The Kicker Report – Field2Court | Sports Media

Pels: It’s Time to Fire Gentry

The Kicker Report — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:42:37 +0000

Dear Pelicans fans, we have been saying “fire Gentry” for a couple of years now, but this is different. This time, we really mean it. Of the five seasons Gentry has spent as the head coach of the Pelicans, only once did we finish with a winning record. The Pelicans have gone 5-4 in the playoffs since hiring Gentry. However, four of those wins were from the Pelicans’ sweep of Dame D.O.L.L.A. and the Trailblazers. Those four losses came from the Pelicans’ 1-4 second round exit to the Warriors who ended up sweeping the Cavaliers in the finals.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 09: Head coach Alvin Gentry of the New Orleans Pelicans watches action during a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on October 09, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Let’s move on and take a look at some of the players Alvin Gentry has had in the last five years including this year (asterisks and carets mark players who were on the roster at the same time):

Anthony Davis*

Demarcus Cousins*

Rajon Rondo*

Julius Randle*

Jrue Holiday*^

Zion Williamson^

Brandon Ingram^

Gentry has had good talent and at least one superstar on the roster every year in New Orleans, but the best any of those teams ever did was 48 wins and the 6th seed (both the 4 and 5 seeds won 48 games, while the 7 and 8 seeds won 47 games).

Below is a list of a few heach coaches that Gentry has outlasted compared to his statistics with the Pelicans.

Alvin Gentry: 175-223 (43.9%), 5-4 in the playoffs

Tom Thibodeau (Minnesota): 97-107 (47.5%), 0 playoff appearances

Jason Kidd (Milwaukee): 139-152 (47.8%), 12-4 in the playoffs

Tyronn Lue (Cleveland): 128-83 (60.7%), 41-20 in the playoffs, 1 ring

I find it very interesting that these coaches all spent less time with their teams than Gentry has and have mostly better statistics, but Gentry still hasn’t been fired. Ty Lue was fired one season after his star player, so could this mean that we are finally going to see Gentry get canned, or is David Griffin just going to let Gentry finish the last year on his contract.

Top 10 Saints Teams of the Last Decade

The Kicker Report — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 19:35:02 +0000

Here’s my list of the top 10 Saints teams since the 2009 season.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Marshon Lattimore #23 of the New Orleans Saints is congratulated by his teammates after a second quarter interception against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

10. 2012

Coming in at number 10 is the 2012 Saints. 2012 was the year without Sean Payton. The team went 7-9 while being coached by Aaron Kromer and Joe Vitt and finished 3^rdin the NFC South behind the 13-3 Falcons and 7-9 Panthers, but ahead of the 7-9 Bucs.

9. 2015

Up next at number 9 is the 2015 season. For the second year in a row, the Saints would finish a whopping 7-9 (shocker, I know). I was torn between 2015 and 2016 as both years were 7-9 and third in the NFC South, but it ultimately came down to points scored and point scored against. (2015 – 408 scored, 476 scored against and 2016 – 469 scored, 454 scored against).

8. 2016

Number 8 is 2016 (the last time 2k Sports released a good game). 2016 would be the third year in a row that the Black and Gold finished 7-9, but their eighth straight year finishing ahead of Tampa Bay. Like I said before, 2015 and 2016 came down to point for and points against.

7. 2014

Number 7 is of course another 7-9 year, 2014. However, the Falcons and Bucs somehow managed to do even worse (6-10 for ATL and 2-14 for the 813/656). A fun fact about 2014 is the Bucs tied with the Titans for the worst record in the NFL that season. Although I have to admit the Bucs did score more points as well as hold other teams to fewer points than the Titans did.

6. 2010

Good news, Saints fans, no more losing records from this point on. Number 6 is the year after our glorious Super Bowl victory against the Colts. The 2010 reigning Super Bowl champs finished 11-5 below the 13-3 Falcons. The Saints seriously underperformed in the playoffs this year losing 41-36 in the wildcard round against the 7-6 Seahawks.

5. 2013

In the middle of the pack is 2013. The Saints would once again go 11-5 and finish second in the division. However, this time around, WhoDatNation would lose 23-15 against a 13-3 Seattle in the divisional round. The good news, though, is we beat Philly 26-24 at Lincoln Financial Field before heading to Seattle.

4. 2017

Number 4 is 2017 (yes, another 11-5 year, second in the NFC South, and 1-1 in the playoffs year). This year is one of the more painful years to talk about. The 2017 playoffs brought some good news and some really really bad news. The goods news is that we beat Carolina 31-26 at home in the wild card round. The bad news is that Manti Teo’s college girlfriend pushed Marcus Williams from behind, leaving him unable to stop Stefon Diggs’ game-winning touchdown.

3. 2019

If you’re still reading, congratulations, you made it to the top three. Number 3 is the 2019-2020 season. The Saints went 13-3 and won the division. It was a pretty great season until the playoffs came around. Long story short, we did what we always do against the Vikings in the playoffs, lose at the last second.

2. 2009

I highly doubt any of you are still reading this, but i’ll continue just in case. This is going to be my hottest take of all time. Number 2 is actually the 2009 team that beat HOF quarterback, Peyton Manning in the Superbowl. I know what you are thinking. How can a team that didn’t win the super bowl be above the team that did? but hear me out. I believe that the 2009 team was less talented than the 2018 team.

1. 2018

There’s actually no way anybody is reading this, but if you are, what’s up? The best Saints team since the 2009 season. The 2018 Saints team went 13-3, won the division, but lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship 26-23 in OT. I believe that had the Saints won this game, they would not only win the Superbowl, but the world would see what might’ve been the best Super Bowl matchup in NFL history. Maybe it wouldn’t have been the best matchup, but it would certainly be the most watched. Who wouldn’t want to see Brees vs Brady?

Kickers Are People Too

The Kicker Report — Tue, 26 May 2020 22:22:05 +0000

Whenever people talk about football, why don’t they talk about kickers? Is it because kickers don’t matter? Is it because their job is easy? No, it’s because nobody realizes how important and how hard their role is. One of my favorite quotes about kicking is “field goals get you the job, but extra points keep you the job.” Think about, the Saints are in the Superbowl on the opponent’s 40-yard line with 1 second on the clock, and they call timeout. They’re losing by 1, so do they throw a Hail Mary and risk it being swatted or intercepted? No, they send Wil Lutz, the 25-year-old kicker, out and he attempts the game-winner from 57 yards out. Now, I’m not saying that throwing a Hail Mary is easy, but kicking a field goal doesn’t involve the thought “will the receiver catch the ball.” It involves the thought of “can he kick it far enough, accurate enough, and fast enough.” The first two thoughts are self-explanatory, but people often forget that kickers have about a 2-4 second window before the defensive line can get in front of the ball and block it. So the next time you’re confident that you could nail that 20 yard field goal that cost you your fantasy game, remember that they’re professionals and you’re not.