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      Saints pick the wrong time to start fading

      December 27, 2009 /

      It took 13 weeks for people to think the Saints were an unbeatable juggernaut, but only two to give everyone reason to doubt them.

      Connor Barth’s field goal in overtime gave the Buccaneers a surprising 20-17 win over the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday. The Saints blew a 17-0 first half lead, allowed 439 total yards on defense and 176 rushing yards. It was the second time in two weeks that the Saints lost at home after they fell to the Cowboys in Week 15.

      Every team wants to peak heading into the playoffs, but New Orleans is fading. Their offense hasn’t been as explosive the past two weeks as it had been earlier in the season and their defense hasn’t played well in over a month. They’ve also been handcuffed by some injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but every team is banged up at this point in the year.

      But while the Saints’ play has been troubling, don’t forget that the Cardinals faded down the stretch last year and wound up in the Super Bowl. New Orleans can use the bye week to get healthy and for Sean Payton to fix what has gone wrong over the past month. They might not be the hottest team heading into the playoffs, but the Saints are arguably still the most dangerous.

      Another thing to keep in mind is that if Garrett Hartley doesn’t miss a 37-yard field goal at the end of the fourth quarter, then the Saints would have escaped today with just a scare. They’d still be a team with issues, but the what’s-wrong-with-the-Saints questions would be kept to a minimum.

      NFL

      Giants should be embarrassed by their effort vs. Panthers

      December 27, 2009 /

      The New York Giants owe their fans an apology after the horrendous effort they gave today in their 41-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

      Despite having their playoff hopes on the line and the fact that they were playing their final game at Giants Stadium, New York couldn’t have cared less. Their effort was pathetic on both sides of the ball and it was clear from the start that their players wanted nothing to do with football today.

      This is a loss where somebody losses their job. It won’t be Tom Coughlin, but I can’t see any scenario in which defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is retained for next season. The Panthers were without DeAngelo Williams, yet the Giants allowed Jonathan Stewart to rush for 206 yards and a touchdown, and for Matt Moore to throw for three scores. I realize Stewart is a fine back and Moore is gaining confidence week to week, but there’s no excuse for a team with playoff aspirations to allow 416 total yards and 41 points at home. None.

      Sheridan has to go; New York has to hire someone that understands that the team’s best attribute defensively is its defensive line. That said, his players should be embarrassed with the way they played today. They didn’t tackle, they didn’t play disciplined and they played with zero emotion.

      The Giants didn’t deserve to go to the playoffs this year and maybe this was a fitting end to their season.

      NFL

      Urban Meyer flip flop

      December 27, 2009 /

      So much for faith and family.

      Less than 24 hours after announcing that he was stepping down has the head coach of the Florida Gators, Urban Meyer has now decided that he will not be resigning but instead will begin an indefinite leave of absence. The ESPN gang is speculating that he’ll be back by the beginning of next season, though nobody knows how long this will take.

      What changed his mind? Earlier today his wife stated that Urban Meyer would NOT change his mind.

      So what happened? A news conference will be starting shortly, so we’ll learn more soon. But I suspect the alumni went crazy, and I suspect that recruits were upset as well. The option of taking a leave of absence was always on the table, so he obviously had a change of heart after the reactions started coming through.

      Needless to say, this is a fluid situation. Will Meyer be able to deal with his health issues while he stays involved? The guy is a control freak, and anything less than a clean break would seem to be difficult.

      I guess anything is possible, but this story will be front and center for some time as Meyer, his family and the Florida athletic department work through these issues.

      UPDATE: Urban Meyer is now speaking to the media. It sounds like he just couldn’t go through with his resignation after speaking to his players. He’s a hyper-competitive guy, so this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

      Meyer also said he expects to be on the field as head coach for the 2010 opener. Frankly, he looks and sounds a little like a boxer who doesn’t know when to hang things up.

      College Football

      Boston College gets jobbed by refs in Emerald Bowl

      December 27, 2009 /

      The major media outlets are hyping the fact that a Pac-10 team finally showed up in a bowl game this season after USC downed Boston College 24-13 in the Emerald Bowl on Saturday night. But a little more attention should be paid for how Boston College was bent over by the refs not once, but twice during the game.

      Early in the second quarter, Trojans’ QB Matt Barkley found Damian Williams for a 38-yard completion down the right sidelines to set USC up at the BC 6-yard line. But Williams looked out of bounds during live action and in replay, yet the officials reviewed the play at let it stand. The fact that the officials couldn’t tell that Williams didn’t come in bounds was one thing, but they actually screwed up twice on the play because he made the “catch” with his right foot out of bounds at the 8-yard line, not the six. So not only did they let the “catch” stand, but they also gave USC two extra yards just for the hell of it.

      There was also a, uh, questionable call in the second half during a Boston College punt. The ball had clearly hit a USC player first and even though an Eagle recovered it, the refs challenged that since the Trojan was blocked into the ball that it would remain with USC. Yet, it looked like the USC player was coming forward and accidentally kicked the ball, which would have meant that the recovery was just and that the Eagles would have retained possession.

      Now, there’s no way of knowing if those plays would have affected the outcome of the game. If Williams’ catch was ruled incomplete, USC still could have scored on the next play. If the punt would have resulted in BC getting the ball, they could have thrown a pick six on the next play, so nobody can say with absolute certainty that if the calls went the Eagles’ way instead of the Trojans’ that the outcome would have been different. (Plus, BC couldn’t move the ball offensively, which was a much bigger problem then getting jobbed by the refs.)

      That said, the officials blew both calls and that’s the bottom line. And there’s no excuse to get a play wrong when it’s reviewed; it’s just ridiculous.

      College Football

      Urban Meyer stepping down as Florida head coach

      December 26, 2009 /

      Surprising news out of Florida, as Urban Meyer announced that he will step down as Florida’s head coach after the Orange Bowl.

      Florida coach Urban Meyer, who was admitted to a hospital because of chest pains following the Southeastern Conference championship game, is stepping down because of health concerns.

      Meyer resigned Saturday, calling it quits after five seasons in Gainesville and two national titles. He goes into the bowl game with a 56-10 record at Florida that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak ended early this month against Alabama.

      Meyer, 45, says he consulted with his family, his doctors, school president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley before deciding it is in his best interest to focus on his health and family.

      Meyer has been to the hospital multiple times since suffering chest pains after the SEC title game, a Florida source told ESPN. He has been diagnosed with a heart valve muscle defect, the source said.

      The problem is not life threatening, a Florida source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. The same source said Meyer will remain in Gainesville in a non-coaching role to be defined later.

      This is a huge blow to the Florida football program, as Meyer had established himself as one of the best coaches of his generation.

      College Football

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