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      Saints’ issues go beyond Garrett Hartley

      September 27, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints looks on against the Minnesota Vikings at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      When a kicker misses what would have been a game-winning field goal and sets up his opponent for victory instead, it’s not hard to figure out where to point blame.

      Garrett Hartley should have made the 29-yard field goal that cost the Saints a victory over the Falcons yesterday in overtime. But the defending champs have more than just kicking issues to worry about.

      Hartley’s kicking woes are obvious, which is why the Saints are set to work out veteran John Carney today. If they decide to make a change, then hopefully Carney will help bring some stability to the position.

      But John Carney isn’t going to solve the Saints’ inability to stop power running games or help generate a pass rush. He’s not going to fix Reggie Bush’s leg injury or help a suddenly struggling interior offensive line either.

      The Falcons have consistently proven that they can run the football. They rushed for 221 yards against the Cardinals, so for them to produce another 200-yard effort (201 to be exact) against the Saints wasn’t necessarily surprising. But it’s obviously still a concern.

      The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the Saints’ defense couldn’t stop Michael Turner and Jason Snelling on the Falcons’ game-winning drive in overtime. On that drive, Turner and Snelling combined for 46 yards on 10 carries and picked up three first downs by keeping the ball on the ground. (Although one of those runs by Turner was negated because of a penalty.)

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      External Sports, NFL

      The Bills continue to lack direction

      September 27, 2010 /
      TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 19: Trent Edwards of the Buffalo Bills looks on during a break in game action against the Indianapolis Colts on August 19, 2010 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Brad White/Getty Images)

      This was the first thing I wrote about the Bills in their 2010 team preview back in late August:

      There’s no doubt that the Bills are moving in the right direction now that Buddy Nix is their new general manager.

      One month later and I already feel myself searching for the delete button when it comes to the above statement.

      What was the Bills’ plan of attack here with quarterback Trent Edwards? Instead of signing a veteran in free agency or drafting a signal caller in April, they decided to stick by Edwards and give him all the first team snaps this offseason. Then they named him the regular season starter and after two bad games, they benched him in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick and then flat out released him on Monday.

      Benching Edwards for Fitzpatrick isn’t the problem. Fitzpatrick isn’t great, but he proved yesterday in New England that he can keep the Bills competitive and gives them a better chance to win than Edwards did.

      Releasing Edwards isn’t the problem either. He clearly lacks the physical and mental tools to be a starting quarterback in the NFL and he hasn’t played with any confidence in over a year and a half.

      The problem is the lack of direction that the Bills organization continues to display. They should have acquired a quarterback when they had the opportunity earlier this offeason, or at the very least made an attempt to acquire one. If you remember correctly, Buffalo was mentioned repeatedly as a possible landing spot for Michael Vick and had Nix gotten aggressive, maybe Vick would be running around making plays for the Bills instead of the Eagles right now. There’s no guarantee that he would have had the same success in Buffalo as he’s having now in Philadelphia, but the point is the Bills did nothing to address their quarterback situation when they had the chance five months ago.

      It’s staggering to think that Nix and Chan Gailey actually believed that Edwards was the answer at quarterback based on what he’s shown over the past two years. And even if they did truly believe he could run the offense, they still should have drafted a quarterback to develop just in case Edwards didn’t pan out (which was the more likely scenario all along).

      Now what? Is Fitzpatrick their long-term answer? Is Brian Brohm? If it’s Brohm, then they might as well play him now so he can get some experience. If neither of them are the answer, then the Bills are going to waste another year without having their quarterback of the future on their roster.

      This is how bad teams stay bad.

      External Sports, NFL

      49ers fire Jimmy Raye – could Mike Singletary next?

      September 27, 2010 /
      SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers watches his team during their game against the San Diego Chargers at Candlestick Park on September 2, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

      The problem with motivation is that when it comes from the wrong person, it carries as much weight as loose leaf paper.

      Mike Singletary is a great motivator, but it appears that nobody’s listening anymore. The 49ers nearly pulled off a great upset on Monday night against the Saints, but then followed it up with an uninspired 31-10 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

      Today, the first axe fell in San Francisco as offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was fired. The move was hardly shocking when you consider how inept the Niners have been on that side of the ball this year. They currently rank 20th in total offense but are averaging just 12.7 points-per-game, which ranks them 31st in the NFL. There have also been reports that Kansas City defenders were calling out San Francisco’s plays yesterday before the snap, which is troubling to say the least. Some offensive coordinators can be predictable in their playcalling, but there’s a much bigger problem at hand if your opponent knows what you’re going to do before the snap.

      But back to Singletary. The 49ers no longer seem to be responding with his methods and even appear to be tuning him out. Fans and the media like his post-game pressers and his intense persona, but if it doesn’t work with the players then none of it doesn’t matters.

      There haven’t been any reports to suggest that Singletary will lose his job, but it’s not like the 49ers have it any easier over the next two weeks. They’re in Atlanta this Sunday and then host the Eagles in Week 5. They catch a break with the Raiders, Panthers and Broncos in Weeks 6 through 8, but if they continue to play as poorly as they did in Kansas City yesterday then it won’t matter who they’re playing.

      Quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson will replace Raye as offensive coordinator, so maybe he’ll provide a spark. But even if he does, the players still have to believe in what Singletary is preaching because if not, then Raye won’t be the last to go.

      External Sports, NFL

      Nuggets dragging their feet in the Carmelo deal

      September 27, 2010 /
      Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony scores against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter of the first round playoffs game two at the Pepsi Center on April 19, 2010 in Denver. Utah beat Denver 114-111 to even the series at 1-1. UPI/Gary C. Caskey Photo via Newscom

      According to the New York Post (a bastion of honest, sober reporting if there ever was one), the Denver Nuggets are taking their sweet time committing to the four-team trade (discussed here in more detail) as they see if there are any better offers out there. As it is currently constructed, the Nuggets would received Derrick Favors, Andrei Kirilenko and two first round draft picks, which isn’t a bad haul all things considered.

      Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting that the deal is in neutral and that the Nuggets are going to hope that Anthony shows up to the team’s media day on Monday and “beg him to stay.”

      It’s not even clear if Anthony has signed off on the Nets by agreeing to sign the three-year extension required to get New Jersey to give up Derrick Favors and Devin Harris to acquire his rights.

      Rumored four-team trades have a way of falling apart, but this story seems to have legs, so I’d peg the chances of this getting done at around 40%. This week should be interesting as the Nuggets’ camp opens and Anthony has to decide whether or not he wants to report to work.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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