Reggie Bush has been criticized throughout his career for not being able to run between the tackles, but nobody can argue what he can do in open space.
In the Saints’ 28-23 win over the Rams on Sunday, Bush rushed six times for 83 yards and a touchdown, while adding two receptions for 15 yards and a score. He showed his incredible athleticism several times throughout the game, including on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter in which he launched himself into the end zone.
Bush has taken a backseat to Drew Brees, the Saints’ bevy of receivers and even the play of the defense under new coordinator Gregg Williams. But he remains a key cog in this explosive Saints’ offense and as long as he stays healthy and continues to accept his role in a crowded Saints’ backfield, he’ll remain a perfect fit for Sean Payton’s offense.
While the Saints improved to 9-0 on the season, they’ve suffered some injuries the past couple weeks and I think that’s why their games of been close of late. They should have destroyed a bad Rams team and instead, they allowed St. Louis to hang around until the fourth quarter.
Hopefully key players like Darren Sharper (who didn’t play today due to an injury) and Tracy Porter (who suffered an injury during the game) won’t be out long and the Saints can continue to play perfect football.
According to Saints’ beat writer Jeff Duncan via his Twitter page, Lynell Hamilton took the first-team reps for New Orleans during practice on Wednesday. Duncan expects Hamilton to see a heavy workload against the Bills, which begs the question: What is going on with the Saints running back situation?
My question revolves around Sean Payton’s obvious hatred (okay, so I’m exaggerating) for Pierre Thomas, who practiced on Wednesday but who still isn’t seeing first-team reps in practice. I understand that he’s been battling a knee injury, but if he went through practice on Wednesday with no complications, why is Hamilton expected to get the majority of the rushing load on Sunday?
It stands to reason that the Saints may have possibly soured on Thomas, whom many people (me included) thought would have a breakout year in 2009. Thomas was supposed to be New Orleans’ every down back this year and the perfect complement to Reggie Bush. But whether it’s his knee or the possibility that he egged Payton’s house at some point during the offseason, Thomas has taken a backseat to other backs like Hamilton.
Just to get you up to speed on Hamilton, he went undrafted in 2008 and spent the entire season on the Saints’ practice squad. He made the team this year as a fourth back despite fumbling twice in the team’s preseason opener. Had Thomas and Bush not been dinged up entering the season, it stands to reason that Hamilton may not have even made the final roster.
And with that, it’s perplexing that Hamilton would get the start over Thomas this week. Again, maybe Payton and the Saints are still worried about Thomas’ knee and they’re taking it slow with him. But if they’ve soured on him being a No. 1 back, then do him (and fantasy football fans for that matter) a favor and either release him or trade him to a team that could use a runner with his skill set.
Here’s hoping Thomas eventually gets to shine in this league, because he certainly has the talent.
Unless this sorts itself out by week’s end, the message is clear: Stay away from Thomas/Hamilton this weekend if you can. The Saints might be taking it easy on Thomas during the week so that he can start on Sunday, or maybe they don’t feel good about his knee and are planning to give him another week by getting Hamilton ready to start. Hopefully, the Saints’ beat writers will get some answers for us, but HC Sean Payton is tight-lipped about injuries, so we may not get any before kickoff.
Who would have thought that Jay Cutler’s debut for the Bears would go so poorly? How about Jake Delhomme picking up right where he left off in last year’s playoffs? The 49ers beat the Cardinals on the road?!
Below are 10 surprises from Week 1 in the NFL. Feel free to add what surprised you in our comments section.
1. Cutler’s atrocious Bears debut.
When Chicago acquired quarterback Jay Cutler from the Broncos this offseason, fans immediately started believing that their Bears were a legitimate Super Bowl contender. After all, the only thing that had held this team back over the years was not having a franchise quarterback. Now that the Bears had one in Cutler, the sky was the limit. Given the lofty expectations that fans had for the Bears, Cutler’s debut Sunday night in Green Bay was startling. The numbers were bad enough: 17 of 36, 277 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs. But it was Cutler’s demeanor during the game that was most troubling. He constantly threw across his body into traffic, was rarely on the same page as his receivers and it appeared as though he flat out stopped trying after throwing his third pick of the night. Granted, there’s still a lot of time left. But nobody expected Cutler to get off to this bad of a start.
2. Miami shoots itself in the foot.
Even though Atlanta’s defense rose to the challenge on Sunday, it was still quite surprising to see the Dolphins routinely beat themselves with costly turnovers and dumb penalties. Early in the second quarter, Miami drove to the Falcons’ 16-yard line only to have tight end Anthony Fasano fumble after receiving a bone crunching hit from Mike Peterson. Cornerback Brian Williams returned the gift 53 yards and Atlanta capitalized with a Jason Elam 36-yard field goal. Midway through the third, the Dolphins again drove into Atlanta territory, but quarterback Chad Pennington didn’t see Peterson waiting in the flats and was picked off by the linebacker. The Falcons again capitalized, this time on a Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez 20-yard touchdown pass to give them a 16-0 lead. On Miami’s very next series, Fasano fumbled again, only this time Elam missed a 38-yard field goal. Later in the fourth, the Dolphins had a touchdown taken off the board after offensive lineman Vernon Carey was called for holding. This was a Miami team that won the AFC East last year because they did all the little things right. They never hurt themselves with mistakes and always capitalized on their opponents’ miscues. But the opposite happened on Sunday and considering Tony Sparano’s team isn’t talented enough to overcome turnovers and penalties, the Dolphins can’t have what happened in Atlanta become a routine occurrence.
Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense is already in midseason form, which is a scary thought for teams in the NFC South.
Brees completed 26 of 34 passes for 358 yards and threw six touchdowns in New Orleans’ 45-27 win over the Lions on Sunday. The Saints racked up 515 total yards of offense and was 9 of 13 on third down conversations.
Granted, it’s important to keep in mind that the Saints were playing against a Lions defense that is severely lacking talent and clearly hasn’t had the chance to grasp the new scheme implemented by first-year head coach Jim Schwartz.
But for a moment, set aside whom the Saints were playing; Brees looked like a surgeon slicing through Detroit’s pass defense and threw passes to eight different receivers. Jeremy Shockey (2 TDs), Devery Henderson (5 rec., 103 yards, 1 TD), Marques Colston (3 rec., 30 yards, 1 TD) and Robert Meachem (2 rec., 38 yards, 1 TD) all had productive days.
Although they gave up 27 points, the Saints’ defensive performance was encouraging. They limited the Lions’ offense to 231 total yards and forced three turnovers. Darren Sharper, who was acquired in free agency this offseason, had two interceptions.
The dark cloud for the Saints was their special teams. Reggie Bush muffled two punts, the punt coverage unit surrendered a big return and kicker John Carney had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked. Even with how potent the offense is New Orleans can’t have these kinds of miscues on special teams.
Matthew Stafford had a rough debut, completing just 16 of 37 pass attempts for 205 yards and three interceptions. That said, he developed good chemistry with receiver Calvin Johnson (the pair hooked up on a nice 64-yard completion on a crossing route) and he did score a touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter. All in all, Stafford looked like a rookie making his first career start on the road.
New Orleans Saints:
Reggie Bush was limping noticeably after cutting Wednesday morning’s practice short, although he says his knee is fine. An MRI was taken on Bush’s knee earlier this week and apparently the results were positive, so the running back might just have to miss the next few days as a precaution. (FOX Sports.com)
San Francisco 49ers:
Apparently Alex Smith has pulled ahead in the starting quarterback derby according to 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco. While Hill still seems like the more physically gifted quarterback between the two, it’s good to see that the franchise isn’t giving up on Smith (a former first overall pick) just yet. But Smith could also play himself out of the starting role in preseason, so stay tuned. (Matt Maicco on Twitter)
Denver Broncos:
Brandon Marshall continues to sit out with an undisclosed injury that he suffered last weekend. The Denver Post suggests that the injury was due to Marshall’s offseason hip surgery, although head coach Josh McDaniels refuses to comment on the situation. (Denver Post)
Kansas City Chiefs:
Head coach Todd Haley has reportedly been impressed with how good running back Larry Johnson has looked so far in camp. Teammates have apparently marveled at how good of shape the 29-year-old running back is in this season. Kansas City’s offensive line still needs some work, but it’s good enough to give a motivated LJ a chance to shine again this season. Maybe Johnson will be one of the surprise performers in ‘09. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Atlanta Falcons:
Harry Douglas was carted off the field on Wednesday with a left leg injury and it apparently the situation doesn’t look good for the Falcons young receiver. Atlanta’s already in a heap of trouble at the wideout position with Roddy White holding out for a new contract. If Douglas has to miss significant time, GM Thomas Dimitroff (who traded promising WR Laurent Robinson to the Rams for half a can of original Pringles earlier this offseason) might be forced to get a deal done soon with White. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
New York Jets:
Quarterback Kellen Clemens continues to struggle with his pocket presence according to a report by the New York Daily News. Considering the Jets have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, this seemingly is a huge problem, even though it’s still early in camp. Maybe this news bodes well for rookie Mark Sanchez starting right away. (New York Daily News)
Green Bay Packers:
The Packers are having trouble signing first round pick B.J. Raji and according to ESPN 540’s Scott Wisniewski, the two sides are far apart on a deal. Rotowold speculates that Raji’s agent could be waiting on No. 10 overall pick (Raji was the No. 9 overall pick) Michael Crabtree to sign a deal with the 49ers before he gets something done for Raji in Green Bay.. (Rotoworld)
There’s a secret that most good fantasy football owners don’t want you to know: Knowing how good (or how bad) an offensive line is could be the difference between you making the playoffs in your league, and winning the whole damn thing.
The bottom line is that the offensive line is the key to whether or not an offense is going to be successful in any given season. They’re the reason why guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brews are able to rack up terrific passing yards year in and year out, and why Brandon Jacobs, Michael Turner and Adrian Peterson continue to be solid fantasy backs. So knowing which O-lines are quality and which act like revolving doors to their team’s backfield will give you an edge on draft day.
Below is a ranking of the top five best lines, the top five most improved lines and the top five worst lines in the NFL heading into the ’09 season. Use these rankings as a tool to help you make better decisions on draft day and to also aid you when you’re stuck between a couple of players in later rounds.
Granted, we’re not advocating bumping certain players to the top of your pre-draft rankings just based on these rankings. The Lions offensive line is the worst in football, but if Kevin Smith is there for the taking in the 5th round, by all means jump on him. This article is purely meant to be a helpful aid; obviously you still have to use solid judgment on draft day.
In a recent radio interview in New Orleans, Saints quarterback Drew Brees admitted that Pierre Thomas is considered the team’s number one back now. Brees also said that he felt Reggie Bush will be able to “step in and do a great job”, but he believes that Thomas is the total package.
For those of you that haven’t hopped on the Thomas bandwagon yet, there’s plenty of room. Despite Sean Payton’s foolish attempt to try and add another back to the mix this offseason, the Saints (not just Brees) feel as though Thomas can be their workhorse and the backbone of their running game next season.
According to a study done by STATS inc., Thomas led the league last year in fewest rushing attempts for negative yardage. Some believe that he struggles in short yardage situations and that’s why the team considered drafting a big back like Chris “Beanie” Wells in April. But those of you that paid close attention to Thomas last year saw a back that can deliver in any situation.
So what happens to Bush? Well considering most NFL teams have adopted the two-back system, nothing. In fact, if Thomas takes the brunt of the work next year, Bush could benefit by seeing less carries and therefore staying healthy (something he’s failed to do so far in his career) throughout the course of the season.
It’s obviously too early to make any predictions, but the Saints should be right back in contention next year for a playoff berth. Their offense will be potent, although how well the defense plays will once again be the biggest factor in how much success they have.
But one thing is for sure – Thomas is going to play a big role in the Saints’ offense in ’09.
- SPORTSbyBROOKS has photos of Reggie Bush’s girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, playing football on the beach. (One question — how in the world did the photographer fail to get a shot of her infamous derrier?)
- DEADSPIN informs us that Ricky Rubio’s camp is trying to keep him out of Memphis and Oklahoma City, but Sacramento would be okay. Wait, what? How is Sac-Town any better than OKC? He’d rather play with Kevin Martin than Kevin Durant (and Russell Westbrook)?
- Regular readers know I have no love for Laker fans, but Ryan Kane of LAKE SHOW LIFE does a tremendous job of calling out Sasha “The (Self-Proclaimed) Machine” Vujacic about his poor play this season.
- ZONER SPORTS has video of Brian Kenny’s entertaining interview with Floyd Mayweather. The two go at it pretty good.
- DEADSPIN has the story of Warriors PR Director Raymond Ridder, who spends his free (or is it on-the-clock) time posting positive comments about management (under an assumed name, mind you) in the Warriorsworld forums.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told FOXSports.com that the team is still considering making a contract offer to free-agent running back Edgerrin James.
“We’ve spent some time evaluating Edgerrin,” Loomis said Tuesday morning. “We think he can still play. We’re going to continue to evaluate that and see where it ends up. We haven’t made a decision on Edgerrin yet.”
James could be a nice fit in New Orleans, which didn’t draft or sign a replacement for the released Deuce McAllister. Loomis, though, expressed confidence that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush could carry the Saints’ rushing load. A five-game starter last season, Thomas scored nine times and gained 625 yards on only 129 carries. Bush generated 844 yards from scrimmage in an injury-plagued 2008 campaign.
“Every time Pierre has had the opportunity to play, he’s performed really well,” Loomis said. “I think he was one of the leaders in the league in not getting tackled for a loss among running backs (in 2008). He’s not the big prototype back that Deuce was but we’re confident that Pierre can do some good things for us.
I completely disagree that James would be a good fit. I know the Saints are trying to replace McAllister, but Thomas proved last year that he deserves more carries and the team still has to make sure that Bush gets his touches as well (at least until he gets hurt).
If they want to add a bruiser for short yardage situations ala McAllister last year, then James isn’t the guy. And don’t forget that James wanted out of Arizona because he didn’t like splitting carries with Tim Hightower and feels as though he can still be a starter. Thomas has way more upside than James, so why eat into his carries?
The Saints only had one draft pick in the first three rounds this year. Had they had more, there’s a very likely chance that they would have selected a running back like Beanie Wells in the first round. Why? I’m a little confused by the Saints line of thinking here with how well Thomas played last season.
- In their regular “Waxing Off” feature, several DEADSPIN readers discuss why celebrity fans (like Matthew McConaughey) are so annoying.
- GOSSIPONTHIS has photos of Kim Kardashian checking out the derrier of one of the dancers at a recent Knicks game.
- ON205TH has photos of Jason Kidd’s ex-girlfriend (Hope Dworaczyk), wearing nothing but Dallas Mavericks body paint.
- Want to see the worst boxer in the world? SPORTSBYBROOKS brings us the video of North Carolina’s favorite son, Brian Sutherland, who has an awesome mullet/stache combo. (Be sure to watch through the knockout — it’s a classic.)
