We've reached the end of our search for fresh new front page talent here on Canal Street Chronicles and the official results are in. Drum roll please...
Everyone's a winner! That's right, I'm giving each of our new writers a regular spot in our starting lineup. So won't you please join me in giving them a warm welcome.
After reading everyone's feedback and looking over the poll results, I thought they were all deserving of the opportunity to regularly add their voice and continue to develop their craft. Each new writer brings a different perspective and I believe that in combination with what we already do here, Canal Street Chronicles will only get better as a result of their addition.
Our new team members have already been given the good news and they're learning the ropes behind the scenes as we speak. You will begin seeing their work over the next coming days and weeks, being published under their real names. Once they've published their first post, their name will be added to the official masthead below.
I would like to thank each of our newest contributors for devoting their time and talent to our blog. I'd also like to thank our readers for treating our applicants with respect throughout the process.
It's time to usher in the next generation of Canal Street Chronicles.
Now that the 2011 NFL season is officially over, the first thing we, as fans, have to look forward to is the impending free agency period. So today's Fast Five questions all revolve around free agents and free agency.
The objective is simple: I ask you guys five questions and you answer them in the comment section below.
I look forward to reading your answers and getting to know each and every one of you a little better through your opinions. The more participation the better, so let's hear it!
Which Saints free agent, other than Drew Brees, do you think is most important for the team to sign?
Which Saints free agent do you think is least important for the team to sign?
Which outside free agent would you like to see the Saints sign most?
What was the best free agency signing in Saints history?
What was the worst free agency signing in Saints history?
SB Nation has had a bunch of technical difficulties this past week. To help fix them, they've disabled FanPosts on the front page. They will be back up soon.
I moved the FanShots to the left sidebar myself because I thought it might be better to get them close to the top of the page. If you're not liking the move, I can put them back tonight.
We took the week off to celebrate the Super Bowl but we're back again with another spectacular edition of our "What Up With Dat" mailbag series, where you guys submit questions and I answer them. Did you guys miss it? I know you did. It's okay to admit, you're in a judge-free zone here.
So if you've got a burning question you've been dying to know my answer to, send an email to [email protected], send me a tweet @csctweet, post on our wall at Canal Street Chronicles Facebook page or just ask me in the comment section below. They can be about the Saints, the NFL, the blog or even personal. Don't forget to leave your first name and last initial so we can give you credit for your question if we wind up using it. I will round up the best questions and answer them in a timely fashion in a second follow-up post.
Anyone watch HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel? I'm a big fan myself and thanks to TiVo, I never miss an episode. One of the four stories from the most recent installment, which first aired about a couple of weeks ago, I found particularly interesting.
It was a profile of high school football coach Kevin Kelley and his Pulaski Academy football team from Little Rock, Arkansas. If you didn't see the episode, perhaps you've heard of them anyway. Sports Illustrated wrote an article about them a little over two years ago. So what's so special about them?
They never punt.
That's right. Every single time their offense faces fourth down, the Bruins go for it, even in fourth and long situations. This probably sounds completely insane to a lot of football fans but to Kelley, it would be insane not to go for it.
I don't believe in punting and really can't ever see doing it again...
...It's like someone said, '[Punting] is what you do on fourth down,' and everyone did it without asking why.
Not only do they never punt, but each time they kick off it's almost always an onside kick. The team has an entire package of onside kick types and specific kickers to execute each one.
It's simple math really. Statistically, it makes more sense and is more valuable to hold onto the ball and go for that first down, which the Bruins pick up about half the time, than give their opponent back the ball. Here's a slightly more detailed example:
Consider the most extreme scenario, say, fourth-and-long near your own end zone. According to Kelley's data (much of which came from a documentary he saw), when a team punts from that deep, the opponents will take possession inside the 40-yard line and will then score a touchdown 77% of the time. If they recover on downs inside the 10, they'll score a touchdown 92% of the time. "So [forsaking] a punt, you give your offense a chance to stay on the field. And if you miss, the odds of the other team scoring only increase 15 percent.
And that's just the extreme scenario. The statistical advantage of going for it is even greater when a team is between the 40-yard lines. Similar statistics support the decision to always onside kick as well.
But these are just numbers. The real question is whether or not this theory actually works on the field in real life football situations. Unfortunately, Pulaski Academy is the only barometer we have to measure because they're the only team bold enough to actually execute it. Since Kelley took over in 2003, though, he's led his team to a record of 104-19 and won three state championships. I'd say that's a ringing endorsement.
So why hasn't this caught on and why does every other coach, particularly those in the NFL, choose to spit in the face of probability, regularly defying the odds? In short: they're yellow-bellied cowards.
Despite cold hard facts that prove otherwise, NFL coaches allow their emotions to get in the way and cloud their on-field football decisions.
Subject as they are to scrutiny, coaches have incentive to err on the side of conservatism. No coach gets fired or ripped on talk radio for punting on fourth-and-four. Most do when they go for it and fail.
That's where Real Sports and Sports Illustrated leave the story, however, and where I pick it up. Because I think it's about damn time at least one NFL coach stop using his heart and start using his head. While I absolutely understand how tough it is to buck the trend with a career and a family to think about, the numbers just don't lie. So who is going to be the pioneer?
The truth is, it's going to take a coach with huge cojones to eventually attempt this unthinkable strategy at the sport's highest level and make my dreams come true. A coach who already has enough moxie to try something like, say, an onside kick to start the second half of his life's biggest game. You guessed it, I'm talking about Sean Payton.
Which is why I don't think it's a coincidence that the one NFL coach featured in Real Sports' piece about Pulaski Academy was none other than our very own Saints coach. Because let's face it, if there is a current coach in the NFL right now who might actually try something like this, it's our Payton. Reporter Jon Frankel with Real Sports must have been thinking along the same lines...
Jon Frankel: How tempting is it go for it on fourth down?
Payton: Well, I think it's extremely tempting.
So let's see it, coach! We know you've looked at the numbers and you want to. If there's any team well built to execute this no-punting philosophy at the NFL level it's most likely the Saints, with their dynamic and powerful offense that would assuredly benefit from the extra down. Otherwise, somebody, somewhere will eventually take the risk and become the NFL's guinea pig, most likely with great success. It might as well be the Saints.
What do you guys think? You scared, too? Or are you ready to see the Saints completely change the way everyone looks at football?
How do you know we are officially in the darkness of a world without football? The Super Bowl is done and Ralph and Andrew Juge are about to talk Saints receivers for 40 minutes.
If Marques Colston leaves can Lance Moore be a No. 1 receiver? Andrew explains why he is ready to break up with Robert Meachem, Joe Morgan can be an effective pass catcher, and Devery Henderson is now a great route runner. They also try to figure out if the Saints will sign a free agent receiver you've heard of. We're looking at you Reggie Wayne.
Listen right now below, get the feed right here and/or download it on iTunes right here.
Another vacant defensive coaching position, another former St. Louis Rams coach hired to fill it.
The Saints announced yesterday that the team has hired Andre Curtis as assistant secondary coach, making him the third new member of the coaching staff and, in case you weren't keeping score at home, the third to coach in St. Louis from 2009 to 2011. I almost titled this post, 'St. Louis Rams Coaches and the Teams that Love Them.'
So with the Saints pulling all of their eggs from the Rams slightly used basket, it naturally begs the question: was the St. Louis Rams defense actually any good between the years 2009 and 2011? The answer to that question could be telling. Because, like, I don't really want them if their defense sucked.
Of course I just had to poke around the Rams defensive stats over the past three years to try and answer that very question. My findings? Meh. I'm not very impressed. And that's putting it nicely. Wish I had better news to report.
There are a few bright spots here and there, like the leagues second best 3rd down defense in 2010 and the 7th fewest passing yards allowed this past season. But none of the other numbers look great and overall the Rams have never been better than 19th in the league (2010). There's just no positive consistency to be found anywhere over this three year period.
With one exception: sacks per pass attempt.
You knew I'd find something. Okay, technically they weren't good three years straight but that's because 2009 was just abysmal across the board. In 2010, however, they were 8th best in sacks per pass attempt and actually improved to 7th best in 2011. It's basically the only thing their defense did well two years in a row.
So does this bode well for the Saints, who have had a paltry pass rush the past few years and need some help in that department? Or have the Rams simply had more natural talent in the pass rushing department? *cough* Chris Long *cough*
Everyone's predictions about Super Bowl XLVI made this past Friday have finally been tallied, analyzed and formatted accordingly. They can be found in their entirety following the jump.
There will be no need for a vote this week. We had only one member get all three predictions correct, so I am automatically crowning him our winner. Surprisingly enough, that would be none other than metryman for the second time in a row. Freakin' impressive. So congrats to metryman for going a perfect six-for-six his last two times out.
Look over the results and enjoy! Thanks to everyone for playing this season.
CSC Member
Predictions
Analysis
metryman
1.1st H total points 22 or under. 2.Victor Cruuuuuz scores. 3.Giants have more rushing yds. than NE.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Grumps
1) Manning has the better overall QB rating over Brady. 2) Brady sacked at least three times 3) Patriots Defense returns to its crapulent ways and allows over 525 total yards on it.
3. The Saints would have beaten either team by 2 scores.
Yes
No
Yes
Comp
1. Giselle’s request for prayers is answered every time NY sacks Brady (which will be 3 times). The Giants kneel down over him and offer prayers. 2. Tyree’s helmet catch is shown/referred to at least 3 times. 3. Victor Cruz (control) has a 40+ yard catch or catch+run.
No
No idea.
No
Jee
1) Brady throws a TD pass after the 2 minute warning in the 4th 2) Brady and Manning each throw an INT 3) Brandon Jacobs has 50+ yards rushing
No
No
No
jeff.I.b
1. Gronk plays the entire game. 2. Fostered by Wilfork, the Patriots control the line of scrimmage and hold the Giants to under 100 total rushing yards. 3. There will be at least one controversial moment surrounding either the national anthem…or the Madonna half-time show.
Yes
No
Yes
BenDerDonDat
1. Losing team will have 2 plus turnovers 2. Brady will throw for 300 plus yards. 3. Giants will get 2 or fewer sacks.
No
No
Yes
JellyPhantom
1. Eli Manning throws for over 350 yards and has 3 TDs 2. Brady has a pick in the second half in field goal range 3. Brady is sacked at least 5 times
No
No
No
mississippisaintsfan
1. This will me the most boring superbowl of all time 2.I am leaving for Bahrain this afternoon and I wont have to complain about not being able to watch this game due to the fact it will suck. 3.Even Madonnas 53 yr pld nip**** flashed at half time will be more interseting then this game
No
Yes
No
Philinwood
1) Giants get at least 4 sacks 2) Giants run for over 125 yards 3) Giants are successful on at least 1 4th down conversion while Pats have no successful 4th down conversions
1 Brady throws for 3 touchdowns 2 Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combine for <150 yards 3 Giants don’t score in the first quarter.
No
Yes
No
tmac641
1. Pats score on a defensive TD 2. Teams combine for at least 10 punts 3. Patriots outrush Giants
No
No
No
bondcrash
1) Brady passes for over 400 yards 2) Eli has 2+int 3) Ocho scores a TD
No
No
No
Northfan
1. Giants get at least 4 sacks 2. Tom Brady throws at least 2 INTs 3. Eli Manning wins his second SBMVP
No
No
Yes
Legatron Morstead
1. 4 different Giants score a touchdown 2. Giants defense gets a safety 3. Brady gets sacked 4+ times
No
Yes
No
cajuncommando58
Eli throw more picks than Brady
Pats out rush the Giants
The Gronk either doesn’t play, or doesn’t finish the game if he does play.
No
No
No
shipgoalie05
1.) Manning throws more INT’s than Brady 2.) Pats have more rushing yards than Giants 3.) Longest TD is more than 40 yards
No
No
No
SaintBevo
1. Hakeem Nicks has at least 150 yards receiving 2. Aaron Hernandez has over 100 yards receiving 3. Much to the annoyance of the people in the room with me, I say one of the following at least 35 times:
No
No
?
HansDat
1) Tom Terrific unable to get Pats into FG range at the end of 4th Q. 2) Commercials this year are just ok, with no breakout "instant classic(s)" among them. 3) Neither team gains more than 100 yards rushing.
Yes
Yes
No
Jimbo03
Brady is sacked at least 5 times. Victor Cruz clears 200 receiving yards. Hakeem Nicks clears 100 receiving yards.
No
No
Yes
Dang Hu Dat
1. Ben-Jarvus-Green-Ellis has at least one fumble. 2. Jason Pierre-Paul scores. 3. The very last point scored is a Giants PAT.
We've finally reached the end of our search for fresh new front page talent here on Canal Street Chronicles, to make the best Saints blog on the net even better. Ladies and gentlemen, I present our final candidate.
In case you missed the introduction to our little talent search here, be sure to read it first before continuing. Remember, any and all criticism must be 100% constructive and positive in nature. Keep Da Chronic classy!
Please welcome the next contestant of Da Chronic's Got Talent! S/he is willing to contribute once a month, with the slight possibility of a little more.
Being Elite Means No Longer Being America's Sweetheart
Two years ago, Times-Picayune columnist Mark Lorando wrote a letter addressed to the rest of the NFL. The letter, published the day after the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, was intended to tell the rest of the country that the Saints would no longer be the punch line of jokes.
To be specific he said "We know what sticklers you are for legal documentation, so please consider this our formal written notice of resignation as the unofficial whipping boys of the National Football League... We know this will take some getting used to - for you as well as for us. After all, for 43 years we have defined ourselves by the 1-15 seasons. And the Hail Mary passes. And the quarterbacks named Billy Joe. And the holes in the Superdome roof... fter 43 years of being treated as America's experts on losing, we're ready to become the new national role models for passion and perseverance."
Mr. Lorando, consider your message received.
Two years and two painful playoff losses later, the league has made it quite clear that the Saints are no longer among the hunters; we are the hunted.
The year of that Super Bowl, 2009, was my freshman year at Ohio State. That year the Saints were America's Team. All my friends in Columbus wanted the Saints to win. I remember betting my dorm mates that if Garrett Hartley made his kick in overtime that I would hug every person on the floor. One kick and approximately 60 hugs later, I was on top of the world. That didn't change two weeks later when the Saints beat the Colts in Miami. The Colts and Peyton Manning had been around for years. The Saints were the scrappy team no one believed in with the swashbuckling coach and the surgical quarterback leading the way. People like to root for the underdog and the Saints fit the role perfectly.
Flash forward two years, and I found myself sitting in a room full of people (only one of which having ever lived in San Francisco, the rest being from the Midwest) rooting for the 49ers to beat our beloved Who Dats. The Saints were now the established favorites. The sound of Who Dat was no longer the cry of the victorious underdog it was in 2009; it is the sound of one of the most successful franchises of the late 2000's.
The Saints have earned that type of notoriety. No team has had more regular season wins since 2009. We have won a Super Bowl at least ten years more recently than traditionally storied/original franchises such as Oakland, Dallas, San Francisco, Minnesota and Cleveland.
Oh those Browns. The Saints used to be their kin in the pit of mediocrity. The Browns had the Drive; the Saints had the River City Relay. The Browns had Tim Couch, the Saints had Ricky Williams. Both were mid to low level markets who had seen better days financially (especially Cleveland). Take out the weather and the tourist industry and the franchises could be mistaken for one another.
But now all my friends who are Browns fans (I still live in Ohio) look at me with disdain. When I talk about the Saints, they roll their eyes. They know I'm not a bandwagon jumper (born and raised in Slidell, I've been a Saints fan since the Jeff Blake era. My earliest Saints memory was listening on the radio to the Hakim fumble.), but they still sense that I rub the Saints' success in their faces. They were thrilled when the Browns beat the Saints last year in the Dome. They acted as if they had just defeated an unlikable team, like the Patriots or the Cowboys. It's not like anyone could resent...
It was then I realized the truth. We can't have it all: the team both can't be consistently elite and universally beloved.
We are no longer America's Sweetheart. We have graduated to become one of the elite franchises in the National Football League. I'm glad, because that's obviously where I want the team to be. But it will never be the same as that first Super Bowl, when all the newness, the underdog mentality and the support the Saints got from all over the country made that game incredibly special.
Mark Lorando probably wouldn't have it any other way.
No, we are not finished with our search for fresh new front page talent here on Canal Street Chronicles, to make the best Saints blog on the net even better. Here is yet another audition candidate.
In case you missed the introduction to our little talent search here, be sure to read it first before continuing. Remember, any and all criticism must be 100% constructive and positive in nature. Keep Da Chronic classy!
Please welcome the next contestant of Da Chronic's Got Talent! S/he is willing to contribute once, maybe twice a month.
Losing Heat: What Saints Defenders Might Follow Williams to the Rams?
When Payton and Loomis brought in Dr. Heat, New Orleans scored more than just a blitz-happy coordinator, prone to gems such as, "I have guys that couldn't catch a cold butt naked in a rain storm." Our dearly departed Gregg Williams also brought a slew of former players sold on his brand of damned if you do, damned if you do defense. Okay, to be fair, that defense, helped seal the deal on New Orleans' first-ever Super Bowl. For that, Dr. Heat should always have a special place in Whodat hearts.
But players have followed Williams when he's left other teams. This raises two questions: Which Saints might follow Williams to St. Louis? And are there any Ram defenders who might follow Spagnuolo to New Orleans?
After the Super Bowl win (and just before the "No Catching M*&^@-*F%*%R" clip), I think the best thing Greg-with-two-Gs, brought us is Jabari Greer (Nobody Understands Him!). He's been the most reliable and probably the best corner we've had-Porter's 2009 playoff performance not withstanding- since he's arrived.
Jabari is the best player who followed Dr. Heat, but not the only one. To my count, we also signed Clint Ingram, Pierson Prioleau, and Paul Spicer. (Bobby McCray and Leigh Torrence signed before Gregg, I think, but please tell me if I'm missing anyone.) Of the three Not-Jabari's, Prioleau is the only one who really got playing time, but he was a solid special teams and locker room guy, and if Ingram had been healthy, who knows.
We've got Jabari wrapped up through 2012, so we don't have to worry about him headed up-River in Williams' wake for a bit. However, homegrown UFA talents Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Tracy Porter have thrived to some extent in Williams' system. Would Williams' draw be enough for them to leave a contender like the Saints for the uncertainty of Fisher's Rams?
If Spagnuolo has the same pied-piper effect, could we end up with a Jabari 2.0 if a few of Spags' former players decide to come along for the ride?
It wouldn't be the first time. Three former Giants' defenders followed Spags to St. Louis: Fred Robbins, James Butler, and Craig Dahl. Granted, the Rams' defense wasn't exactly on fire this year. In fact, the Rams' 22-ranked defense was pretty bad, short of one given Sunday against the Saints. But, it's the off-season, and it's all hopes and dreams from now until pre-season (just as soon as we can wipe the bitter taste of Air Alex out of our mouths).
According to ESPN Insiders, here are the top four 2012 Rams free agent defenders:
Seventh-year UFA OLB, Brady Poppinga is the highest rated of the bunch, scoring a 62*.
According to ESPN Insiders:
Poppinga doesn't have outstanding raw talent but wins with toughness, intensity, intelligence and technique. He is a high-motor player who is a bit of an overachiever. He uses his hands well and understands how to leverage blockers at the point of attack. Poppinga is a solid tackler and runs well in pursuit, but lacks great lateral agility to redirect in space. He can be a liability in pure man coverage but is effective in combination zone schemes. He has never really developed as a pass rusher, and with Clay Matthews ahead of him on the depth chart Popinga will likely make his biggest contributions on special teams.
*62 isn't great, but they score Jo-Lonn Dunbar a 62, and I think we all agree that he did a fine job filling in for Vilma this year.
Next up is fifth-year UFA DT Gary Gibson, who scores a 61.
According to ESPN Insiders:
In 2009 he signed with St. Louis and has worked his way up to being their starting right DT. In 2010 he played in and started all 16 games and finished with 18 tackles on the year. He has adequate size for the position with good initial quickness and shows good awareness of blocking schemes as well as an understanding of how to keep his pad level down to leverage and squeeze blocks down. He lacks the strength to plug things up when double teamed but can penetrate gaps and knows how to use his hands to defeat and shed blocks. He is a good fighter in the trenches and shows excellent effort from snap to whistle.
Ninth-year UFA CB Roderick Hood and fourth-year UFA OLB Bryan Kehl round things out, both scoring a 59.
Again, according to ESPN Insiders:
Hood has athleticism and good downfield speed. He can extend the cushion with a fluid, easy backpedal and can flip his hips to turn and run with receivers deep. He shows good transition quickness and can close on the ball in front of him with a burst. He shows above-average route awareness and the ability to read the quarterback's eyes from off coverage.
And...
Kehl has developed into a nice sub-package substitute and role player. He brings a nice combination of size, speed and athletic ability and understands the defensive schemes used by the Rams. He lacks great upper-body strength and could do a better job of using his hands to defeat and shed blockers. He shows good agility and foot speed when dropping into space and can lock on most tight ends and running backs on downfield routes.
None of these players sound like the kind of get-after-the-quarterback difference-maker the Saints go after each year but never seem to land. Then again, with the big three of Brees, Nicks, and Colston looming in free agency this year, likely the best we can hope for in free agency is to pick up a couple of solid defenders who might be special team standouts and just maybe, just maybe, might even find a second life down in New Orleans. It's happened before.
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