Tag: Rules

Saints open practice window for a starter to return from injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints opened the 21-day practice window for starting safety Will Harris to return from injured reserve:

The New Orleans Saints announced Wednesday that they had opened the 21-day practice window for starting safety Will Harris to return from injured reserve, which could be a big boost for the secondary.

Harris went down with a hamstring injury during Week 5’s prime-time loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. To that point in the season the was the only defender to stay on the field for 100% of snaps — more than mainstays like Tyrann Mathieu and Demario Davis.

He  totaled 16 tackles (12 solo, 1 tackle for loss) and an interception with 3 passes defensed, so he was productive. The Saints have struggled to replace Harris between a rotation including Jordan Howden, J.T. Gray, and Johnathan Abram coming up from the practice squad.

Remember, teams can only activate eight players from injured reserve each season. Backup guard/center Shane Lemieux is also practicing during his own window to return, and the team hopes to get back starting center Erik McCoy later this year. But running back Kendre Miller has already come off injured reserve once before going back on it, so the Saints are rapidly running short on activations. Let’s hope the injury bug stops biting soon.

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Chase Young’s long-awaited sack didn’t even count

Chase Young’s long-awaited third sack against the Carolina Panthers was all for naught. The play didn’t count, and the box score shut him out:

Chase Young only had two sacks over the course of eight games with the New Orleans Saints, and even though his drought ended against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, it was all for naught.

Young’s sack on Panthers quarterback Bryce Young occurred on a two-point try in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and therefore did not ultimately count. He was shut out on the box score.

And, to make matters even worse, it happened in a game the Saints lost so closely, falling 23-22 to the Panthers.

He came into the game with — and still totals for that matter — 18 combined tackles (11 solo) with two sacks and one pass defensed. As a player who was formerly a second overall pick, he has far from lived up to the expectations of what he was supposed to be coming out of Ohio State.

The Saints now sit on a seven-game losing streak with a legitimate case to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. Getting back to the right side of the win column will be essential as New Orleans continues its season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 10.

That’s going to be a tough task given just how hot the Falcons are right now, coming off of a 27-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys as firmly the best team in the NFC South.

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Saints lose Pro Bowl wide receiver to injured reserve, ending his season

The New Orleans Saints lost Pro Bowl returns specialist/wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to injured reserve, ending his season:

This is a big hit. The New Orleans Saints lost Pro Bowl returns specialist and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to injured reserve on Thursday, meaning he’s out of action for the rest of the 2024 season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that doctors had to repair Shaheed’s torn meniscus rather than give it a trim, which means he’s facing a recovery of four to six months.

Shaheed underwent knee surgery in Los Angeles and will likely return to New Orleans to recover. This is hugely disappointing for one of the team’s young star talents, but it’s for the best for Shaheed’s career. Delaying surgery or taking half-measures to address the injury would have only worsened his situation. He’ll get the chance to fully recover and prepare for 2025. He signed an extension with the Saints this summer that keeps him under  contract through 2026.

So where do the Saints go next? They signed rookie backup Jermaine Jackson to the 53-man roster to bring an immediate replacement on special teams, but no one on the roster can match Shaheed’s speed. Chris Olave is dealing with a concussion so he’ll be out for at least Thursday’s game with the Denver Broncos. Stay tuned to see if more additions are coming at wide receiver.

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NCAA issues new rule interpretation in light of Oregon-Ohio State finish on Saturday

This would have helped Ohio State on Saturday night in Eugene.

A major point of discussion since the battle between the then No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and then No. 3 ranked Oregon Ducks was the game’s finish.

Oregon was called for an illegal substitution for having 12 players on the field. This resulted in a five-yard penalty but more importantly, the Ohio State offense lost valuable seconds off the clock that prevented them from attempting a game-winning field goal.

On Wednesday afternoon, the NCAA issued a statement regarding the rule with a new interpretation. Moving forward, if a team is called for 12 men on the field, the offense will now have the option to have the clock reset.

After the two-minute timeout in either half, if the defense commits a substitution foul and 12 or more players are on the field and participate in a down, officials will penalize the defense for the foul and, at the option of the offended team, reset the game clock back to the time displayed at the snap.

The game clock will then restart on the next snap. If the 12th defender was attempting to exit but was still on the field at the snap and had no influence on the play, then the normal substitution penalty of 5 yards would be enforced with no clock adjustment.

“Football is a very dynamic game,” NCAA Football Secretary-Rules Editor Steve Shaw said. “Occasionally there are specific situations where committing a penalty can give a team an advantage. A guiding principle of the NCAA Football Rules Committee is that there should be no benefit when a team commits a penalty. The goal of this in-season interpretation is to eliminate a potential clock advantage for committing a substitution foul and take away any gain for the defense if they violate the substitution rule.”

The Saints are taking a unique approach to the NFL’s new kickoff format

With new kickoff rules being implemented, the New Orleans Saints are zigging when others zag. And it seems to be working:

The New Orleans Saints have approached the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rules quite a bit differently than other teams, and it may end up being a successful method in the long run. They are zigging when others zag, and it seems to be working. Their special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was very influential in designing the new kickoff format so it’s interesting to see him taking such a unique approach.

Most teams have been kicking for touchbacks or straight out of the end zone, which results in the opposing offense starting at their own 30-yard line. However, the Saints have employed a different strategy, targeting returns and letting their coverage team do the work. No team has faced more kick returns than New Orleans (14) or allowed more kick return yardage (353), but the math comes up to just 25.2 yards per kick return. That’s third-best among teams that have seen four or more kick returns this season.

There are only five teams in the NFL who have had touchbacks on less than 50% of their kickoffs. Those teams are:

  • Tennessee Titans (42.9%)
  • Carolina Panthers (25%)
  • New Orleans Saints (22.2%)
  • Chicago Bears (20%)
  • Washington Commanders (18.2%)

There is a method to this madness, and a few reasons why it may be employed more often by teams as they learn more.

First of all, the Saints’ coverage unit is spectacular, as they have been holding opposing teams to an average starting position at around the 27-yard line per Brian Baldinger of NFL Network. He also mentions that the Saints have kicked just four touchbacks so far this season. While three yards may seem like a minor distance to cover, it’s an additional three yards the opposing team has to cover to get into the end zone, which could force a field goal or two instead of a touchdown.

Additionally, kickoff returns are one of the more highly penalized plays in the NFL, with illegal blocks in the back, holding fouls, and illegal crackback blocks all being hazards. Against the Panthers in Week 1, the Saints forced a holding penalty on one of their kickoffs, setting up the Panthers at their 15-yard line despite a return to the 26 (enforced at the 25). While they did not draw any on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, the opportunity is still there, rather than just giving up 30 yards to start.

While it is not a perfect concept, it is one that the Saints feel comfortable with, especially with All-Pro coverage ace J.T. Gray out on the field who is one of their best players overall. It also gives the team the chance to make a play and gain some momentum and energy heading into the drive, which is always a nice bonus.

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Saints make their choice at backup quarterback, with Spencer Rattler at QB3

The Saints have made their decision at backup quarterback, moving Spencer Rattler to the QB3 spot and Jake Haener to QB2:

The New Orleans Saints had a litany of position battles throughout the offseason, the majority of which were clearly resolved prior to Week 1’s kickoff against the Carolina Panthers.

One such battle had not been solved, however, that being the backup quarterback. It was still listed as “or” on the depth chart between Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. Ultimately, the choice was made pregame, with Haener taking the number two spot and Rattler initially being inactive. He’ll still dress out in his uniform as the emergency third quarterback.

Rattler being the emergency QB means he will have to be part of the 53-man roster come gamedays (which was the expectation regardless). Dennis Allen has said the position will remain fluid this season, and the two split practice reps throughout the week. This decision comes as somewhat of a surprise as many fans believed Rattler outperformed Haener over the summer. However, Haener does have an extra season’s worth of practice reps on the team so that could have played into the decision.

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Golf instruction: New rules to know in 2024

Golfweek’s Averee Dovsek explains three new rules that have been changed by the USGA in 2024.

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Staying up to date on golf rules is essential to avoiding stroke penalties.

This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek explains three new rules that have been changed by the USGA in 2024. These three rules apply to beginners to professionals.

Not everyone has time to read through the latest official rule book, but all these and more can be found online. It is crucial to know basic rules of golf, but these ones may come in handy at anytime.

Check these three rules out to stay on top of your game.

If you’re interested in any of Averee’s fitness content, click here.

If you’re looking for more instruction, click here.

Why college football calls it a 2-minute timeout instead of a 2-minute warning

Every football fans refers to it as a “2-minute warning” but the NCAA refuses to do so

There aren’t too many rule changes to keep track of in college football this year, but one of the most noticeable isn’t anything taking place in the game. In fact, it has to do with stopping the game.

Much like the NFL, college football will now feature a stoppage when there are two minutes remaining in the second and fourth quarters.

But do not — I repeat: DO NOT — call this a “two-minute warning”. Officially, this is a “two-minute timeout”.

The NCAA rulebook doesn’t call it a warning, and as you’ll hear all season long, neither will the broadcasters.

Per Section 3, Article 5 of the NCAA rulebook:

When the game clock is running and the ball is not live, the Referee shall stop the clock with exactly two minutes remaining in the second and fourth quarters for a Two-Minute Timeout. If the ball is live when the game clock reaches two minutes in the second and fourth quarters, play will continue, and the Referee or covering official shall stop the clock when the ball is declared dead for a Two-Minute Timeout.

The media broadcast partner will hold back at least one media timeout to coincide with the Two-Minute Timeout. If there is no media timeout partner in the game, the timeout shall be one minute plus the five-second referee notification and the 25-second play clock interval.

And the NCAA is serious about not calling this a “warning” like the NFL does. You’ll hear broadcasters refer to the stoppage as a timeout all year long. The reason is pure semantics, per Chris Vannini of The Athletic:

It’s true, the warning was created for the NFL in an era when officials kept the official game time — and there weren’t a billion screens in every stadium to display it. But this does seem a bit silly on the NCAA’s part. Even if it’s not a “warning” per se, it acts the same.

Why confuse fans with something they’re already familiar with? That’s just how the NCAA rolls, apparently.

This is also a good time to point out that the NCAA can call it whatever it wants, but it can’t control how fans refer to the break. At least, as long as they aren’t also broadcasting games.

So go ahead and call it a two-minute warning if you’d like. The NCAA can’t hurt you.

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Saints will take advantage of new injured reserve rules with Kendre Miller

The Saints will take advantage of new injured reserve rules with Kendre Miller. He can return as soon as Week 5’s prime-time game with the Chiefs:

It’s disappointing to see Kendre Miller opening his second season with the New Orleans Saints on injured reserve, but it does mean the team can take advantage of new rules changes to navigate this situation.

First off, Miller can return as soon as Week 5’s prime-time game with the  Kansas City Chiefs, and he won’t count against the 53-man roster limit during that time. In past years teams had to keep injured players on their roster for a full day before putting them on injured reserve while planning to later activate them. Now, teams are allowed to put two injured players on I.R. right out of the gate.

Secondly, the Saints can activate up to eight players from injured reserve during the regular season, and two more can be brought back if they reach the playoffs. Additionally, players can be activated twice from I.R. if they suffer a setback. So there are plenty of options here for Miller. It’s not like the team is shutting him down for the season.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t frustrating for everyone involved. The coaches want to see Miller out there, and he probably wants to back up all that talking he did last summer about replacing Alvin Kamara. Players want to play. We’ll just have to monitor Miller’s progress. It’s unusual that a hamstring injury has kept him out this long without requiring surgery, but these things can be difficult. At this point all he can do is keep his head down and work on his rehab until he’s able to help the team.

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Saints waive Tommy Hudson with an injury settlement

The Saints got a little thinner at tight end after releasing Tommy Hudson with an injury settlement. What does it mean, and how does it work?

The New Orleans Saints got a little thinner at tight end after releasing Tommy Hudson with an injury settlement, per Thursday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire. So what does it mean, and how does it work?

Hudson had landed on injured reserve earlier this week with an unspecified ailment. Had he remained on IR, he’d recover with the assistance of team doctors and trainers, but be ineligible to play again this season until he can pass a physical. So this is a good opportunity to recap what injury settlements are.

In most cases, the team and player must agree on an estimate for how many games the player would’ve missed recovering from this injury — say, six weeks into the regular season — which is then paid out as a lump sum, with the team getting a salary cap credit for the remaining weeks left on the contract. Then they become a free agent after clearing the waiver wire. Occasionally a neutral arbiter may be called in to help find that estimate if there are major disagreements between team doctors and the player’s camp.

Both sides have an interest in settling. The team wants that cap credit and for their trainers to have one less injured player to attend to. The player wants the opportunity to keep playing once healthy. What prevents a team from re-signing a player after letting them go with an injury settlement? NFL rules dictate that they cannot sign with the original team until three weeks after the agreed-upon settlement, but other teams are free game.

However, the terms of these settlements often remain confidential. We’ll likely see other Saints players on injured reserve agree too these deals before training camp is over, and it’s likely Hudson will catch on somewhere else, but it’s too soon to say when and where that will be. In the meantime, the Saints must get more production out of their tight ends than they have thus far with Juwan Johnson recovering from offseason foot surgery.

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