Tag: former players

Jameis Winston was one of the first to congratulate Taysom Hill on his big day

Jameis Winston was one of the first to congratulate Taysom Hill on his big day, hurrying to embrace his old teammate after Saints-Browns:

Taysom Hill had a game for the ages when the New Orleans Saints hosted the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Hill was a major key to the Saints’ success in their 35-14 win, accounting for three touchdown runs — plus 138 rushing yards and another 50 receiving yards, and 18 passing yards on a trick play.

His old teammate Jameis Winston had a good day, too. Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns against his former team while doing all he could to keep the Browns in it, and he didn’t turn the ball over. After the game Saints players, coaches, and other personnel queued up to see Winston, but he stepped up when Hill approached him.

“You were amazing, man,” Winston laughed, arms wrapping around Hill in a bear hug.

Once upon a time Winston and Hill competed for the opportunity to succeed Drew Brees as the Saints’ starting quarterback, splitting practice reps and preseason game action to push one another to be their best. Winston won that battle, but there’s still plenty of love between the two of them. Hill had a lot of Saints fans cheering him on Sunday. On some level, another one was watching him from the opposing sideline, too.

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Marshon Lattimore to miss his second game after being traded from Saints

Marshon Lattimore won’t make his Washington Commanders debut just yet. The former Saints cornerback is going to miss his second game since being traded:

Washington Commanders fans celebrated their team making the league’s biggest move at the NFL trade deadline, but they’ll have to wait another week to get their first look at Marshon Lattimore. The former New Orleans Saints cornerback is still dealing with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for last Sunday’s game. Washington head coach Dan Quinn announced Wednesday that Lattimore won’t be able to play on Thursday night, either.

Hamstring issues have trailed Lattimore since his college days at Ohio State; it’s one reason he fell to the Saints in the 2017 NFL draft in the first place. They’ve continued to afflict Lattimore throughout his pro career including earlier this season.

Still, it’s a disappointing turn for a great talent. When he’s healthy and locked in there isn’t a better cover corner in the game than Lattimore. That’s why the Commanders traded so many draft picks to acquire him at the deadline. It’s on the Saints to make the most of those resources and prove that trading Lattimore when they did was worth it.

So will he be on the field when the Commanders visit the Caesars Superdome next month? That feels likely. By now it’s obvious there was nothing to the speculation suggesting Lattimore was taking his time recovering from injury to put pressure on New Orleans into trading him, but he should be fully recovered by the time he makes his return on Dec. 15, barring a setback. We’ll keep an eye on his progress but for now the Saints must focus on their next opponent, not one they’ll see a month from now.

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Former Saints QB-turned-high school coach led his team to the playoffs

Teddy Bridgewater is working hard in South Florida. The former Saints quarterback-turned-high school coach has led his team to the playoffs in Year 1:

Teddy Bridgewater walked away from millions of dollars and a ten-year NFL career to pursue his real passion — coaching high school football. And the former New Orleans Saints quarterback has found success there, too. Bridgewater returned to his alma mater in South Florida, Miami Northwestern High School, where the field is named after him.

And while it’s just Year 1 of his program, Bridgewater already has them in the playoffs with a 7-2 record (they took a third loss to crosstown rival Miami Central, which forfeited the game due to a rules violation). They’ll play Barron Collier this Friday and hope to advance.

“It’s a smart group,” Bridgewater told the Miami Herald after beating top-seeded Miami Columbus earlier this season. “It’s a group that loves challenges and they’re battled tested.”

Good for him. He made a lot of fans with the Saints and “Teddy Two Gloves” is still remembered fondly for helping to save their 2019 season after a devastating injury to Drew Brees. Everywhere he’s gone, from Miami to Louisville and multiple NFL cities, he’s left with more fans cheering for him.

Bridgewater overcame a career-threatening knee injury to enjoy a productive stint with the Saints and a couple of years as a starter before stepping back into a backup role. He was known for stopping by high  school games as a spectator just enjoying the atmosphere in New Orleans, so you can say he’s in his element. Making a positive influence on the next  generation and teaching them how to succeed, even through adversity, is how he feels he can best build his legacy.

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Drew Brees compares Spencer Rattler to another rookie QB

Drew Brees recently shared his thoughts on Spencer Rattler, who he compared to another rookie quarterback. Brees sees some similarities with Bo Nix:

The Saints haven’t had nearly the success at quarterback to be desired since the retirement of legendary signal-caller Drew Brees, and only ahead of the loss to the Panthers did New Orleans get its starter back.

Before veteran Derek Carr was able to return to the field after missing weeks of action due to injury, the team leaned into rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Brees recently weighed in on Rattler, also comparing him in some ways to Denver quarterback Bo Nix.

“It’s interesting to see the two offenses – the Saints and the Broncos – with Klint Kubiak and Sean Payton,” Brees said in an interview with RG.org.

“I think there’s a lot of similarities between Spencer Rattler and Bo Nix. They’re both really athletic guys. The Saints were under center a lot more. I think that’s how they set up their run game and their play action. Spencer Rattler was on the move so much, throws the ball and runs very well – very similar to Bo. I think where both of those guys will need to make strides – just as any young player – is in the drawback passing game.”

Rattler finished out his most recent appearance, the 26-8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in which he was benched, 12 for 24 passing for 156 yards. While he has had his bright moments, the former Oklahoma and South Carolina quarterback has had a rough go of it in his first year in the NFL.

It will be interesting to watch what the Saints do at backup quarterback moving forward, especially in the event that Carr is to go down again this season, but there’s no question that Rattler was put in a tough situation when he was unexpectedly thrown into the fire like this.

Regardless, the Saints’ main focus right now is on the big picture, and that starts with snapping a seven-game losing streak. New Orleans will attempt to take their first hack at that when the Atlanta Falcons head to to New Orleans next Sunday.

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Ex-Saints kicker outscored his old team by himself with the Broncos

Wil Lutz tallied more points than the New Orleans Saints themselves on Thursday night. The Broncos kicker outscored his old team all by himself:

The New Orleans Saints told their former Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz to kick rocks in 2022, and Lutz joined Sean Payton with the Denver Broncos. All eyes were on Payton returning and Drew Brees being inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.

But the forgotten storyline was Lutz coming back to town to kick the Broncos to victory. Lutz outscored his old team all by himself.

Okay, that’s not technically what happened, but it could have happened. The former New Orleans Saints kicker put four field goals through the goalposts on Thursday evening, meaning he totaled 12 points in his own right for the night.

That’s more points than his former team was able to score all night long. In fact, the Saints had not even scored more than a field goal themselves in ‘TNF’ action until within the final two minutes of the game.

It was a much different story for the Broncos, who have had their fair share of struggles this season that include some ups and downs on offense, but tallied 33 points over that same stretch of time.

Denver scored in every quarter of the game, doing its most damaged in the second quarter with 13 points and the third quarter with 10 points.

Lutz and the Broncos will look to only build upon this win as they face the Carolina Panthers up next on the schedule at Mile High next Sunday. Whether the Saints regret trading him to Denver is anyone’s guess.

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Luke Fickell addresses concerns of notable Badgers alumni after loss to USC

Luke Fickell addresses concerns of notable Badgers alumni after loss to USC

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Monday in advance of the Badgers’ Week 6 matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers.

One topic of discussion looked back to the team’s 38-21 loss to No. 11 USC, and specifically to the group of notable Badgers alumni expressing their displeasure with the current state of the program.

Related: ESPN updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 games after Week 5 loss to USC

A significant example of that is Jack Cichy (Badgers linebacker from 2013-2017), who took to social media on Sunday to give his thoughts on the current state of affairs. His opinion on the program’s changing identity appears to be shared by many former players, several of whom are now publicly stating those opinions.

Program legend Braelon Allen’s cryptic tweet about his experience with the Badgers in 2023 only added to that discussion.

Fickell said the discussion from former players doesn’t bother him as long as it doesn’t bother those currently on the team.

“I don’t pay attention to a lot of things,” Fickell said. “Unfortunately, when you have children now that are of the age, if there is something out there they let you know. I have to do a better job of making sure they understand that, ‘no, I don’t want to hear those things.’ But it’s a part of the game. It’s all things that we have to be able to deal with. It doesn’t bother me. I only worry if it bothers our guys within our program on our team.”

Fickell continued his thought, noting that passion from former players is part of what makes the program great.

“If people didn’t have passion for what it is that we’re doing, we wouldn’t have sold-out crowds. We wouldn’t have an environment that we create here and competitive advantage when guys come into our home. Because of the passion, whether it’s the fans, or former players have. That’s what makes programs great. You have got to be able to handle the ups and the downs. You have got to be able to handle the positives and the negatives, whether you’re a coach or you’re a player.”

Wisconsin picking up a decisive win over Purdue would certainly quell criticisms about the state of the program. A run to bowl eligibility against a gauntlet rest-of-season schedule would do so as well.

The dynamic of the ‘new school’ against program alumni and the ‘old school’ appears it will only continue, however. The decision to hire Luke Fickell pushed away the Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard era, one that many of these former players were a part of. That context matters when noticing who exactly is voicing these concerns.

Winning tends to cure all in this sport. Fickell and the 2024 Badgers need to do so on Saturday against a poor Purdue team. If not, criticisms from program alumni will only continue.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Sean Payton continues to bring former Saints to Denver

Kwon Alexander is joining the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. That makes eight former New Orleans Saints players with Sean Payton in Denver:

Sean Payton continues to build New Orleans Broncos/ Denver Saints at his new home. The former New Orleans Saints head coach has continuously brought his former players to the Denver Broncos. The latest example is Kwon Alexander. He was signed to the Broncos’ practice squad

Former Saints wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey was also on the practice squad but was elevated permanently before Week 3 due to an injury. The signing of Alexander brings the total of former Saints players in Denver to eight. The list is highlighted by Wil Lutz, Adam Trautman and Malcolm Roach. It also includes Humphrey, Jordan Jackson, Lucas Krull and Calvin Throckmorton, All of them are on the active roster.

This isn’t the first time Payton gave Alexander a shot. Alexander was with New Orleans for the last two seasons of Payton’s tenure. At the time, Alexander was coming off an injury and seeing his role in San Francisco.

Clearly, Payton liked the dynamic Alexander brought to New Orleans. We’ll see if Alexander gets in the lineup when the Broncos visit the Saints on Oct. 17.

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Seahawks, Texans host ex-Chiefs QB Ian Book, TE Irv Smith Jr. for workouts

QB Ian Book and TE Irv Smith, who played for the #Chiefs in the preseason, worked out for the #Seahawks and #Texans respectively on Tuesday.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans both hosted players who were on the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason roster for workouts on Tuesday.

Seattle took a look at former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, who saw extended playing time during Kansas City’s exhibition matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in August.

Houston hosted tight end Irv Smith, who signed with the Chiefs as a free agent earlier this year but was cut after failing to earn a spot on Kansas City’s 53-man roster after training camp.

It remains unclear whether the former Chiefs are expected to sign a contract with the teams they visited.

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1836143794464403564

For its part, Kansas City reunited with veteran running back Kareem Hunt on Tuesday after star rusher Isiah Pacheco sustained a serious leg injury in the Chiefs’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.

Stay tuned to see if Book or Smith signs with a new team ahead of Week 3.

Reggie Bush weighs in on where Saints must improve to become true contenders

Reggie Bush weighed in on where the Saints must improve to become true contenders, and his list starts with the quarterback:

Reggie Bush quickly became one of the most impactful players the New Orleans Saints have had in recent memory after the team selected him second overall in the 2006 NFL draft. And he has some ideas about what they must do differently in order to become legitimate contenders in today’s game.

Finishing out his NFL career with 5,490 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground, Bush played an integral role in the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV, and he retired with a career he could be proud of.

A lot has changed since then, as Bush acknowledged in a recent interview with Forbes, and there’s much to be done for the Saints to get back to their former status after finishing out 2023 with a forgettable 9-8 overall record.

Bush specifically pointed to quarterback as the first glaring problem to be fixed, but his list doesn’t end there.

“The reason why I think they struggle — I don’t have one specific area — but I think they have to improve at the quarterback position,” Bush told Forbes.com’s DJ Siddiqi. “They have to improve protecting the quarterback and then also on the defensive side of the ball as well. So many different things that I’ve really thought about, but they have to be better. And one of those things is at the quarterback position.”

The Saints have struggled to find a competent replacement at quarterback since the retirement of legendary signal-caller Drew Brees, experimenting with Taysom Hill, dealing with Jameis Winston falling short of the expectations set for him and lackluster play from Derek Carr.

Currently rolling with the veteran Carr, the Saints also have former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler and former Fresno State passer Jake Haener behind him battling it out for the backup spot, with hopes to become something more. Maybe their new play caller Klint Kubiak can coax more out of Carr than Pete Carmichael was able to last season.

It will be interesting to see how things play out, but there’s no question that quarterback remains one of the Saints’ most problematic positions for the time being.

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Former Saints wide receiver Willie Snead IV signs with Miami Dolphins

Former Saints wideout Willie Snead IV hoped to finish his career with New Orleans, but has signed with the Dolphins. He’ll continue his career in Miami:

Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead IV has signed with the Miami Dolphins, marking the sixth NFL team he’s landed with over his nearly decade-long career.

To make room for the move, the Dolphins also waived defensive tackle Mario Kendricks. Snead was part of a group tryout which also included former Saints cornerback Faion Hicks.

The veteran wideout most recently took the field for the San Francisco 49ers, seeing action in four games in his lone season with the team, catching two of the three passes he was targeted on for 14 yards. He spent the last two seasons on the 49ers practice squad.

He’s had a long, winding NFL career to this point, breaking out on the scene with the Saints in a way that demanded attention. Back in 2015, he caught  69 passes for 984 yards, following that up with 72 receptions and 895 yards in 2016.

Snead has not reached that level of production since, bouncing around between the  Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders also before joining the 49ers.

Snead said not long ago that he had hoped to retire as a member of the Saints, something that looks like won’t be happening, at least based upon the way things stand right now.

“If that black and gold starts calling, I would love to retire in those colors, if anything,” Snead told NewOrleans.Football. “Because that’s where I started. It would only seem fitting and right to finish there, if you get what I’m saying.”

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