The New Orleans Saints’ game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday will be special for Brandon Staley.

Not just because it will mark his return to the sideline as an NFL play-caller. The Saints’ first-year defensive coordinator will be going against his best friend: Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The friendship between Gannon and Staley dates decades, to their formative years in northeast Ohio. Gannon was from Cleveland. Staley was born and raised in Madison, about 35 miles up I-90 along the shores of Lake Erie. As fourth-graders, Gannon and Staley played on opposite basketball teams in a Cleveland AAU league.

“Our relationship started on the court playing against each other,” Staley said Thursday while taking a break from game-planning for the opener. “It's like, who

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