Tag: fake punt

Drew Brees, Sean Payton don’t regret botched two-point conversions

The New Orleans Saints took an aggressive approach in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but Sean Payton and Drew Brees don’t regret it.

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The New Orleans Saints were determined to stay aggressive in their game with the San Francisco 49ers. They expected it to be a close game, where an extra possession or score here or there would ultimately make the difference. If you had told them going in that the final score would end up being just two points apart, they wouldn’t have been surprised.

Now, no one expected it to be 48-46 as time expired. The Saints didn’t take much solace in the success they had against the NFL’s best pass defense, but it’s impossible not to be encouraged by all of the scoring opportunities they created. Count Saints quarterback Drew Brees among the group who was happy to be competitive in so many high-leverage situations.

“You know you’re in that type of game, right?” Brees said during his postgame media availability. “We’re going to play aggressive. We faked the punt. We brought just about (every) kickoff out of the endzone and hit on a couple of those. We had a great return there. Let’s see if we can break one of these.”

Saints coach Sean Payton wasn’t nearly as eager to get into the specifics of his team’s approach. Still smarting from the loss, Payton summed up his decision to go for it on an early two-point conversion moved up by a 49ers penalty as, “Flag puts it at the one (yard line). That’s why.”

Fortunately, Brees was feeling more amiable to explain his team’s thinking in that situation: “Those are difference makers. If you just look at the statistics if you’re going from the two-yard line versus going from the one-yard line it’s a big difference. We had a play we liked. Oddly enough, they miss a line(backer). They had an extra guy who shouldn’t have been there.”

As Brees said, that first two-point try was snuffed out by the unexpected 49ers defender, who crashed down on the ball-carrier unblocked. A miscommunication between Brees and his receiver on a later two-point attempt failed to add any points, but these are obviously gambles the Saints are comfortable making.

“So, unfortunately, the play didn’t work,” Brees continued, “but that’s a big play in the game if we get (it). We’re going to play aggressive. We’re going to take chances. We’re not going to making excuses.”

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Inconsistent week-to-week officiating is still hurting the snake-bit Saints

Stop if you’ve read this, but the New Orleans Saints were victims of an obscure NFL rule during their game with the San Francisco 49ers.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the New Orleans Saints were victimized by inconsistent officiating by the NFL’s referees and their crews. They may have drawn half as many penalties (5) as the San Francisco 49ers (10) on Sunday, but an officiating gaffe (and an obscure rule) still ended up costing New Orleans.

This time it came when Saints coach Sean Payton called a bold fake punt against the 49ers, in which quarterback Taysom Hill targeted wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith on a pass deep down the sideline. But Smith wasn’t able to turn and make a play on the ball due to an enveloping bear-hug from the 49ers player covering him.

And no penalty flags flew because of it. Payton raced over to confront referee John Hussey, who dismissed Payton’s concerns due to a rule stipulating that plays run out of a punt formation are ineligible for defensive pass interference fouls. FOX Sports NFL rules analyst Dean Blandino agreed with that ruling on the broadcast.

Payton agreed with it too, emphatically arguing that the play still qualified for a holding foul which would have kept the ball in the Saints’ control. To that, Hussey shook his head and walked away, leaving Payton rubbing his face in exasperation.

What’s troubling is that this rule — that punt plays are exempt from defensive pass interference penalties — wasn’t observed just a few weeks ago, when referee Craig Wrolstad fouled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for it on a fake punt pass by Arizona Cardinals punter Andy Lee.

So if this is truly what the rules state, why are the NFL’s officiating crews still messing up and hurting teams this late in the season? Why can’t they consistently call each game they work? The NFL either needs to stop pinching pennies and hire full-time, professional officials or look into automated referees, much like the “robot umpires” Major League Baseball is experimenting with. In a sport where one or two plays can make such a big difference, the NFL’s continued reliance on officials who can’t call a clean game from one week to the next is shaping into a crisis.

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Fake punt gives Seahawks rookie Travis Homer his first career carry

The Seattle Seahawks ran a fake punt in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings, giving rookie Travis Homer his first NFL carry.

Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Homer has not had an active role in the team’s offense so far this season. Buried behind Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, and at times C.J. Prosise, the rookie has not had a chance to show what he can do coming out of the backfield.

Instead, Homer has made a living as a core special teamer, first primarily as a hitter and more recently as a kick returner, a role he has held the past two games while Tyler Lockett recovered – first from a leg injury and then from the flu.

Monday night’s game not only saw Homer return two kicks for 51 yards, but he also got a surprise carry – on a fake punt the Seahawks ran in the fourth quarter on fourth and two.

Homer not only easily converted a first down, he scampered 29 yards down the sideline to give Seattle excellent field position.

“The guys did it beautifully,” Carroll commented after the game. “The timing was exactly right.”

Homer’s role is steadily growing with the Seahawks, and while he’s still buried on the running back depth chart, his strong play on the special teams will make him an invaluable piece of this team going forward.

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