Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Michelle Martinelli breaks down the news that NBA legend Michael Jordan has created a new NASCAR team and the reasons why he chose Bubba Wallace to be its first driver.
Michelle Martinelli breaks down the news that NBA legend Michael Jordan has created a new NASCAR team and the reasons why he chose Bubba Wallace to be its first driver.
Today is Tuesday, which brings us yet another day closer to the opening of the Florida Gators’ 2020 SEC-only football schedule this Saturday against Ole Miss. In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us occupied in the news from around the league …
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Today is Tuesday, which brings us yet another day closer to the opening of the Florida Gators’ 2020 SEC-only football schedule this Saturday against Ole Miss. In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us occupied in the news from around the league and around the nation.
The top story today is the adjusted bowl predictions college sports editor Erick Smith put together for USA TODAY Sports now that the Big Ten is officially back in the fold. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the biggest beneficiary of the re-rankings.
In other news, former Florida State Seminoles and NFL standout Deion Sanders aims to “look good while we win'” at Jackson State. Monday, Sanders was dressed in blue and sporting a Jackson State hat as he addressed a crowd spread out for social distancing, made smaller by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the rest of the stories from around the Gator Nation.
100% Registered. https://t.co/RdUv7GaWlQ#GatorsVote #VoteReady pic.twitter.com/Y0N5SdlP3l
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) September 22, 2020
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Nine different New Orleans Saints defenders allowed pass completions to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller on Monday Night Football.
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The Las Vegas Raiders only had one pass catcher prepared to face the New Orleans Saints, but it turned out to be all they needed. Veteran tight end Darren Waller had a field day against the black and gold, catching 12 of the 16 targets thrown his way for 103 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.
He’s just the second player in Raiders history to catch a dozen or more passes in multiple games, along with silver and black legend Tim Brown. That’s not the sort of stat the Saints defense wants to be on the receiving end of.
Here’s another one: everything they tried to slow Waller down failed. New Orleans covered Waller with almost everyone who started on defense over the course of the game, and NFL Next Gen Stats credited him with catches against nine different defenders.
He bullied defensive backs P.J. Williams (3 receptions for 30 yards) and Malcolm Jenkins (2 catches for 25 yards) most prominently, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson was the nearest defender on a blown fourth-and-goal coverage that allowed his touchdown catch. Even defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Trey Hendrickson were dinged for pass completions in some ill-advised drops into coverage.
So it’s back to the drawing board for Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. He failed to come up with an answer to his opponent’s only real receiving threat, and it cost the Saints big-time. That’s the sort of shortcoming that has plagued the Saints too often in too many winnable games in recent years, as often in the opening weeks of the season as the playoffs.
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S Marcus Williams (1 rec, 8 yds)
LB Alex Anzaolne (1 rec, 7 yds)
ED Cameron Jordan (1 rec, 6 yds)
LB Demario Davis (1, 4 yds)
CB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (1 rec, 1 yd, TD)— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 22, 2020
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The New Orleans Saints couldn’t fill the void left when wide receiver Michael Thomas missed their Las Vegas Raiders game with an injury.
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What happens when the NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year isn’t able to join his offense? Well, we clearly underestimated the loss when New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was ruled out against the Las Vegas Raiders with an ankle injury. The Saints limped to a 34-24 finish, with their final score arriving a day late and a dollar short of making a difference.
Despite an admirable game from third-year pro Tre’Quan Smith (who caught 5 of 7 targets to gain 86 yards, filling in for Thomas as the X-receiver), the Saints offense struggled to shift gears and secure off-target passes. Three or four would-be first downs were dropped by receivers. While they were thrown with a less-than-tight spiral by Brees, it’s the sort of sloppiness he’s been able to get away with thanks to Thomas. Without him, lesser talents were unable to step up.
In total, Brees completed 26 of his 38 pass attempts — a respectable 68% — but his 61.4 quarterback rating tells a deeper story. He was forced to check down to his running backs often, whether because he didn’t trust his receivers to win contested catches (or worse, he didn’t trust his arm to get the ball to them). Having a safety valve like Thomas, who catches an absurd 78% of his targets, is exactly what Brees needs to help keep the offense on schedule. And without his right-hand man, Brees is a sitting duck.
The most disappointing performance in the receiving corps came from Emmanuel Sanders. The veteran was expected to step up as the de facto No. 1 receiver with Thomas sidelined, but he struggled with drops and didn’t even catch a pass until the game was decided. He was also fouled for a dubious block in the back, which just rubs some salt in the wound. Sanders spoke earlier about how he was still picking up parts of the offense, but his bad game really drove that point home.
So hopefully Thomas can return sooner rather than later. The Saints certainly think so — they would have placed him on the three-week injured reserve list if he was expected to be unavailable long-term. But with only a short week standing between them and Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers, it’s also possible they err on the side of caution and try to avoid rushing Thomas back into action just because they’ve lost one game.
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The New Orleans Saints were patient with Cesar Ruiz, their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He started their Raiders game on the sideline.
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Cesar Ruiz will probably start at center for the New Orleans Saints for many years. But on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, he opened his very first Saints game as an observer.
The Saints stuck with second-year pro Erik McCoy at center and backup lineman Nick Easton at right guard, calling on reserve tackle Derrick Kelly to go into the game as a sixth man occasionally. And it makes sense considering that Ruiz has only turned in two full practices since his Aug. 28 ankle injury.
In hindsight, we were far too quick to project Ruiz as a starter once he returned to work. Sure, he was their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and highly lauded out of Michigan. But while he’s the best talent to start next to McCoy this year — and maybe replace McCoy in the future, shifting the veteran to guard — he probably isn’t there just yet in this specific set of circumstances.
It could a full week of practice for Ruiz to re-acclimate to the complicated Saints offense (which has given even well-seasoned wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders problems), or at least to get him to a point where the Saints coaching staff is ready to put him in the game.
Hopefully he’ll be ready soon. In the meantime, Ruiz can watch from the sidelines and memorize the offense’s cadence. Once the coaches feel he’s ready, he should hit the ground running.
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The New Orleans Saints are set to visit the Las Vegas Raiders at their very shiny new Allegiant Stadium, which is making its NFL debut.
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FIRST LOOK inside Allegiant Stadium ahead of the #Saints matchup against the #Raiders in their new city. pic.twitter.com/kTB8zrC1dY
— Jori Parys (@JoriParys) September 21, 2020
So fresh, so clean: the Las Vegas Raiders have rolled out the welcome mat for the New Orleans Saints at their new home. The lights are on at Allegiant Stadium, and they’re ready for some football.
It’s a gorgeous venue, but we can’t help but think of how great the Saints’ “Color Rush” alternate jerseys are going to look on the crisp natural turf (Bermuda grass, for anyone keeping score at home).
Grown outside and rolled into the stadium on a huge tray for game days — because UNLV shares the stadium, but insists on playing on artificial turf — this will be the first real test for the surf after a handful of Raiders training camp practices.
Raiders Nation won’t be crowding the stands, but reporters on the scene have noticed pilgrims just outside showing up to support the silver and black:
Fans already lining up outside to pay their respects to the new digs and raise a cup. pic.twitter.com/DTjzNcUSA3
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 21, 2020
Sure, it’s a beautiful stadium. Now maybe the Saints can play the Rebellion to the Raiders’ “Death Star” and hand Las Vegas a loss at its own homecoming
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The New Orleans Saints list of inactive players for Week 2’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders officially ruled out wideout Michael Thomas.
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Here we go, with one last stop before kickoff: the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders announced their inactive players for Week 2’s “Monday Night Football” game, finally deciding who will dress out and who will watch the game in sweatpants.
We knew that several key Saints players wouldn’t suit up from the injury report, specifically defensive end Marcus Davenport, wide receiver Michael Thomas, and linebacker Chase Hansen. A handful of Raiders players were questionable with injuries, but they waited until just before kickoff to make the final determination.
Here’s your full list of inactives from both sides:
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The New Orleans Saints promoted veteran wide receiver Bennie Fowler and defensive end Margus Hunt again to play versus the Las Vegas Raiders
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NFL teams are allowed to promote up to two players each week from their practice squad to expand game-day rosters to 48 from the usual 46, and the New Orleans Saints went with a pair of familiar names for Week 2’s tilt with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Wide receiver Bennie Fowler and defensive lineman Margus Hunt were each called up in Week 1, and they’ll be doing so again per ESPN’s Field Yates. Both practice squad members made an impact on special teams in the season opener against Tampa Bay, with Hunt blocking a field goal while Fowler recovered a fumbled kickoff to seal the win.
In total, Fowler appeared on 19 snaps last week (12 of them on special teams), while Hunt handled a heavier workload with 25 snaps played (just 4 of them on special teams). Hunt should get more looks at defensive end with Marcus Davenport inactive due to injury.
However, this is the last time the Saints can call up either of them unless they are signed to the 53-man roster, where their spots are secured for several weeks (barring an injury). Players may only be promoted twice in the 2020 season before teams have to make that longer commitment, preserving some separation between the active roster and the practice squad.
If either Davenport or star wide receiver Michael Thomas are going to miss much more time, it shouldn’t shock anyone if the Saints end up signing Hunt or Fowler to keep them around. They clearly value those veterans’ contributions.
But with Thomas expected to be out just two to four weeks and Davenport not placed on the short-term injured reserve to start the season, these may simply be band-aids for New Orleans until their starters are back in action.
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Former Saints teammates Cameron Jordan and Mark Ingram will co-host their new “Truss Levelz” podcast with Alvin Kamara as their first guest.
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Mark Ingram might be scoring touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens these days, but he’s still very tight with his old New Orleans Saints teammates — so much so that he’s co-hosting a weekly podcast with Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, entitled “Truss Levelz” (derived from each player’s on-field celebrations and catchphrases) and produced by The Players’ Tribune.
Ingram and Jordan were both drafted by New Orleans back in 2011 as first-round picks (Jordan at No. 24, Ingram at No. 28), and they’re each ranked high in the franchise record books. Ingram bested Deuce McAllister’s career touchdown runs record (50) before leaving for the Ravens in free agency a year ago, while Jordan is a couple of good years away from competing with Rickey Jackson’s all-time sacks record (Jackson had 115; Jordan is next-best with 87).
The pair plans to give listeners an inside scoop to two of the NFL’s most vibrant locker rooms, having lined up interviews with all-star teammates like Alvin Kamara, Lamar Jackson, and Marquise Brown. Their list of guests includes other big names such as Travis Kelce, Bobby Wagner, George Kittle, Derrick Henry (another proud Alabama product and Heisman Trophy winner, like Ingram) and Mike Evans, which might get contentious.
Episode 1 drops Wednesday, Sept. 23 on all major podcast platforms, and The Players’ Tribune website, and Kamara will be their first guest appearance. So we’ll be sure to tune in; while you’re looking them up, be sure to subscribe to our own Saints Wire weekly podcast to review the latest happenings for the black and gold.
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Mike Tirico will fill in for Al Michaels on NBC’s broadcast of Week 3’s New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers Sunday Night Football game.
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While everyone’s attention is rightfully focused on the New Orleans Saints’ prime time game with the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football,” one big change may have flown under the radar for the Saints’ Week 3 home game against the Green Bay Packers.
NBC’s Al Michaels let slip during the Seahawks-Patriots Sunday night game that he will be taking a “bye week” afterwards, promoting veteran play-by-play man Mike Tirico to his chair next to Cris Collinsworth. This change was discussed during a preseason conference call with NBC producer Fred Gaudelli, who explained that it is part of a gradual transition in the booth as Michaels, 75, eases into retirement. Michaels has worked for NBC since 2006, after spending 30 years calling games with ABC.
Tirico, 53, was brought over from ESPN back in 2016 as the heir-apparent for Michaels on “Sunday Night Football,” though his football play-by-play work with NBC has mostly been limited to calling Notre Dame games. Before the move, he teamed up with Raiders coach Jon Gruden on “Monday Night Football,” so he’s used to working on a big stage.
Intriguingly, Tirico could end up working with Drew Brees someday. Brees agreed to a contract with NBC during the offseason that will put him on the Notre Dame broadcast team once he retires from playing professionally. If he hits the ground running as well as Tony Romo, another former quarterback who transitioned to in-game analysis, Brees could end up replacing Collinsworth once he’s stepped away from the microphone.
The plan kind of makes sense. Tirico would have a few years on NBC behind him at that point, and Brees wouldn’t be rushed to replace the 61-year old Collinsworth. It ensures some continuity for the NFL’s flagship program, if everything goes as planned.
But let’s circle back to Tirico. He’ll join Collinsworth for the upcoming Saints-Packers game, but it’s unclear how often he’ll sub in for Michaels throughout the season. He has already been tapped for NBC’s second Wild Card Round playoff game, and could return for the annual Thanksgiving Day game (this year’s NBC matchup: the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers).
So, Tirico fans and Michaels detractors alike: rejoice.
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