Tag: New Orleans Saints (Page 18 of 55)

      Saints manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

      September 26, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 26: Garrett Hartley of the New Orleans Saints reacts to missing a field goal in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons at the Louisiana Superdome on September 26, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Falcons defeated the Saints 27-24. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      You can’t miss that kick, Garrett Hartley. You just can’t.

      Ten out of 10 times you have to make that kick. You’re in a dome from 29 yards out – you can’t miss.

      But he missed. Clanked. Saints lose.

      If you didn’t see the Falcons-Saints game on Sunday, you missed the best finish of the young season. The game was well played on both sides, the action was outstanding throughout and the outcome came down to the last second – like most football games should.

      But you can’t miss that kick, Hartley.

      The Saints had moved into position to kick the game-winning field goal with about eight minutes remaining in overtime. Hartley then pushed a 29-yard chip shot to the left and it clanked off the left upright to give the Falcons new life.

      Thanks to a motivated Michael Turner and Jason Snelling, Atlanta took the gift and marched 57 yards on 12 plays to set up a 46-yard game-winning Matt Bryant field goal to beat the Saints, 27-24. The drive was also helped by a pass interference call on Jabari Greer to give the Falcons a new set of downs when it looked like New Orleans was going to get the ball back on fourth down.

      In the end, the Falcons did what they had to do to win and by no means was this a cheap victory. They went into New Orleans and traded haymaker after haymaker with the Saints for four and a half quarters. Matt Ryan (19-of-30 for 228 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) was outstanding, Michael Turner (30 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD) was bruising and Tony Gonzalez (8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD) silenced critics who said he has lost a step. The defense also forced three turnovers and was aided by the offense controlling the clock for 45:50 to the Saints’ 27:15.

      It was a tremendous win for the Falcons, especially since it was on the road. The overtime loss to the Steelers in Week 1 now feels like a distant memory.

      As for the Saints, Hartley has to make that kick but as always, there were other factors that decided the game. Drew Brees threw two interceptions, including one inside Atlanta territory that he underthrew in a desperate attempt to make a play. Chris Ivory also fumbled inside Falcons’ territory and the defense allowed Atlanta to chew up 11 minutes of the clock on a touchdown drive to tie the game at 14-14 heading into halftime. (That was the same drive where the Saints allowed the Falcons to convert two fourth down plays.)

      Of course, all of the Saints’ miscues today could have been erased if Hartley makes that field goal. He was a hero six nights ago in San Francisco and now plays the role of the goat today.

      This one’s for you, Garrett.

      “LONESOME KICKER” from Greg Kohs on Vimeo.

      External Sports, NFL

      A minute and 19 seconds might as well be a lifetime for Drew Brees

      September 20, 2010 /
      New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks to pass in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during their Monday night NFL football game in San Francisco, California September 20, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      If Alex Smith goes on to have a solid year in San Francisco, people are going to point back to this night as the moment everything turned for the 26-year-old former first round pick.

      The 49ers turned the ball over four times in their 25-22 loss to the Saints on Monday night, yet there they were with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth and a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and a 2-point conversation.

      What Smith did next was exactly what quarterbacks have to do in that situation: he orchestrated a flawless two-minute drive and tied the game. He completed four of five passes for 51 yards and managed to scramble for 24 yards on two carries after New Orleans defenders crashed the pocket. Frank Gore capped the drive off with a 7-yard touchdown run and then Smith found Vernon Davis on a successful 2-point conversation attempt, although the play had to be reviewed because the original ruling was that Davis was stopped short of the goal line.

      Unfortunately for Smith and the 49ers, Drew Brees still had 1:19 left on the clock and three timeouts. With his team only needing a field goal to win, Brees led the Saints on a seven-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a Garrett Hartley 37-yard field goal (which was partially blocked, yet still had enough mustard on it to get through the uprights).

      Smith did what he had to do to give his team a chance to win, but too bad for him Brees has long mastered the art of the game-winning drive.

      It was a significant win for the Saints because in all honesty, it was a game they couldn’t afford to lose. Obviously there’s an entire season yet to be played, but the 49ers handed this game over on a silver platter and had San Fran completed the comeback, we would be looking at a reeling New Orleans team heading into a huge divisional matchup with the Falcons this Sunday. (A game in which they may not have Reggie Bush, who injured his leg on a muffed punt midway through the fourth quarter.)

      But at 2-0, the Saints remain perfect on the young season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Five fantasy takeaways from Saints/Vikings

      September 10, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 21: Pierre Thomas of the New Orleans Saints scores a touchdown against the Houston Texans at the Louisiana Superdome on August 21, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      Well, it wasn’t a particularly well-played first game of the NFL season, but it was a tight game nonetheless. Here are five things that fantasy owners can take away from last night’s opener:

      1. Pierre Thomas is a stud, and Sean Payton forgets that sometimes. (Adrian Peterson is a stud, and Brad Childress forgets that sometimes.)
      In the first half, Payton gave Thomas three touches for -1 yards. He did have a 10-yard catch that was called back due to penalty. In the second half, the Saints tried to establish the running game in earnest and Thomas 72 yards on his next 16 carries — an impressive 4.5 ypc average during that span against the league’s #1-rated rush defense of 2009. He also found the endzone and caught three passes for 15 yards.

      Meanwhile, “Chilly” abandoned the run when the Vikings were behind by just five points in the second half. Anthony Stalter has the details:

      Down 14-9 with just over nine minutes remaining, Childress called seven straight pass plays. There was plenty of time for him to remain balanced with his playcalling, but he went pass-heavy and the result was a stalled drive at the New Orleans’ 44. He essentially made Gregg Williams’ job a hell of a lot easier once the Saints’ DC new he didn’t have to respect the running game.

      The bottom line is that Childress appears to trust Favre more than AP, and that should be worrisome to Peterson owners. AP did finish with 101 yards on 22 touches, but failed to find the endzone.

      2. Brett Favre loves him some Visanthe Shiancoe. Not so much the Percy Harvin.
      Almost as important as actual production (catches, yards, TDs) is the number of targets each receiver gets throughout the course of the game. I’ve been high on Shiancoe all preseason — mostly due to Favre’s long-established affection for his tight ends — and he didn’t disappoint against the Saints, turning eight targets into 4-76-1. Conversely, Harvin only got five targets and looked out of sync with Favre all night. This is probably due to the time that both players missed in training camp due to migraines (Harvin) and being a total drama queen (Favre). I wouldn’t panic on Harvin just yet — it will probably just take a week or two for the chemistry to return, but I would consider sitting Harvin down next week if there’s a better option on the bench.

      3. Don’t expect another 2009 from #4.
      In all of his years in Green Bay, Favre never played with a receiver as physically gifted as Sidney Rice, and that was a big reason for his outstanding numbers last season. With Rice on the shelf for at least the first half of the season, Favre can’t just chuck the football downfield and expect Rice to go up and win virtually every jump ball. Without that deep threat, the Vikings are going to have to manufacture more first downs and longer drives, and as we saw last night, it’s not always going to be pretty.

      4. Garrett Hartley is on the hot seat.
      Good grief, Garrett. Make a field goal, will you? Hartley was often one of the first two or three kickers off the board and he was miserable last night, shanking two make-able field goal attempts. He’s lucky that it didn’t cost the Saints the game because there are a few capable kickers out there in free agency.

      5. Robert Meachem/Devery Henderson are both startable in deep formats, though they’re not dependable.
      On the heels of his breakout campaign last season, Meachem was going in the middle rounds (8th-10th) of fantasy drafts this summer, even though he’s coming off of a toe injury. Meanwhile, Henderson was available in the later rounds due to his inconsistency and history of burning fantasy owners. Both players saw four targets from Drew Brees. Henderson posted 2-38-1 while Meachem generated 3-33 and just missed a 14-yard TD early in the fourth quarter. I think Meachem is the better wideout and if he can stay healthy, he should finish the season as the Saints WR2, but Henderson looked pretty good in his own right. There’s enough offense for both of these players to finish in the Top 40, but don’t expect consistency week-to-week until one guy grabs the WR2 job (and WR2-type targets).

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Favre, Childress sink the Vikings in 14-9 loss to Saints

      September 9, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS - JANUARY 17: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings points while playing against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on January 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 34-3. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

      I can count on one hand how many throws Brett Favre made tonight that were even remotely impressive. Now, I understand he was on the road, playing in a tough environment and he didn’t have his best receiver.

      But the guy just didn’t get it done tonight.

      The Vikings started their season the same way they ended it last year – with a loss in New Orleans. Favre was 15-of-27 for 171 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, but the stat line doesn’t tell the whole story.

      Outside of their only touchdown drive of the game (which took place midway through the second quarter), Favre was highly erratic passing, looked uncomfortable in the pocket and rarely appeared to be in sync with his receivers – especially Percy Harvin.

      At the risk of sounding like the know-it-all sports blogger that makes statements after the fact, I’ll point out that this game is a prime example that training camp is vital – even to a quarterback like Favre who knows the system and doesn’t need the extra work. Instead of two-stepping training camp for the second straight year, he could have been in Minnesota building chemistry with his receivers. Instead, he used four quarters tonight to do that, and the result wound up being a loss for the Vikings to start the season.

      Now, he also skipped training camp last year and the Vikings started off hot. But that’s also because he got to warm up against the Browns and Lions in the first two weeks. He wasn’t afforded the same luxury this year and you saw the effects.

      Of course, all the blame doesn’t fall at Favre’s feet. Brad Childress played things too conservative early in the game by going run-heavy with Adrian Peterson, only to abandon the ground game when he saw the clock ticking away in the fourth quarter.

      Down 14-9 with just over nine minutes remaining, Childress called seven straight pass plays. There was plenty of time for him to remain balanced with his playcalling, but he went pass-heavy and the result was a stalled drive at the New Orleans’ 44. He essentially made Gregg Williams’ job a hell of a lot easier once the Saints’ DC new he didn’t have to respect the running game.

      Apparently all of the draw and screen plays fell out of Childress’ playbook on that drive.

      That said, give credit to a motivated Saints’ defense, one that held the Vikings to 253 yards of total offense and forced a turnover in Minnesota territory. Of course, had Favre just taken the sack instead of trying to force the action like he’s so accustomed to doing, the Vikings wouldn’t have turned the ball over.

      But enough on Favre – he’s had enough for one night.

      All in all, this game certainly didn’t live up to the hype. The Saints were impressive on their opening drive, but couldn’t take advantage of Minnesota miscues the rest of the way. Still, it was a good opening night for a New Orleans team that is going to have a target on its back all season.

      External Sports, NFL

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