Tag: New Orleans Saints (Page 50 of 55)

      NFL Week 7 Primer

      October 17, 2008 /

      Peyton ManningSunday’s Best: Colts (3-2) at Packers (3-3), 4:15 PM CBS
      There are some brutal matchups this week, so this one wins by default. The Colts will try to carry the momentum from last weeks blowout win against Baltimore into Green Bay this Sunday, but will be without running back Joseph Addai. Dominic Rhodes gets the start, but head coach Tony Dungy has said that Clifton Dawson and Chad Simpson will see some opportunities as well. Peyton Manning played his most complete game of the season last week and might get the opportunity to exploit a banged up Packers’ secondary if Al Harris (spleen) continues to be hobbled (although word is Harris might play). The Packers meanwhile, have not had much success running the ball this year with Ryan Grant, which is unfortunate given that Indy’s main defensive weakness is stopping the run. If Green Bay can’t get the running game going, they’ll again rely on QB Aaron Rodgers to make big plays to wideouts Greg Jennings and Donald Driver in the passing game. This is a huge game for both teams, especially for the Colts considering they’re currently looking up at the 5-0 Titans in the AFC South.

      Upset Watch: Jets (3-2) at Raiders (1-4), 4:15 PM CBS
      It’s incredibly hard to back the mess that is the Oakland Raiders right now, but they still have a ton of talent on their roster and the Jets have been awfully inconsistent this season. One week they look like playoff contenders and the next they’re getting drummed. Even though they walked away with a victory, New York didn’t play that well against Cincinnati and Brett Favre continues to turn the ball over. The Jets haven’t been able to run the ball successfully of late either, managing just 66 yards per game in the last three weeks. If Oakland is going to pull off a victory in Tom Cable’s home debut, they’ll need to run the ball effectively themselves. Because clearly QB JaMarcus Russell isn’t ready to lead this team on his own yet.

      Tony RomoIntriguing Matchup: Cowboys (4-2) at Rams (1-4), 1:00 PM FOX
      The biggest question on everyone’s minds (especially fantasy owners) is whether QB Tony Romo will play or not. Despite breaking his pinkie finger in the loss to the Cardinals last week, all indications are that Romo will in fact play. He’ll have a new weapon to throw to in Roy Williams, who the team recently acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. But not only will it be interesting to see how effective Romo can be with a broken finger, it’ll also be intriguing to watch the many personalities the ‘Boys have on offense now that Williams and T.O. have to share looks in the passing game. Dallas has not played well since their Sunday night win against the Packers early in the year and the Rams proved last week in a win over the Redskins that they won’t be pushovers now that Jim Haslett is running things.

      Other Notable Games:
      Saints (3-3) at Panthers (4-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      While everyone is focusing on the East being the best division in the NFC, the South doesn’t have any teams below .500 right now. Some still believe the Saints are the best team in the division and they’ll get the opportunity to prove it this week in Carolina.

      Browns (2-3) at Redskins (4-2), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      What was the bigger fluke from Week 6 – the Browns beating the Giants or the Redskins losing to the Rams?

      Titans (5-0) at Chiefs (1-4), 1:00 PM ET CBS
      The Titans get to put their undefeated record on the line this week in Kansas City and fortunately for them the Larry Johnson-less Chiefs shouldn’t provide much of a challenge.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Is JaMarcus Russell a bust? Was Lane Kiffin ever the problem in Oakland?

      October 12, 2008 /

      While it might be incredibly unfair to suggest this of a player that has only started nine games in his career, but is JaMarcus Russell a bust? Granted he plays for the circus that is the Oakland Raiders, but check out his completion numbers in his first five games this season: 65%, 35.3%, 47.4%, 59.5% and 37.1%. That’s atrocious.

      The former first overall pick finished 13 of 35 for 159 yards and an interception Sunday in the Saints’ 34-3 rout over the Raiders. Russell also fumbled twice in the game…in the first quarter.

      But to suggest at this point that he’s bust might be a bit premature. Again, it’s not like he has the best situation in Oakland. Not only is his offensive line brutal, but Greg Knapp also continues to prove that he’s a bit clueless in his play calling after taking over those duties since Lane Kiffin was fired.

      Speaking of Kiffin, Oakland’s play on Sunday might have proved that he was never the problem. (Or at least, not the main problem.) Even though they were losing, the Raiders at least played hard under Kiffin and showed some improvement this year before he was let go. Nothing against interim head coach Tom Cable, but the only reason he’s in the position he’s in now is because he must have shown at some point that he’s willing to bow down to Al Davis.

      Kiffin wasn’t perfect and he made his fair share of mistakes, but given their effort against the Saints on Sunday, it’s fair to say Davis didn’t give the young coach a fair shake. (Or any shake for that matter considering he fired Kiffin over the phone.)

      Davis needs to realize that his ship is sinking and he’s at the one at the wheel.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Florio: Reggie Bush will never be great

      October 9, 2008 /

      Mike Florio of SportingNews.com suggests that Saints’ RB Reggie Bush will never be a great NFL player.

      Reggie BushBut with two punt returns for touchdowns Monday night, folks now assume Bush, after two-plus years of average-to-mildly-above-average play, has arrived.

      Um, not quite.

      Bush had a great game. It’s still only one game. Less than four years ago, Eddie Drummond returned two punts for touchdowns on the same day and is now out of the league. Jermaine Lewis did it for the Ravens not once but twice, and he won’t ever get into Canton without paying admission.

      Apart from those punt returns Monday night, Bush was ordinary. He ran the ball 12 times for 29 yards.
      For the season, Bush is averaging 3.3 yards per carry. For his career, he is at 3.6 yards per carry. Monday night’s showing of less than 2.5 yards per attempt only brought down those numbers.
      Bush also caught seven passes for 64 yards Monday. Solid, not spectacular.

      I’m not saying Bush isn’t a solid player. I am saying Bush has a ceiling on his skill level, and that his performance on Monday night did nothing to shatter it.

      He’s good, not great. He’s definitely not the guy everyone thought he would be.

      Reggie Bush isn’t going to live up to the hype because the hype was too much to begin with. And that’s not Bush’s fault. Just like when Michael Vick came out of VA Tech, everyone had these grandioso ideas that just because the guy was a superb athlete, meant he was going to revolutionize the quarterback position. And then when he didn’t, writers like Florio jumped all over him and said he’ll never live up to the hype. Gee, you think? Joe Montana couldn’t live up to the hype that’s bestowed upon some athletes these days.

      It’s the same deal with Bush. People who actually took the time to watch him in college knew that he was an amazing athlete, but that LenDale White got the bulk of the carries in between the tackles. Bush wasn’t all of a sudden going to be an every down back in the NFL and that’s why the Saints have wisely hung on to Deuce McAllister over the years. So will Bush ever be a great NFL player? Probably not, but he’s still the same player that lit it up at USC when you stop and think about it, only now the stage is a hell of a lot bigger and he’s not getting the same pub. It’s because of the media’s hype-machine that people even debate whether or not he’ll ever be a “great” player.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Brad Childress owes Martin Gramatica a huge thank you

      October 7, 2008 /

      Martin GramaticaIf the clock strikes Noon on Tuesday and Saints’ kicker Martin Gramatica still has a job, I’ll be shocked. Not only did the elf-like kicker shank a 46-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to aid the Vikings in their 30-27 victory over New Orleans Monday night, but the guy also had one blocked and returned for a touchdown in the first quarter because he didn’t get enough air under the kick.

      In fairness to Gramatica, the Saints made a ton of mistakes in the loss, including racking up 102 yards on 11 penalties and turning the ball over four times. But considering M-Gram missed a FG earlier in the year that could have won a game in Denver, the guy has to be out of chances to play in this league. Morten Anderson may be 100 years old, but he proved last year that he’s still accurate – maybe Sean Payton needs to pick up the phone and give the ageless one a call.

      Of course, if it weren’t for Gramatica’s missed field goal, the real buffoon from this game would have been Minnesota head coach Brad Childress. This genius allowed his punter and special teams coach to kick to Reggie Bush not once, but three times on returns, two of which were returned for Saints’ touchdowns. The Vikes had a 10-point third quarter lead evaporate when Bush took a 71-yard punt return to the house, cutting the deficit to 20-17. Two punt returns later, Bush returned another kick for a touchdown, this one from 64-yards out. And both times Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe kicked a low line drive to give Bush plenty of space to make a return. Now maybe I’m casting the blame on the wrong person, but Childress is the man in charge. How the hell could he allow Bush the opportunity to make multiple momentum shifting plays on special teams? Just dumb decisions all he way around.

      And how about Ed Hochuli’s crew blowing another call? That was a brutal missed call in the first half when Bush fumbled, but clearly had his facemask yanked by a Vikings’ defender. He wasn’t the one that missed the call, but Ed has had a rough start to the year.

      On a less critical note, Gus Frerotte was gritty Monday night. He took a vicious hit in the fourth quarter but still managed to stay in the game and squeeze a 33-yard pass into Bernard Berrian despite two defenders in the area to tie the game at 27 all. Childress at least deserves praise for going to the veteran Frerotte a few weeks ago, because he has given the Vikes’ passing game a much-needed boost.

      NFL

      Thirty-Two reasons to love the 2008 NFL Season so far

      October 6, 2008 /

      The 2008 NFL Season is only a quarter of the way finished, but it already looks like it could be one of the craziest years in some time. And as if anyone needed a reason to tune in this year, I’ve gone ahead and listed 32 of them below.

      In no particular order:

      1. Parity still rules. Who would have thought that the Bills and Titans would have better records at this point than the Colts, Patriots and Jaguars?

      2. The Giants. The G-Men are the best team in the league and nobody is talking about them.

      3. Aaron Rodgers is holding his own. The Packers have dropped three straight after starting the year 2-0, but that’s hardly Rodgers’ fault. The young man has gone through a lot this year and he continues to impress, including playing with an injured shoulder and throwing nine touchdown passes in five games.

      4. The Colts 17-point fourth quarter comeback against the Texans in Week 5.

      5. Preseason predictions still mean nothing. There’s no greater feeling than checking out who the pundits predict will be the best teams in the NFL in preseason…then realizing how wrong they were after the first couple weeks of the season.

      6. Jason Campbell’s development. People in the know say that it usually takes a quarterback 2-3 years to fully learn the West Coast Offense but so far this year, Campbell has thrown for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. And oh-by-the-way, he also has the Redskins at 4-1. First-year head coach Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job in Washington so far.

      7. The Titans. There’s not a defense in the league that has been more clutch late in games than Tennessee has.

      8. Ronnie Brown. No offense to Ricky Williams, but it’s nice to see that the guy who didn’t quit on the game because he wanted more time to smoke weed is having more success than the guy who did.

      9. The balance of power is starting to shift between the two conferences. The AFC has long dominated the NFC in terms of teams and quality of play, but so far this year those roles have been reversed. Four of the top five or six teams in the league belong to the NFC.

      Brett Favre10. Brett Favre. Through five weeks, no signal caller in the league has a better QB rating than Favre. And his six-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4 was vintage Brett.

      11. Baltimore’s defense. They might be aging unit, but Ray Lewis and Co. can still lay the wood can’t they?

      12. Rookie quarterbacks playing well. Matt Ryan just went into Lambeau and knocked off the Packers, while Joe Flacco almost pulled off upsets against top defenses in Pittsburgh and against Tennessee. These first round signal callers have been impressive to say the least.

      13. Adrian Peterson. Forget the sophomore slump – the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year is proving that he’s no fluke.

      14. The Bears finally have a quarterback. Kyle Orton is nowhere close to being the best quarterback in the league, but watch him play – he has a little gunslinger mentality in him. And hey, he’s no Rex Grossman, which is a great thing (just ask Bear fans).

      15. Kurt Warner. Some groaned when the veteran unseated youngster Matt Leinart in preseason, but so far head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s decision to go with Warner has paid off.

      Miami Dolphins16. The Dolphins. They might be all hype right now, but who cares? The Fins’ fan base saw only one win last year – let them enjoy the ride.

      17. Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness. This is arguably the worst offensive line the Steelers have produced in years, yet Big Ben continues to show how underrated he really is. His performance against Jacksonville in Week 5 was simply amazing.

      18. The Bills. It’s easy to pull for a young team and most of their wins this year have been nail bitters. Hopefully QB Trent Edwards is okay from the hit he took against Arizona last Sunday and he’ll get back on the field soon.

      19. The young Titans’ secondary. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin share the league lead for interceptions. And they play in the same defensive backfield.

      20. Marty Booker’s catch against the Lions.

      21. Jay Cutler. The kid is cocky but it’s hard not to like his swagger.

      22. Michael Turner’s running style.

      23. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Packers’ wideouts are just two example of why teams don’t need to spend first round picks on receivers.

      24. Fresh starts in Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis. Yes these three franchises are a mess. But maybe there is a silver lining now that Lane Kiffin, Matt Millen and Scott Linehan all received their walking papers. Maybe…

      Eli Manning25. Eli Manning. The former first overall pick is proving that last year’s postseason performance wasn’t a fluke and he really has taken the next step as a NFL quarterback.

      26. The Panthers. Jake Delhomme is healthy and playing well again, rookie Jonathan Stewart has been a great complement to DeAngelo Williams and the run defense has been fantastic so far. Carolina is a legitimate contender in the NFC.

      27. Monte Kiffin’s defense. The Bucs don’t even rank in the top 10 in any major defensive category except for points allowed, but ask Matt Ryan, Kyle Orton and Aaron Rodgers if they would want to face Kiffin’s unit on a weekly basis.

      28. The Patriots are still finding ways to win. It hasn’t been pretty, but Bill Belichick and New England are still finding ways to win despite not having Tom Brady under center. Even after being blown out by Miami at home in Week 3, the Pats are still a team to watch out for in the AFC.

      29. Reggie Bush. He might not be able to run consistently between the tackles but he sure as hell can run outside of them.

      Tony Romo and Terrell Owens30. Terrell Owens…when he shuts up and just plays. And Tony Romo…when he can hang on to the football.

      31. The Bengals. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the field.

      32. Al Davis. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the filed.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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