Tag: rashid shaheed

Video shows a Saints player hilariously tried to block a Packers field goal using the long-snapper’s towel

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

On Sunday, the NFL had several “Are you kidding me?” type of moments, and the New Orleans Saints hilariously attempted to block a Green Bay Packers field goal with a long snapper’s towel so they wouldn’t be left out.

The Saints were in firm control of the game. Tight end Jimmy Graham scored an early touchdown, followed by a Rashid Shaheed 76-yard punt return. They even added a field goal from their rookie, Blake Grupe, to go up 17-0 at halftime. Life was grand.

Then, the Packers put together a drive that wasn’t enough for a touchdown, but they could get something positive out of it. Kicker Anders Carlson lined up for the attempt and followed through.

It was a routine scoring play until a unique viewpoint captured an object flying in the air, attempting to block the kick.

Video replay shows that the object in question was a towel. New Orleans Defensive Tackle Brian Bresee snatched it off the hip of Green Bay long snapper Matt Orzech and promptly threw it into the air to stop Carlson’s kick.

Wild.

Bresee gets an “A” for innovation and effort. I can’t say I would have thought that quickly at the moment to do that.

Analyzing what went right and what went wrong in Saints’ loss to Packers

Analyzing what went right and what went wrong in Saints’ loss to Packers, and what’s the bottom line | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints lost their first game of the season as they drop Week 3 to the Green Bay Packers by just one point after a late game surge from Jordan Love and the Packers offense.

So we’ve got some important questions to answer while analyzing the 18-17 loss: What went right? What went wrong? And what’s the bottom line?

WATCH: Rashid Shaheed turns on the burners for a 76-yard punt return TD

WATCH: Rashid Shaheed turns on the burners for a 76-yard punt return touchdown against the Packers

The New Orleans Saints special teams comes through as Rashid Shaheed showed off his speed for a 76-yard punt return touchdown to take a two-score lead in the second quarter. With the offense struggling to get going this season, this was a welcome sight to all on the New Orleans sideline — Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t quite as enthused.

Shaheed’s speed has never been in doubt as he’s been a great force as a return man, but he gets his first touchdown on a return. It’s the first punt return touchdown touchdown for the Saints since Deonte Harty against the Seattle  Seahawks in Week 3 of 2019.

It was Shaheed’s fifth career touchdown and second of this season as the receiver who went undrafted in 2022 has made a name for himself in the league quickly.

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Saints’ Rashid Shaheed takes punt back 76 yards for TD

A special teams score for the Saints against the Packers

The New Orleans Saints are doing their best to ruin Jordan Love’s debut as Green Bay Packers starting QB.

The Saints scored first … and second.

The score that made it 14-0 after the PAT was a 76-yard punt return by Rashid Shaheed.

Saints offense can’t outscore the Packers by settling for field goals

The Saints offense has forced the defense to be nearly perfect. The Packers can score, so the Saints offense must find consistency | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints must produce consistent offense to defeat the Green Bay Packers. The Saints defense has been elite this year, and they have needed to be. The offense hasn’t given them much room for error. The defense is facing the Packers and their No. 2-ranked scoring offense this week. The Saints offense can’t leave them the same margin of error. As good as the defense is, near perfection can’t be expected from them every game.

New Orleans has mustered six points in the first half of each game. The team has been able to make adjustments and pull out big plays at important times, but that doesn’t negate the early struggles they’ve shown. The Saints have to do a better job sustaining offense and ending possessions in touchdowns.

In Week 1, the Saints showed the ability to drive down the field but struggled to finish drives in touchdowns. The Saints made it into Tennessee territory five times. Those drives ended with three field goals, a touchdown and an interception. Against the Panthers last week, the Saints offense stalled out after two early field goals until the second half. New Orleans has yet to score 21 points this year. Facing Green Bay, that may need to change to be victorious.

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Saints receiving trio carving their own individual roles in the offense

Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed are a dynamic trio. So far, they’ve each played as specific role within the offense | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints receiving trio of Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed has lived up to lofty expectations this year. We’re only two games into the season, but each player has made impact plays in each game. They’ve also carved out a role for themselves in the offense.

Thomas has been the opener. He’s the guy who gets going early in the game. Thomas had a 25 yard reception on the first offensive play of the season. He had 37 receiving yards total on the first drive. In Week 2, he had 7 receptions for 55 yards, all in the first half.

Olave has been the star of the group. He’s led the team in the yards, targets, and receptions each week. His season thus far has been highlighted by the amazing catch he made streaking down the sidelines versus the Titans. The play was just as impactful as it was impressive. At that point, the offense couldn’t get anything going. That play jumpstarted the Saints offense that scored a touchdown on two of their last three possessions.

Shaheed is the closer on the offense. Derek Carr has called Shaheed’s number on a deep shot on the last drive of each game. Against the Titans, his catch allowed the Saints to run out the clock. Against the Panthers, his deep ball led to the game-sealing touchdown run. 

Speaking of game-sealing touchdowns, Shaheed scored the game-winning touchdown in Week 1. Shaheed has been an integral part of closing out the two wins of the season and arguably delivered the dagger in each game.

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Chad Johnson had some late-night advice for Saints WR Rashid Shaheed

Chad Johnson had some advice for Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, urging him to call his QB in the middle of the night just like “Ochocinco” used to:

Leave it to Chad Johnson to share some advice with the next generation of NFL stars — after 1:00 a.m. “Ochocinco” shared some words of wisdom with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed on social media, advising the second-year pro about strengthening communication with his quarterback through psychological warfare.

“You up right now, call (Derek) Carr while he’s sleeping (and) say “I’m Open” then hang up,” Johnson wrote to Shaheed, “You have to play psychological warfare (and) it will remain prevalent during games subconsciously, it worked for me.”

This is an anecdote Johnson has recounted before; in 2020, he recalled calling his old Cincinnati Bengals coaches Marvin Lewis and Hue Jackson in the middle of the night to tell them the same thing.

“Oh my God, all the time. All the time,” Jackson reminisced during an appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast. “And wanting to know what the game plan is, at two in the morning. I’m like, ‘Chad, Chad, we have meetings coming up in three hours, four hours.'”

The strategy worked. Johnson averaged 8.8 targets per game across his Bengals career and earned six Pro Bowl nods, twice making the All-Pro team. Even if it left his coaches and quarterbacks a little drowsy. Maybe Shaheed can make use of it, too.

All jokes aside, Johnson has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for the Saints receiving corps on a national stage. He was quick to identify Michael Thomas as a superstar before he won the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2019, and he set a very high bar for Derek Carr after he landed in New Orleans. Chris Olave is a player he’s called one of the fastest he’s ever seen with “an exceptional brake system,” so it’s safe to say he likes what he’s seeing from Shaheed and his Saints teammates after one of their better performances a week ago.

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Highest and lowest Saints PFF player grades from Week 1 win vs. Titans

Highest and lowest Saints PFF player grades from Week 1 win vs. Titans

What can we learn from the New Orleans Saints’ Week 1 player grades at Pro Football Focus? For the most part, PFF validated some things that passed the eye test: the Saints have some awesome young wide receivers, highly effective veteran defenders, and a quarterback who is an obvious upgrade over who they trotted out a season ago.

But sometimes we lost the plot. It’s tough to buy what PFF is selling in a few of these performances. Let’s break it down by the best and worst grades on offense and defense:

Mics caught Derek Carr plotting his game-clinching deep shot to WR Rashid Shaheed

“Hey, listen to me, ‘Shid. Freaking run. RUN!”

Derek Carr has played in the NFL for nearly a decade. That kind of experience affords him the opportunity to understand how a defense will try to attack him in key moments. We saw an excellent example of this on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

In the final few moments, after a questionable field-goal decision from Mike Vrabel, the New Orleans Saints quarterback was trying to run the clock out. And on a crucial third-and-6, Carr and the Saints needed to pull something out of their sleeve.

Enter Carr’s experience coming in handy at the right time. A new clip from NFL Films shows Carr advocating for a deep shot to New Orleans receiver Rashid Shaheed to various Saints figures. The plan worked to perfection to the tune of a 41-yard pass and a game-icing first down.

I must say: It was extremely cool to see Carr’s thought process in the lead-up.

The Saints didn’t play their best game against the Titans. They’ll likely have to improve a lot just to have a chance to win the NFC South. But it’s plays like this that demonstrate why New Orleans brought in Carr. He might be the quarterback to lift New Orleans back to the playoffs.

WATCH: Derek Carr throws his first touchdown pass as Saints QB

WATCH: Derek Carr throws his first touchdown pass as a New Orleans Saints quarterback

It took him a few tries, but Derek Carr finally scored his first touchdown pass as the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback. Carr connected with second-year wide receiver Rashid Shaheed on a beautiful 19-yard lob to his right, giving the Saints a much-needed lead over the Tennessee Titans.

The Saints tried the same passing concept on the previous play, which was an incomplete pass to Keith Kirkwood. But Carr’s placement was more on-target for Shaheed and he was able to hit the speedster in stride for six points.

It was a tough road to get there. Carr saw all five of his previous pass attempts inside Tennessee’s 20-yard fall incomplete. Red zone efficiency was a major criticism for him with the Las Vegas Raiders and this performance didn’t exactly dissuade that notion, but it had to feel cathartic to punch that touchdown in after some early frustrations. Here’s to many more.

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