Tag: battle

Dennis Allen impressed by second-round draft pick Alontae Taylor

Dennis Allen has been impressed by second-round draft pick Alontae Taylor, crediting the rookie cornerback with rapid development. He has a shot at starting in 2022:

The 2022 NFL draft went off without a hitch for the New Orleans Saints, who for once followed the track laid out in a lot of mock drafts by picking wide receiver Chris Olave and left tackle Trevor Penning in the first round. But things went off the rails in round two — as far as fans could see, anyway, in the surprise selection of Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor. Corner wasn’t widely seen as a need, and there was pre-draft speculation that Taylor might be converted to safety in the NFL. The pick was a little confusing, from the outside looking in.

Taylor has been rotating in and out of drills with Paulson Adebo, the 2021 third rounder who worked his way into the starting lineup. And the competition between them might be more intense than we’d first expect. A couple of months and many reps in practice later, and Saints head coach Dennis Allen has been surprised by Taylor, too. But Allen is enjoying what he’s seeing out of the first-year pro.

“I really like (Taylor). I think he’s probably a little further ahead than what I anticipated when he got in here,” Allen told Nola.com’s Rod Walker, adding: “I’m excited about seeing what he can do.”

We shouldn’t read too deeply into quotes like that in June, but it’s worth acknowledging that Taylor has a shot at displacing Adebo if things go his way. He’s doing the right things and competing well in practice, which is as strong a start to the process as you could hope for. It’s a result of the hard work Taylor has put into developing his craft.

And Adebo’s rookie year wasn’t flawless. Sure, he was the only defender on the team to start in all 17 games, but he also led New Orleans with 7 penalties (1 declined), which tied the NFL lead among rookie corners. Pro Football Focus charting found he yielded 733 receiving yards into his coverage, the highest total in the 2021 draft class. He was also dinged with 10 missed tackles, 7 of them on passing plays. It’s fair to say he had his ups and downs.

So it’s far from impossible to imagine Taylor trotting out there in the season opener against those dirty birds wearing Malcolm Jenkins’ old No. 27 jersey. If anything, things are shaping up for a fascinating training camp battle between two talented young corners. With Marshon Lattimore anchoring one side of the field and Bradley Roby waiting for either of them to slip up, the Saints finally seem to have real depth at cornerback. Let’s see how it all shakes out.

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Rare battle between rhino and buffalo caught on video

A ranger in South Africa’s Kariega Game Reserve has captured “extremely rare” footage showing a white rhinoceros in head-to-head battle with a Cape buffalo.

A ranger in a South African game reserve has captured “extremely rare” footage showing a white rhinoceros in head-to-head battle with a ferocious buffalo.

The tale of the tape favors the rhino – they can weigh nearly 6,000 pounds – but the 1,500-pound Cape buffalo proved a worthy and formidable opponent.

“The incredible strength of both species is on display here as well as the obstinate nature of the buffalo!” Kariega Game Reserve wrote on Facebook. “Completed with great commentary by the guests present.”

In the footage, best viewed with sound, other buffalo gather around the combatants as if to enjoy a better view. A female rhino and her calf observe from a safer distance.

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Remarkably, the same ranger and guide, Wayne Deryck Howarth, captured footage three years ago showing a battle involving the same rhino and possibly the same buffalo.

Kariega Game Reserve stated that the male rhino had recently been trailing the female rhino and her calf and “is probably full of romance and testosterone.”

The reserve described what the tour group witnessed as “an extremely rare sighting.”

–Image courtesy of Kariega Game Reserve

Blake Gillikin, Thomas Morstead’s former understudy, wins Saints punter competition

The New Orleans Saints waived rookie punter Nolan Cooney on Tuesday, meaning Thomas Morstead’s understudy Blake Gillikin will replace his mentor:

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Say hello to the punter for the New Orleans Saints. The team waived rookie prospect Nolan Cooney on Tuesday during the second wave of roster cuts, meaning that Blake Gillikin has functionally won his training camp competition. Sean Payton hasn’t formally named Gillikin the starter, but unless the Saints bring in someone else for a look he’s now the only punter on the depth chart.

Gillikin first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State last year, arriving to New Orleans with nothing guaranteed beyond a $5,000 signing bonus. He spent his rookie year on injured reserve (stated to be a back issue) while working as Thomas Morstead’s understudy, learning the ropes from one of the most consistent punters in the NFL over the last decade. Those lessons helped him string together dependable results throughout training camp and two preseason games.

Sure, there was some writing on the wall. Gillikin had been working as the holder on field goal tries and point-after kicks. Interestingly, Cooney got the nod for kickoffs in both exhibition games, so that’s one area we haven’t seen Gillikin try out. He’s boomed a couple of punts for 60-plus yards so I don’t anticipate that being a problem for him. At any rate: the Saints held a true competition at punter, and the better player emerged victorious. Let’s see how Gillikin performs when the regular season kicks off in a few short weeks.

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New Orleans Saints roster locks and long shots on special teams

The New Orleans Saints have two-thirds of their specialists locked in, but a competition is raging at punter between Blake Gillikin and Nolan Cooney:

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Get excited: our position previews for New Orleans Saints training camp continues with the special teams unit, where the Saints are enjoying some veteran continuity at two key spots with serious competition ongoing to complete the group. The team moved on from Thomas Morstead this year, but they have a pair of promising young punters working hard to replace him. Let’s evaluate the roster locks, long shots, and players on the bubble for New Orleans’ special teams unit:

Jack Fox wins Lions punter battle, Arryn Siposs waived

Jack Fox wins the Detroit Lions punter battle, as Dave Birkett of the Free press reports that the team is waiving rookie Arryn Siposs.

Jack Fox has apparently won the Detroit Lions punter battle, as Dave Birkett of the Free press is reporting that the team is waiving undrafted rookie Arryn Siposs.

It was a heated training camp battle at punter and with no preseason to help separate performances between competitors, the Lions went with Fox who had a more consistent leg during camp. Fox has had more time in the NFL — just a year, but it makes a difference — and it surely helped him beat out the Australian rookie.

But don’t count Siposs out just yet. He showed enough pop in his leg that he may have earned a spot on the practice squad which would, in theory, keep this competition going into the regular season.

After an earlier report that the team was releasing long snapper Steve Wirtel, the Lions kicking specialist group has now been set with Matt Prater (kicker), Don Muhlbach (long snapper), and Fox getting the nod to start the season.

Anthony Chickillo expects a smooth transition to Saints’ scheme

The New Orleans Saints signed Anthony Chickillo, a career backup and special teams ace with the Pittsburgh Steelers who likes his chances.

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The New Orleans Saints got deeper at linebacker by signing Anthony Chickillo, a backup and special teams ace for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And Chickillo immediately faced questions about how he’d adapt to live in the Saints defense — largely built around four-man fronts — after a career in the Steelers’ 3-4, where he often played with a hand in the dirt.

Fortunately, the Saints are one of many modern defenses embracing versatility in today’s NFL. They don’t limit themselves to a 3-4 or 4-3 on every snap, or even ask the big men up front to always play with a hand in the dirt. There’s room for a variety of skills sets in their scheme. And that appealed to Chickillo when he was weighing his options in free agency.

“I’m not entirely sure (where he’ll be lining up), but I know I’m putting my hand back down in the dirt,” Chickillo said in a recent conference call with local media. “In Pittsburgh, we were in a two-point stance. We were in a 3-4 and still on some passing situations I was able to put my hand down, so it’s not like I haven’t done in the past five years.”

Chickillo added that he’s looking forward to rushing against blockers from a three-point stance, which he did often in college at defensive end for the Miami Hurricanes. The added leverage and burst off the snap he enjoys from that stance is, in his words, “a lot of fun.”

He’s not the only new addition with that background. Zack Baun, one of the four Saints draft picks, often played up on the line of scrimmage at Wisconsin. Like Chickillo, Baun was sometimes asked to rush upfield out of a three-point stance, though the rookie did his best work from a stand-up look. Having two comparable skills sets should push both players to give it their all, making sure that every opportunity is fully earned.

However, it shouldn’t be a shock if both Baun and Chickillo end up getting looks at defensive end. The Saints lost veteran reserve Noah Spence to a torn ACL while he was working out privately, and could use any boost they can get. The mix-and-match personnel alignments the Saints feature up front would have probably seen the two linebackers slide over anyway, but the Saints are incentivized even more now to try them out in different spots.

When asked whether he anticipates an adjustment to his new team, Chickillo anticipated some sort of learning curve, but nothing he couldn’t handle: “Like I said in Pittsburgh, I was rushing out of a three-point stance, really whenever we ran our nickel package.”

And Chickillo doesn’t think that it’s an accident that the Saints came calling with this role in mind. He recalled two games against New Orleans in which he showed the Saints coaching staff what they may have been looking for.

He continued, “I got to (play in a three-point stance) a whole bunch and when we played New Orleans in the (2016) preseason, I was rushing out of a three-point stance in the Superdome and when we played in the (2018) regular season I was rushing off a three-point stance. I’m sure the coaches saw that I was able to do that.”

Chickillo also said that his background in special teams — where he’s taken more career snaps than on defense — should help his chances of making the roster in New Orleans. The Saints have several linebackers competing for a handful of roster spots, and any edge they can provide in the game’s third phase could be what decides who makes it through roster cuts in September.

Now, whether Chickillo ends up being a better option than Craig Robertson, Kaden Elliss, Joe Bachie, or even Kiko Alonso remains to be seen. But he’s not lacking for confidence, and there’s a lot to be said for that. It’s just another fun training camp battle for fans to watch later this summer.

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