Tag: c.j. gardner-johnson

C.J. Gardner-Johnson fined for late hit out of bounds vs. Panthers

New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson received a fine for striking Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robby Anderson out of bounds.

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Here’s one more low moment for New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. A week after his worst game as a pro, the second-year defensive back has been hit with a $5,128 penalty for unnecessary roughness in his team’s narrow win over the Carolina Panthers. Nola.com’s Amie Just first reported the fine.

Gardner-Johnson was also fouled on the play at the time, tacking on 15 yards to the Panthers after he shoved wide receiver Robby Anderson to the ground out of bounds. It turned a 26-yard gain into a 41-yard pickup for Carolina, leading to a Panthers touchdown minutes later.

Anderson victimized Gardner-Johnson in coverage throughout the matchup, with Pro Football Focus crediting the receiver with 4 catches on 5 targets to gain 59 yards when lined up against him. 3 of those receptions converted a first down, including the catch-and-run that preceded this illegal hit. Frustrations obviously boiled over.

As a rookie and former mid-round draft pick, Gardner-Johnson is only earning about $39,705 per week in base salary this season. So the fine he was just issued by the NFL amounts to nearly 12.9% of his total weekly earnings. It’s a costly reminder to remain disciplined, but should drive home how important it is for him to not hurt his team like that.

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Amid a contract year, Saints safety Marcus Williams changes agents

New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams fired his old agent and hired a new one while playing out the final year of his rookie contract.

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Marcus Williams entered the 2020 season as one of the highest priorities to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints, behind only running back Alvin Kamara and linebacker Demario Davis. Kamara and Davis each signed long-term contract extensions before the season kicked off, but Williams hasn’t played up to his potential in the weeks since — or even playing up to the level of someone who should be retained by the team.

So he’s probably become frustrated with any contract talks with the Saints, or a lack thereof. On Wednesday, Williams fired his agent (Todd France of Athletes First) and chose a new one (Tory Dandy of CAA, where France previously worked), though he must wait five days per NFLPA rules before making the switch final.

Williams’ decision was reported by Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, which was confirmed by Amie Just of Nola.Com.

Just added that Dandy has an impressive resume of clients currently signed with the Saints, including tight end Jared Cook, rookie guard Cesar Ruiz, and defensive backs P.J. Williams and Marshon Lattimore. France, who had represented Williams before the changeup, counts wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and safety D.J. Swearinger among his clients.

Maybe it leads to some momentum, one way or another. Williams was a great player for the Saints during his first three years, with the only real knock against him being occasional lapses in tackle discipline. But this season his strengths have receded and he’s allowed too many big plays through the air, whether on busted coverages or by being fouled for holding or defensive pass interference. It’s early, and he has plenty of time to turn it around, but early on he’s been a liability.

With also-talented safeties like Malcolm Jenkins and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the fold, maybe Williams could be shopped around before the Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline. Or maybe his new agent could ask for a trade. At this point, we can only speculate.

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Malcolm Jenkins downplays Michael Thomas drama: ‘We know where his heart is’

New Orleans Saints captain Malcolm Jenkins downplayed the drama surrounding wide receiver Michael Thomas, who was suspended after a fight.

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Malcolm Jenkins was one of the highest-graded New Orleans Saints players in Monday night’s big win over the Los Angeles Chargers; Pro Football Focus credited him with 3 quarterback pressures, 2 stops in run defense, and just 7 yards allowed in coverage. The first-year captain has been an important source of splash plays and veteran leadership on a defense that’s badly needed both.

But the big storyline this week has been the one-game suspension for star wide receiver Michael Thomas, which Jenkins discussed on the “Tiki and Tierney Show” on CBS Sports Radio. When asked if the incident has put a wall between Thomas and his Saints teammates, Jenkins shut down the notion.

“No, not from my seat,” Jenkins said, via Rod Walker of Nola.com. “Everybody knows we’re all highly competitive athletes and Michael is always on edge and plays with that chip on his shoulder. But, all of us need to know where those lines are that we can’t cross.”

That last comment referred to an exchange between Thomas and members of the coaching staff after he was separated from a fight with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Several reports suggested that parting shot played a bigger role in Thomas being benched for the prime-time Chargers game than the scrap itself; frustrations often boil over in practice and sometimes punches get thrown, which Jenkins noted isn’t unusual. So maybe this is a learning experience for his younger teammate.

Jenkins continued, “One mistake doesn’t change how we feel about our teammate. We know where his heart is.”

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Report: Michael Thomas suspension spurred by friction with coaches

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was suspended not just for fighting with a teammate, but for what he said to the coaches.

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It’s always something with the New Orleans Saints. Having come out ahead in a down-to-the-wire prime time game with the Los Angeles Chargers, they should have cruised smoothly into their bye week to regroup and prepare for the long haul.

Instead, they’re bickering with the city’s mayor about why they can’t pack tens of thousands of fans in the Superdome during a pandemic, and considering a temporary move to LSU’s Tiger Stadium. On top of that, tensions appear to be heated between the coaching staff and the team’s best player.

This Thomas suspension has been reported from the start as a one-game deal. But after Monday night’s victory, Saints coach Sean Payton wouldn’t commit to defining whether it will last longer than the one week, saying, “We’ll let you know when the time is right.”

The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that while Thomas was suspended for the Chargers game after a fight with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in practice, the bigger issue was Thomas mouthing off to coaches after he and Gardner-Johnson were separated. This follows an earlier report from NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill who said, “Thomas acted disrespectfully toward the coaches,” which crossed a line Payton couldn’t tolerate.

Duncan outlined a couple of other incidents here and there — Thomas was unhappy with how trainers taped up his ankle, and he accused a team employee of going through his mail — but this is a far cry from an Antonio Brown situation. Thomas has been working diligently to recover from his injury and get back on the field to help his team win games.

A scrap between two of the most competitive players on the roster and some words said in the heat of the moment, plus whatever other slights Duncan was able to ferret out, don’t compare to real “diva” behavior. Relax.

It may already be behind them. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Sunday that Thomas had already met with Payton one-on-one to talk things out, including his one-week suspension and loss of a game check. So this could all end up being nothing but a footnote at season’s end.

Maybe a week away from the facility is what everyone needs. The Saints have had a lot of success since Thomas rose to prominence. We’ll see how the situation looks after the bye week, but stay tuned for any developments.

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Saints Twitter reactions to Michael Thomas-C.J. Gardner-Johnson fight

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was suspended for Week 5’s Chargers game after a fight in practice with C.J. Gardner-Johnson

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The New Orleans Saints suspended wide receiver Michael Thomas for Week 5’s game with the Los Angeles Chargers after an altercation during practice with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (who also goes by “Ceedy Duce”), and it drew a range of reactions from NFL fans across social media.

It’s understandable that people would be frustrated by this. Thomas hasn’t played since suffering an ankle sprain back in Week 1, and he’s experienced enough to know better than to swing at a teammate (especially when they’ve got their helmet on). His team has a 2-2 record and could have really used his help.

But he and Gardner-Johnson are two of the most competitive guys on the team, and they’ve gotten into scraps before. Hopefully Thomas getting benched sends a strong enough message from Sean Payton to keep tempers from flaring up again later on down the road.

 

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Team-rules suspensions have been rare in the Sean Payton era

The New Orleans Saints suspended all-star wide receiver Michael Thomas for one game, marking their third team-rules discipline in 7 years.

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It’s been a while since the New Orleans Saints last sidelined a player for a violation of team rules. You have to go back to the 2017 season when cornerback P.J. Williams was disciplined during a road trip to London, opening the door for Ken Crawley’s first start (several years later, they’ll be playing together again on Monday night).

That makes it all the more unusual that wide receiver Michael Thomas was suspended for a fight in practice. He exchanged words with defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the practice session before punching his teammate, leading to a one-week suspension before the bye.

Back in 2014, wide receiver Joe Morgan was suspended two weeks after a difficult stint with the team, including a 2013 DUI charge and some in-game miscues. Sean Payton’s patience eventually wore out, and Morgan was released.

Other players have been suspended by the NFL here and there; the 2012 Bountygate suspensions stand out, but they were quickly overturned by independent arbitrator Paul Tagliabue. Former Saints players including wide receiver Willie Snead and running back Mark Ingram have been suspended by the league in the past, and backup tackle James Hurst recently finished serving his own suspension (from his time with the Baltimore Ravens, coincidentally Snead and Ingram’s new team) before joining the Saints for work.

So that’s three team suspensions in seven years for the Saints. It’s hardly a trend or common tactic of preferred Payton’s, but it is something he’s kept in his toolbox. We’ll see where things go for Thomas from here.

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PFF: C.J. Gardner-Johnson led the NFL’s defensive backs in Week 1 stops

Pro Football Focus lauded New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had a great game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson had a strong rookie year for the New Orleans Saints, but he’s elevated his game to open his second season in the NFL. Gardner-Johnson (whose new moniker of “Ceedy Duce” has not been reflected on the Saints roster, or his jersey) all but flew out of the gate in Week 1 to earn serious recognition from the analysts at Pro Football Focus.

PFF maintains a signature stat for defensive stops that is defined as “tackles that constitute a loss for the offense.” These aren’t just tackles for a loss of yards; context matters for each down played:

  • On a first down, if the offense gets 45% of the way to a first down or less
  • On a second down, if the offense gets 60% of the way to a first down or less
  • On a third or fourth down, if the offense doesn’t get a first down

And Gardner-Johnson outplayed the rest of the NFL in this category after Week 1’s slate of games. PFF credited him with more defensive stops than any other safety or cornerback, and the third-most of all players.

Gardner-Johnson was a huge part of the Saints’ success in bottling up the Buccaneers run game. Tampa Bay was determined to run on first downs against lighter Saints defensive packages (where they predominately fielded five or six defensive backs rather than extra linebackers), but Gardner-Johnson was impressive. His first four tackles each came on first-and-10 run plays, limiting the Buccaneers to gains of just 4, 2, 1, and 2 yards. He had two other tackles on first-down run plays that stopped Tampa Bay short of 2-yard gains.

That sort of effectiveness in making tackles in space — on downs where the offense has an advantage on paper, putting bigger blockers against lighter defenders — has a ripple effect on the rest of the defense. More short stops on first down puts the offense into longer spots to convert on subsequent downs, shifting leverage back New Orleans’ way. It’ll take more quality reps like these from Gardner-Johnson to keep the Saints in the win column.

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WATCH: Emmanuel Butler picks up where he left off at Saints training camp

Emmanuel Butler impressed again at New Orleans Saints training camp, bullying defenders while connecting with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill

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The darling of last year’s New Orleans Saints training camp was rookie wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, who made the jump from Northern Arizona to give defenders fits all throughout the summer. But an injury after an awkward landing in practice slowed him down, and he only suited up for one preseason game before spending the year on the practice squad.

That experience must have paid off, because Butler has quickly resumed his spot in the training camp highlight reel. The 23-year old stood out in one-on-one drills, outleaping Ceedy Duce (the safety formerly known as C.J. Gardner-Johnson) for a high pass from Jameis Winston. See it for yourself:

But it wasn’t the first time Butler outplayed Duce on Monday. He also connected with Taysom Hill on a route deep downfield, catching the pass in stride after having separated from No. 22. It’s a beaut:

We’ll see if Butler is able to play his way into the first-team offense and draw some targets from Drew Brees. It’s encouraging to see him doing so well in individual work, but his success in a bigger spot with the starting offense will do more to decide whether he makes the opening-day roster or spends another season on the practice squad.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson says he’s changing his name

Former Florida Gators DB and New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said on Instagram that he’s changing his name to Ceedy Duce.

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One of the most electrifying players for the New Orleans Saints will be answering to a new name in 2020: second-year safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson announced on his personal Instagram account that he is changing his name to “Ceedy Duce,” describing his decision as it being “time to pave my way for my own.”

It’s not the first time the safety formerly known as Gardner-Johnson has switched things up. He spent his first two years with the Florida Gators listed as Chauncey Gardner Jr.; in his junior year, he hyphenated his last name to honor his stepfather Brian Johnson.

And when he went pro, he began going by C.J., rather than “Chauncey Jr.” So this isn’t a unprecedented behavior for him, though the meaning behind “Ceedy Duce” isn’t very clear. For now, the roster on the official Saints website lists him as C.J. Gardner-Johnson. We’ll keep an eye out for when and if it changes.

Gardner-Johnson, or Duce, joined the Saints as a fourth-round draft pick last summer and rapidly climbed the depth chart for his playmaking ability. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound defensive back started 7 of 16 games played, doing most of his damage while covering the slot. He deflected 8 passes while returning an interception 28 yards, and fielding a fumble 37 yards. 38 of his 49 combined tackles were solo stops, including half a dozen tackles for loss.

It’s a promising start to his career. Now we’ll see whether he can carve out a starting job while surrounded by a group of veterans including Malcolm Jenkins, P.J. Williams, and Patrick Robinson. Whether he ends up playing mostly in the box as a safety or in the slot as the team’s nickel defender, he’s sure to make an impact.

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ESPN reports Vonn Bell, Bengals agreed on $6 million per-year contract

The New Orleans Saints replaced Vonn Bell with Malcolm Jenkins. Bell agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

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New Orleans Saint safety Vonn Bell agreed to a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in a situation that feels uncomfortably similar to last offseason’s loss of Mark Ingram. Both players were offered contracts by the Saints, but the team was forced to move on to other options owing to the rapidly-changing nature of the market. For Ingram, that meant landing with the Baltimore Ravens after Latavius Murray took his roster spot. And for Bell, it also means leaving for the AFC North after the Saints signed Malcolm Jenkins instead.

What stings for Bell, though, may be his contract details. Per ESPN, Bell agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract with the Bengals, which clocks in below the roughly $7.5 million per-year offer the Saints put on the table. It’s disappointing to see an up-and-comer like Bell leave New Orleans, especially for less money than the Saints reportedly offered him.

Maybe Bell overplayed his hand, or anticipated a more actively-interested free agent market. Maybe he got bad advice. Whatever the case, he’s now returning to Ohio after coming into his own in the NFL, playing football again not too far away from Ohio State, where he starred in college. It’s great that he got his money and will have the opportunity to play next to an accomplished free safety (the Bengals’ Jessie Bates is one of the better players at his position), but you have to wonder whether this was unnecessary had he accepted the offer the Saints made him.

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