SB Nation - Aaron Glenn

Jets vs Dolphins – Rivalry Redux

Xander Diaz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

2 months ago: Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown (23) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Jets during an NFL football game in Miami, Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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The newest chapter in the Jets – Dolphins rivalry began with another spectacular Monday Night Football game. The Miami Dolphins edged out the New York Jets 31-27, in a game that featured 2 ties and 6 lead changes. A disappointing end to an exciting game for Jets fans.

The loss got me to thinking about some of the great games I’ve seen these two teams play over the years and I decided to put together my list of the most memorable games played between these rival AFC teams.

January 23, 1983 – 1982 AFC Championship game – aka the ‘Mud Bowl’
During the strike- shortened 1982 season, the Dolphins swept the regular season series. The two teams would meet again in the 1982 AFC Championship game, a trip to Super Bowl XVII at stake. This game was marked by a rather strange incident. The tarp was left off the field of the Orange Bowl during a marathon rainstorm leading up to the game. This resulted in a mud covered field which helped keep both teams scoreless in the first half. This game would feature ten turnovers, eight of them on quarterback interceptions. Three of those interceptions came from the star of the game, Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe who would nab three of Jets quarterback Richard Todd’s five interceptions of the day. Duhe cemented the 14–0 win, sending the Dolphins to Super Bowl XVII, when he returned one 35 yards for a touchdown.

November 10, 1985 – The "Super" Duper Game
Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was down to the Jets 17-14 with less than a minute to play when he fired a 50 yard touchdown pass to Mark "Super" Duper, winning the game, 21–17. Duper had been sidelined for seven weeks with a broken leg leading up to this game, coming back to have the game of his life against the Jets. He set a Dolphins club single game record with 217 receiving yards in helping Miami secure the win.

September 21st, 1986 – The Shootout
On this day Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino would each give legendary performances. The two quarterbacks would combine to set 2 NFL single game records. O’Brien and Marino would combine for a whopping 884 net passing yards and ten passing touchdowns. Records that still stand to this day. Dan Marino completed 30 of 50 for 448 yards and six touchdown passes. Ken O’Brien would throw for 479 yards and four touchdowns. Memorable moments include a Ken O’Brien td pass to wide receiver Wesley Walker with no time left on the clock to force overtime and his game clincher in overtime for the win, 51-45. To this day, this is the highest scoring game between the teams (96 total points).

November 27, 1994 – The Fake Spike Game
With first place in the division on the line, the Jets would outplay the Dolphins for three quarters and hold a 24-6 lead. The score cut to 24-21, Marino and the Dolphins would drive to within the Jets’ five-yard line. With thirty seconds left on a live clock, Marino took the snap from center, motioned as if he was going to spike the ball and instead fired the ball past Aaron Glenn and into the corner of the end zone where Mark Ingram waited. The touchdown gave the Dolphins a 28-24 victory and the division. The Jets went into a spiral after that play, losing all of their remaining games. This game marked the beginning of a dark down-ward spiral for the Jets that would last until the end of the 1996 season. The Jets would compile an embarrassing record of 4-33 during this period.

December 13, 1998 – Remember Chad Cascadden?
Both teams were 9-4 and the division lead, and possibly the division title, was the line. Going into the final minutes of the game, the Jets led 14-10 when a Marino fumble was picked up by Jets linebacker Chad Cascadden, who returned it for a touchdown putting the Jets ahead 21-10 with less than two minutes on the clock. The Jets would win 21-16, going on to win their first post-merger division title the following week at Buffalo.

October 23, 2000 – The Monday Night Miracle
Both teams started the 2000 season 5-1 when they met on Monday Night Football to determine control of the AFC East. What should have been an exciting match, turned into a three quarter drubbing by the Dolphins. The Dolphins held a leadthat grew to 30-7 at the end of the third quarter. Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw three picks and running back Curtis Martin was held to 30 yards rushing. In fact, the Jets would manage only two first downs in the entire first half. The game was so one-sided that Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler was heard on the sidelines telling defensive end Jason Taylor, "They ain’t coming back on us!" to which Taylor replied, "Hell no! You kidding? C’mon now." Those words would come back to haunt the Dolphins in short order. Testaverde would hit wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Jermaine Wiggins for td’s, cutting the lead to 30-20. A John Hall field goal later, Testaverde hits Wayne Chrebet in the end zone to tie the game 30-30 with 3:55 left. Almost crushing the revitalized hopes of the Jets, Fiedler would respond by tossing a long touchdown pass to Leslie Shepherd retaking the lead 37-30. The Jets would re-tie the game with 42 seconds left, when Testaverde hit offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott with a three yard touchdown strike, sending the contest into overtime. Elliott famously bobbled the ball as he fell in the endzone. The Jets would eventually win on a John Hall 40-yard field goal in overtime. The key to this game was the Jets fourth quarter performance. After managing only 5 first downs in the first three quarters, Testaverde completed 18 of 26 for 235 yards and four touchdowns, converting twenty first downs. This game came to be known as ‘The Monday Night Miracle’ and was selected by fans as the greatest game in the history of the Monday Night Football television series, when Monday Night Football celebrated its 500th telecast. The game also set the mark as the largest comeback from a fourth quarter deficit in NFL history.

Xander Diaz is Editor-In-Chief at AFCBeast.com

A True Identity For the Jets?

Xander Diaz — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:16:40 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

3 months ago: New York Jets' Mark Sanchez (6) celebrates as he runs off the field after the team's NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Houston. The Jets beat the Texans 24-7. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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True followers of the New York Jets know all too well what the roller coaster ride is like. One week there is heart pounding excitement as the team looks poised to finally reach a Super Bowl after 40 years (nobody needs to be reminded of the talk following the wins against the Pats and Titans last year). Then, before that feeling of excitement can set in, the magic carpet is pulled out from under us, followed by the most unbearable form of heartbreak a sports fan endures.

Complete and total failure.

These moments, for Jets fans, seem endless. In 1983, during the AFC Championship game or the "Mud Bowl" as it was later known, the Jets found themselves on the cusp of that elusive second Super Bowl. Miami Dolphins LB A.J. Duhe had his greatest performance ever by intercepting three of Jets QB Richard Todd’s five interceptions, returning one 35 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter, clinching the 1982 AFC Title for the Dolphins by a score of 14-0. Miami would eventually lose Super Bowl XVII by a score of 17 -27 to the Washington Redskins.

In 1986 a 10-1 start gave us the same Jets-Giants Super Bowl talk heard for about a week last year. The Jets then lost their final 5 straight games (sound familiar?) but somehow managed to squeak into the playoffs as a wildcard. An unlikely win against Kansas City had Jets fans everywhere dancing with visions of a Lombardi trophy in their heads. With a 10 point lead against the Cleveland Browns and only minutes to go, we all felt the heart pounding excitement…another AFC championship game was within grasp. Enter Mark Gastineau and his infamous roughing penalty….and well, you know the rest.

Most Jet fans could not figure out why one of Bill Parcells’s "guys", David Meggett, suddenly could not field a punt cleanly in the second half of the 1998 AFC Championship game. We know now and probably knew then that it was the beginning of the end of the dream for us that year. Just as it was when Doug Brien’s field goal attempt fell about 6 inches short in 2004 and bounced off the crossbar.

However, Jets fans have always been able to display something that even their team has not always been able to come up with.

Resilience. Hope. Enthusiasm. Passion. All of which lead us to slightly exaggerated expectations at times but that’s what being a fan is all about isn’t? the expectation of good things to come?

Jets fans of today are what Brooklyn Dodger fans were in the early and mid 1950’s…and that is something which should be a source of pride, never embarrassment. Anybody can jump on the band wagon of a perpetual winner (ahem – New England), but it takes a certain amount of character to sit in the stands after watching Dan Marino steal first place with a "fake spike" pass that Aaron Glenn is still looking for, and still come back the next week to root for them as if they are family.

This coming Sunday the Jets open at home against the hated Patriots. The defense is coming off one of the most dominating performances by a Jets team in recent memory, possibly ever (with all due respect to the ‘68 team and the Sack Exchange). Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, is the most dynamic player we’ve seen behind center since the days of Joe Namath. With that said, don’t take it as a show of disrespect for the heart and fight that Chad Pennington showed or the one truly great season Vinny Testarverde gave us in 1998.

Finally, for the first time since 1997 the Jets have a coach, in Rex Ryan, who is not afraid to go out and say how good he expects his team to be. A coach who is willing to let his players know how good they are and then sets them loose to prove him right, is a beautiful thing.

Should Jets fans book tickets for the Super Bowl yet? Of course not.

Should fans expect an undefeated season without disappointing losses? That would simply be unrealistic.

Should a statue to Sanchez be erected outside the new stadium? No. It would be extremely shortsighted to think that we are not going to see some bad rookie moments that may even cost the team a game or two this season.

For the first time since Weeb Ewbank was the coach, the team seems to have a long term plan and not just a quick fix in place. A plan that is finally establishing an image and an identity for a team that has been struggling to find those things for over 40 years now.

It might not all come together perfectly in this first year, but for once the prospect of consistency and long term success seems to be within reach. When consistency and success are finally ours, Jets fans won’t agonizing quite as long over difficult losses because they know that they have a team that has the temperament, confidence and skills to bounce back quickly and with a vengeance.

It has been argued that the Jets have no identity because they don’t have a stadium that "is their own". In reality, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Patriots would still retain their identity as a team regardless of the name on the stadium they play in. The Jets now seem to be on the verge of learning how to find that identity that will travel with them wherever they go.

In the NFL, your identity as a team is part of the recipe for success.

Originally written for AFCBeast.com by Brian Acard - Staff Writer AFCBeast.com
Xander Diaz is Editor-In-Chief at AFCBeast.com

Addition by Subtraction or Addition by...Addition?

Saintsational — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:00:15 -0000

It's a fact that after every season, NFL teams begin the process of improving their roster during the long off-season months. These improvements can come about in two different ways: Getting rid of certain players/coaches and adding others. Most often, and rightfully so, it's the big name free agent signings or the top round draft choices that get talked about most. But after the Saints didn't re-sign Josh Bullocks and let go of Gary Gibbs this off-season, I started wondering if getting rid of a player or coach could be just as important to the betterment of a team as who they add.

We know defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs has been replaced by Gregg Williams and hope this is going to be an improvement for the Saints. If this turns out to be the case, which half of this defensive coordinator transition would factor most in the Saints defensive improvement; the absence of Gibbs or the presence of Williams? In reality, it's a combination of the two. But is it possible that one could play a larger role than the other? Perhaps Gibbs' system really was that bad and any new defensive coordinator would provide better results than what Gibbs was able to accomplish. If that was the case than I think it would be safe to assume that getting rid of Gibbs was more important than actually choosing the correct replacement, whoever that may have been. And this logic could just as easily apply to the players on the field. Anybody has got to be better than Josh Bullocks, right? Also remember that with a limited number of spots, roster re-arranging is a zero sum game. Every time the Saints sign a player, someone else has to go. Are the Saints getting rid of the right players or are they releasing a future Pro Bowler?

So let's get a little philosophical with this today. On the whole, have the Saints improved more because of the players they have added or because of the players they've gotten rid of this off-season? Are there at least specific instances where this was true this off-season? Is it even possible that getting rid of a player/coach is more important than acquiring one?

As a quick refresher and to help facilitate discussion, here is a list of some personnel that are not returning to New Orleans this season as well as some players who will be making their regular season debut with the team. This list is meant for illustration purposes only and is not making any comparisons.

Position	Former Player	New Player
Def. Coordinator	Gary Gibbs	Gregg Williams
CB	Aaron Glenn	Malcolm Jenkins
S	Kevin Kaesviharn	Darren Sharper
CB	Mike McKenzie	Jabari Greer
S	Josh Bullocks	Pierson Prioleau
TE	Mark Campbell	Darnell Dinkins, Dan Campbell
RB	Aaron Stecker	Lynell Hamilton
DT	Hollis Thomas	Rod Coleman
C	Matt Lehr	Nick Leckey
DT	Brian Young	DeMario Pressley
FB	Mike Karney	Heath Evans
DE	Josh Savage	Paul Spicer

Poll

Have the Saints added by subtracting this off-season?

Not at all

27 votes

Yes, slightly.

355 votes

Every cut they've made has been genius

233 votes

615 votes | Poll has closed

Will the Pioli/Parcells/Haley Connection Bring Any Remaining Free Agents to the Chiefs?

Joel Thorman — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:37:19 -0000

Note: Primetime did the leg work on the tables and I did the writing. -Chris

If you're been reading Arrowhead Pride for a little while now, you know that Scott Pioli and Todd Haley are big on bringing in coaches and players that they've worked with before. Which makes perfect sense. It's a natural human instinct to take the known over the unknown.

It's gotten to the point where as soon as we hear of a new player the Chiefs have signed or are interested in, we look for the Pioli/Parcells/Haley connection and it's inevitably there.

Why look for a Bill Parcells connection in addition to a Pioli/Haley connection?

Well because the legendary coach has had some big time influence on the Chiefs current GM and head coach.

Todd Haley began his career as the New York Jets' wide receivers coach under Parcells in 1997. Haley also coached under Parcells from 2004 to 2005 as the wide receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys, while Parcells was the head coach.

Todd is the son of Dick Haley, who is the current Player Personnel Analyst for the Miami Dolphins and former Director of Player Personnel for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets. Haley, his father Dick and Parcells all worked together in New York from 1997 to 1999. Haley was the Jets wide receiver coach; Parcells was the head coach; and Dick Haley as the Personnel Director.

Haley and Scott Pioli worked together from 1997 to 2000, when Pioli was the Director of Pro Personnel for the New York Jets.

As far as Parcells and Pioli go, both worked together in New York for the Jets in the late 1990s while Parcells was the head coach there. Oh, and Scott Pioli also married Bill Parcells' daughter. They're probably pretty tight.

So it's one big happy family over there at One Arrowhead Drive nowadays.

Every single coach hired by the new Kansas City Chiefs' brass has had some sort of Scott Piloli/Todd Haley/Bill Parcells connection.

Special teams coach Steve Hoffman (Parcells)
WR coach Dedric Ward (Haley, Parcells and Pioli)
Defensive quality control coach Pat Perles (Haley)
Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (Haley)
Offensive line coach Bill Muir (Pioli and Haley)
LB coach Gary Gibbs (Parcells and Haley)
Joel Collier (Pioli)

It's the same thing with the free agents the Chiefs have signed this off season:

LB Monty Beisel - Played for Arizona in 2008 under Chiefs' DC Clancy Pendergast
QB Matt Cassel - Former New England Patriot under Pioli
WR Terrance Copper - Signed to the Cowboys by Bill Parcells when Todd Haley was working with the wide receivers
CB Travis Daniels - Former Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel, who coached under Belichick and Pioli in New England, traded for him prior to the 2008 campaign
WR Bobby Engram -Played for the Bears when Todd Haley worked with wide receivers
LB Darrell Robertson - New England practice squad in 2008 and a former Georgia Tech player under Chan Gailey
TE Sean Ryan - Played last year in Miami for Bill Parcells and for Haley and Parcells in Dallas from 2004 to 2005
TE Tony Curtis - Played for Haley and Parcells in Dallas from 2005 to 2006

Is that enough evidence that these guys prefer working with people they've worked with before?

It makes sense to take a look at who the top remaining free agents and see where the Pioli/Haley/Parcells connection is. It's likely that any future free agent signings will come from this group.

The top offensive and defensive free agents connected to Pioli, Haley and Parcells are after the jump.

Offense
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Age	Pioli	Haley	Parcells
Rex Grossman	QB	6'1"	222	28		CHI 03-04
Lorenzo Neal	FB	5'11"	255	39		NYJ 97	NYJ 97
Marty Booker	WR	6'0"	212	32		CHI 01-03
Kelley Washington	WR	6'3"	218	29	NE 07-08
Jerame Tuman	TE	6'4"	255	33		AZ 08
Brandon Gorin	RT	6'6"	308	30	NE 03-05
Rob Petitti	RT	6'6"	347	26		DAL 05	DAL 05
Terrence Metcalf	G-T	6'3"	325	31		CHI 02-04
Evan Mathis	G	6'5"	304	27			MIA 08
Grey Ruegamer	G-C	6'4"	310	32	NE 00-02
Matt Lehr	G-C	6'3"	300	30			DAL 03-04
Edgerrin James	RB	6'0"	219	30		AZ 07-08

Back on Monday, I asked you what was the biggest positional need for the Chiefs after the draft. You responded by saying that wide receiver, offensive tackle and outside linebacker were the Chiefs' biggest needs.

WR Marty Booker has already had a workout with the Chiefs and left without a contract offer (We assume).

Former 3rd round pick Kelley Washington is an option too I guess, although I'm not sure what he would bring to the table considering his poor career numbers.

At best, I think any of the offensive line free agents out there would be back ups to our current crop of linemen.

The defensive free agents are pretty slim pickings as well. Check them out.

Defense
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Age	Pioli	Haley	Parcells
La'Roi Glover	DT-NT	6'2"	285	34		DAL 05	DAL 03-05
Chris Cooper	DT-DE	6'5"	275	31		AZ 07	DAL 04
Vonnie Holliday	DT-DE	6'5"	290	33			MIA 08
Rosevelt Colvin	DE-LB	6'3"	250	31	NE 03-08	CHI 01-02
Ebenezer Ekuban	DE	6'3"	265	32			DAL 03
Derek Smith	ILB	6'2"	245	34			MIA 08
Junior Seau	ILB	6'3"	250	40	NE 06-08
Willie McGinest	OLB-DE	6'5"	270	37	NE 00-05
Mike Brown	S	5'10"	210	31		CHI 01-04
Rodney Harrison	S	6'1"	220	36	NE 03-08
Lawyer Milloy	S	6'0"	210	34	NE 00-03
Roy Williams	S	6'0"	235	28		DAL 05-06	DAL 03-06
Keith Davis	S	5'10"	193	30		DAL 05-06	DAL 03-06
Terrence Holt	S	6'2"	208	29		AZ 07
Cameron Worrell	S	5'11"	199	29		CHI 03-04
Mike Green	S	6'0"	195	32		CHI 01-04
Deltha O'Neal	CB	5'11"	194	32	NE 08
Jason Webster	CB	5'9"	187	31	NE 08
R.W. McQuarters	CB	5'10"	198	32		CHI 01-04
Lewis Sanders	CB	6'1"	190	29	NE 08
Aaron Glenn	CB	5'9"	185	36		NYJ 95-00, DAL 05-06	NYJ 97-99, DAL 05-06
Roderick Hood	DB	5'11"	198	27		AZ 07-08
Travis LaBoy	DE	6'3"	250	27		AZ 08

Considering that the top remaining linebackers are all over 34-years old and that the Chiefs have already signed two veteran LBs, I don't see the Chiefs signing Junior Seau, Willie McGinest or Derek Smith. McGinest could theoretically fill at defensive end in addition to linebacker but his age prohibits most investments in him.

S Keith Davis left KC without a contract offer after a private visit to KC back in March.

DE Travis LaBoy, like Primetime wrote this morning, really does seem to be the most viable option for the Chiefs on this list, although I'm not sure what the odds of him coming to KC truly are.

Last year, we would have crossed off any one on this list that was over the age of 27 but that's no longer the case. Now, with the draft over and compensation for many of these players at a minimum, we could be looking at more signings.

Would you like to see any of these free agents signed by the Kansas City Chiefs?

Poll

How many of these free agents will the Chiefs sign?

0

52 votes

1

108 votes

2

212 votes

3

154 votes

4

71 votes

5+

86 votes

683 votes | Poll has closed

15 Reasons Why the 2009 Saints Season has to be Better than 2008

Saintsational — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:11 -0000

Player	Pos.	Status	Date
DeMario Pressley	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	July 27, 2008
Adrian Arrington	WR	Placed on Injured Reserve	August 29, 2008
Hollis Thomas	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	September 9, 2008
Mark Simoneau	LB	Placed on Injured Reserve	September 12, 2008
Tracy Porter	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	October 7, 2008
Martin Gramatica	K	Placed on Injured Reserve	October 8, 2008
Charles Grant	DE	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 3, 2008
Mike McKenzie	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 10, 2008
Brian Young	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 15, 2008
Aaron Stecker	RB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 18, 2008
Mark Campbell	TE	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 19, 2008
Aaron Glenn	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 27, 2008
Kevin Kaesviharn	S	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 4, 2008
Courtney Roby	WR	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 8, 2008
Reggie Bush	RB	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 17, 2008

I understand that some of these players aren't on the team anymore or weren't much of a help in 2008 but the point is that being forced to deal with this incredible amount of injury in one season makes it damn near impossible to have a sucessful year.

Saints Free Agent Review - Linebacker and Secondary

Saintsational — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:09 -0000

The next big happening of the NFL off-season will be the beginning of the free agency signing period on February 27th. With that in mind, I figured we could take a look at all of Saints players who will become free agents this year. The coaching staff definitely has some tough decisions ahead of them. Let's try to put our finger on what the organization might have in store for these players.

First, a little briefing on the different levels of free agency, courtesy of the official NFLPA website.

Free agency rights depend on the number of "accrued seasons" the player has at the time his contract expires. An accrued season is a season in which the player has been on "full pay status" for six (6) or more regular season games. There are three categories of free agents:

1. Unrestricted: In a capped year, a player with four or more accrued seasons has unrestricted free agency rights. Five or more accrued seasons are required for unrestricted free agency in an uncapped year (1993 or the last year of the CBA). An unrestricted free agent may sign with any team. If the unrestricted free agent is not signed by June 1, his old club may offer him a contract with a 10% raise over his prior year's salary, and thereby obtain the exclusive right to re-sign him after July 15 if he has not signed elsewhere by then.

2. Restricted: A player with three but less than four accrued seasons (four but less than five in an uncapped year) can seek offers from other clubs after his contract expires, but he has only 60 days to do so (from around March 1 to mid-April). If he gets an offer, his old club must choose between matching it and retaining him, or letting him go to the new club in return for draft choice compensation. The draft choice compensation varies depending upon the offer the old club gives the player prior to becoming a restricted free agent.

3. Exclusive Rights: A player with an expiring contract who has less than three accrued seasons can only sign with his old club, provided that he is offered a one-year contract at the minimum salary for the upcoming year. If the exclusive rights free agent gets no such offer, he is completely free.

The first group of players we'll take a look at our the linebackers and secondary. The biggest priority on this list is, of course, Jonathan Vilma. But it's our secondary that needs help the most and quite a few players will have a chance at new deals. Let's see who will probably be around next season and who might be leaving the Saints when free agency begins.

Linebackers

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Marvin Mitchell

ERFA

As an exclusive rights free agent, the Saints only need to offer Mitchell the minimum salary to keep him on the payroll in 2009. Mitchell is still young and has upside so at that price I expect to see him around next year to compete for a spot.

CSC says: Keep him!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Jonathan Vilma

UFA

I will cancel my season tickets and shut down CSC if Vilma is not re-signed within the first five minutes of the free agency period. There is no need to go at length on this topic. Vilma is the leader of this defense. Gregg Williams is in love with him. Only because of loop holes surrounding his trade does Vilma not already have a contract. This one is a lock.

CSC says: Keep him!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Troy Evans

UFA

Evans contributed minimally last season at linebacker but he's valuable on special teams and that can sometimes be enough. It shouldn't cost too much to keep him around and I think he's one of those hard-working underdog types that coaches love. Definitely worth another look.

CSC says: Keep him!

Secondary

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Aaron Glenn

UFA

2009 needs to be the start of a new era for the Saints defense and an aging, injury-prone Glenn shouldn't fit into those plans. Other teams may not be interested either. It might be time for him to think about retiring to Florida and catching the early bird specials.

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Terrence Holt

UFA

If the Saints actually do draft a safety or two this year, it might get a little crowded in the backfield and Holt may be out of a job. Personally, I could care less about the future of Holt.

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Michael Lehan

UFA

Lehan was a late-season pick up to help fill a roster spot amid the Saints' ridiculous amount of injuries in 2008. I've never even seen this guy play. Have you?

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Leigh Torrence

RFA

Torrence is in the same boat as Lehan above. It won't cost much to keep him but I doubt he'll provide the much needed help this secondary craves so badly.

CSC says: See ya!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Chris Reis

ERFA

The hard hitting Reis impressed enough in camp last year to earn a spot on the roster. The Saints will probably offer him the minimum and let him try and impress them again. He's great on special teams and could make for a valuable backup.

CSC says: Keep him!

Player

Position

Years Exp.

FA Status

Evaluation

Josh Bullocks

UFA

You are the weakest link. Goodbye. In all seriousness, if the Saints want to make a real stab at improving their secondary, particularly the safety spot, Josh Bullocks must go. Consider it addition by subtraction.

CSC says: See ya!

Poll

Other than Jonathan Vilma, signing which one of these players should be the Saints top priority?

Chris Reis

18 votes

Troy Evans

14 votes

Aaron Glenn

3 votes

Marvin Mitchell

18 votes

None of the above

36 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

2008 Season Autopsy: Secondary

Saintsational — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:00:11 -0000

We weren't supposed to see too much of David in 2008. (Photo Source)

After the Saints 2007 season saw their secondary become the laughing stock of the league, the focus in the off-season leading up to the 2008 campaign was on the Saints pass defense. Lot's of questions surrounded the team's ability to stop the pass. Were they going to be improved and not give up the big play? Would Jason David finally get comfortable in a different system? Is Mike McKenzie's knee healthy? Can Tracy Porter contribute immediately? They would all inevitably get answered as the 2008 season unfolded.

While at times it may have seemed like the Saints secondary showed no improvement from last years squad, the numbers say otherwise. The 2007 Saints defense finished 30th in the league in pass yards per game but last years secondary ranked 23rd in that category. Though it would have been very hard to actually get worse after last seasons effort they did show slight improvement. Better still was their upgrade against big passing plays. The defense was worst in the league in pass yards per play in 2007 but moved up eleven spots to 21st last year.

Also to their credit, they improved amid a long list of season-ending injuries. Mike McKenzie's knee was a question mark as the 2008 season approached but it proved to be just fine. Ironically, he re-injured the knee in the loss against Atlanta, ending his season. Rookie Tracy Porter, who earned a starting spot opposite McKenzie checked out even earlier this season when he dislocated his wrist against the Vikings. Aaron Glenn was also added to the IR list last season. The Saints secondary definitely gets extra points for their resilience.

But don't be fooled by all of this positive talk. The results on the field were still poor. Cornerbacks were still giving unexplainably large cushions on third and short. Safeties were still getting caught underneath. Josh Bullocks was still getting playing time. Add some costly penalties late in a couple of close games and you've got the formula for a crappy pass defense. Though they did have some bright moments this year they were few and far between. It wasn't long before scheme came into question and Gary Gibbs started catching some heat as the cause of the problem. Now after the firing of Gibbs and the hiring of Greg Williams all we are left with are more questions, including the all important one: scheme or talent?

Josh Bullocks stinks worse than a rotting corpse. (Photo Source)

Dr. Michael Baden's Post Mortem Report: These guys did better this year; no doubt. Even with injuries. Unfortunately, that doesn't say much. These guys excelled at nothing, were just bad across the board and it led to an unreliable on-field product. Whether or not the secondaries woes this year were related to poor scheme or lack of talent, the results were still the same. Definitely a leading cause of death for the Saints 2008 season.

Poll

Do you think the secondary was a major reason for the Saints failures this season?

Abolutely

62 votes

Slightly

23 votes

No

0 votes

85 votes | Poll has closed

Saints 20 @ Falcons 34: Breaking it Down - The First Half

Saintsational — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:00:07 -0000

I am going to try and do it differently this week. Let me know what you think in the poll.

First Quarter

Saints get the ball first and lead off the series with a deep play action pass to Devery Henderson on a post pattern. Payton trying to be tricky. The gamble doesn't pay off as Brees throws it into double coverage and gets picked off by Erik Coleman.
The Saints defense does a great job responding after the turnover and forces a three and out. Nice job stuffing Turner. Shanle makes a quick hit after a reception. Surprisingly decent.
12:04 Remaining - If you want an example of good passing coverage check out Domonique Foxworth's job defending Devery Henderson on another deep post pattern.
Saints go three and out themselves and Pakulak booms a nice 56 yard punt that ends with a 25 yard return.
10:29 Remaining - Ryan completes a short out route to Roddy White. Gay is on the coverage. They bump at the line and Gay is pushed backwards. White cuts to the sideline and now has enough separation to make an easy catch. Gay is behind him and has to pursue. Kaesviharn winds up making the tackle out of bounds.
10:00 Remaining - Here's another good one. Ryan throws to Michael Jenkins on the left side for 13 yards. I can't tell the coverage but Jenkins has a cushion of at least 5 yards at the line. When he makes the catch and the coverage is revealed, Kaesviharn is the underneath defender and Gay is over the top. I thought that was a little weird. Neither of them were close enough to Jenkins to make a play however.
9:12 Remaining - Roddy White finishes off Atlanta's drive with a touchdown by making a catch on his own post route. White just speeds past Gay and gets his body inside. Kaesviharn can't come over in time to make a play. Do we need to get Jason David in here?
8:19 Remaining - 3rd and 4. Brees finds Colston who makes a nice leaping catch for a clutch first down. Nice to have him back.
7:00 Remaining - Deuce gets a pitch to the right on 1st down. He has the chance to get it inside and turn it upfield but makes the wrong read and bounces it outside for just 1 yard.
8:19 Remaining - Brees hits Colston who makes a nice catch with his long out stretch arms. Only Marques is catching that. 16 yards. Man I missed him.
The Saints keep it on the ground for a good while. A couple of runs by Deuce. A Stecker hand off. Even Drew scrambles for a first down. Good commitment to the run.
3:42 Remaining - Brees attempts to Colston in the endzone. Drew threads the needle and Marques just can't keep it trapped between his two arms and his body. Says the announcer: "I've seen him make that catch."
2:57 Remaining - Drew barely gets a pass off in time to Lance Moore. It's not enough for the touchdown. Jammal Brown got beat and thrown to the ground by an Abraham spin move to the inside. Gotta give him credit it was a pretty sweet move. Saints settle for a Hartley field goal, his first in the NFL
Hartley's juices are flowing from the high of his first NFL points. He kicks in deep into the endzone on the ensuing kick off. Touchback.
0:57 Remaining - The Saints defense holds Atlanta to 3rd and 5. Ryan completes a short pass to Norwood for only 4 yards...but...Will Smith was offsides. Instead of 4th down its 1st.

Make the jump for the second quarter.

Second Quarter

14:21 Remaining - 3rd and 5 for Atlanta. I believe this is the now famous cushion play. McKenzie is lined up against Roddy White giving him at least 8 yards at the line. Remember...the Falcons only need 5 yards. Saints are giving an 8 yard cusion. Need 5 yards? 8 yard cushion. White just has to stop and turn to catch the pass and run out of bounds for the first down.
I guess picking on Randall Gay was getting too easy for Ryan so he starts going to Michael Jenkins who is lined up on Aaron Glenn. First for 11 yards then deep for a gain of 32. Glenn was tight on the receiver but wasn't watching the ball. Jenkins adjusted to an underthrown ball while Glenn continued downfield.Turner finishes the drive with a 2 yard run for touchdown.
Saints continue to do a nice job mixing run and pass. Devery picks up 30 yards on an end around. Pierre bounces off a couple of people for a nice 8 yard gain. Deuce catches a screen for another 8 yards. Lance Moore hauls one in for 11 yards.
The drive stalls when the offensive line begins to struggle. Matt Lehr can't contain Grady Jackson on a Pierre Thomas run. Thomas has no where to go. ThenJammal Brown just gets straigh up beat on the outside by Abraham, who gets to Brees for the sack and -6 yards.
Hartley nails another field goal. 44 yards.
7:54 Remaining - The Falcons continue their next drive right where they left off. McKenzie is giving Roddy White at least 6 yards. Matt Ryan runs a play bootleg and easily hits White on a comeback route along the sideline.
Just to mix it up and keep our defense on its toes (the way you're supposed to play) the Falcons start running the ball. Turner runs for gains of 7, 2 and 20 yards consecutively.
4:48 Remaining - Jerious Norwood flys out of the backfield and is wide open when Ryan hits him with a pass. Kaesviharn is called for an illegal contact penalty when he realizes he is going to get burned but its declined.
3:09 Remaining - Saints defense forces the Falcons to settle for a field goal.
2:39 Remaining - John Abraham gets right in Drew's face to force a bad throw. Jammal is still having trouble on that left side. Obviously.
2:00 Remaining - Matt Lehr is called for holding.
1:44 Remaining - Lance Moore makes a sweet 15-yard catch right along the sideline keeping both feet in bounds. The comparisons to Marvin Harrison begin.
1:08 Remaining - John Abraham was injured on the previous play so Saints fans every where would think this would be good news for Jammal Brown and this offensive line. Not so. Chauncey Davis fills in for Abraham and on his very first play gets a good push on Jammal Brown and gets his hand on the pass for a deflection.
1:04 Remaining - Instead of kicking what would have been a 44-45 yard field goal the Saints decide to go for it on 4th and 4. Brees throws to Colston along the left sideline. Colston turns inside to catch the ball but Chris Houston does a great job getting his hand in and disrupting Colston's catch. Can't say whether Colston could have possibly caught it.The Falcons take a knee to end the half.

Poll

How do you prefer "Breaking it Down?"

This way

9 votes

The old way

1 votes

Either way

4 votes

Neither way

6 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

Good or Bad, DeAngelo Hall is Not Panacea

Saintsational — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:00:06 -0000

To Hall or not to Hall? That is the question.

Doesn't get more cliche than that. It seems we find ourselves in a situation that is becoming pretty familiar to Saints fans this year: Debating whether the Saints should go after a free agent who may or may not fill a position of need.

What's that? Oh really? You want my opinion on the matter? Well then its certainly convenient that I have the front page of this blog to share my thoughts and opinions.

I say pass.

Apparently Pat Yasinskas at ESPN thinks differently. He feels the Saints should go for it. And his reasoning behind it is basically, well "Why the hell not?"

But New Orleans makes sense on a lot of levels. The Saints already have shown a willingness to go for broke this season (i.e. trading for Jeremy Shockey, bringing in Jonathan Vilma). They're 4-4 and the expectations were for a lot more. The secondary hasn't been very good.

Undoubtedly Pat is not alone and some of you out there feel that way too. Sure if the price is cheap then maybe its worth the risk but it probably won't be cheap because a few other teams are way more interested. Sure there is the possiblity that he could be a stud. But chances are it just wouldn't have that happy ending. Remember this is the Saints were talking about here.

Can we take a look at a couple of things first? Greeeeaaat (said in the style of Bill Lumbergh). Check out what the San Francisco Gate Chronicle had to say about the situation.

Hall admittedly struggled to adapt to the Raiders' style of man-coverage defense, enough so that Raiders owner Al Davis decided he'd seen enough.

Coupled with Asomugha, Hall was supposed to give the Raiders the best cornerback tandem in the NFL. Instead, Hall got hurt early with hand and ankle injuries and didn't look comfortable in press coverage after spending years in a Cover 2 defense in Atlanta.

So let's get this straight: Hall is used to Cover 2, a zone scheme. The Raiders play man-to-man so Hall struggled. The Saints play a lot of man-to-man and should try to acquire Hall. Something doesn't seem right here.

Haven't we been here before. Isn't any of this ringing a bell to you guys? Remember back in April of 2007. Lets all hop into the Wayback Machine. This is from the New Orleans Saints official website. It's an interview with Jason David right after the Saints picked him up.

NOS.com: There was recently an article that stated that cornerbacks in Cover Two schemes aren't asked to do all of the things that a cornerback is asked to do in a defense that relies on man-to-man coverage. How do you feel about that characterization?

JD: "I am excited and football is football. When you line up, it is about playing. That is overblown, in my estimation. We played a variety of different coverages, whether it was cover two, man, or zone, and I can play them all. The Saints knew that I played a variety of different roles and they did their homework. They didn't just say, 'He's a cover two guy.' They know what I can do and I am confident in my abilities."

Ummmm...yeeeaaaah (more Lumbergh). We all know how well that has turned out for us.

Plus, DeAngelo Hall's not even that good.

"Everybody pumps him up like he's Deion Sanders," Lions receiver Roy Williams said. "But he's not Deion Sanders. He's DeAngelo Hall. He's not the shutdown type of corner that everybody expects him to be."

-Roy Williams

Acquiring DeAngelo Hall halfway through the season would not be the answer to turning this season around even if he did play well. It would be like putting a Band-Aid on a shotgun wound. Of course the Saints have a need at cornerback but thats not all they need. History would also show that the Saints haven't been so fortunate in their multiple attempts to upgrade at cornerback lately. They brought in Jason David and it didn't work. Randall Gay hasn't really made much of a difference this year. Aaron Glenn hasn't been impressive either. At what point do we start to question who is really to blame? Just this week Payton admitted his faults with regards to the kicking game and he now realizes he should have just stuck with Carney. Has he learned from his mistakes? Perhaps he should just stick with what he's already got in the backfield and focus on making them better football players.

I don't think trying to snatch up every possible player who sounds good as soon as they become available is the way really good teams are created. That doesn't seem to work very well. See: Cowboys. It's risky. You know whats not risky? Producing talent from within your own organization. Getting the most out of all of your players. Drafting well. Creating the all-important yet often overlooked factor of chemistry. Those are some of the keys for a great team. Things happen - injuries, learning curves, bad chemistry, and just bad luck - that cripple weak teams created haphazardly. Teams built on solid foundations with proven systems can not only play consistently good football but endure those hardships that every teams faces throughout a season. The Saints are lacking that type of foundation.

Poll

Should the Saints go for DeAngelo Hall?

Yes

20 votes

No

50 votes

70 votes | Poll has closed

Chargers @ Saints: Breaking It Down - Fourth Quarter

Saintsational — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:06 -0000

Saints Defense First Drive (12 plays, 63 yards, 5:14, Field Goal)

Saints do a nice job early of holding the Chargers to nothing on the first two downs. Then, as per usual, Rivers completes a 21 yard pass over the middle to Malcolm Floyd, keeping the drive alive. Vilma, Gay and Kaesviharn were all in the area but unable to make a play.
A couple of plays later Rivers fires a bullet over the middle to Antonio Gates for 20 yards. McCray almost gets to Rivers in time. It looks like Gay is covering him at the line but the Saints are in a zone and so after Gates cuts inside Gay gives up on him and passes him off to Harper. Gates gets the pass in the soft spot between all zones.
The Chargers continue to dink and dunk down the field into the red zone. Saints hold them to third and eight and a delay of game pushes them back to third and thirteen. The line gets a good push and flushes Rivers out of the pocket who throws it too high to a Kaesviharn covered receiver. They settle for a field goal.

Saints Defense Second Drive (5 plays, 57 yards, 2:14, Touchdown)

Chargers recover the onside kick. The Saints are unsuspecting. Usama Young is the only player with a chance to make a play on the ball.
Rivers wastes no time hitting Vincent Jackson for 17 yards. He finds that soft spot again between four Saints defenders. Shanle, Harper, Glenn and Vilma. All form a box around him and none of them can make a play on the ball. Frustrating.
Then another 17 yard strike to Chris Chambers on a comeback route. Aaron Glenn is no where near him, about 5 yards behind him, protecting against the big pass play.
Vincent Jackson makes the touchdown grab. He comes across the field and is straight up too fast for Kaesviharn. Beautiful catch.

Saints Offense First Drive (6 plays, 25 yards, 3:13, Punt)

On second down the Chargers get a good jump on a quick snap that the Saints aren't ready for. Brees is forced to throw it away.
Drew finds a wide open Billy Miller over the middle for a much needed first down.
A San Diego interception call gets overturned keeping the Saints drive alive.
Deuce carried the ball twice on this drive but I would have liked to see the Saints run a bit more and try and kill more clock. The "almost" interception came on a first down pass. I would have preferred to see a run called there but I know some people are of the "keep attacking" philosophy.
Saints are forced to punt it away.

Saints Defense Third Drive (9 plays, 46 yards, 2:59, Interception)

First and twenty for the Chargers after a penalty. Rivers has forever while the Saints blitz and dumps it off to LT who runs for a gain of 32 yards.
Saints hold San Diego to fourth and two. Rivers hits Antonio Gates for 11 yards and the first down. Rivers put up some huge passing numbers in this quarter. More in the fourth quarter than in the first three quarters combined.
Saints only put three guys on the line and drop everyone else back. They do a good job of holding the Chargers to third and fifteen.
Rivers throws to Chris Chambers who is being covered by Scott Shanle. Shanle tips it up, Harper gets a finger on it and Vilma finally brings it in for the interception. Drive over.

Saints Offense Second Drive (4 plays, -18 yards, 1:01, Safety)

Thankfully the Saints run three straight times with Deuce to force San Diego to use their timeouts. They're not that stupid.
To try and kill some clock and get better coverage on the free kick the Saints elect to take a safety by having Drew run backwards into the endzone. Deuce and Karney both let their guys beat them so Drew is forced to throw it through the back of the endzone. Drew nails a photographer in the head with the throw away.

The Chargers have time to throw one Hail Mary. It goes incomplete. Saints win.