Tag: adversity

Falcons slayer Taysom Hill returning just when his team needs him most

The Saints are 10-4 against the Falcons when Taysom Hill was available, and he’s been critical to their success. He’s returning just when his team needs him most:

We’ve already talked about how important Taysom Hill is to the New Orleans Saints offense — but his history against this week’s opponent can’t be understated. You’d be hard-pressed to find a player in recent memory who has outplayed Hill when the Atlanta Falcons are lined up against him. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Hill is expected to play Sunday against the Falcons after missing last week’s game with a chest injury.

The Saints are 10-4 in games with Atlanta when Hill was available, and he’s been a critical piece to their success. Hill has logged 62 carries against the Falcons at 7.1 yards per attempt, a total of 438 yards on the ground. That’s more than anyone has put up against Atlanta since 2018 except for Hill’s Saints teammate Alvin Kamara (768). He’s tied with Ezekiel Elliiott and D’Onta Foreman for the most touchdown runs scored on them, too (4).

He’s also made plays through the air. Hill has caught all 10 targets thrown his way in games with the Falcons, gaining exactly 100 yards and scoring a touchdown. And when asked to throw he’s gone 57-of-75 for 702 yards and 4 touchdowns, without a single interception. Add all that up and Hill has touched the ball 147 times across 14 games, totaling 1,240 all-purpose yardage while scoring 9 touchdowns. He’s only turned the ball over three times, all fumbles.

So he’s returning to his team at the right time. The Saints are dealing with a ton of adversity after injuries hit them hard in Week 3’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Getting Hill back in the lineup could be just the shot in the arm they need to power through those challenges. It’s a team sport, to be sure, but having such an impactful individual like Hill back out there should be reassuring for the rest of the offense.

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Derek Carr on the adversity of losing Week 3 Eagles game

Derek Carr discussed the adversity in the Saints’ Week 3 loss to the Eagles, and why it’s an opportunity to grow as a team:

The New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a tough one, especially since the Saints were coming off a 2-0 start and looking for their first 3-0 start since 2013. Unfortunately, they were unable to overcome a late touchdown by the Eagles and threw an interception with less than a minute remaining on an ill-advised pass from Derek Carr.

Carr later discussed the ramifications of the game and the adversity they now have to overcome. Between mistakes, injuries to teammates, and a gut-punch loss in front of their home crowd it’s a lot of challenges to navigate: “It’s not going to be that easy all the time. For us, it’s a great opportunity. You get hit in the mouth, and with that said, I thought we responded to a tough, gritty game.”

He then continued on to discuss if the team is discouraged or anything in that vein, saying, “You’re pissed because you lost and you’re mad at that. You want to win all these games. At the end of the game we played a really good football team, and we knew what type of team they were.”

This is an opportunity for the Saints no doubt, heading into a divisional matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, but losing momentum could also be a difficult thing to overcome. We will see how things pan out in the coming weeks, and see if this brings them together or tears them apart.

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Chargers’ Tom Telesco on Justin Herbert’s 2022 campaign: ‘Adversity is a great teacher’

Tom Telesco said that he expects Justin Herbert to grow from the experience of his 2022 season.

The gut-wrenching end to the Chargers’ 2022 campaign left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans who thought the team was headed for Super Bowl glory when they clinched a spot in the AFC playoffs. But, alas, their utter collapse against the Jaguars in the Wild Card round proved that the team isn’t quite ready for the biggest spotlight.

Despite Los Angeles’ early playoff exit, general manager Tom Telecso is choosing to see the silver lining in the team’s situation. In comments during his end-of-season press conference, he gave his thoughts on how the Chargers’ current situation might make quarterback Justin Herbert even more effective next season.

“Adversity is a great teacher for anybody, especially at that position,” Telesco explained. “His mentality, when talking about mental toughness and how he handled situations — if you’re a player in the huddle and you’re looking at Justin Herbert, there’s no fear in his eyes, there’s no flinch.

“That’s what great leaders have. Sometimes, it does take some development to get there, to kind of go through those different battles and those different wars and see the success that you can have. That’s the type of guy you want in your huddle when you’re moving the ball down the field.”

Despite dealing with fractured rib cartilage for most of the season, missing multiple starters throughout the year and being hamstrung by an offensive scheme that did not tailor to his strengths, Herbert still put the team in a position to win weekly.

Nevertheless, Herbert did take a massive leap as a leader of the team and solidified himself as the face of the franchise. And now it’s time for him to get paid like one.

Telesco’s positivity is encouraging, though, for a team that hasn’t found postseason success for the better part of a decade, most fans are likely to think that his talk is cheap.

It will take sustained success to have the local or national media buy what Telesco is selling in his comments about the future. Still, if his team can improve in 2023, he may be able to win back some of the faith that was lost when the Chargers blew their massive lead against the Jaguars.

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson remains confident despite 2nd-straight loss

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson remains confident despite the team’s second-straight loss after falling to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Seattle Seahawks tumbled to 1-2 on the season after losing to the Vikings in Minnesota Week 3. While fans might be worried the team is on a downward spiral, quarterback Russell Wilson remains the eternal optimist.

“I’m super confident,” Wilson said during his postgame press conference. “I think that we are confident that we can respond in the right way. I thought we responded in the right way even this game in the sense of coming off of last week’s game. I thought our mentality was right coming into the game. The game was really there for the most part until late in the third quarter. Kind of got away from us there beginning of the fourth.”

Wilson knows the year will be a long one, especially with a 17-game season and a super-competitive NFC West. The veteran quarterback has played through adversity before and 2021 should be no different.

“So as we go through the season there will be challenges,” Wilson continued. “It’s going to be a journey. We’re not stopping here . . . You take one game at a time, play one moment at a time. We can always be cleaner and we can always be better. But I believe in this football team.

“I believe in what we can do and what we will do.”

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