Category: Saints on Social Media

Tyrann Mathieu: Saints among teams that should inquire about Deshaun Watson

Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu wants to see his former teammate, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, traded to the New Orleans Saints.

Don’t look now, but Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu is busy stirring the pot on Twitter. With the Houston Texans in the middle of building a new braintrust and their franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson sharing cryptic tweets online, Mathieu responded with one of his own messages — by naming three teams he’d like to see make a run at Watson in a blockbuster trade.

And, naturally, his hometown New Orleans Saints were first on his mind. He included the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears as afterthoughts, but New Orleans appears to be his preference.

The Saints quarterbacks situation is a little murky. Drew Brees is under contract for the 2021 season, but he’s expected to retire and begin a broadcasting career with NBC Sports once the playoffs have wrapped up. That leaves backup Taysom Hill as the only passer under contract for the future, with fellow reserves Jameis Winston and Trevor Siemian both headed for free agency.

So we should anticipate some new additions to the quarterbacks room this year. Just don’t count on Watson being among them. The four-year, $156 million contract extension he recently signed makes moving him cost-prohibitive, and the draft assets it would take to pry him away from Houston should easily dwarf the largest packages in NFL history, including the infamous Ricky Williams trade.

It’s a fun idea, and Watson would be an incredible windfall for New Orleans. But don’t look for any real news on this front.

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WATCH: Fully-masked Sean Payton celebrates with Saints after Vikings rout

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton joined his players for a postgame dance party to celebrate their win over the Minnesota Vikings.

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It’s good to see New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton embracing the league’s COVID-19 protocols, doing what’s important to keep those around him safe in the face of a pandemic. So he pointedly wore a mask and joined his team for a post-game celebration after their Week 16 win against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Saints were penalized by the NFL for not wearing masks in a similar get-together earlier this year, though other teams weren’t punished as strongly at the time. They’ve clearly learned their lesson, as has Payton. There’s ways for he and his crew to enjoy their time together and what they’ve accomplished within the confines of the rulebook. And this is proof of it.

So take a bow, Sean Payton. Cut the rug and strut your stuff. Here’s to an unprecedented fourth consecutive NFC South title, and to good luck in the postseason.

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Cameron Jordan after ejection vs. Chiefs: ‘Whatever the correction I will be better’

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was the recipient of a weak disqualification call in Week 15’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was the recipient of a weak disqualification call in Week 15’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs after getting locked up with an opponent after the whistle, with the officiating crew citing a thrown punch as a reason to throw him out of the contest.

Afterward, Jordan shouldered the blame for his team’s 32-29 loss, in which the Chiefs scored a critical touchdown moments after his departure (helped by the penalty yards he gave up along the way).

Jordan has been elected a team captain for most of his Saints career and remains one of the unit’s most visible leaders, so it’s no surprise to see him own up to his actions and take this responsibility. But as Saints coach Sean Payton himself said after the game, Jordan’s defense showed guts against the NFL’s best offense.

It’s commendable for Jordan to have this reaction, but he and his teammates shouldn’t beat themselves up for the loss. Hopefully, they’ll get another crack at the Chiefs soon with a fully armed and operational offense that can take advantage of its opportunities, maybe in the Super Bowl.

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Thomas Morstead shares Saints uniform combo for Week 15 vs. Chiefs

New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead said on Twitter that the team will wear black jerseys and pants for Week 15 against the Chiefs.

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Thomas Morstead is one of the team captains who votes each week on the New Orleans Saints uniform combination, and the Pro Bowl punter took time Friday to announce their upcoming pick: black jerseys with matching black pants. It’s been the most-popular look in the Sean Payton era, worn in 73 games since 2006 (including the playoffs).

This will be the 29th consecutive game the Saints have played without using their gold pants, which were also a fixture (91 games) until quarterback Drew Brees injured his throwing hand while wearing them in a Week 2 game with the Los Angeles Rams last year. Presumably superstitious after the incident, the Saints introduced white pants soon after and haven’t gone back to the gold since.

Brees is one of the team captains who votes each week; the group includes Morstead and linebacker Craig Robertson as special teams captains, with Brees and left tackle Terron Armstead representing the offense while linebacker Demario Davis, defensive end Cameron Jordan, and safety Malcolm Jenkins speak for the defense. As Morstead pointed out on Twitter, the decision to shun the gold pants falls to a group vote, “and we don’t all agree.”

The full rankings, for the superstitious (and those of you, like me, who are just a little stitious):

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 6-2 (.750)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 7-3 (.700)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 45-28 (.616)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

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Scott Shanle on Gregg Williams’ ill-advised blitz: ‘Can’t tell you how many times we ran that’

The Jets fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams after a game-losing blitz, which didn’t surprise former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle.

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New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams shocked the football world on Sunday when he called a cover zero all-out blitz in the final seconds against the Las Vegas Raiders, having put an undrafted rookie cornerback on first-round Olympic-quality athlete Henry Ruggs III with the game on the line. Ruggs predictably smoked his opponent on a vertical route, and the lack of safety help over the top set him up for the game-winning touchdown catch.

It was enough to cost Williams his job, as well as the ire of nearly everyone in the NFL’s orbit. But New Orleans Saints fans weren’t surprised at the poor decision by Williams, who served as their team’s D.C. from 2009 to 2011. Neither was former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, who played under Williams.

What’s a little odd is that Shanle defended his old coach, saying on Twitter: “Can’t tell you how many times we ran that pressure but had cornerbacks smart enough not to bite on a double move.”

Shanle also pointed to the obvious — noting that the Jets are probably firing everyone are what’s shaping up to be an 0-16 season, meaning Williams chose to go down fighting with an on-brand reckless blitz rather than a safer, more conventional approach.

But Williams has lost so many games with bad decisions like this that you’d think he had learned his lesson; the Saints’ 2011 divisional round classic ended with a similar play call in which San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis cut between the zones to catch a game-winning touchdown pass with Saints safety Roman Harper trailing in coverage.

So, yeah, Shanle is recalling correctly that the Saints ran a lot of these all-out blitzes, betting that the pressure would get home before the quarterback could finish his drop and get a pass off. But too often Williams’ aggression worked against him, and in one case it cost the Saints a Super Bowl bid. Maybe he just remembers it differently.

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WATCH: Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram reunite for ‘NFL GameDay’ film study

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara reunited with his former teammate Mark Ingram for an NFL GameDay preview segment.

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There haven’t been many better running back duos than Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, who shared the New Orleans Saints backfield in 2017 and 2018. “Boom and Zoom” combined for 5,364 scrimmage yards and 43 touchdowns scored in 31 games together, including the playoffs, but their combination of play styles and on-field success might have been outweighed by two charismatic personalities and genuine friendship.

So it’s great to see them together again in a segment for “NFL GameDay,” where both Pro Bowlers reviewed each other’s game tape since Ingram left in free agency to sign with the Baltimore Ravens.

“Get in the end zone, finish the play A.K.!” Ingram chided after Kamara’s 28-yard reception down the sideline against the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this year. The veteran back pointed to a similar highlight reel-worthy play Kamara made in their 2018 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, when Kamara beat his future teammate Malcolm Jenkins for a 37-yard touchdown grab.

It’s all good-natured ribbing between friends, and Kamara and Ingram clearly haven’t missed a beat despite the time and distance put between them. This isn’t their first collaboration in the years since that split; Kamara also appeared on Ingram’s “Truss Levelz” podcast with Cameron Jordan over the summer. Here’s to more of this great chemistry down the line.

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Saints defenders tip their hats to Broncos WR-turned-QB Kendall Hinton

New Orleans Saints defenders had to tip their hats to Denver Broncos WR-turned-QB Kendall Hinton, who made the most of an awful situation.

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Everyone appreciated how difficult a situation Kendall Hinton was thrust into — including his New Orleans Saints opponents. The practice squad wide receiver and former Wake Forest passer woke up this weekend and learned that he was going to start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos without having taken a single snap in practice after Denver’s entire depth chart was wiped out by COVID-19.

No, his numbers were not impressive. He went just 1-of-9 as a passer for 13 yards, adding 7 rushing yards on a pair of carries. But there aren’t many people who can go into a game and even complete a pass on such short notice against such a stout defense, which Saints captains Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis found commendable:

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Saints specialists pulling for Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller

New Orleans Saints Wil Lutz and Thomas Morstead are rooting for Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play at the FBS level.

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Several New Orleans Saints will be watching this week’s college football games unfold closely, but for once they aren’t watching their Alma maters. Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller is set to make history as the first woman to take the field in a Power 5 football game after successfully trying out for the team this week once several Commodores specialists were placed in quarantine due to COVID-19.

Fuller, a goalkeeper for Vanderbilt’s SEC championship-winning women’s soccer team, could join Katie Hnida (New Mexico) and April Goss (Kent State) as the only women to play at the FBS level. It would be a groundbreaking accomplishment, and it’s put Saints specialists Wil Lutz and Thomas Morstead on notice. The two NFL Pro Bowlers wrote well-wishes to Fuller before she and the Commodores kick off at noon ET Saturday on SEC Network:

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Roddy White bemoans Taysom Hill “playing backyard football and beating us”

New Orleans Saints backup Taysom Hill quarterbacked his way to a win over the Atlanta Falcons, bumming out retired wide receiver Roddy White

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Roddy White played the role of an antagonist in the New Orleans Saints’ rivalry with the Atlanta Falcons during his 11-year NFL career, often chirping with everyone from fans in the stands to Saints coach Sean Payton in games at the Superdome.

Considering the Saints were the only NFC South team he had a losing record against (going 7-15 over the years), it makes sense that he still feels some enmity towards a team he could never quite get the better of.

And as luck would have it, White spent the last week talking up how badly he was looking forwards to a Falcons upset in New Orleans. When reports came out Friday declaring Taysom Hill the starter in relief of Drew Brees, White took a preemptive victory lap.

Hill and the Saints got the last laugh, though. White spent much of the second half complaining about Hill’s play style proving difficult for his Falcons to defend and cheering on his old teammate Matt Ryan, who threw two interceptions and was sacked eight times on the afternoon.

And when the Saints sealed their 24-9 victory, Payton himself took time to celebrate by sharing one of White’s boisterous tweets to his own followers. It’s the sort of pettiness you love to see:

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Twitter melts down to news of Saints starting Taysom Hill vs. Falcons

The New Orleans Saints plan to start Taysom Hill against the Atlanta Falcons, prompting NFL fans on Twitter to lose their collective minds.

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ESPN reported that the New Orleans Saints plan to start backup quarterback Taysom Hill ahead of Jameis Winston against the Atlanta Falcons with Drew Brees out of action, and NFL fans on Twitter and across social media were stunned. Reactions ranged from cautiously optimistic to calls for calamity and disaster in New Orleans. See for yourself:

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