Tag: change

Saints punter Lou Hedley has chosen a new jersey number

Australian punter Lou Hedley has chosen a new jersey number in his second season with the Saints:

There isn’t a new punter kicking for the New Orleans Saints, but the one they have will be wearing a new number. Second-year pro Lou Hedley has given up his No. 39 jersey to switch to the more-appealing No. 15, per the team website. It’s a new number for him after he wore No. 94 in college at Miami.

So who will be wearing his old jersey number? Right now, that’s been assigned to rookie kicker Charlie Smyth. So the Saints’ Australian punter will be wearing No. 15 and their Irish kicker is using No. 39.

Fans should expect some competition to be brought in for Hedley, though it’s likelier to be a rookie free agent signing than a veteran pickup. While the Saints’ coaching staff were largely pleased with Hedley’s performance in his rookie year, he struggled to give his coverage team much hang time or room to work with. He ranked last in the league in both hang time (4.03 seconds) and yards per punt (43). We rated him with a D in our rookie report cards at the end of the year.

Still, it’s possible Hedley beats his competition again and earns another year in black and gold. If he does overcome that challenge, he’ll be wearing No. 15.

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Willie Gay has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number

Willie Gay has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number. He’s going back to the same number he wore in college at Mississippi State:

It only took a week for Willie Gay to go through two different jersey numbers. The New Orleans Saints initially listed their newest linebacker in the same No. 50 he wore with the Kansas City Chiefs — but he’s now slotted into No. 6, which is the jersey number he used in college at Mississippi State. It ties in well with Gay reuniting with so many familiar faces from his college days, like teammates Johnathan Abram and J.T. Gray, as well as his old defensive coordinator Todd Grantham (the current defensive line coach for New Orleans).

The number only became available when the Saints released safety Marcus Maye at the start of the new league year last Wednesday, the same day Gay’s signing was announced. Before the NFL relaxed its rules for jersey numbers in 2021, just seven players had used No. 6 in Saints history, all specialists (most notably punters Thomas Morstead from 2009-2020 and Tommy Barnhardt from 1987-1999).

Now, it’s in high demand. But Gay isn’t the only Saints free agent pickup to have chosen his new jersey number. Backup quarterback Nathan Peterman is using No. 10, which is new for him; he wore No. 14 with the Chicago Bears  last year but opted for a different number in New Orleans. But veteran wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. is using the same No. 11 jersey he wore for the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys. No word yet on which number defensive end Chase Young is going to wear, though.

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Which jersey number is Chase Young going to use with the Saints?

Forget the contract and schematic fit. The real question is which jersey number is Chase Young going to use with the New Orleans Saints?

The New Orleans Saints made a splash in free agency by signing Chase Young, who could do a lot to change Cameron Jordan’s role and allow them to both play their best football. But beyond the salary cap ramifications of acquiring Young and how he’ll fit into the defense, we’ve got to consider the most important question: what jersey number is Young going to be wearing?

Young has worn two different numbers in the NFL, choosing No. 99 (with Washington) and No. 92 (with San Francisco). Right now, both of those are taken by Khalen Saunders and Tanoh Kpassagnon, respectively. Before he turned pro Young used No. 2 at Ohio State, and while that is available the Saints showed last year they didn’t understand the new rules by not allowing Jason Pierre-Paul to wear a linebacker number. They insisted he be listed as a defensive end, who are not eligible for wearing single digits.

Chris Olave has already shown an interest in switching to No. 2 (which he also wore in college at Ohio State), and there wouldn’t be any question about a wide receiver using it.

What about Young’s high school number? He transferred from St. Vincent Pallotti High School, where he wore No. 34, to DeMatha Catholic High School, where he switched to No. 9. Drew Brees’ number is unofficially retired, so we can scratch that out. Which means the only number Young has used before, No. 34, is also the only one still available. But it isn’t eligible for defensive linemen, so the Saints would have to list Young on the roster as an outside linebacker, which they’ve been reluctant to do before.

There are two numbers in the nineties that could appeal to Young: Nos. 91 and 97, last used by Kyle Phillips and Malcolm Roach. It’s also possible he could buy out his preferred number from Saunders or Kpassagnon, or go with something fresh altogether. It’s a curious situation, but honestly pretty low-stakes given everything else going on with this team and the world at large. We’ll keep an eye out for an update.

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Jason Pierre-Paul has already changed his Saints jersey number

Jason Pierre-Paul has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number. The NFL’s jersey rules wouldn’t let him keep No. 14:

So much for Jason Pierre-Paul’s No. 14 jersey. With his first choices already taken, the New Orleans Saints defensive end initially wanted to wear No. 14 to represent his 14th season in the NFL after signing with the Saints practice squad, but overly complicated jersey rules wouldn’t let it stand. Pierre-Paul was reassigned to the No. 54 jersey after being activated for Sunday’s game with the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, No. 54 is aesthetically a better choice for a big defensive lineman than No. 14. But why couldn’t Pierre-Paul wear it after donning the No. 4 jersey with the Baltimore Ravens last year? NFL jersey rules were changed in recent years to allow linebackers to wear Nos. 0 through 59, and the Ravens listed Pierre-Paul at outside linebacker, which allowed the unique choice.

But the Saints wanted to list Pierre-Paul at defensive end, and NFL rules dictate that defensive linemen are only allowed to choose from Nos. 50 to 79 and 90 to 99. If the Saints had listed Pierre-Paul at outside linebacker in the first place he could have kept the number he wanted, but that’s not something they must’ve wanted to add to their spreadsheet. Oh well.

At any rate: Pierre-Paul was activated for Sunday’s game with the Falcons, playing behind Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, and Tanoh Kpassagnon with Isaiah Foskey still recovering from a quadriceps injury.

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Dennis Allen says Saints aren’t making any coaching changes after disappointing start

Dennis Allen won’t make any coaching changes after their disappointing start. He says he feels fans’ frustration, but so far it hasn’t spurred him to take action:

Dennis Allen isn’t exactly inspiring confidence in his staff. The New Orleans Saints head coach acknowledged his offense’s struggles in moving the ball and putting points on the board after a stunning 26-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, as well as the criticism targeting offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

But Allen is determined to prove Carmichael was the right pick for the job. He announced that Carmichael will remain the play caller on offense during Monday’s media session.

“No, we won’t make any coaching changes,” Allen told NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett. “I’ve never seen that to be the right answer, particularly when we’re four games into the season. And yet we have to be better. I understand everyone’s frustration because everyone in the building feels it.”

Carmichael’s version of the offense was league-average last season with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton under center, but it’s plummeted to rank among the worst units in the NFL now that Allen has brought in his handpicked quarterback Derek Carr. They ranked 15th on third downs, 16th in passing yards and 19th in rushing yards last season, but 22nd in points scored. Through four games this year they rank 18th on third downs, 21st in passing yards, and 25th in both rushing yards and points scored.

That much regression is concerning. Especially when Allen and the Saints spent all summer talking up their new additions: Carr was an upgrade over the quarterbacks he preceded, the offensive line would be better with Trevor Penning starting at left tackle, their stable of running backs was clearly better after signing Jamaal Williams and drafting Kendre Miller, and how could they not make plays with so much talent at receiver? But the offense hasn’t lived up to expectations, and there needs to be some accountability.

Well, there needs to be accountability, but there isn’t any. The same people are going to remain in the same places on staff, including Carmichael. They’re going to keep doing things the same way until they get different results. We’ll see how that works out.

Allen is stubbornly sticking to the plan. It hasn’t worked yet, but maybe it will if they just keep trying. Allen was adamant that the offense must get better, outlining several areas they can improve: putting guys in better position to make plays, executing assignments more effectively (he pointed to two throws by Carr that could have been completed with better ball placement), and obviously scoring points, adding “Everybody knows that.”

Those would all do a lot to help improve the offense’s standing, sure. But they’re also all minor concerns compared to the big-picture issues plaguing the unit. Carmichael hasn’t shown any regard for down-and-distance, leading to their low conversion rate on third down. When they’ve needed three yards he’s flushed all the receivers downfield with no safety valve underneath. This has been a recurring problem for him.

There are always times where people have to learn on the job and adapt to what they have to work with. Learning what works and what doesn’t is part of that process, and it’s fine to practice some patience — to an extent. If Carmichael had just come up from the college ranks this would be much more excusable. The fact that he’s been in the building for 15 years and is still figuring these things out is beyond frustrating.

Allen says Carmichael hears those frustrations from fans and analysts just like everyone else in the building, and that the veteran offensive coordinator is working to improve. All we can do right now is take Allen at his word.

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Darren Rizzi thinks new kickoff rule will make the play more dangerous

Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi believes NFL’s new kickoff rule will make the play more dangerous, via @southexclusives:

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The kickoff is one of the most exciting plays in football. The NFL has added rules to try to make that play safer over the years. As exciting as it is, it can also be one of the most violent plays as well, including some of the most frequent high speed collisions in the sport. There have been changes to blocking schemes, and we’ve seen spring football leagues try their own variations to make the play safe while keeping kickoffs exciting. The newest rule change might be detrimental to the excitement and the safety.

This latest rule change is the ball is spotted at the 25-yard line on fair catches in kickoffs. The hope is to see more fair catches as a result. More fair catches means less returns which obviously takes the excitement away from the play. That’s an easy reason to see why fans might not like the new rule. New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi also stands against the rule, but for a much different reason. He’s worked on an advisory committee with other special teams coaches around the league since 2018, aiming to make the game’s third phase safer.

But not only does Rizzi not expect teams to actually fair catch kickoffs more often, he objects to this rule because he thinks it will only lead to more chaos and danger. He directly called out the notion of number of returns impacting the reaction to the rule. Rizzi is solely focused on the health of players, telling NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett: “There was this false narrative being thrown around that the coaches didn’t want it because it was gonna be less returns. … The last thing any coach wants is to lose a player to injury.”

He foresees teams attempting to cancel out fair catches with squib kicks. This would lead to even more high speed collisions, clearly counter productive to what the league is trying to accomplish. Rizzi doesn’t believe the league considered the other side of the coin.

Rizzi even went as far to say, “I don’t think there’s a special teams coach in the league – in fact, I know there’s not a special teams coach in the league right now that likes the rule.” He sees other, more effective, ways to make the game safer, such as more penalties for lowering the head. This would put the power in coaches and officials to make the game safer. The extra 15 yards would definitely make keeping your head a point of emphasis. Coaches can teach that part out of the game with an extra motivation of penalties being called.

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Saints punter Blake Gillikin preparing for awkward jersey talk with Derek Carr

Saints punter Blake Gillikin is preparing for an awkward chat with Derek Carr. Both players happen to wear the same jersey number:

So now that the dust has settled and the New Orleans Saints have brought in their new franchise quarterback, and we can get to the really important question: who will be wearing No. 4 in black and gold, Derek Carr or Blake Gillikin?

The Saints’ punter is a restricted free agent, which means the team has multiple options in retaining him for 2023. They also don’t have a single punter under contract for the 2023 season, so it’s a safe bet that he’ll be back. But will he let Carr buy the jersey off of him? Gillikin has only made $2,059,441 from his three-year rookie contract with New Orleans, so this is a great opportunity for him to carve out a slice of Carr’s $150 million pie.

Gillikin responded to a fanmade edit of Carr wearing New Orleans’ No. 4 jersey (usually used by Gillikin) with a classic reaction meme of a child delivering a nervous side eye near the soft drink fountain at a Popeyes restaurant (an aside: the kid’s name is Dieunerst Collin, and he recently signed an NIL deal with Popeyes after becoming a Division II college football player), so he’s at least considering his options if he and Carr are on the same team next year.

As for other their options: Gillikin wore No. 93 in college at Penn State and No. 33 in high school, while Carr has used No. 4 all the way back to his high school days (and his Fresno State alma mater retired it in his honor back in 2017). Neither of Gillikin’s past numbers are eligible for punters in the NFL, though, so he’ll eventually have to pick from one of the open numbers (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 11, 14, 15, 17, and 19; if Jameis Winston, Tre’Quan Smith, or Michael Thomas move on then Nos. 2, 10, and 13 could be available) for at least training camp if Carr buys No. 4 off of him. It’s something very, very minor to monitor in the months ahead.

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NFL won’t recognize Deonte Harris’ name change until after 2021 season

NFL won’t recognize Deonte Harris’ name change until after 2021 season

Well that’s frustrating. All-Pro New Orleans Saints returns specialist Deonte Harris changed his legal name to Deonte Harty in respect to his stepfather on Christmas Day last week, but that won’t be reflected on his jersey — NFL rules stipulate that a player’s name and number are fixed after the season starts. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported the news. He’s still identified as Deonte Harris on the Saints’ official online roster, and the wide receiver continues to use his old name on Twitter and Instagram. We’ll still be using it here at Saints Wire, too, to avoid confusion.

It’s a disappointing move by the NFL, if not unexpected. The No Fun League’s officiating crews aren’t any good at managing games as it is, so allowing players to complete a beautiful gesture to their family near season’s end would just overcomplicate things for the referees. How could they be expected to keep up if the name, not the number, changed on a player’s jersey in the season’s closing weeks?

All jokes aside, this does track with the NFL’s anti-individualist stance in limiting how players may represent themselves and their families during games. There are restrictions on everything from personalized eye black tape to embroidered towels and messages written on undershirts. Players even get fined for not wearing their socks high enough. The NFL puts a lot of value in how players dress and look when the cameras are on them, and the league office is unfortunately eager to punish anyone who steps out of line — or tries to change his name plate at the wrong time.

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Malcolm Jenkins and Juwan Johnson cleared from COVID-19 protocols

Some reinforcements are on the way: Malcolm Jenkins and Juwan Johnson have been cleared from COVID-19 protocols

Some reinforcements are on the way for the New Orleans Saints: starting safety Malcolm Jenkins and backup tight end Juwan Johnson have both been cleared from the COVID-19 reserve list, per Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire.

And more help could be on the way ahead of Sunday’s Week 17 game with the Carolina Panthers after the NFL and NFLPA adjusted their protocols to reflect the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asymptomatic individuals may now return to work after five days, not ten, regardless of vaccination status.

That’s big news for a Saints team that lost to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night in part because of an outbreak that sidelined nearly two dozen players, including their top two quarterbacks and all three starting linebackers, plus an important on-field leader in Jenkins.

It’s frustrating that this change was initiated after the Saints-Dolphins game, but it honestly wouldn’t have made much of a difference for New Orleans. Only two players entered COVID protocols prior to that five-day window which would have allowed them to play, in Johnson and tight end Adam Trautman. All of the other Saints players on the list missed the cut and wouldn’t have cleared protocol in enough time to play on Dec. 27, including Jenkins.

Fortunately they should have ample time to get right in time for Jan. 2’s matchup with Carolina. And with a playoffs berth still within reach, New Orleans needs all the help it can get.

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Deonte Harris changes his legal name to honor his stepfather

All-Pro Saints return man Deonte Harris changes his legal name to honor his stepfather

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New Orleans Saints All-Pro returns specialist Deonte Harris gave his stepfather a great Christmas gift on Saturday, announcing from his official Instagram account that he has legally changed his name to Deonte Harty. A sergeant in the Baltimore Police Department, Marlon Harty has been in Deonte’s life since he was 7 years old. Now he’s making a permanent move to honor someone who’s had a profound impact on him.

It’s really cool to see Harty sharing this special moment with his family. He’s had a difficult year, struggling with deaths in the family and his battle with depression, and bottoming out in an offseason DUI charge. He’s serving the final week of an NFL suspension for that arrest now and will rejoin the Saints for their final two regular season games.

And Harty is determined to come out the other side of this stronger. Changing his surname to tighten those familial bonds and illustrate a new direction to take his life is commendable. Saints fans should keep an eye out for No. 11 in next week’s home game with the Carolina Panthers — and be sure to call him Harty from now on, not Harris.

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