Tag: Rules

Saints learned from Cardinals’ tampering mistake with Eagles head coach candidate

The Cardinals were once found guilty on tampering charges for Jonathan Gannon. The Saints are working to avoid that as they pursue Eagles coach Kellen Moore:

If the Philadelphia Eagles lose offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to the New Orleans Saints, it will be the second time they’ve lost their offensive coordinator in three seasons. It’s happened after both of their Super Bowl appearances. Coincidentally, they will have lost their play caller to the host city’s team both times as well.

After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon stayed in Phoenix to coach the Arizona Cardinals. Kellen Moore could have a similar fate in New Orleans.

And the Saints are taking every precaution to not have the same fate as the Cardinals. When Arizona hired Gannon, they had to swap third-draft picks with the Eagles because the NFL determined Arizona was guilty of tampering. Philadelphia received the No. 66 pick in exchange for the No. 94 pick, plus a fifth-round selection in 2024.

New Orleans hasn’t succumbed to the same pitfalls the Cardinals fell victim to. Arizona contacted Gannon for the first time the day after the NFC Championship Game. NFL rules dictate the process very clearly: when speaking with candidates, teams must first hold a virtual teleconference interview (capped at three hours). After that, they can meet in person either at the team facility or another location, and those talks can take eight or nine hours to cover everything. Further discussions can happen, but you’ve got to follow the process.

You may think to yourself the Saints did the same as Arizona. They did fly to Philadelphia after Moore’s offense put up a season-high 55 points to win the NFC. The difference is that New Orleans had followed NFL protocol to the letter. They already interviewed Moore virtually, but that was the first time the Cardinals talked to Gannon. This small difference of not being the initial contact is the difference between receiving tampering penalties.

What if they misstepped? New Orleans has two third-round selections. They’d most likely have to part ways with their first pick at No. 71 and drop down to No. 95 or 96 (depending on the Super Bowl outcome).

That’s a difference of 24 to 25 slots by simply adhering to the NFL regulations. The Saints need to stock talent right now, so dropping down in the draft is only acceptable via trade. They’ve done a good job following the rules to this point. Let’s hope they don’t drop the ball before they’ve crossed the goal line.

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Fixing the NBA: Six ways to speed up games

As someone who watches basketball for professional reasons, I admit that a shorter NBA telecast is very appealing. Although the owners will likely balk at any ideas that can infringe upon their advertising dollars, all sports leagues are trying to …

As someone who watches basketball for professional reasons, I admit that a shorter NBA telecast is very appealing. Although the owners will likely balk at any ideas that can infringe upon their advertising dollars, all sports leagues are trying to streamline their broadcasts to capture the ever-fickle youth, who are ruined by their reliance upon quick-twitch videos and flash-fried highlights (or so the old heads in charge imagine).

The MLB, perhaps the most hidebound of all the leagues, introduced a pitch clock to almost universal applause. Are there similar fixes available for the NBA? Yes. Let’s discuss a few.

Report: Saints may fly out to meet with head coach candidate in person

NFL Network reports the New Orleans Saints’ team brass may fly out to Philadelphia to interview Eagles OC Kellen Moore in person as soon as Monday:

It’s been a tough week in the New Orleans Saints head coach search. Two of the team’s top targets, Aaron Glenn and Joe Brady, chose to pursue other opportunities and declined in-person interviews with general manager Mickey Loomis after working down the hall from him just a few years ago. All six of the other head coaching vacancies have been filled. If the Saints could get out of their own way they could have their pick of the candidates still available, but guys like Brady clearly don’t view them as an attractive destination.

Still, time is of the essence. Whoever does get hired as head coach will have to build a new staff and the competition for those candidates is heating up. The sooner the Saints can get in the mix, the better. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday morning that the team has made plans to potentially fly in to another city to sit down with a potential head coach after twice interviewing Anthony Weaver and Mike Kafka, as well as their own interim coach Darren Rizzi.

“The Saints also plan to speak again with Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. They are allowed under the rules to speak with Moore, win or lose for the Eagles today, but the result of this game could impact the timing. The Saints ideally want to speak with Moore as soon as possible. Could head to Philadelphia even to speak with him as soon as Monday,” Pelissero said.

It wouldn’t be the first time a team charters a private flight to another NFL city to interview a coach, but it would be the first time the Saints have done it this cycle. Thus far all contact with coach candidates has meant interviews (either virtually or in person at the team headquarters in Metairie) with general manager Mickey Loomis, his lieutenants Jeff Ireland, Khai Harley, and Michael Parenton plus consultants Randy Mueller and Dave Ziegler.

Loading all of them up and onto Gayle Benson’s private jet to go meet with a twice-fired offensive coordinator almost reeks of desperation to fill the job, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

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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.