Payton gives special teams a kick in the pants

By Adam Sweeney  |   Friday, October 31, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

New Orleans Saints
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Maybe there is some bad mojo going on in New Orleans, but the Saints seem to have quite a hard time getting a consistent kicker. Earlier this month, head coach Sean Payton released kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and punter Ben Graham and signed Garrett Hartley to replace the former; to take Graham's place, the Saints signed ... Graham. The signings come after a week in which Mehlhaff shanked an extra point.

Commentary: It's appropriate the miss took place a week before Halloween; after all, Mehlhaff resurrected the ghost of John Carney, who blew a chance to tie a game in 2003 as a Saint when he missed an extra point after an improbable 75-yard touchdown. Of course, Carney now leads kickers in points this season with the Giants. That proves picking kickers isn't an exact science.

At this point, Payton would be content with a kicker just being automatic from within 40 yards.

Fan Pulse: Who dat wanting John Carney back? A lot of Saints fans are calling for it.

Fantasy Football Commentary: If you gave up on wide receiver Lance Moore last week with Marques Colston coming back, well, you paid for it. Moore had six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' 37-32 win over the San Diego Chargers. Moore is still a good flex option and continues to get looks from Drew Brees.

Injury Watch: It's not an injury, but it definitely could affect playing time. DE Will Smith is set to play until the league reviews his case of a failed drug test.
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About Adam Sweeney

Adam Sweeney spent 4 years as an opinions and arts & entertainment columnist with the Lone Star Lutheran, also working with Sports Illustrated.com. Along with his work on Realfootball 365 he currently is a contributor for Film School Rejects, SLAM Online, Talkhoops.net, and C-Heads Magazine.
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