled to sustain drives and score points, largely because of a lack of execution on third downs and because three possessions ended with interceptions.Brees threw seven passes to tight end Coby Fleener, six to wide receiver Willie Snead and five to rookie wideout Michael Thomas, who currently leads the club in catches (69), yards (831) and touchdowns receiving (seven). Brees also threw 12 passes to running backs.Everyone had targets that game. It was not like all the balls went to me, said Cooks, a 2014 first-round draft choice who has 58 catches for 809 yards and six TDs this season. For the most part, guys were averaging their target ratio.Brees didnt necessarily take issue with the general premise that the appearance of disharmony on a team can sometimes undermine performance.That might happen other places, Brees said, but stressed, I do not feel like that happens here.I know there were some issues last week, but we dealt with that stuff very quickly and efficiently, Brees continued. There was nothing lingering from that.Snead echoed Cooks and Brees sentiments.Im in the room with the guy and I watch the film and see the stuff we did wrong and what we could have done better, Snead said. If we win the game, Cooks gets his targets, theres no story. But because we lost like that and the timing was off with the offense, it makes it look like thats the way it is.We were just in a lot of bad situations, and when we were throwing the ball, it was going to Cooks, and theres nothing wrong with that, Snead said. Thats not the reason we lost. On offense, we just werent hitting our stride like we usually do. I dont think it has anything to do with him.Cooks pointed out that even before the Lions game, coach Sean Payton told the offense that it had demonstrated a tendency to see considerable drop-offs in production in the weeks immediately following some prolific games. In Week 1, the Saints had 507 total yards, followed by 288 in Week 2. In Week 3, the Saints gained 475 yards, only to see that drop to 275 in Week 4. In Week 9, the Saints gained 571 yards, followed by 373 in Week 10. Now it has happened again, with the Saints putting up 555 yards in Week 12, followed by 369 in Week 13.Weve just got to a find a way to be consistent when we do have those big games, Cooks said.As for whether Cooks wishes hed handled his dissatisfaction differently, the receiver said, I dont regret anything. Life is about lessons.Game notes The Saints had six people sit out practice on Thursday: LT Terron Armsetad (quadriceps, knee), RB Mark Ingram (toe, knee), C Max Unger (foot), Thomas (foot), LB Craig Robertson (shoulder), TE Josh Hill (fibula).---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Youth Austin Proehl Jersey . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Wholesale Bills Jerseys Free Shipping . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. http://www.wholesalebillsjerseys.com/?tag=youth-josh-allen-jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Youth Harrison Phillips Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Youth Ray-Ray McCloud Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad and the Florida Panthers have agreed to an eight-year, $60 million extension.?The news was first reported by the Miami Herald and confirmed by ESPNs Craig Custance. The final details are still being worked out and the deal likely wont be official until next week, the source told Custance.I dont think its any secret, Panthers general manager Tom Rowe said.Hes a guy we want in the fold for a long time to come. Ekblad was an All-Star in each of his first two years with Florida, and now clearly becomes a face of a franchise that believes it is getting closer to finally hoisting the Stanley Cup.Couldnt be happier, Ekblad wrote on Instagram as he posed in a Florida jersey. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft and already is Floridas franchise leader with eight career game-winning goals.An exceptionally skilled, intelligent and mature young player that is a difference maker for our team both on and off the ice, Rowe said.The Panthers won the Atlantic Division last year, reaching the playoffs for just the second time in 15 seasons. The ownership group led by Vincent Viola has made no secret that it is driven by winning a championship, and Florida is starting to look like a real potential contender.He bought the team to win a Stanley Cup and the players that weve got here all want to win a Sttanley Cup, Rowe said.dddddddddddd We felt what we did today gives us a better chance of doing that.There were other moves, including the signing of goaltender James Reimer to a five-year, $17 million deal to share the workload with starter Roberto Luongo.Reimer has spent six seasons in the NHL, mostly with Toronto. He also appeared in nine games --eight regular-season, one playoff --with Stanley Cup finalist San Jose this past season.Reimer came to South Florida to see the Panthers facilities Friday and was quickly convinced he was making the right decision.Weve got a great team and great management and ownership, theyre passionate about winning, Reimer said. As a player, thats the organization you want to be a part of.Luongo is still one of the best in the NHL, but the Panthers have been mindful of not overusing their 37-year-old goalie. Hes sat out roughly one of every four Florida regular-season games in each of the last two years and had offseason hip surgery. The Panthers made a trade for former Colorado backup Reto Berra late last month. If Luongo isnt ready for opening night, Berra would begin as Reimers backup.Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.? ' ' '