The peaks and valleys Garrett Hartley has experienced in his relatively short stint in New Orleans have been astonishing. He’s been suspended, benched and injured… and he’s also been perfect in a Super Bowl winning playoff run, perfect in half a season, and the most accurate kickers in Saints’ history. Today the Saints are expected to formally announce the placement on injured reserve of their kicker, a new low in Hartley’s professional career, who was just signed to a 5 year long term extension in the offseason. Filling in for Hartley’s absence will continue to be John Kasay, the player we’ve enjoyed as perfect through the first three weeks of the season. Kasay is 42, so while he’s been a terrific replacement so far and I feel ok about him being the guy this season, it’s unlikely he’s a threat long term to Hartley’s job security. Still, I’ve wondered at the onset of this injury and I continue to wonder if, given the short history, the positives associated with Garrett Hartley are worth the negatives?
The reason why Hartley is now shelved for an entire year is the Saints simply couldn’t wait for him to heal anymore. That, plus Kasay’s solid performances thus far gave them confidence they could survive without Harltey. The rash of injuries the Saints have suffered on the offensive line and in the linebacking core this week forced their hand to make a move. The Saints have also gotten DT Tom Johnson back healthy, which means they waived DT Mitch King in an effort to open up spots to fill in at those injured positions.
The new players on the roster are…
LB Ramon Humber and T Pat McQuistan. You’ll remember Humber as a special teamer that was on the team part of last season and with the Saints through the preseason. Humber made the initial 53 man roster this year, but was cut to make room for TE John Gilmore. With Jonathan Casillas not 100%, Jonathan Vilma out last week, Martez Wilson injured (concussion?) and Will Herring (hamstring) banged up, the Saints are incredibly thin out of nowhere at linebacker. Humber is a guy that knows the defense, can help on special teams, and seems to be a good fit.
As for McQuistan, he comes from being a starter 8 games for the Miami Dolphins last year. He was a reserve tackle 4 seasons for the Cowboys prior to last year and he measures out as a huge player, 6’6″ and 319 lbs. His addition comes on the heals of injuries to tackle Zach Strief and center Olin Kreutz.
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