Tag: reaction

Fans aren’t happy about overzealous foul that erased Saints interception, led to Titans TD

Fans aren’t happy about overzealous foul that erased Saints interception, led to Titans TD

The NFL’s overzealous officiating has struck again. Veteran referee Jerome Boger took away Marcus Williams’ extremely clutch end zone interception of Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill by claiming that New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss committed a personal foul in roughing the passer, which both kept the ball in Tennessee possession and helped move them up into scoring position. A few plays later Tannehill dove into the end zone to put his team ahead.

It was, well, controversial to say the least. CBS rules expert Gene Steratore said on the game broadcast that no penalty should have been called; Elliss should have tried to atomize himself and teleport through Tannehill rather than collide with him incidentally, I guess. And NFL fans on social media weren’t happy with the game-changing decision:

REACTION: Twitter reacts to Ducks, head-to-head controversy in latest CFP standings

If head-to-head matters for Oregon vs. Ohio State, should it matter for Michigan vs. Michigan State? Twitter definitely had an opinion.

The latest batch of College Football Playoff rankings was released on Tuesday night and some drama came when it was announced that the Michigan Wolverines were ranked ahead of the Michigan State Spartans by a spot, despite the fact that Michigan State beat the Wolverines just two weeks ago.

As is the new normal, fans of college football had a field day with the new rankings on Twitter. Many found it interesting that the head-to-head victory did not matter for Michigan State, but it still mattered with Oregon and Ohio State, despite the fact that Ohio State has arguably looked better than the Ducks for much of the season.

Here are some of the best tweets and reactions from all of the action:

[listicle id=12213]

Podcast: Who should Saints turn to at QB? Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian, or both?

Podcast: Who should Saints turn to at QB? Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian, or both?

The latest episode of the Saints Wire Podcast is here, brought to you weekly by Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler (@john_siglerr) and host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG). You can subscribe for new episodes on Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice, and catch up on past episodes in the playlist embedded below.

We’ve got a lot to cover this week, between Michael Thomas being shut down for the remainder of the 2021 season and the Saints’ inactivity at the NFL trade deadline (and the continued intrigue with Odell Beckham Jr. following it), to say nothing of what happens under center now that Jameis Winston is out for the year. Get up to speed:

Sean Payton on Michael Thomas injury: ‘This isn’t anything he can control’

Sean Payton on Michael Thomas injury: ‘This isn’t anything he can control’

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Michael Thomas shared the tough news that he won’t play in 2021 on Wednesday, and New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton wants it known that he’s in his corner. He addressed the situation during his weekly media availability session prior to the Saints’ practice session.

“This isn’t anything he can control, the setback was more to do with the procedure he had,” Payton said, referring to the tightrope procedure Thomas underwent in June. He added: “He’s working his tail off.”

Thomas began running and cutting in practice in recent weeks, but he continued to feel pain in his surgically-repaired ankle. After visiting a specialist and receiving scans, they saw enough complications from his prior surgery to raise concerns about another procedure to clean it up.

It’s a really tough break for all involved. The Saints were banking on Thomas returning to elevate a receiving corps that might be the worst in the NFL. Thomas was hoping to reassert himself as one of the biggest playmakers in the game. Now he’s losing another season to an injury he suffered a year ago. It’s frustrating, but Payton is doing his part to put out a united front. Maybe Thomas and the Saints are finally on the same page.

[vertical-gallery id=56558]

Saints stand pat at NFL trade deadline; what happens next?

Saints stand pat at NFL trade deadline; what happens next?

[mm-video type=video id=01fke6ea0vrbsxdhd0ws playlist_id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fke6ea0vrbsxdhd0ws/01fke6ea0vrbsxdhd0ws-88eac9102374aed2bf35bdc3fd4d283a.jpg]

The New Orleans Saints held onto their players and future draft picks, electing to stay put at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, which was just boring and frustrating, but that’s par for the course. Unlike pro basketball, baseball, or even hockey and soccer leagues, NFL teams take the coward’s path and hold onto draft picks they’ll spend on players they’ll cut within months jealously.

It’s disappointing to see the Saints stagnate like this. They’ve got clear and obvious room for improvement at wide receiver and tight end, and a smaller need at defensive tackle, to say nothing of the uncertainty at quarterback. But they’ve elected to sit on their hands. Kevin White caught a pass last week; maybe he catches two targets next week, but I probably shouldn’t get ahead of myself.

At least there are some heroes out there like the Los Angeles Rams, who made a blockbuster deal for Von Miller. And the Kansas City Chiefs were aggressive in adding a couple role players. Those visionary, free-wheeling teams are doing their best to liven up a date on the NFL calendar that’s otherwise not worth acknowledging.

How can we fix this? Pushing the trade deadline back a few weeks might do it. Teams that are obviously on the downslope like the 3-4 Atlanta Falcons or 3-5 Philadelphia Eagles could be more willing to offload productive veterans like tight end Hayden Hurst and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox when they’re sitting ugly with six or seven losses instead of delusions of reaching .500 and getting into the playoff race. Instead they’re stubbornly holding onto good players in a doomed season. Nobody’s enjoying that.

Anyway: back to the Saints. They made their moves earlier in trading for Bradley Roby and Mark Ingram. And they’re set up well for the rest of the season, despite having lost Jameis Winston for the season to a knee injury, with just four games on their schedule against teams with a winning record. Here is a quick reminder of which draft picks they have to work with in the next few years (with more comp picks on the way in the spring):

  • 2022: 1, 2, 3 (comp for Terry Fontenot), 4, 5, 7
  • 2023: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
  • 2024: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

[vertical-gallery id=56558]

Notre Dame earns fourth-straight win over USC: Five Takeaways

What is your biggest takeaway from Saturday night’s win over USC?

Notre Dame and USC rekindled their relationship Saturday night as the teams met in South Bend after having to skip the annual series last fall due to the pandemic.

Notre Dame drove the length of the field on their opening drive before missing a field goal, forced a three-and-out of USC, and then drove down the field for a score.

The Irish were in control despite letting things get a bit more interesting than they’d have liked in the fourth quarter.  Here are my five instant takeaways from the — win that moves Notre Dame to 6-1.

Thomas Morstead shouts out his protégé Blake Gillikin after huge game

Thomas Morstead shouts out his protégé Blake Gillikin after huge game

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”0SRA75r9iG-1551506-7498″]

It didn’t take Thomas Morstead long to win over his New York Jets teammates, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to the many New Orleans Saints fans who cheered for him the last decade. But he found time to catch his old teammates’ game with the Washington Football Team on Sunday after his Jets squad lost a frustrating game in London to the Atlanta Falcons.

And Morstead had to be impressed by what he saw from Blake Gillikin, who he spent the last year of his Saints career tutoring. Gillikin punted five times for 268 yards (53.6 yards per try) and dropped three of them inside Washington’s 3-yard line. It was enough to earn some praise from his mentor on social media afterwards.

But Gillikin didn’t have time to check his phone between celebrating the win and rushing to a postgame press conference, where he said his time at Penn State prepared him for this moment.

“You know, (the Big Ten is) a punting conference, which is great,” Gillikin joked after the game. Between that experience and Morstead’s tutelage, it’s clear he’s the man for this job. We’ll just have to wait and see if he can hold it down for a decade like Morstead did. But there’s no doubting he’s off to a hot start.

[listicle id=51926]

Ryan Clark says Taysom Hill has a ‘Charles Barkley Turrible’ deep ball

Ryan Clark says Taysom Hill has a ‘Charles Barkley Turrible’ deep ball

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”nxFKaiWwm6-1540456-7498″]

ESPN analyst and retired NFL safety Ryan Clark hasn’t had many great things to say about the New Orleans Saints, despite hailing from Marrero, La. and starring at LSU for a few years before turning pro. He’s been critical of the team and its performance, and when rewatching their surprising loss to the New York Giants he focused on one ugly element in particular: Taysom Hill’s deep ball, which he criticized with NBA legend Charles Barkley’s signature jeer.

Hill threw the only Saints interception of the game on a long pass to Deonte Harris, but he didn’t put enough power behind it and the ball fell short, allowing Giants corner James Bradberry to circle back and outmuscle Harris at the catch point. After the game, Sean Payton said that Hill’s plant foot caught in the turf as he threw, but that excuse doesn’t explain the part-time quarterback’s issues going deep throughout his NFL career.

Per Pro Football Focus, Hill is 7-for-14 on throws traveling 20-plus yards (gaining 264 yards) from 2018 to 2021, including 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Quite literally every pass he sends deep downfield is a 50/50 ball. He lacks the arm strength and clean mechanics to push the ball further so it can hit his receivers in stride.

As impressive he’s been in other roles, this is a glaring weakness in his skills set. They may get favorable looks from the defense when asking Hill to throw, but he just isn’t effective enough at it to make taking the ball from Jameis Winston worthwile.

With that said, Clark was complimentary of Hill’s other big moments — including his two “big boy” scoring runs to extend New Orleans’ lead. And he’s correctly pointed out that Hill is at his best when he isn’t the one throwing the ball. When will Payton catch on?

[listicle id=51345]

Drew Brees reacts to Tom Brady winning the all-time passing yards record

Drew Brees reacts to Tom Brady winning the all-time passing yards record

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”xBlq4LuDis-1540301-7498″]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUlmbc2FIgg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Here’s a cool gesture from Drew Brees. The legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback offered a hat tip to the NFL’s new all-time leader in career passing yards, saluting Tom Brady from his Instagram account. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller won Brees’ own record in his first game against his old New England Patriots team.

Brees praised Brady for his “commitment and dedication” to his craft and teammates, and acknowledged all the work that goes into preparing to play the game at its highest level when cameras aren’t rolling. And then he reminded Brady to appreciate the moment. That’s a class act, from one future Hall of Famer to another.

[listicle id=51270]

Notre Dame stunned by Cincinnati: 5 instant takeaways

What is your instant takeaway from the loss?

Notre Dame survived scares the first three weeks of the season and overpowered Wisconsin in a slugfest for the final quarter last week but if it was good fortune, luck, or anything of the sort, it all ran out on Saturday afternoon as No. 7 Cincinnati gave the Irish a taste of their own medicine in a 24-13 win.

Cincinnati’s secondary is as good as advertised and took advantage of the opportunities they created and with a little help, may just be headed to the College Football Playoff in a few months.

We’re here to talk about Notre Dame’s side of things though on afternoon that so much went wrong.  Here are our five instant takeaways: