Roman Harper

After finding out that Gregg Williams was leaving, the New Orleans Saints quickly reeled in Steve Spagnuolo as their new defensive coordinator.

Spagnuolo was widely regarded as the best defensive coordinator on the market, and he should come in and immediately improve a Saints defense that hindered them from going farther than the NFC divisional round in the playoffs.

The Saints have some great talent on defense and even finished as the fourth-best unit in the 2010 NFL season. However, in 2011, the defense could not force turnovers and ultimately could not stop opposing offenses. The Saints need an improvement from the defense in order to challenge for a Super Bowl title.

Spagnuolo brings that excitement and hope to the Saints' organization.

However, there are a few players who may struggle in the new defensive scheme. One of them is the Saints' starting strong safety Roman Harper.

Harper is a Pro Bowl safety and was remarkable in the 2011 season. He finished the regular season with 95 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Those are definitely not typical numbers from a strong safety, but Harper has never been a typical safety in the New Orleans defense.

Harper is more of an old-school type of player. He hits hard when receivers come across the middle, is great in run support and often times gets burned in the pass coverage.

That last part of Harper's game has me worried. He gets burned more often than not against elite tight ends and running backs. Granted, it's difficult for any safety to cover tight ends that play like Tony Gonzalez, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, but it has to be done.

Harper consistently gets burned in coverage and quite frankly is a liability whenever he's asked to guard against the big pass plays.

Do not get me wrong, I love Harper and I believe that he's a very valuable player to the Saints franchise. I am just not sure what role he will take on under Spagnuolo's new defensive scheme.

In the past, Spagnuolo has run a defense that requires a great pass rush from his four-down lineman and solid coverage from his defensive backs.

The Saints can fill some defensive line needs in free agency and the draft. They also have a solid secondary when it comes to pass coverage, with the exception of Harper.

I am not sure that Harper can succeed if he's required to cover a tight end, running back or slot receiver every down next year. There may be times that Harper blitzes, but those will come once in a blue moon with Spagnuolo taking over.

I wish that I could say we will see Harper become an effective pass-rushing outside linebacker, but that is just ridiculous. At 6'1" and 200 pounds, Harper is much too small to play that role effectively.

It's also not really an option for the Saints to cut or release Harper, not that they would anyway. He just re-signed with the Saints last offseason. We could, however, possibly see Harper on the trade block.

Harper is one of the Saints best defensive players, and I doubt that many people would like to see him go, but that has to be a possibility if he's unable to play in Spagnuolo's defense.

I believe that we are unlikely to see any action from the Saints before the start of the season because Harper may end up proving me and every other critic wrong in 2012. Who's to say that Harper doesn't show up next year and cover well against the passing game.

He could benefit largely from a defensive pass rush and have his good friend Malcolm Jenkins consistently covering over the top. Either way, Harper should be with the Saints for the start of the 2012 season.

I honestly do not see Harper leaving the Saints next year. I think that even if he struggles, he will be with the team through the end of the season. I hope that Harper can play well in Spagnuolo's new system, but it seems as if he may struggle adjusting to the new scheme.

Let's hope that Sapgnuolo is able to teach Harper how to play coverage so that he will not become a liability, and this whole debacle can be avoided before it even gets started.

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Jeff Duncan, New Orleans Saints beat writer for The Times-Picayune, has reported via Twitter that Roman Harper was held out of practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. 

Harper is expected to suit up and play, but he is certainly not healthy, and his injury will hurt the Saints vs. the San Francisco 49ers when they face off in two days.

Here are Duncan's thoughts on the matter:

"The injury to Roman Harper is a new one and its significant. Don't remember seeing him get injured vs. DET. Harper is key to Saints run D.

"Harper is a tough hombre. I'll be surprised if he doesn't play thru the injury. But it could undoubtedly affect him on the field."

I can't disagree with Duncan's take here. Harper is too much of a warrior not to go out on Saturday and give it his best shot, but he will struggle to be anything more than a liability if his ankle is as bad as it sounds.

Harper is one of the biggest keys to the success of the Saints on defense, and his injury will give the 49ers significant advantages in three areas.

1. Harper is the key to the Saints run defense.

Harper is a seasoned veteran in his sixth season, and his ability to sniff out opponents' running plays is invaluable to the Saints. His 95 tackles led the team.

The Saints already struggle to contain the running game, giving up five yards a carry throughout the 2011 NFL season. The only reason the Saints were the 12th ranked team against the run (yards) is because Drew Brees and the offense scored so many points that teams were forced to abandon the run.

Don't expect the Saints offense to blow the 49ers defense out of the water in this one.

This means that the Saints defense will be subjected to a heavy dose of Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and the 49ers power rushing attack.  

If Harper isn't able to play or is playing at half-strength, the 49ers will dominate the time of possession battle, keeping Brees and the offense impatiently waiting on the sidelines.

2. Harper is the catalyst for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' blitzing attack.

The Saints don't have a dominating pass-rusher on their defensive line or in their linebacking corps. Williams relies on a different approach to blitzing than most defensive coordinators due to this fact, and Harper is his star pupil.

The Saints had only 33 sacks in 2011, tied for 19th in the NFL. Williams used 15 different players to get those sacks.

Harper led the team in this category (7.5 sacks), as well as leading the team in tackles. He is for Williams what Brees is for head coach Sean Payton.

If he struggles with his lateral mobility and quickness, as would be expected with a "significant" ankle injury, he will be ineffective as a blitzer and in coverage, making the 49ers' task of throwing the ball against the Saints defense significantly easier.

3. Harper's injury now makes Vernon Davis' life a whole lot easier. 

One of the biggest keys for the 49ers in this game will be getting Davis involved in the passing game. He has been coming on strong lately, and I expect his progress to continue this week in San Francisco.

Harper would be the man to take on Davis one-on-one when the Saints blitz from another position. This is a task he's used to doing in Williams' schemes, and he's been rather good at it over the years. 

Davis is one of the most exceptionally gifted athletes in the NFL. His size, strength and speed are unparalleled, and when he holds onto the ball, he is one of the best runners after the catch at the tight end position in the league. 

If Harper is running around on a gimpy ankle, expect Alex Smith to take advantage of him in man-to-man coverage.

Summary 

I have already been saying that the 49ers will win this game. They have the right defense to partially contain this explosive Saints offense, as long as they play disciplined and nobody gets hurt.

Harper's injury makes this case even stronger, as the 49ers offense will surely benefit from his condition. 

I do expect him to play, but I won't be surprised if he ends up sitting most of the game out. Ankle injuries are some of the most painful to try and play through, and he will struggle.

The key to this game for the 49ers is the running game. If they can dominate the time of possession and continue taking excellent care of the football, they will win this game. Harper's injury makes this scenario even more likely, and I expect the 49ers to take care of business at home. 

I'll be live-blogging this game on Saturday, so stay tuned for this divisional matchup between the Saints and 49ers.

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Tags: Bleacher Report, New Orleans Saints, NFL Playoffs

Tuesday evening the NFL announced its selections for the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl. Remarkably the 12-3 New Orleans Saints were only awarded five selections onto the team, whereas a fellow 12-3 team—the San Francisco 49ers—were awarded eight spots in the All-Star game. 

By now it's little surprise that the Saints are under-appreciated by fans and the media. But the players and coaches' votes seemed to only hurt Saints players, and not help their cause. 

The Saints got obvious selections in the form of Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, and gained a surprising selection in the form of left tackle Jermon Bushrod. 

And that was it. There are five players who were clearly deserving of spots who did not gain them, and here they are. 

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Fines for hits deemed dirty by Roger Goodell and company have become a common occurrence in the National Football League. Along with the deep ball and high octane offenses, safety has ruled in today’s NFL.

I am a big proponent of safety, but the amount of penalties every week for hard hits is getting ridiculous. Some of the helmet-to-helmet hits flagged by referees are just that, helmet-to-helmet; however, not every big hit in the secondary or bang, bang play needs to be penalized.

Most of the time, the perception that the zebras have of a player—James Harrison or Ndamukong Suh are prime examples—will cause the referee to throw the flag. Those two players mentioned have been in the wrong before and I am sure they will be in the future, but they do not deserve a flag every time either has a big collision.

The refs are not supposed to decide a game, but I fear that the quick-to-throw mentality of the officiating crew might cost some teams in the playoffs.

One referee’s poor judgment could cost a team a trip to the Superbowl, which is why I have a suggestion to remedy this problem. Make helmet-to-helmet penalties reviewable.

Imagine that in the NFC Championship, Greg Jennings comes across the middle on a fourth down play late in the game and Roman Harper levels him, and dislodges the ball at the same time. I believe that the Green Bay Packers will host the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship, as you can tell, but I digress.

While the Saints are celebrating a trip to Indianapolis, the refs huddle up quickly and decide that Harper made contact with Jennings helmet. As the Saints are pleading their case to Ed Hochuli, the well known ref that shops at baby gap for his t-shirts, millions of people are watching a replay that proves their was no contact to the helmet.

Packers fans are thanking God while, the Saints supporters are furious, spouting out four letter words that are not appropriate in most situations. Well, those same angry fans only become more enraged as Aaron Rodgers, who is arguably having the greatest season for a QB ever, connects with Jordy Nelson for the game winning touchdown.

The Saints’ faithful fan base is left dejected and the cheese head’s from Wisconsin are celebrating a return trip to the Superbowl. After the final seconds tick off the clock, “experts” and analysts begin commenting on the play, saying the ref blew the call.

The only problem is that the play will not be overturned because Steve Young or John Gruden said so. To think, this whole situation could have been fixed with a simple one minute review. I know the Saints had an opportunity to stop the Packers after the bad call, but it should not have come to that.

Safety is important, but shouldn't getting the call right be important, also? Humans and refs will make mistakes, so let’s put in place a system that could fix these mistakes.

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The New Orleans Saints need to extend contracts for five players if they want to stay atop of the NFC South.

It’s been a long journey, but the Saints are finally one of the NFL powerhouses and are as dangerous as any team the NFL has to offer in winning another Super Bowl.

That’s wonderful, and it’s something that I could get used to each year. However, the Saints aren’t going to stay on top if they don’t re-sign certain players and lock them up for years to come.

These are the players that the Saints’ organization needs to sign to multi-year contracts.

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Saints fans can tell how different their football team is. The fact that a 7-3 record is almost a disappointment with Saints fans is incredible. Was it not six years ago that Aaron Brooks and Jim Haslett were finishing up a 3-13 season and Saints fans were ready to bring out the brown bags again?

Mickey Loomis, Sean Payton, Drew Brees and company have created a winning atmosphere for the Saints and city of New Orleans. I believe that as long as we have these three guys, we are capable of winning a Super Bowl every year. And our chances this year look pretty good.

What's left of the Saints regular season schedule is four homes games and only two road games. The schedule consists of three teams with a winning record, two teams with a losing record, and one currently at .500. Then, hopefully, the Saints will roll into the playoffs. 

Let's look at the remainder of the schedule and my predictions for the Saints playoffs.

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Due to the evolution of football from a predominantly run-first, smash-mouth game to a pass-first finesse game, the defensive secondary has gone from being a unit of minimal importance to one of great importance. 

Most teams in the NFL still are learning how to adapt to the wide-open offenses we are seeing in the 21st century. Almost no team can boast of having Pro Bowl caliber players at each of the four starting secondary spots. 

And yet, the New Orleans Saints, yes that's right, I said the New Orleans Saints, can boast of such a thing. 

Speaking of cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter and safeties Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins, you are speaking of a quadrant of really good defensive talent. Under Gregg Williams, the unit has gone from being one of simply talent to the strongest part of the entire unit. 

Every football fan remembers Tracy Porter's epic interception return of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 44 a few seasons ago. It is the play which Porter's entire career will be remembered by, no matter what he does for the rest of it. 

The fourth-year pro out of Indiana is a solid 5'11" and 186 lbs. But it's his ability to transition out of breaks and make plays on the ball—the skill he ultimately used for that memorable pick-six—which makes him so good.

As for Greer, he's the same size as Porter plus four lbs. He's quicker and faster, which enables to stay with just about every receiver in the league. His ball skills are second to only Charles Woodson in the entire league. Frankly, Greer has been the second most impressive corner in the entire league in 2011.

As for the safeties, most fans see the 6.5 sacks that Roman Harper has produced and assume he's playing his best football. The truth is that he's playing really well, but his overall play has been better in recent seasons. Nonetheless, Harper gives the Saints essentially a fourth linebacker with elite linebacker coverage skills.

Harper's never going to be confused with a corner as far as covering receivers man-to-man, but his adaptability and flexibility cause offenses to become confused about the defensive scheme on most snaps. 

Then there's Jenkins, whose ability to blitz effectively, play man-to-man, play the run and play deep-zone coverage, make him the ultimate safety. He has a chance to be the most sound overall safety in all of football in the next couple seasons. 

That might be the most exciting part of this football team—these guys are all still young. Greer is the oldest member of this group and he's only 29. This group has a really good chance to grow together and stay together for awhile. 

Porter is up for a new contract after this season, and in my opinion is a must re-sign for Mickey Loomis. 

But even better than the play of the unit is the kind of people these guys are. Tracy Porter has a daughter and is always talking about her on Twitter. 

Jabari Greer and Roman Harper are both very involved in the New Orleans community. As is Malcolm Jenkins, who already has his own foundation. 

You can find out more about the foundation by going to http://www.themalcolmjenkinsfoundation.org/. The foundation is designed to provide mentorship and opportunities for underprivileged youth in struggling neighborhoods. 

That's one of the best things about these Saints in general. They play hard and they work hard in the community. That's just one reason the Saints are so beloved in New Orleans. 

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File this one under the "would they or wouldn't they?" department.

Roman Harper was fined $15,000 for his after-the-play cheap shot on Carolina receiver Steve Smith last week.

Now, considering that Roger Goodell has done so very much to make this a "kinder, gentler" NFL, shouldn't the league also require these guys to pen a hand-written apology to the men they cheap-shotted?

Just think about it for a moment. The league could offer fines with an option, for instance:

"Dear Mr. Harper, the league has deemed that you acted in a manner that does not display the type of sportsmanship the NFL represents. You are hereby ordered to one of these two possibilities:

1. You may pay a $25,000 fine   OR

2. You may pay a reduced $15,000 fine along with a hand-written apology to Mr. Smith."

Now there's something that would have them talking.

Do you think for one minute there's a single player in the NFL who would sit down and hand-write an apology to another player?

Didn't think so.

This late shot by Harper touched off a melee of sorts between the Panthers and the Saints, and Panthers coach Ron Riviera was glad his team, as a unit, didn't stand for it.

Gotta love that. That's unity.

You also have to question Harper's intelligence when it comes to picking a fight with Steve Smith. In fact, would you ever want to take on any guy in the NFL who is less than 5'10"? These little guys are the meanest; they've had people calling them out all their lives—they're USED to throwing hands.

Smith is no exception.

Instead of cheap-shoting a guy, Harper should simply spend more time learning to cover people.

That way guys like Smith won't beat him and do those little celebrations in the end zone.

If Harper owes anyone an apology, it's his teammates.

After all, it was his fault Smith scored.

In the meantime, just pay the $15,000 and don't let it happen again.

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The NFL fined New Orleans Saints safety Roman Harper $15,000 for his late hit on Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith after he scored a touchdown in the Saints 30-27 win over the Panthers.

Steve Smith was not fined for pulling and twisting Malcolm Jenkins' facemask. 

That's justice Goodell!

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Tags: Fine, nfl, Roman Harper, Steve Smith

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