Tag: Sean Payton

Things we learned from Sunday of Week 12 of NFL season

Touchdown Wire’s Pat Yasinskas shares 9 things we learned from Sunday’s Week 12 NFL games.

The NFL results from Week 12 were supposed to set up two huge matchups for Week 13. Umm, looks like that may not happen.

The big games were supposed to be Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in a rematch after the Week 11 game in which Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett clobbered Rudolph over the head with a helmet in a melee that caused Garrett to be suspended indefinitely and 33 players to be fined for their roles in the incident. Cleveland fans set the stage by hitting a Rudolph pinata with a helmet. That seemed to set up a monster rematch for next week.

The other huge game that seemed to be looming was an AFC West showdown between Kansas City and Oakland. The Chiefs, 7-4, were on bye Sunday. The Raiders entered the day at 6-4 and all they had to do was beat the lowly New York Jets to enter next week’s game in a tie with the Chiefs.

But, suddenly, some of the luster was taken off both games by what happened Sunday. Let’s take a closer look at that we examine nine things we learned from Sunday’s games of Week 12.

9. The Raiders aren’t as good as we thought

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The Raiders had seemed to turn the corner and had a shot at winning the division or at least making the playoffs. People were talking about Jon Gruden as Coach of the Year. Those things still could happen, but they’re not nearly as likely after a 34-3 loss to the Jets. Gruden, who seemed to have the perfect relationship with Derek Carr, benched his quarterback in the third quarter. Carr had thrown for just 127 passes and an interception. There’s no question Carr will be back as the starter against Kansas City. But things aren’t looking as rosy for the Raiders as they would have been with a victory over the Jets.

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Sean Payton: Nobody had a good game, including the New York NFL office

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton took aim at his team’s sloppy penalties, the Carolina Panthers’ poor execution, and NFL officiating.

The New Orleans Saints won their Week 12 game with the Carolina Panthers, but it was ugly. Saints coach Sean Payton watched his team commit 12 penalties for 123 yards, while his opponent executed poorly in several areas of the game — including two missed extra-point attempts and a botched field goal try that gave the Saints a chance to win.

However, the two teams on the field weren’t the only ones having an off day. Payton said after the game during his postgame press conference, “It wasn’t our best game, it wasn’t (Carolina’s) best game, and quite honestly it wasn’t New York’s best game.” Payton clearly took issue with mistakes from the on-hand officiating crew, which initially failed to give the Saints possession of a muffed punt until Payton forced their hand with a challenge.

He infamously received a private phone call from NFL officiating czar Al Riveron after last year’s botched NFC championship game. Riveron’s responsibility on Sundays from the NFL offices in New York City is to watch a wall of monitors streaming each ongoing NFL game and assist on-site officials with making the correct calls; apparently, Payton wasn’t happy with the officials’ performance on Sunday.

Payton challenged a foul for offensive pass interference on tight end Jared Cook early in the first quarter, which wiped out a 42-yard gain, but after reviewing the play with instant replay the officials let the penalty stand as called.

Late in the fourth quarter, the officials hit New Orleans defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson with a foul for defensive pass interference after Panthers coach Ron Rivera challenged the non-call. It was just the fourth overturned pass interference play of the year, per ESPN Stats and Info.

Ridiculous as that seems, the Saints were able to overcome it. And Payton declined to dwell on the officiating’s impact in the game, adding, “I’m not going to go down a list of all these calls. Any more questions about the game? Or are we just looking for hits?”

New Orleans did enough to win on Sunday. But they can’t keep playing sloppy and making opportunities for lesser teams to hang with them deep down the stretch. Here’s hoping this was just another aberration against a division rival. With a game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving night just around the corner, they can’t afford to make many more of the same mistakes.

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In cruelest irony, referees enforce DPI against Saints after challenge

The Saints were victims of a rule coach Sean Payton spent the offseason advocating, when referees sided with a pass interference challenge.

The NFL can be cruel. New Orleans Saints fans knew that already, but they were given an ugly reminder late in their Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers, when Panthers coach Ron Rivera challenged a non-call for defensive pass interference against Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

And he got it. The officials huddled over the instant replay review station and gave Carolina the nod: the Panthers were given a fresh set of downs from the New Orleans 3-yard line. It didn’t matter because the Saints defense buckled down and forced the Panthers into an unsuccessful field goal try, but the fact that this was the one instance in which the officials overturned a call on the field — against a team that was so publicly victimized in similar circumstances in last year’s conference championship game — is such cruel irony. Saints coach Sean Payton spearheaded the effort to make pass-interference (called or not) reviewable, and his team ended up catching the brunt of it.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, NFL coaches went into Week 12 having overturned 3 of 74 (4%) such challenges. League officiating established a precedent that required overwhelming evidence to overturn the result as called on the field, and in this one situation, it ended up biting New Orleans.

Fortunately, it didn’t matter. The Saints followed up that field goal miss with their own drive down the field, capping it off with a Wil Lutz game-winner from 33 yards out. Hopefully this bizarre use of the replay review rules doesn’t hurt them again.

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Future of Saints QB situation graded as too complicated to covet

The New Orleans Saints might have the NFL’s best quarterback situation in 2019, but free agency looms for Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater.

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The New Orleans Saints quarterbacks depth chart is one that should be the envy of the NFL. Drew Brees is a Hall of Fame-bound passer, sitting comfortably on top. Teddy Bridgewater proved his worth as a backup who can win games in this league. And Taysom Hill is a dynamic reserve who can fill in at almost any position, up to and including quarterback.

But according to our friends over at Touchdown Wire, that short-term strength comes with a price. All three of those quarterbacks are going to be free agents after this season, and the Saints have a tough decision to make on whether to keep Brees or Bridgewater. It’s possible they’re able to re-sign both of them, but Bridgewater will have earned far more opportunities — and much bigger contract demands — than what he was offered in the last signing cycle. And that potential instability ranks New Orleans’ outlook at the position low among the league; at No. 24, to be exact:

If this ranking pertained only to this season, the Saints might be No. 1. They have a future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees and, when he missed five games with a thumb injury, backup Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0. The Saints should have a deep playoff run this year. But, after that, things get cloudy in a hurry. Brees will turn 41 in January. He’s still going strong. It’s difficult to imagine the Saints choosing to keep Bridgewater as the starter over Brees because coach Sean Payton and Brees have such a close working relationship. It’s also difficult to imagine Bridgewater choosing to stay in New Orleans as a backup when he could likely get a starting job in free agency. Third-stringer Taysom Hill never will rise to the starting role. He’s a multipurpose threat and is used mostly on gimmick plays. Unless the Saints find a magical way to keep Bridgewater, it will be time to start looking for an eventual replacement for Brees. “Don’t be surprised if the Saints find a way to keep Bridgewater,” a panelist said. “(General manager Mickey) Loomis and Payton can be very charming. The smart move is to keep Teddy, even if he’s your backup for another year or two until Brees retires. They’ll be willing to throw good cash at him.”

To put a more optimistic spin on it: the Saints have at least two NFL quarterbacks in the building they can put faith in, and they’ll probably have their pick of them in the spring. Bridgewater will be able to command a starting quarterback’s salary in the range of $20 million or better per year, which is close to the decreased salary Brees agreed to accept the last time his contract ran out.

The Saints can afford to keep one of them, but they’ll be hard-pressed to recruit Bridgewater if Brees is determined to continue playing. At least Hill can return on a low-cost restricted free agent tender, at least for one more year.

Fortunately, the Saints have plenty of time to figure this situation out. Hopefully they’ll be able to do so with everyone crowded around the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIV.

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Sean Payton explains Marcus Davenport’s low snap count vs. Bucs

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said the decision to limit DE Marcus Davenport’s playing time came down to their sub package personnel.

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The New Orleans Saints handled their Week 11 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with ease, but did so largely without second-year pass rusher Marcus Davenport. The starting defensive end played just 23 snaps against Tampa Bay, with backup Trey Hendrickson appearing on 34 plays. That’s obviously not the kind of disparity Saints fans would hope to see out of that duo.

However, it makes sense in context of New Orleans’ game plan for the Buccaneers. Saints coach Sean Payton noted that his defense spent a lot of time in their sub-package with three down linemen rather than four. With Tampa Bay playing from behind for most of the game and dialing up so many dropbacks for Jameis Winston, the Saints responded by fielding more defensive backs than usual, which meant fewer opportunities for Davenport.

“Part of it was that a lot of our sub plan was out of a three-down look, so the rotation, if you’re playing four, it’s just going to be that many more snaps for the guys in the rotation,” Payton said. “A lot of it was just by, the three down sub package plan that we had.”

As for why more of the few snaps to go around went to Hendrickson rather than Davenport: consider each player’s skills set. Hendrickson is a quick-twitch pass rusher who bursts off the edge with great speed, and has several different arm-fighting moves at his disposal to disengage blockers. But he’s a relative lightweight for the position and can get bullied in run defense, lacking the sand in his pants to hold his ground against a 300-pound offensive tackle.

That’s not the case for Davenport, who is a prototype for an NFL defensive end. Much like teammate Cameron Jordan, Davenport is a naturally-gifted run defender thanks to his size, length, and agility. And also like Jordan, he’s taking some time to develop into an NFL-quality pass rusher. Jordan only had 9 sacks and 17 quarterback hits in his first two seasons, a stretch of 32 games. Davenport is already up to 7.5 sacks and 25 hits in his first 23 games. During his first 23 games, Jordan amassed just 4 sacks and 8 hits.

So there’s your answer: when forced into a pass-heavy game script, the Saints are going to give Hendrickson more opportunities thanks to his upside in those situations. When opponents are committed to remaining balanced on offense or showing the Saints looks that demand more of a four-down alignment, Davenport will get more chances. It’s not the ideal return on a player the Saints invested two first-round picks in, but it’s a reminder to fans that Davenport’s best football is still ahead of him.

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New Orleans Saints QB Controversy? No, not even a little bit

The New Orleans Saints may have fallen flat, but there’s no questioning whether the team is better with Drew Brees or Teddy Bridgewater.

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One poor game from New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons has a surprising number of analysts, pundits, and fans asking “Were the Saints better off with Teddy Bridgewater under center?” The simple answer to that question is simple: no.

A lot of drama was stirred up from the shocking loss to the Falcons during Week 10, but quarterback controversy should not be a part of any of that. It is true that Bridgewater led New Orleans to five straight wins in the absence of Brees. It is also a fact that Brees had one of his less-than-stellar performances during Week 10.

But let’s put all of this into perspective. In Bridgewater’s five starts this season he averaged a 103.68 QB rating, 241 passing yards, and a 70.14% completion rate per game; not too shabby. If we are to believe the pundits like FOX Sports host Ben Maller, then Brees’ game during Week 10 was worth benching the future Hall of Famer over. However, even in that game the future Brees threw for nearly 300 yards and kept the ball safe, while still completing over 70% of his passes. In Brees’ very first game back from injury just two weeks earlier, he looked like his vintage self, throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns, compiling a 116.4 QB rating. While the sample size is limited this year, Brees does not look like the over-the-hill quarterback some have described.

What happened during Week 10 was an anomaly, at least historically that has been the case for contending Saints squads. The offensive line was banged up or ill (Andrus Peat exited with a broken arm, and Terron Armstead was playing with the flu), as evidenced by the season-high six sacks. New Orleans’ inability to get the run going, as evidenced by just 11 rush attempts, kept the team from spreading the field as they often do. On top of that, self-inflicted penalties by the defense killed momentum, and continually gave life to the Falcon’s offense.

All of that being said, Brees did make a few errant throws, one in particular to wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith during the second quarter, which sailed over the receiver’s head. Had the pass been slightly more accurate, Smith could have potentially had a huge gain. Multiple drops by Ted Ginn Jr., and a season-long lack of production from every other receiver not named Michael Thomas helped to impede Brees and Sean Payton’s game plan.

Let’s keep it real: the entire New Orleans squad played poorly from top to bottom, and one bad game is nowhere near enough to question the Saints’ quarterback situation, nor is it enough to question whether Brees is truly feeling his age. While Bridgewater kept the team afloat, there’s no question that the team is in better position to win with Brees under center.

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Sean Payton won’t be watching Colin Kaepernick’s workout

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton won’t watch Colin Kaepernick’s workout. He’s happy with Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, and Taysom Hill.

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The NFL is hurrying to put together a Saturday workout for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who ranks twenty-third in career passing rating in NFL history but hasn’t had a team in almost three years despite training five days a week to remain game-ready. Count New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton in the camp who isn’t interested in what Kaepernick has to offer.

“I won’t pay attention because it isn’t a need for us,” Payton said during his Thursday conference call with New Orleans media, hours before Saints practice. The Saints do have depth at quarterback that would envy any team around the league; Drew Brees is one of the greatest passers of all time, while Teddy Bridgewater proved to be a starting-quality fill-in during Brees’ absence. Taysom Hill rounds out the group as someone who has made strides early in his career.

However, that depth may be temporary. None of those three quarterbacks are under contract after this season, with Brees and Bridgewater both eligible for unrestricted free agency. Hill is designated as a restricted free agent, which is a little more complicated but doesn’t guarantee he’ll return.

Payton and the Saints would be wise to evaluate all available options, but in this case they’re hedging their bets that their quarterbacks depth chart should look much the same even after new contracts for Brees, Bridgewater, and Hill are drawn up.

Now, it doesn’t mean that the Saints won’t have someone in attendance to observe Kaepernick’s workout. Payton being disinterested doesn’t mean they won’t assign a scout or personnel executive to check in. Payton previously voiced support for Kaepernick’s ability to compete in the NFL despite a prolonged absence.

“It is a little surprising that he is still available, and I don’t think he will be available too long,” Payton said back in May 2017. “I think the key is the fit and the vision for a club offensively but I think there will be a team that has that vision and has an offense that builds around some of the things he does well.”

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Saints WR Keith Kirkwood working to return from injured reserve

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton commended the progress WR Keith Kirkwood has made in working to return from injured reserve.

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The New Orleans Saints had high hopes for second-year wide receiver Keith Kirkwood during the summer. Kirkwood was their preferred stand-in for Michael Thomas during his brief holdout for a contract extension, but he played just a dozen snaps in the season-opener before exiting with a hamstring injury. It continued to dog him throughout the following week and was so badly aggravated in pregame warmups that he landed on injured reserve.

Now, nine weeks later, Kirkwood is working to return to the team. Because of the NFL’s injured reserve rules, players designated to return from that list have a two-week window in which to practice before they can be allowed to suit up for a game. The Saints haven’t given Kirkwood that designation yet, so it means the earliest he could possibly return would be Week 13’s game with the Atlanta Falcons. But Saints coach Sean Payton did offer an update on his status before practice Wednesday.

“He’s doing well,” Payton said. “He’s been moving well and running well, so we’ll keep paying attention to that and keep working with him and getting him to where he’s able to play.”

New Orleans could certainly use his help, whenever he does return. Thomas paces the team (and the NFL) with 86 receptions, but all of their other wide receivers have combined for just 30 catches this season. They’ve gotten by with Thomas putting the team on his back each week and some creative use of their other skills position talent, but a 26-9 loss to the Falcons last Sunday highlighted just how thin the position group is. Somebody has to step up and make a play besides No. 13 sometimes.

Maybe Kirkwood could be the help the Saints need. He came through in clutch moments last season as a rookie practice squad call-up, appearing in nine games (including the playoffs). He went 15-of-23 for 217 yards, a clip of 14.5 yards per catch, converting 12 first downs and scoring three touchdowns. For perspective, here’s how that stat line would rank among Saints wide receivers this year:

  • Third in receptions
  • Third in receiving yards,
  • Second in touchdown catches
  • Tied for second in first down conversions

Even if his performance came on limited snap counts (Kirkwood averaged 30.9 plays per game on offense, but trailed only Thomas among snaps played by wide receivers in their playoff game with the Philadelphia Eagles), it was enough to earn Brees’ trust and build some momentum going into the offseason. Hopefully they can pick up where they left off when Kirkwood returns, if he’s able. Payton is clearly encouraged by his progress so far.

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Sean Payton doesn’t excuse Falcons loss with lopsided officiating

New Orleans Saints HC Sean Payton didn’t blame officiating in his team’s 26-9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, pointing to their own mistakes.

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Few viewers expected the New Orleans Saints to get trounced by the Atlanta Falcons — coming out of the bye week, inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, in a year where the Saints have been nearly undefeated and the Falcons have gone nearly winless. But that’s not what happened, when Atlanta’s defense swarmed Drew Brees and the Saints offense, leaving town with a 26-9 win on their shoulders.

Some fans would point to the game’s officiating as a culprit in the upset. Whenever the Saints defense seemed to win on a crucial down, it seemed like someone was flagged for an illegal use of hands penalty; giving up five yards and an automatic first down. Saints defenders were penalized for that on four different occasions on Sunday, twice on third downs which would have forced an Atlanta punt. In total, New Orleans drew a dozen penalty flags and ceded 90 yards. The Falcons were flagged seven times, giving up 48 yards. That’s about as lopsided as it gets in the NFL.

But Saints coach Sean Payton doesn’t buy that as an easy explanation for his team’s loss. He rebuffed that notion during his postgame press conference, saying, “No, I thought the officiating was pretty good in this game. That had nothing to do with this game.”

Rather, Payton wants his team to look at their own mistakes and miscues. Excessive penalties are often a sign of poor execution and botched on-field decisions, and he looked back on the game as a big learning opportunity for just about everyone.

“Yes, absolutely, there’s a lot of corrections (to be made),” Payton continued, hammering his point home. “A lot of corrections. Look, it’s a good group here and they understand that tomorrow will be tough to watch it. It’ll go down. But shame on us if we can’t get those corrections made. That won’t be a problem. It’s much easier to come in and watch tape after you win, but that’s one of the things about this game that creates a little bit of toughness and grit.”

This Saints team has enjoyed plenty of success in recent years, having been built around a largely-intact core of players going back to the 2017 season opener; they’ve won 33 of their last 45 games together, and know what must be done to rebound from a poor outing like this one.

Still, knowing what to do and putting it into practice are two different things. And the Saints have a critical four-game stretch ahead of them, featuring three more NFC South divisional games (peaking with a prime-time rematch in Atlanta on Thanksgiving) and then a home game in the Superdome against the San Francisco 49ers. If Payton and the Saints can right the ship and handle their business, they could be in position to lock up the division title and maybe a top-two playoff seed by the end of it. But that’s easier said than done in a league where any team can win on any given Sunday.

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