Love Him or Hate Him: Chad Ochocinco is Doing the Right Thing

Chad Ochocinco plans to don the number of recently deceased teammate Chris Henry this Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the San Diego Chargers.

Throughout his career, Ochocinco has made a name for himself, literally, by defying inconsequential NFL rules. From bribing referees with a dollar bill to elaborate touchdown celebrations, Ochocinco has always been in the headlines.

Normally his pranks and touchdowns dances are for pure entertainment value, something that the NFL has recently frowned on.

Most recently, Ochocinco was fined $30,000 for briefly donning a mock poncho and a sombrero next to his bench following a touchdown.

His colorful antics and celebrations have made him a polarizing figure in the modern NFL, but given the death of his teammate, Chris Henry, it seems almost appropriate that Ochocinco break the rules to honor his fallen comrade.

Leaning credence to that thought, the NFLPA has announced they will float the bill for any fines that Ochocinco may receive.

George Atallah of the NFL Players Association announced on his Twitter page that the union, “will cover any fine levied on [Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco]…and match it with a gift to our Chris Henry memorial fund.”

It’s not too often that Chad Ochocinco’s intentions are purely selfless, but in this case it seems that he’s just trying to do the right thing.

The question remains whether or not the NFL will actually fine him. Asked if he had anything to say on the matter, league spokesmen Greg Aiello stated simply, “No.”

The response suggests that the NFL is unsure what to make of the gesture by Ochocinco. The idea seems rather tactful and respectable, especially considering his past antics, but on the other hand, NFL rules clearly state that he should expect a fine.

Let’s hope that the NFL allows this one to slide. They can always fine him double next week anyway.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Will Kicking Be New Orleans Saints’ Achilles Heel?

As the Saints escape yet another close call in their quest for perfection, one weakness remains brutally apparent. Their kicking game is “no good”.

With the league’s best offense it’s easy to overlook a mediocre kicking team, but history indicates that at some point Sean Payton will find himself relying on an untested kicking unit.

So far this year he has coddled them, attempting only a handful of field goals over 40 yards, of which only two have been successful.

Kicker Garrett Hartley, activated last week to replace a struggling John Carney, has gone six of seven on field goals so far this year, but he is unproven on the big stage and has yet to make a field goal of over 50 yards.

One can point out his career 17/18 mark, but that stat is a bit misleading as only four of them have been over 40 yards.

Also the mental aspect of kicking is immeasurable. It’s hard to say how someone will respond to the pressure of a game winning kick in a playoff game.

It became clear in Washington that Payton doesn’t trust his kicker. Repeatedly he inched closer, visibly uneasy about attempting even a short field goal.

He confirmed this in Atlanta by attempted a fake field goal from the Atlanta 20-yard line on 4th-and-7, when leading by three.

After months of practice and hundreds of meaningful plays, it’s a common theme to see kickers determining the outcome of a season.

Saints fans know this from personal experience. It wasn’t too long ago that the River City Miracle went from play of the decade to cruelest joke of the century, eliminating them from playoff contention. In only two games, Hartley has already missed an extra point.

In Superbowl XXV Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal that would have given the Bills their first win ever. Instead it was wide right, costing them the first of four consecutive Super Bowls. Only one time has Hartley connected from that long in his career.

Most recently, in Superbowl XLI, the undefeated Patriots held a 7-3 lead on 4th-and-13 from the Giants’ 31. They opted to go for it rather than attempt a 48-yard field goal with unproven second year pro, Steven Gostkowski.

Had they retained Adam Vinetieri it’s likely they would have opted to kick. The decision would wind up to haunt them as they lost 17-14, ruining their bid for perfection.

With the playoffs approaching, the Saint are going to find themselves in some close games. Only time will tell if a kicker determines their fate.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Not So Fast: Adrian Peterson’s Speeding Ticket and Related Stories

Adrian Peterson was stopped and cited for going 54 miles per hour above the posted speed limit of 55 in Minnesota this weekend.

At first I believed that perhaps he had been given a break, as many states will throw you in jail for going double the speed limit. After taking a look around Minnesota state law I found that they have no such statute.

A few other things came up of interest though.

First off this isn’t Adrian’s first car incident this fall. In September he stole a car. Read Sidney Rice’s recap below:

“…we had meetings and the receivers and quarterbacks stayed for extra film, so everybody else got out before us. After I walked to the locker room and my phone rang.

It was Adrian calling.

I answered and he was like, “Hey, I left my other phone by the cold tub, could you grab it for me?” I said yeah. Then he asked if I could bring it over to his house and I said yeah, and he was like, “I know you will.”

We always talk junk to each other so I thought he was just playing. I think he said that because he thought I had already been outside to look for my car, but I hadn’t yet.

When I went into my locker I couldn’t find my key in the usual spot. I thought maybe I left it in the car this morning so I went out to the lot to find it. I parked right around the corner from the door, but when I walked out there, it was gone.

I wasn’t really worried because I knew it had to be someone from the team, because no one else can get into our parking lot. So I had someone drive me up to the staff lot to see if someone had moved it and left it there to play a joke. But it wasn’t up there, and I’m getting really mad at this point.

It’s cool to move my car, but to take my car and leave … my brand new Maserati? Not cool.

Then I remembered that when AP called he said I would be coming over to his house…

I called him and asked if he took my car. He was like, no, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I knew right then that he had it.

Part of the joke was that he hid his car key in my locker so I’d be able to drive over to his house and get my car back. I just got that car a couple of months ago, I guess he wanted to drive it.”

 

So as you see, this isn’t the first time Peterson has driven a fast car.

Also as it turns out, Peterson’s ticket is nowhere near as outrageous another in Minnesota state history.

A patrol pilot in southeastern Minnesota watched two motorcyclists racing along a highway. When one of the riders shot forward, he clocked the lead rider at 205 mph.

“I was in total disbelief” the pilot said, “I’d never seen anything move that fast.”

Several law enforcement sources were quoted as saying that although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state.

Initial reports are that Peterson will not be going for the record any time soon, although he will be heading to traffic court quickly in an effort to keep his license.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

The Worst NFL Franchises of the 2000’s

With the 00’s all but wrapped up, it’s appropriate that we look back and evaluate the winners and losers of the decade.

As part of an ongoing series of best/worst of the decade, I’ll be judging which NFL franchises had the worst ten years.

For some teams the 00’s were a fruitful time. Both the Steelers (2) and the Patriots (3) won multiple titles.

We came one amazing David Tyree catch away from witnessing what would have only been the second undefeated season ever.

In total there were fourteen total teams that played in a Super Bowl.

The problem some fans have is that their team watched not only the Super Bowl every single year, but the playoffs too.

While your team might not have won a Superbowl or even a conference title, at least you don’t root for the guys on this list.

If you do, get out your flask (you obviously have one) and don’t waste a drop. It was a tough decade.

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Poisoning the Opponent: How Far Would You Take Your Fandom?

After the Bears beat the Steelers on Sunday, a group of Steeler fans got into a bit of an altercation with a group of Bears fans at a local bar.

After heated words were exchanged, the group of Bears fans offered to buy drinks for the Steelers fans as a “peacemaker.” This is when things quickly got ugly.

The Bears had apparently put something in one of the drinks in an attempt to injure (we hope) a Steelers fan. Forty-six-year-old Zack Eddinger was rushed to the hospital where his heart stopped beating a total of four times.

His family was told to come immediately because the doctors didn’t think he would survive.

Originally the doctors thought that antifreeze was added to the drink because the effects were so strong.

Fortunately, Zack survived.

 

Anyway, this brings up a few interesting points of discussion.

How far are you willing to take your fandom?

I’ve seen people willing to paint their bodies and go shirtless for four hours in the snow and stadiums packed to watch teams with no chance at postseason glory. Tatoos and cars, devoted entirely to a certain team.

Fandom for some of us goes back generations. We root for the Bears because our dad rooted for the Bears, because his dad rooted for the Bears. For many of us, that’s all the reason we need to act like a group of rowdy, drunken frat boys every Sunday afternoon (and who can blame us?).

But to what extent would you really take things?

Say you were a Saints fan and happened to own a hotel in Miami. Now let’s assume that the Saints made it all the way to the Super Bowl and the opposing team happened to be staying in your hotel. How far would you take things in order for your team to get that elusive victory?

Would you be willing to set off the fire alarm a few times the night before? Or maybe bring in a new chef whose specialty is undercooking chicken? It wouldn’t be the first time something like this has been done.

It’s tough to say how far people will take it. You know they are willing to go to crazy lengths for things that will almost certainly have no real impact in the game (one guy dressing up shirtless out of 70,000 fans), but if their actions had real consequences would people take things much further or are they content to let things be settled on the field?

The answer undoubtedly is personal and unique, and I am interested to hear any and all opinions on this matter.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

11 Questions for New Orleans Legend Deuce McAllister

Deuce Mcallister ladies and gentlemen! Let’s all give him one last round of applause from the comfort of our homes. It pains me to say this, but it appears (for now at least) like we won’t ever have the chance to do it again in the Superdome.

For months now I have held out hope that the Saints would offer him a veteran minimum contract to return for one last hurrah, but by now it’s pretty clear that won’t be happening.

I’ve seen grown men cry only a couple of times in mass. The most memorable was when the Saints unveiled what we all thought would be an NFC South Championship banner, but turned out to be a salute to us, the season ticket holders of 2006. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkZBWXJdPos)

Old men, young men, police officers, burger cooks, students and teachers all shed a tear that day. Even I, who has never been brought to tears by anything but life and death, found my eyes watering as I stared up at my beautiful banner.

Although nobody will literally shed a tear knowing that Deuce is not going to be around next year, the emotion that comes with that reality that we, as fans, will feel is certainly as heartfelt as when that banner went up.

After giving us eight of the most memorable years in Saints history it appears that Deuce may reluctantly hang up his cleats. After amassing nearly 8000 total yards, 54 touchdowns and an NFC championship game, Deuce doesn’t have much more to prove in the NFL or does he? Here’s what I want to know.

1. You’ve been a Saint for eight years. Do you think that you would be able to go to another team or would your loyalty still lie in New Orleans?

2. What is your greatest memory as a Saint?

3. Do you feel the Saints sort of gave you the boot or was their decision to release and then not even try to re-sign you justified?

4. Do you think Reggie Bush is ever going to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was drafted second in the draft?

5. A few years ago Sean Payton called for a reverse on a second and short with the game essentially wrapped up. The ball was fumbled and the game lost. Did you know that play was being called and if so did you realize it was going to go so poorly?

6.  Do you think that you should be inducted into the pro football hall of fame?

7. What specific play would you say defines your career in New Orleans?

8. What is your prediction for the 2009 Saints?

9. Do you have any interest in staying in football as a coach or are you ready to move on?

10. Do you feel like not achieving the ultimate goal of a Superbowl will somehow taint your legacy?

11. Did the 2006 Saints realize how much they meant to the city of New Orleans at the time, or was it mostly realized after the fact?

Thanks for everything Deuce. You are truly legendary.

New Orleans Saints Fans: 10 Things To Be Ecstatic About

This article is a response to one written by Randy Savoie.

Randy spoke about how in 1970, Charlton Heston broke three ribs while filming the movie Number One, the story of an aging Saints quarterback who could not bring himself to quit.

Guess what, Randy? Although injured, he finished the job that he started because he’s a Saint (in the movie at least) and that’s what we do.

There is no quit in our team anymore and there is no reverting to old school habits (aka losing). Just because we have had a rough first 40 years doesn’t mean that the next 40 years can’t be spectacular.

This is when it all turns around for us.

Gone are the unprofessional coaches and GM’s of the past. Gone are the overrated crybabies like Aaron Brooks.

What we have now is a tough team dedicated and focused on one single goal: A Superbowl title for a city that deserves one more than any other.

With that said…

Top 10 Reasons to be Ecstatic If You are a Saints Fan

1. Those preview magazines claiming that this might be our year are written by professional sports journalist. Their opinion may not be relevant on the field, but before the ball is in play it’s certainly is a good sign. They are normally more right than wrong.

2. A few weeks back, Jeremy Shockey was found passed out by a pool. Last year you could tell he wasn’t at 100 percent so it’s good to see he is getting his rest. He is feeling the pressure to succeed and is poised to have a monster year.

3. Reggie Bush is coming off successful surgery and will no longer be expected to carry the burden of the entire running game. With Pierre Thomas looking like he can shoulder the load of being the power back, Bush should be able to do what he does best, find space on the outside, act as a decoy to spread the field, and turn little plays into touchdowns.

4. Gregg Williams, the new defensive coordinator is so good Sean Payton was willing to give up $250,000 cash out of his own pocket to get him into town. This isn’t something you hear about often, but it’s led to the Saints having both an offensive and defensive mastermind. Their desire to win is undeniable.

5. All-Pro QB Drew Brees is showing no signs of slowing down. He will have yet another huge season leading the best offense in the league.

6. Robert Meachem is finally coming into his own after a very disappointing start to his career. He’s had an excellent off-season and is looking like he may very well see some significant playing time this year.

His physical skill set is off the charts and he’s shown the ability to be a real play maker (25 yards per catch last year), adding yet another weapon to an already potent offense.

7. Drew Brees has one of the best pass blocking lines in the league and his football IQ is off the charts. It’s unlikely that he’ll get hurt, but if he does we have two long time starting quarterbacks waiting in the wings. He may be old, but Brunell has led a team to the Superbowl and Harrington is arguably the best third stringer in the league.

 8. We drafted for need and picked up a few of the best corners in the draft. Combine rookies Malcolm Jenkins and Chip Vaughn, the return of Tracy Porter, and the signing of free agent Jabari Greer and what do you have? NO REASON FOR JASON DAVID TO PLAY CORNERBACK EVER AGAIN!!!

9. We head into this year with both our punter and our kicker ready to go. Last year we hit a measly 22 field goals at a pitiful 81.5 percent clip. Garrett Hartley took over at midseason and booted 13 straight through the uprights without a miss. He’s the real deal.

Glenn Palulak may have averaged 48 yards a kick last year, but opponents returned them with ease. His net was only 37 yards per punt.

Thomas Morstead out of SMU was certainly an odd pick, but his leg is the real deal and should shore up what was a sub-par punting unit. Of his 59 punts in 2008, only 19 were returned.

10.  In 2006, the first year back after Katrina, I went to Popeyes before every single home game. For reasons unknown I did not continue this in 2007 or 2008.

I plan to bring back the tradition this year and have been assured by multiple employees of Popeyes that increased consumption of fried chicken prior to home games will assure the Saints of an undefeated home record.

See you in Tampa.

New Orleans Saints: What To Expect from the 2009 Offense

Last season, the Saints had the No. 1 offense in the NFL in both yards and points per game. As we look at the 2009 team, it’s likely that they will be able to replicate, if not exceed, that performance.

There isn’t a single major player gone, and returning from injuries that severely limited their 2008 season are both Reggie Bush and Marques Colston.

Robert Meachem has shown drastic improvement this offseason and is starting to resemble the guy drafted out of the first round in 2007.

Pierre Thomas averaged a whopping 4.8 yards per carry, making him the sixth most effective runner in the NFL with over 100 carries.

Adding to that, Pro Bowler Jeremy Shockey is back and healthy for the first time in New Orleans.  

All things considered, barring injuries, we could be looking at one of the greatest offenses in football history. Defensive coordinators are going to have to pick their poison against an offense that not only has no apparent weakness, but in fact is strong in every single aspect.

Do you leave Reggie to a single spy knowing that on any play he could turn a routine five yard game into a 70 yard touchdown?

Can you trust a single corner in man coverage on the speedster Devery Henderson?

Is there a linebacker in the league who can stay with Shockey on short in-routes?

This is more of a statement, but you HAVE to put two guys on Colston to even have a chance of stopping him.

If Pierre can keep up his nearly five yard-a-carry average, you can’t afford to put only five or six guys in the box, which means that someone is going to be left open.

Drew Brees is the master at finding the open man and cutting up zones. If the defense leaves someone open, he will make you pay.

Lastly, even if you can stop all those talented play-makers for a few seconds then who in the world is going to be pressuring Drew Brees?

The guy was sacked a measly 13 times last year, and with the same line back this year, it’s unlikely to be much different this time around. His release is just too fast and his football IQ too high.

What’s even more encouraging is the average age of the four best receivers, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas is only 25 years old, meaning that instead of slowing down, the offense may just be hitting its prime.

Defensive coordinators: Feel free to change your pants at any time.

Can New Orleans Saints Receivers Catch Up with Drew Brees?

With a glut of appealing options at the wide receiver position, Saints fans must be wondering who Drew will be throwing to this year.

Let’s go through the possibilities one at a time with their strengths, weaknesses and potential for the upcoming year:

Marques Colston:  A big athletic receiver with above average hands and sensational adjustment skills.  Although he’s not a speedster he has adequate acceleration and initial break off the line. His route running isn’t outstanding but is above average. He’s shown time and time again his ability to go into a crowd and come out with the ball.

You can tell that Drew trusts him more than other receivers by some of the throws he is allowed to make plays on. He’s also an above average blocker due mostly to his overwhelming size.

With no other star receiver on the roster it is safe to assume that he will be out there as the No. 1 receiver, albeit it more of a possession receiver than a big play maker.

Lance Moore: After a  breakout year in 2008 (thanks Drew), Lance may not improve too much this year due to physical limitations. He’s quick off the line, but his top speed is relatively average. He runs nice, but not spectacular routes.

His hands are solid, but he has the unfortunate tendency to catch with his body. Lack of a specific strength will probably limit his overall production as a pro. With someone else as his QB it’s unlikely he would have had a 900 yd, 10 TD receiving year.

That being said, Drew trusts him more than anyone besides Colston which is pretty meaningful in Sean Payton’s mind. He will wind up as the number two guy to start the preseason, but he could easily be pushed back to the three if Meachem or Henderson take a step forward.

It must be noted that he has been nursing injuries all preseason, making it questionable if he will be at 100 percent to compete for a starting job.

Devery Henderson: The local speedster from LSU had his best year yet, but is far from a complete package. Although his speed is top 10 in the NFL, his route running remains sub-par and his hands are dodgy at best.

He’s best at running straight down field with a single slight cut. Rumor has it he has really focused this off season in hopes of becoming the number two option, but unless he has made huge strides it seems unlikely he will improve his 2008 numbers by anything more than a few long touchdowns.

That being said he is our most deadly downfield option and could be used extremely effectively with Reggie in spreading out the defense to allow Drew to cut up zones. Defenses can’t ignore his 25 yard per catch average. After signing a 3 year contract this offeason he should start off as the number three guy. 

Robert Meachem: After missing his entire rookie season nobody expected too much out of the former first round pick. He delivered exactly that. Despite an injury to Colston and the opportunity to take a larger role, Meachem never really delivered.

He averaged an impressive 24.1 yards per catch, but caught a pitiful 12 balls in 14 games in limited action. He has incredible catching ability with above average size and speed.  It appeared that he was the real deal after being drafted out of Tennessee as a junior, but his route running has been well below average thus far in his young career.

He worked out all off season at Sonic Boom Conditioning and Strength Training Academy in Jefferson where he claims to have got his strength and explosiveness back.

Adding to that, he recently he put on quite a performance at an open workout while lining up with the starting offensive unit where he made a number of spectacular catches as well as more conventional ones. Drew Brees even gave him a vote of confidence.

He will start out the preseason as the number four receiver, but will be given every opportunity to shine. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him wind up as the number two guy by the end of the year.

’05-’06 New Orlenes’ Saints: The Greatest Team To Ever Play The Game

On August 29^th, 2005, the most devastating natural disaster in American history occurred. Hurricane Katrina could not have hit New Orleans more directly and when it did it had all the power that the all too enthusiastic national news outlets predicted.

The aftermath was shocking.

Thousands of lives lost, billions in damages, and a population scared that they may never be able to return home.

For decades the citizens of Louisiana had supported the Saints through thick and thin. For a city that had never won a championship the people had always been optimistic that somehow, someway, the saints would pull through.

This is a city that had been struck by disaster before, Hurricane Betsy, and had lost their teams before. It appeared that both tragedies were about to coincide at the same time.

Then a miraculous thing happened. The Saints made a promise to return, and with them the people rallied.

Barely one year after the disaster, the Superdome was repaired and the Saints were slated to return. In a city so devastated, so down on their luck, there was a dire need for something, for anything to rally around.

A group of my friends decided we needed to be involved so we bought six tickets, vowing to enjoy every minute of it, as painful as we expected it to be. You have to remember the Saints were 3-13 the year before.

The Saints taking the field on September twenty fifth, was a moment that nobody from New Orleans will ever forget. The rush of emotion was unlike anything that anyone had ever experienced. The first ninety seconds of the game made every single person in that stadium forget, at least for a day, the pain that had surrounded them for the previous year.

They weren’t the most talented team and they didn’t win the Superbowl, but that didn’t matter to us.

We knew we were watching the greatest team to ever play the game.

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