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Shaun Rogers Visits Saints on His Tour as NFL Free Agent Tackle

February 17, 2011   Ray Glier   No comments

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When the Atlanta Falcons played the Cleveland Browns on a toasty day in the 2010 regular season, the Falcons went right to their no-huddle offense and stuck with it. The Browns’ defensive linemen were gasping, and that included Shaun Rogers, 31 years old, who has been cut by the Browns.

He’s a run stuffer, a big guy, and the Saints are supposedly looking for a defensive tackle. Is this the best fit? Maybe it is when the Saints play the Panthers, but considering the Falcons’ no-huddle and the wheels on Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman, how does Rogers fit?

You also have to look at Rogers reluctance to practice during the week, according to Cleveland.com. There were times he did not practice until Friday’s light workout. No wonder he was out of gas on Sunday when the Falcons put on some jets.

The Saints had Sedrick Ellis and Remi Ayodele as starting defensive tackles this season and Ellis is emerging as a very good player. Ayodele had some solid games for the Saints, so Rogers is more about depth than anything.

But are the Saints better off with him than Anthony Hargrove as part of the rotation? Hargrove is a free agent and so is Ayodele.

It might not have looked like it in the playoff loss to Seattle, but the Saints defense was better this season than the Super Bowl season because it was better upfront against the run. Just ask Michael Turner of the Falcons or Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers.

 

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Saints’ Running Back Platoon Faces Uncertain Offseason

February 11, 2011   Ray Glier   No comments

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The New Orleans Saints waived tailback P.J. Hill, who spent the season on injured reserve, but that does nothing to clear up a muddled running back picture.

Hill tore his triceps in the preseason and was part of a avalanche of injuries in the backfield, which included Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Lynell Hamilton.

The Saints finished 28th in rushing and put way too much on the shoulders of quarterback Drew Brees, who set a career high in interceptions. The pass rush did not have to slow down too much, especially with Bush out with a broken leg and no threat on short tosses.

Hill is a big back out of Wisconsin, a Big Ten runner who will get another chance.

Will Thomas get another chance in New Orleans? The team’s leading rusher in 2009, he suffered a high ankle sprain and was in and out of the lineup all 2010.

Thomas, depending on the new collective bargaining agreement, could be an unrestricted free agent. He wants a deal. Do the Saints want him?

Thomas played two of his first three seasons in the NFL near the league minimum, and led the Saints in rushing two of his first three seasons. He was a quite a bargain.

Still, the Saints gave him just $1.7 million in 2010, which made him angry and he skipped some offseason workouts. Then, this season, there was a suggestion inside the Saints’ camp to a national reporter that Thomas was not working hard enough to get back from a high ankle sprain. There was more ill will.

Bush is owed $11.8 million next season, but the Saints can void the deal. Bush can take less or walk.

 

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Saints Have Plenty of Roster Decisions to Make Regarding Free Agents

February 09, 2011   Ray Glier   No comments

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Start counting down the list of unrestricted free agents with the Saints. Keep going, keep going … 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.

That’s a lot. New Orleans finished 12-5 in 2010, a year after winning the Super Bowl, and there is a roster adjustment to be made before 2011. This could look like a different team in 2011, if there is a 2011.

Look at the list: Defensive back Darren Sharper, defensive linemen Jimmy Wilkerson and Anthony Hargrove. Then there is wide receiver Lance Moore, safety Roman Harper, tight end David Thomas, running back Pierre Thomas, safety Usama Young, tackle Jermon Bushrod.

Kick return man Courtney Roby is a nice player and is a free agent. Cornerback Leigh Torrence made some contributions when the secondary was riddled with injuries. Center Jonathan Goodwin is on the list.

Reggie Bush is due $11.8 million in 2011. He’ll never see it. He’s as good as a free agent. Bush was paid $8 million in 2010, but didn’t earn it because of his broken leg.

Pierre Thomas is still looking for a sweeter deal than the club was willing to offer when he was a restricted free agent. He is a back playing in rotation and he’s been hurt. Thomas might be gone, especially with the rookie Chris Ivory showing up big for the Saints.

 

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Saints Must Address Poor Special Teams in Offseason Once Again

February 01, 2011   Ray Glier   No comments

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There was a tight focus on the New Orleans Saints‘ special teams early in the season. Kicker Garrett Hartley struggled, which included a missed field goal in overtime that would have beaten the Atlanta Falcons.

But Hartley turned out to be the least of the problems for the Saints, who have some issues to resolve again on special teams. Hartley, who lost his job briefly during the regular season, made his last 13 field goal attempts of the season.

There was the shocking special teams breakdown in the upset loss to the Browns, 30-17. Joshua Cribbs passed across the field to Eric Wright on a punt return, and Wright ran 62 yards to the New Orleans 19 to set up a field goal. Punter Reggie Hodges ran 68 yards on a fake punt to the Saints 9 to set up another field goal.

New Orleans won the Super Bowl in 2009 despite subpar production from special teams and made it a focus for 2010, but they were lacking again. The Saints were 28th in defending punt returns and 24th in defending kickoff returns.

There were some other issues. The Saints two kickoff return men, Courtney Roby and Pierre Thomas, suffered injuries during the season. That hurt production.

The punt return game suffered with Reggie Bush‘s broken leg in Week 2. The Saints were 23rd in punt return average.

What happens next season with Bush’s status? He has a big chunk of money coming to him in 2011 and it remains to be seen how much the Saints want to pay him once the labor issues are settled. Roby, the top kick returner, is listed as a free agent.

The surprising part of the season was that punter Thomas Morstead did not miss any games. He suffered a significant shoulder injury against New England in the preseason, but still played every game and averaged 45.9 yards per kick.

 

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Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory Leave Saints With RB Questions

January 19, 2011   Ray Glier   No comments

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Will Reggie Bush play for less in 2011, if there is a 2011 season? He will probably have to.

He went through an injury-marred season in 2010 and now the all-purpose star of the Saints is coming into the last year of his contract where he is due $11.8 million. Given the concerns of owners for their finances it is difficult to see Bush staying in New Orleans when he is due that much money.

He can be cut, as per terms of the deal, or he could re-negotiate and come back for less money as long as a couple of seasons are tacked on.

“Common sense would tell you probably not,” Bush told the Associated Press when asked if he could be back at his $11.8 million number. “We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what we can do and how we can make this thing work.”

Bush was not worth the $8 million he was paid this season because of the broken leg he suffered in Week 2 of the season. Bush played in eight games and had 150 yards. He caught 34 passes for 208 yards.

Bush scored one touchdown.

There is no way he gets $11.8 million, or even $8 million.

But what does he do to the opponents’ game plan? He takes a defender out of the middle of the field for Drew Brees away from the slant. When Bush goes in motion to the sideline he has to be followed and a defender has to be close for the quick throw. If he gets the ball with too much space, it is 10 yards, at least.

Does a young running back like Chris Ivory make more sense for the Saints and the future health of Brees? The Saints dump a lot on Brees and he can handle it, but at what price.

Ivory, an undrafted rookie, is a cheap get. He ran for 716 yards and picked up a lot of slack left by Bush and Pierre Thomas, who battled a high ankle sprain. Thomas was healthy enough to rush for 269 yards.

Thomas is going to be an unrestricted free agent when the collective bargaining agreement expires March 4. The Saints would not pay him last summer when he was a restricted free agent and he asked for a king-sized deal after leading the Saints in rushing in 2010.

 

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Saints vs. Seahawks: Preview & Prediction

January 07, 2011   John Hickey   No comments

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Marshawn LynchSaturday’s game between the wild-card New Orleans Saints (11-5) and the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks (7-9) will cover some uncharted terrain.

Home-field advantage is always a huge issue in the playoffs, and everybody seems to agree that the din put out by the Seattle fans is second to none in the NFL, making it hard on the visitors. Even so, the Saints are 10½-point favorites in this one, the largest point spread for a visiting team in an NFL playoff game in recent memory.

The Saints have never won a road playoff game. Last year, en route to the Super Bowl, New Orleans had a bye the first week of the playoffs, then two home games.

More than that, the Saints have had to put running backs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas on injured reserve. So in quest of its first-ever road playoff win, New Orleans has to go without Ivory, whose running and pass-catching was so vital a year ago, and Thomas, who had stepped up to stabilize the Saints’ offense by averaging more than five yards per carry.

 

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Chris Ivory Placed on Injured Reserve

January 04, 2011   Ray Glier   No comments

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You know that point spread in Seattle between the Seahawks and Saints? It could shrink some in the next 24 hours. Chris Ivory, the leading rusher for New Orleans, has been placed on injured reserve with a foot injury and is out for the season.

Ivory was one of four Saints injured in the game with Tampa Bay on Sunday. An undrafted rookie free agent, he burst on the scene this season as the Saints suffered one injury after another in their backfield.

Ivory rushed for 716 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Even with the return from injury of veterans Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, Ivory still figured to get significant work in the postseason.

Thomas, who missed 10 games with a high ankle sprain, did not play Sunday because of an injury. His status is not immediately clear.

New Orleans needs a run game to keep the pressure off quarterback Drew Brees. Sometimes the Saints accomplish that with their screen game and that could be the case again.

The other thing to watch is Bush. There was a draw play Sunday against Tampa Bay where he darted with full jets out of the backfield. It looked like he had every bit of burst he had before suffering a broken leg earlier in the season.

 

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Saints vs. Seahawks: Defending Champs Take Aim at Upset-Minded Seattle

January 03, 2011   Chris Burke   No comments

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Saints at SeahawksThe Saints, defending champions of the NFL, finished the regular season 11-5; Seattle won in Week 17 to improve to 7-9. Yet, it’s the Saints who have to make the cross-country to trip to visit the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs.

Seattle, winners of the NFC West by virtue of a final-week win over St. Louis, will try to guarantee that we’ll see a new team celebrating come February by pulling what would be one of the bigger upsets in recent postseason memory. It won’t be easy — New Orleans opened as a 10 1/2-point favorite, despite playing away from home, and the Saints present numerous matchup problems for the Seahawks.

Here’s a look at the NFC wild-card round matchup.

Game Information

Saturday, Jan. 8, 4:30 p.m. ET at Qwest Field in Seattle. Game will be broadcast on NBC and will be the first of four NFL wild-card round playoff games.

Previous Meeting

Seattle fell 34-19 at New Orleans in Week 11. Seattle jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Saints responded with a 27-point first-half outburst sparked by a Chris Ivory TD run. Marques Colston and Robert Meachem each caught two TD passes, as New Orleans pulled away from Seattle to improve to 7-3. The loss dropped the Seahawks to 5-5 on the year at the time.

 

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Saints Aim to Aid Defense by Regulating Pace on Offense vs. Falcons

December 20, 2010   Ray Glier   No comments

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The New Orleans Saints (10-4) will have an issue Monday night in the Georgia Dome. Just how much do they want to try and play up tempo against the Atlanta Falcons?

The Saints have a no huddle offense, of course, and they can spray the ball around and gas the defense with a lot of different weapons.

But what if the Falcons go on one of their long drives with their no huddle? What if they keep the Saints’ defense out on the field?

Then, if New Orleans uses its no huddle and they have a quick three-and-out, the defense is right back out on the field. That defense could be awfully tired. The game could have some pivotal moments in the first quarter.

It could be the Saints try and get a conventional first down with scripted plays and then go to the no huddle. Either way, there will be a chess match Monday night.

“The challenge is that you have to be smart,” coach Sean Payton said. “If you decide to use it and your defense needs rest because they’ve been out on the field, you can be right back out on the field defensively. There was a time in the (Baltimore) game in the first half where we were contemplating going into it and our defense was on the field. We stayed away from it.

 

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Saints Focused on Clinching Playoff Berth This Weekend Despite the Weather

December 13, 2010   Ray Glier   No comments

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The Saints (10-3) can clinch at least a playoff wild card spot on Sunday if they can beat the Baltimore Ravens and the Green Bay Packers lose at New England and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose at home to the Detroit Lions.

That is a tough task. The Saints will go into Baltimore to play a veteran team and the weather conditions will be much different than the Louisiana Superdome. Temperatures will be in the 30s and could produce a wintry mix that could affect the pass-heavy New Orleans offense.

The Saints have won six straight, which has included a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are also an AFC North team. That game, however, was played within the cozy confines of the Superdome.

The Ravens certainly have much more experience playing in cold weather conditions. The Saints played at Cincinnati on Dec. 5 in chilly weather and won, 34-30.

“I think we are a team that can handle either playing inside or outside,” said Saints coach Sean Payton. “I think that we are a team that is battle tested and we have been able to handle the elements whether it’s been wind or cold weather. I think we look more closely at travel logistics in regards to Thursday games or Monday games then we do weather games.

 

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