Saints snap counts: A.J. Klein
Thomas Morstead Jersey ,ended up being a wild and much-needed win for the New Orleans Saints, as they knocked off the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to pick up their first NFC South win of the early season. The 43-37 win helped the Saints improve to 2-1 on the year, and showed the league how potent the offense still is under Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Here’s a look at the snap count detail and playing time percentage for the black and gold. (Note: All data is provided by the NFL)OffenseMax Unger, Ryan Ramczyk, Larry Warford, Josh LeRibeus, Terron Armstead, Drew Brees - 75 (100%)Brees caught fire against the Falcons, going 39-of-49 for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns for a 120.7 rating. The 39-year-old quarterback also had two rushing touchdowns, which included one of the funniest and craziest spin moves I’ve ever seen by a quarterback.Michael Thomas - 75 (95%)Thomas made more NFL history on Sunday, breaking an old receiving record previously held by Julio Jones for most catches through the first three games of the season. His stat line of 10 receptions for 129 yards on 10 targets was simply spectacular, as Thomas leads the NFC and NFL in receiving yardage and receptions.Alvin Kamara - 67 (85%)Kamara had a really busy day with 31 total touches. He had 16 rushes for 66 yards, which was just over 4 yards/carry (long of 17), but it was his receiving that made all the difference in the world for the Saints offense. Kamara was targeted a whopping 20 times by Brees, finishing with 15 receptions for 124 yards. He’s third in receptions and sixth in yards right now.Ted Ginn Jr. - 52 (66%)Outside of the first drive, Ginn was pretty quiet on the day. He finished with 3 catches for 12 yards and a score on 6 targets, and added a 20-yard run on a jet sweep (or Ginn-da-round as I like to call it).Josh Hill - 49 (62%)Hill wasn’t much of a factor on the stat sheet outside of his lone catch and target for 17 yards, but it was still a great play for him on the tight end screen that looked to go for a loss or minimal gain.Benjamin Watson - 45 (57%)Watson also proved that age is only a number on Sunday, finishing with 71 yards on 5 catches (6 targets). Sean Payton challenged his tight ends after last week’s game, and it looks like Watson heard the call loud and clear.Cameron Meredith - 34 (43%)Meredith had just one catch and one target in the game, but it was a big one. The 11-yard touchdown from Brees helped the Saints take a late third quarter lead. Once Meredith really gets going, it could be even more interesting for the New Orleans offense.Tre’Quan Smith - 26 (33%)Smith didn’t register any catches or runs on the stat sheet. On a day that saw the Saints go for 534 yards on offense, him not being involved is a really scary thought.Austin Carr - 13 (16%)Carr had two targets on Sunday, finishing with 1 catch for 25 yards. It arguably might have been the best throw from Brees on the day, as Carr hauled in a great catch.Zach Line - 12 (15%)2 catches for 6 yards for the fullback isn’t eye-popping at all, but the decision to go with him on the 4th and Goal to get a touchdown was a gutsy call by Payton, and it paid off.Jonathan Williams - 9 (11%)The preseason camp champ had a single carry for a single yard, and had a single reception for a single yard. Mark Ingram returns soon
Cheap Michael Thomas Jersey , and it’s needed for the ground game.Taysom Hill - 5 (6%)3 rushes for 39 yards to go along with 3 kick returns for 64 yards (21.3 average). The Saints used Hill at tight end too to block. This guy is becoming a legend before our eyes.Mike Gillislee, Jermon Bushrod - 4 (5%)DefenseA.J. Klein, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis - 68 (100%)Klein had an encore performance from last week’s win over the Browns, which is a good thing. Klein finished with just 3 combined tackles, but did have tackle for loss, quarterback hit, and pass defense in addition to his key plate late in the game where he blitzed Matt Ryan to force an incompletion. Davis led all tacklers with 8 combined (5 solo), and also had a QB hit.Cameron Jordan - 62 (91%)Jordan had a pretty strong day, finishing with 2.0 sacks, 5 combined tackles, 2 quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a pass defense. Jordan said he could have and should have had more sacks.Vonn Bell - 54 (79%)Bell tied with four others (Jordan, M. Williams, P.J. Williams) for second-highest on the team in tackles with 5 combined.Sheldon Rankins - 52 (76%)3 tackles for Rankins on the day, and 2 of them were for a loss.P.J. Williams - 50 (74%)No Saints defender had a worse outing than Williams, who was victimized by Calvin Ridley after getting the start over Ken Crawley. He ended up getting pulled, and came back in working the slot after Patrick Robinson went down. New Orleans has a lot of questions in their secondary.Alex Okafor - 44 (65%)Okafor’s blocked punt was a critical moment in the game, but aside that, just a single tackle.Ken Crawley - 42 (62%)Crawley took a real bad penalty on Calvin Ridley with safety help over the top from Williams. Let’s hope he returns to form soon.David Onyemata - 41 (60%)Onyemata took a really bad special teams penalty after messing with the center on a field goal try that directly led to the Falcons putting a touchdown on the board. Perhaps it’s growing pains, but either way the Saints had a really undisciplined outing.Marcus Davenport - 34 (50%)The first-round pick nabbed his first sack of his career, and it probably couldn’t have come against a better opponent. Davenport had 2 quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. It looked like Atlanta was double-teaming him most of the game.Taylor Stallworth - 27 (40%)Patrick Robinson - 23 (34%)According to early reports, it’s a high ankle sprain for Robinson. Of course, we’ll know more eventually, but at this point we have to count him out for several weeks.Kurt Coleman - 22 (32%)Alex Anzalone - 13 (19%)Jay Bromley - 12 (18%)Special Teams (Top Reps)Taysom Hill, Craig Robertson - 29Chris Banjo
Tyeler Davison Jersey , Vince Biegel, Justin Hardee, J.T. Gray - 25Life of a Saint: Tyrone Hughes October 23, 1994 – As the New Orleans Saints get set to take on the Los Angeles Rams in the Superdome, a camera pans through a sea of Saints scoured across the field during pregame warm-ups. The camera stops on phenom kick returner Tyrone Hughes as he sits on the turf, stretching his hamstrings. “I think I’m good for two today”, Hughes stated, predicting two returns for touchdowns in that game. Hughes set the stage for what would become one of the most remembered games in Saints history.But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.Life of a Saint: Tyrone HughesTo know Tyrone Hughes’ roots, you don’t have to travel far from the aforementioned Superdome. In fact, you’d have to head a few miles east to the Lower Ninth Ward. Prior to high school, Hughes would move a few minutes closer to the Dome into the Seventh Ward, eventually attending one of the highest NFL player producing high schools in the country in “St Aug”. Fate would eventually land the local product inside walls of the Superdome, playing as a Saint.The Early YearsIt didn’t take long for Tyrone Hughes to realize he stood out from his peers. “I wouldn’t say I was better, but as a young kid playing playground ball, I was always faster”, Hughes mentioned. His speed was not only known by the kids up the street at Hardin Park, but also the coaches of multiple sports. Hughes played on park ball teams, excelling in football, basketball, track and baseball. As ironic as it may be, Hughes started playing football in junior high school as a punter. Hughes stated, “That was really my first experience with older players.” While Hughes stated he did well, he noted that as he headed to St. Augustine High School, he was known more as a baseball prodigy than a football phenom. While the focus was on baseball, Hughes did find himself on the football roster as a junior in high school, still as a punter. About three games before the end of the season, the coaching staff decided to mix things up. “The defensive backs coach was also the baseball coach. He knew I was fast from stealing bases in baseball. He and the linebackers coach said, ‘Let’s put Tyrone back there to return a punt.’. They punted the ball to me and I returned it for a touchdown
Cheap Marcus Williams Jersey , but there was a flag. They had to re-punt. They punted to me again. I returned it for a touchdown.” A star was born. By the end of the season, Hughes would land himself on the “Top five players to watch” list for Sports Illustrated leading into his senior year.National AttentionFollowing the eye-opening success of his junior year, the St. Augustine coaching staff redesigned the offense to a “Delaware Wing-T” playbook, specifically designed for Hughes. Hughes remembered, “What really got me noticed was my third game of the year. I would say it was my ‘Al Bundy” game. I had four touchdowns in the first half. I had a kickoff return, a punt return, a run and a pass.” At that point, local buzz had turned into national buzz. Hughes earned the Gatorade Player of the Week award. The mailbox was immediately and regularly filling with colleges attempting to attract Hughes. In one year, Hughes went from punter to Offensive Player of the Year for the state of Louisiana, averaging a whopping 40 yards per return, 10 yards per carry at running back and 30 yards per reception at wide receiver.The 1993 NFL DraftHughes emergence in his junior and senior year of college landed him in the NFL, getting drafted by the very local New Orleans Saints in the fifth round. For Hughes, it was a dream come true in many ways. But, given the choice, would he have rather gone to a Super Bowl contender? Hughes answered, “You’re talking about the draft, so you don’t get to pick and choose. At that time, I think it would have been the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, I would have gone to them. However, I think my best opportunity to play was with the Saints because of what I did (returned kick-offs and punts). Hughes was happy to stay home though. After jesting that he dodged a bullet by not being selected by the Bengals the pick prior, Hughes spoke about how happy he was to join the Saints. “My family and I were just so thrilled. They had brought me in for a workout and I knew they needed a punt and kick returner.” Hughes in the NFLHughes not only earned his roster spot on the Saints as a rookie, but also made such a splash that he played his way onto the Pro Bowl team. His family was able to join him on the trip as fate would have it. Prior to starting his rookie season in the NFL, Hughes played in the American Bowl. Hughes said, “I ended up being the MVP of the game. Along with the trophy, they gave me two first class tickets to the Pro Bowl. When I made it to the Pro Bowl that year, I ended up trading those first-class tickets in for four coach tickets and paying for the rest of them. I ended up having my whole family come. We all hung out in Hawaii and had a great time.”Hughes success continued into year two. “Again, I led the NFL in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage, which I don’t know if that was a good sign for our defense”
http://www.saintscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-alex-okafor-jersey ;, Hughes joked. “I led the NFL in my third year as well. Three years in a row I broke my own record.” Hughes held the record for most kickoff returns for several years until current record holder MarTay Jenkins of the Arizona Cardinals eclipsed Hughes’ mark. Jim MoraIt’s well chronicled that with the Saints offensive woes mounting at the tail end of Jim Mora’s 11-year stay with the New Orleans Saints, fans and media went to the head coach to ask why he didn’t use Tyrone Hughes at wide receiver. Between his speed and his experience at the position, Hughes was a logical answer on the offensive side of the ball, or so it seemed to most. When asked if he still had any bitterness toward Jim Mora in not being afforded the opportunity to play wide receiver, Hughes responded, “Yes, I do. There was always bitterness. First of all, I was one of the fastest guys on the team. They could have put me at receiver while I was still learning the defense. Whether it’s political or whatever, everything is not done in the best interest of the team. It was more in the best interest of the organization. What I mean by that is how they would justify the reasons for not doing something, regardless of how stupid it may have sounded. Jim Mora’s response was, ‘We don’t feel he can catch good enough’. Think about that. If I drop a pass, that’s incomplete. If I drop a punt or kickoff, that’s a turnover.” October 23, 1994So, whatever happened to Tyrone Hughes’ pregame prediction on October 23, 1994. Tyrone Hughes did, in fact, return two kicks for touchdowns and in the process set NFL records for most kickoff return yardage in a game (304) and most combined return yardage (kickoffs and punts) in a game (347), of which both still stand today. When asked how he knew such a prediction itself, Hughes commented, “That was actually the first time I had done something like that. It just felt that, after watching the film, we would have the opportunities to return.” After Hughes’ success that day, he didn’t make a habit of making pregame predictions. “I had never done it before and I never did it again. But that day, it just felt like we had an opportunity.”, Hughes mentioned. Tyrone Hughes was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2015 along with another great returner, Michael Lewis.
Saints snap counts: A.J. Klein Thomas Morstead Jersey ,ended up being a wild and much-needed win for the New Orleans Saints, as they knocked off the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to pick up their first NFC South win of the early season. The 43-37 win helped the Saints improve to 2-1 on the year, and showed the league how potent the offense still is under Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Here’s a look at the snap count detail and playing time percentage for the black and gold. (Note: All data is provided by the NFL)OffenseMax Unger, Ryan Ramczyk, Larry Warford, Josh LeRibeus, Terron Armstead, Drew Brees - 75 (100%)Brees caught fire against the Falcons, going 39-of-49 for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns for a 120.7 rating. The 39-year-old quarterback also had two rushing touchdowns, which included one of the funniest and craziest spin moves I’ve ever seen by a quarterback.Michael Thomas - 75 (95%)Thomas made more NFL history on Sunday, breaking an old receiving record previously held by Julio Jones for most catches through the first three games of the season. His stat line of 10 receptions for 129 yards on 10 targets was simply spectacular, as Thomas leads the NFC and NFL in receiving yardage and receptions.Alvin Kamara - 67 (85%)Kamara had a really busy day with 31 total touches. He had 16 rushes for 66 yards, which was just over 4 yards/carry (long of 17), but it was his receiving that made all the difference in the world for the Saints offense. Kamara was targeted a whopping 20 times by Brees, finishing with 15 receptions for 124 yards. He’s third in receptions and sixth in yards right now.Ted Ginn Jr. - 52 (66%)Outside of the first drive, Ginn was pretty quiet on the day. He finished with 3 catches for 12 yards and a score on 6 targets, and added a 20-yard run on a jet sweep (or Ginn-da-round as I like to call it).Josh Hill - 49 (62%)Hill wasn’t much of a factor on the stat sheet outside of his lone catch and target for 17 yards, but it was still a great play for him on the tight end screen that looked to go for a loss or minimal gain.Benjamin Watson - 45 (57%)Watson also proved that age is only a number on Sunday, finishing with 71 yards on 5 catches (6 targets). Sean Payton challenged his tight ends after last week’s game, and it looks like Watson heard the call loud and clear.Cameron Meredith - 34 (43%)Meredith had just one catch and one target in the game, but it was a big one. The 11-yard touchdown from Brees helped the Saints take a late third quarter lead. Once Meredith really gets going, it could be even more interesting for the New Orleans offense.Tre’Quan Smith - 26 (33%)Smith didn’t register any catches or runs on the stat sheet. On a day that saw the Saints go for 534 yards on offense, him not being involved is a really scary thought.Austin Carr - 13 (16%)Carr had two targets on Sunday, finishing with 1 catch for 25 yards. It arguably might have been the best throw from Brees on the day, as Carr hauled in a great catch.Zach Line - 12 (15%)2 catches for 6 yards for the fullback isn’t eye-popping at all, but the decision to go with him on the 4th and Goal to get a touchdown was a gutsy call by Payton, and it paid off.Jonathan Williams - 9 (11%)The preseason camp champ had a single carry for a single yard, and had a single reception for a single yard. Mark Ingram returns soon Cheap Michael Thomas Jersey , and it’s needed for the ground game.Taysom Hill - 5 (6%)3 rushes for 39 yards to go along with 3 kick returns for 64 yards (21.3 average). The Saints used Hill at tight end too to block. This guy is becoming a legend before our eyes.Mike Gillislee, Jermon Bushrod - 4 (5%)DefenseA.J. Klein, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis - 68 (100%)Klein had an encore performance from last week’s win over the Browns, which is a good thing. Klein finished with just 3 combined tackles, but did have tackle for loss, quarterback hit, and pass defense in addition to his key plate late in the game where he blitzed Matt Ryan to force an incompletion. Davis led all tacklers with 8 combined (5 solo), and also had a QB hit.Cameron Jordan - 62 (91%)Jordan had a pretty strong day, finishing with 2.0 sacks, 5 combined tackles, 2 quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a pass defense. Jordan said he could have and should have had more sacks.Vonn Bell - 54 (79%)Bell tied with four others (Jordan, M. Williams, P.J. Williams) for second-highest on the team in tackles with 5 combined.Sheldon Rankins - 52 (76%)3 tackles for Rankins on the day, and 2 of them were for a loss.P.J. Williams - 50 (74%)No Saints defender had a worse outing than Williams, who was victimized by Calvin Ridley after getting the start over Ken Crawley. He ended up getting pulled, and came back in working the slot after Patrick Robinson went down. New Orleans has a lot of questions in their secondary.Alex Okafor - 44 (65%)Okafor’s blocked punt was a critical moment in the game, but aside that, just a single tackle.Ken Crawley - 42 (62%)Crawley took a real bad penalty on Calvin Ridley with safety help over the top from Williams. Let’s hope he returns to form soon.David Onyemata - 41 (60%)Onyemata took a really bad special teams penalty after messing with the center on a field goal try that directly led to the Falcons putting a touchdown on the board. Perhaps it’s growing pains, but either way the Saints had a really undisciplined outing.Marcus Davenport - 34 (50%)The first-round pick nabbed his first sack of his career, and it probably couldn’t have come against a better opponent. Davenport had 2 quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. It looked like Atlanta was double-teaming him most of the game.Taylor Stallworth - 27 (40%)Patrick Robinson - 23 (34%)According to early reports, it’s a high ankle sprain for Robinson. Of course, we’ll know more eventually, but at this point we have to count him out for several weeks.Kurt Coleman - 22 (32%)Alex Anzalone - 13 (19%)Jay Bromley - 12 (18%)Special Teams (Top Reps)Taysom Hill, Craig Robertson - 29Chris Banjo Tyeler Davison Jersey , Vince Biegel, Justin Hardee, J.T. Gray - 25Life of a Saint: Tyrone Hughes October 23, 1994 – As the New Orleans Saints get set to take on the Los Angeles Rams in the Superdome, a camera pans through a sea of Saints scoured across the field during pregame warm-ups. The camera stops on phenom kick returner Tyrone Hughes as he sits on the turf, stretching his hamstrings. “I think I’m good for two today”, Hughes stated, predicting two returns for touchdowns in that game. Hughes set the stage for what would become one of the most remembered games in Saints history.But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.Life of a Saint: Tyrone HughesTo know Tyrone Hughes’ roots, you don’t have to travel far from the aforementioned Superdome. In fact, you’d have to head a few miles east to the Lower Ninth Ward. Prior to high school, Hughes would move a few minutes closer to the Dome into the Seventh Ward, eventually attending one of the highest NFL player producing high schools in the country in “St Aug”. Fate would eventually land the local product inside walls of the Superdome, playing as a Saint.The Early YearsIt didn’t take long for Tyrone Hughes to realize he stood out from his peers. “I wouldn’t say I was better, but as a young kid playing playground ball, I was always faster”, Hughes mentioned. His speed was not only known by the kids up the street at Hardin Park, but also the coaches of multiple sports. Hughes played on park ball teams, excelling in football, basketball, track and baseball. As ironic as it may be, Hughes started playing football in junior high school as a punter. Hughes stated, “That was really my first experience with older players.” While Hughes stated he did well, he noted that as he headed to St. Augustine High School, he was known more as a baseball prodigy than a football phenom. While the focus was on baseball, Hughes did find himself on the football roster as a junior in high school, still as a punter. About three games before the end of the season, the coaching staff decided to mix things up. “The defensive backs coach was also the baseball coach. He knew I was fast from stealing bases in baseball. He and the linebackers coach said, ‘Let’s put Tyrone back there to return a punt.’. They punted the ball to me and I returned it for a touchdown Cheap Marcus Williams Jersey , but there was a flag. They had to re-punt. They punted to me again. I returned it for a touchdown.” A star was born. By the end of the season, Hughes would land himself on the “Top five players to watch” list for Sports Illustrated leading into his senior year.National AttentionFollowing the eye-opening success of his junior year, the St. Augustine coaching staff redesigned the offense to a “Delaware Wing-T” playbook, specifically designed for Hughes. Hughes remembered, “What really got me noticed was my third game of the year. I would say it was my ‘Al Bundy” game. I had four touchdowns in the first half. I had a kickoff return, a punt return, a run and a pass.” At that point, local buzz had turned into national buzz. Hughes earned the Gatorade Player of the Week award. The mailbox was immediately and regularly filling with colleges attempting to attract Hughes. In one year, Hughes went from punter to Offensive Player of the Year for the state of Louisiana, averaging a whopping 40 yards per return, 10 yards per carry at running back and 30 yards per reception at wide receiver.The 1993 NFL DraftHughes emergence in his junior and senior year of college landed him in the NFL, getting drafted by the very local New Orleans Saints in the fifth round. For Hughes, it was a dream come true in many ways. But, given the choice, would he have rather gone to a Super Bowl contender? Hughes answered, “You’re talking about the draft, so you don’t get to pick and choose. At that time, I think it would have been the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, I would have gone to them. However, I think my best opportunity to play was with the Saints because of what I did (returned kick-offs and punts). Hughes was happy to stay home though. After jesting that he dodged a bullet by not being selected by the Bengals the pick prior, Hughes spoke about how happy he was to join the Saints. “My family and I were just so thrilled. They had brought me in for a workout and I knew they needed a punt and kick returner.” Hughes in the NFLHughes not only earned his roster spot on the Saints as a rookie, but also made such a splash that he played his way onto the Pro Bowl team. His family was able to join him on the trip as fate would have it. Prior to starting his rookie season in the NFL, Hughes played in the American Bowl. Hughes said, “I ended up being the MVP of the game. Along with the trophy, they gave me two first class tickets to the Pro Bowl. When I made it to the Pro Bowl that year, I ended up trading those first-class tickets in for four coach tickets and paying for the rest of them. I ended up having my whole family come. We all hung out in Hawaii and had a great time.”Hughes success continued into year two. “Again, I led the NFL in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage, which I don’t know if that was a good sign for our defense” http://www.saintscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-alex-okafor-jersey ;, Hughes joked. “I led the NFL in my third year as well. Three years in a row I broke my own record.” Hughes held the record for most kickoff returns for several years until current record holder MarTay Jenkins of the Arizona Cardinals eclipsed Hughes’ mark. Jim MoraIt’s well chronicled that with the Saints offensive woes mounting at the tail end of Jim Mora’s 11-year stay with the New Orleans Saints, fans and media went to the head coach to ask why he didn’t use Tyrone Hughes at wide receiver. Between his speed and his experience at the position, Hughes was a logical answer on the offensive side of the ball, or so it seemed to most. When asked if he still had any bitterness toward Jim Mora in not being afforded the opportunity to play wide receiver, Hughes responded, “Yes, I do. There was always bitterness. First of all, I was one of the fastest guys on the team. They could have put me at receiver while I was still learning the defense. Whether it’s political or whatever, everything is not done in the best interest of the team. It was more in the best interest of the organization. What I mean by that is how they would justify the reasons for not doing something, regardless of how stupid it may have sounded. Jim Mora’s response was, ‘We don’t feel he can catch good enough’. Think about that. If I drop a pass, that’s incomplete. If I drop a punt or kickoff, that’s a turnover.” October 23, 1994So, whatever happened to Tyrone Hughes’ pregame prediction on October 23, 1994. Tyrone Hughes did, in fact, return two kicks for touchdowns and in the process set NFL records for most kickoff return yardage in a game (304) and most combined return yardage (kickoffs and punts) in a game (347), of which both still stand today. When asked how he knew such a prediction itself, Hughes commented, “That was actually the first time I had done something like that. It just felt that, after watching the film, we would have the opportunities to return.” After Hughes’ success that day, he didn’t make a habit of making pregame predictions. “I had never done it before and I never did it again. But that day, it just felt like we had an opportunity.”, Hughes mentioned. Tyrone Hughes was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2015 along with another great returner, Michael Lewis.