Yardbarker: Taylor Mehlhaff

Will Bush Play the Last Two Weeks?

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:52:02 -0500

From: The Sun Herald Comparing the differences between the way the Saints played when being the home or road team has been glaringly apparent from the top of the roster (Drew Brees) to the bottom (Martin Gramatica or Taylor Mehlhaff). The lone road glory came against the hapless Kansas City Chiefs, with the Saints dropping their [...]

Saints Sign K Garrett Hartley, P Glenn Pakulak

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:42:23 -0500

The New Orleans Saints have signed free-agent kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Glenn Pakulak, one day after cutting kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and...

One Day After Cuts; Saints Sign New Kicker and Punter

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:55:59 -0500

After cutting their kicker and punter on Tuesday, the Saints today filled their spots with the signing of kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Glenn Pakulak. The team cut ties with rookie kicker Taylor Mehlhaff yesterday after he was 3-for-4 on field goals and 9-for-10 on extra points. Pakulak will take the spot of Ben Graham, who also was shown the door by the team Tuesday. "We were impressed with both Garrett and Glenn throughout the competitive sessions and we will continue to evaluate the positions closely throughout the remainder of the season," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. The Saints also signed defensive back Tanard Davis to the practice squad.

Saints Cut K Taylor Mehlhaff And P Ben Graham

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:38:53 -0500

The Saints released kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and punter Ben Graham on Tuesday, according to league sources. No replacements have been announced.Both...

Saints Cut Kicker Mehlhaff and Punter Graham

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:09:02 -0500

Today the Saints made two roster moves, cutting both their kicker and punter. The team cut ties with kicker Taylor Mehlhaff, and also punter Ben Graham. As of this point, the team has not made any official roster moves to replace the duo. Both had their issues and the team needs to upgrade each position if they are going to make a serious run at the NFC South title and the postseason.

Giants PK John Carney Could End Up With Saints?

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:00:52 -0500

If rookie Taylor Mehlhaff can't lock down the kicking job in New Orleans, we hear John Carney will be the next man in for the Saints. Sources say Carney will be released by the Giants now that Lawrence Tynes is back, and the Saints would jump at the chance to bring Carney back. Carney was with the Saints from 2001-06, and they have not been able to find a reliable replacement for him since he left.

Grab Bag: Week 7

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:27:48 -0500

Blaine makes his triumphant return to the Grab Bag this week. We missed ya bud. He also boldy traveled to Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday to attend the LSU-Florida game. We all know that ended badly for us LSU fans in a 51-21 rout of the Tigers, but I am almost 100 percent certain that Blaine showed [...]

Saints Replace PK Martin Gramatica With Taylor Mehlhaff

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:11:21 -0500

The Saints have signed rookie kicker Taylor Mehlhaff to replace Martin Gramatica, who was placed on injured reserve because of a groin injury....

Practice Squad Already Ready to go For the Saints?

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:39:04 -0500

Rumor has it that the Saints have already cleared some players through waivers and have loose agreements with them for the Monday creation of the 8 man practice squad. Those players are Tyler Palko, Buck Ortega, Skyler Green, Lynell Hamilton, Orien Harris and Andy Alleman. Alleman was a surprise cut after being a 3rd round draft pick. Another surprised cut, Taylor Mehlhaff, is a hopeful for Saints fans if he clears waivers. Although there is no definitive word that the Saints want him back. Word close to JoLonn Dunbar, UDFA LB out of BC, is that Joey has been very happy with the Saints and wants to play for them. That same source says that the Colts and Redskins have expressed interest in him. Dunbar looked very promising in the pre-season games and was thought to have a chance to make the 53 man roster. If Dunbar was signed to the Saints PS, there would be no room for Mehlhaff.

Saints Make Cuts to Get the Roster to 53

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:53:55 -0500

The Saints today made a number of roster moves to get down to the NFL manidated 53 players.? The team released former third-round guard Andy Alleman, who was a draft pick last season.? The team also placed CB Greg Fassitt (knee) on injured reserve and waived Tim Duckworth, LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, WR Skyler Green, RB Lynell Hamilton, DT Orien Harris, LB William Kershaw, K Taylor Mehlhaff, TE Buck Ortega, QB Tyler Palko, DE Josh Savage, FB Olaniyi Sobomehein and WR Joe West.

Non-starter Saints to Watch Tonight

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:59:50 -0500

Fans often bemoan the pre-season because after the first quarter or so they don't recognize many names and the score really doesn't matter anyway. So here is a list of players who are not starters to watch for in tonight game against the Cardinals Sedrick Ellis (98) ? DT Who is he? Saints 1st round draft pick. Why watch him? OK, so he may already be considered a starter, but he's never played in a game as a Saint, so he may get some extra playing time and play later than most starters. Pierre Thomas (23) ? RB Who is he? 2007 UDFA that played after Bush, McAllister and Stecker were all hurt. Why watch him? Thomas has been getting high praise from the media and the Saints coaching staff and looks to be the heir apparent to Duece as the partner to Reggie in the backfield. Carl Nicks (77) ? OG/T Who is he? Possibly the steal of the 2008 draft. Why watch him? It is getting more and more likely that Nicks will start somewhere on the Saints offensive line during the 2008 season. Nicks fell far in the draft after a misunderstanding caused him to be labeled as a "bad character" guy. He doesn't appear to be a problem and has been living up to his nickname of "IHOP" (because he pancakes defenders). Adrian Arrington (87) ? WR Who is he? Saints 7th round draft pick. Why watch him? Arrington has been the biggest surprise of Saints camp this year. He's has a lot of buzz around him and now it's time to see if he can live up to it in a game. Arrington is probably going to make the 53 man roster if he can, maybe even become the #3 receiver. Robert Meachem (17) ? WR Who is he? Saints 1st round draft pick in 2007 Why watch him? Meachem only made a brief appearance in a pre-season game last year and fans haven't seen much of Meachem. He was injured most of last season and wasn't even activated for a regular season game last year. Meachem has Devery Henderson speed on paper, but can he be the deep threat that Devery is and make Devery expendable? Usama Young (28) ? CB Who is he? Saints 3rd round draft pick in 2007 Why watch him? Young has made significant progress since last year and has been talked about as starting at CB possibly this year. The Saints need a lot of improvement from last year's CB performance as many Saints fans know? Randall Gay (21) ? CB Who is he? Free Agent pick up this offseason. Why watch him? He's been looking good in practice and is a hopeful to improve the Saints problems at CB. He will probably start across from Jason David, but may see more playing time that David since he's new to the team. Marvin Mithcell (50) ? I/OLB Who is he? Saints 7th round draft pick from 2007 Why watch him? With Vilma coming to town, it places both Simoneau and Mitchell in a competition for both MLB or WLB. Mitchell is a developmental player that some fans have high hopes for. He's a thumper, but can he do more than just short yardage? Can he compete for the backup MLB role only or for the WLB role as well? Taylor Mehlhaff (5) ? K Who is he? Saints 6th round draft pick Why watch him? He's competing with Martin Gramatica for the starting kicker job. Watch for both Mehlhaff and Gramatica to try to get touchbacks to prove how strong their legs are and also be accurate in any long field goals. Don't be surprised if Payton even angles for a field goal duel, risking runs when a pass would be appropriate simply because Payton would win either way:. either a first down or a chance to see one of his kickers in action. Lynell Hamilton (30) ? RB Who is he? UDFA pickup this offseason Why watch him? Hamilton was a standout RB at San Diego State before an injury gave another RB to take his spot as the starting RB. He converted to FB, but has since rededicated himself to being a RB, but a bit one at 235 pounds. If Hamilton really impresses and PT really impresses as well, you might see Aaron Stecker become expendable. Hamilton is probably the biggest long shot on this list and probably will not make the team, but Saints fans should be pulling for Hamilton, as it would save the Saints from worrying about acquiring a bruising back once Deuce moves on. Sorry to say, but that could happen in the next couple of years.

Saints Ink Kicker Mehlhaff to Three-Year Deal

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:54:30 -0500

The Times-Picayune is reporting that the Saints have come to terms on a three-year deal with kicker Taylor Mehlhaff. The former Wisconsin kicker is expected to battle Martin Gramatica for the starting kicker spot. He was a first-team All-American and also was a finalist for the Lou Groza award back in 2007.

Training Camp 2008: Breakdown of the Saints Kickers

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:28:27 -0500

2007 Summary: The Saints traded a 4th round pick for Olindo Mare in 2007, releasing the aging John Carney. They were hoping that Mare's strong leg would prevent the 4th down decisions around 25 or 30 yard line that the Saints had to deal with in 2006. Unfortunately Mare had a bad year. First with missed field goals while healthy and then missing field goals while hurt. The Saints eventually picked up Martin Gramatica to replace Mare and released Mare. 2008 Offseason: The Saints resigned Martin Gramatica and drafted Taylor Mehlhaff in the 6th round of the NFL draft. Player summary: Martin Gramatica has been in the league for 9 years, even going to the Pro-Bowl, but started having accuracy problems in field goals longer than 40 yards around 2003. The Bucs stuck with Gramatica until midway through the 2004 season. After being cut he was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts exclusively for kickoffs later that year. Gramatica claims that he had been suffering from a torn abdomen muscle that was surgically repaired between the 2004 and 2005 offseason, but did play with any team during the 2005 season. At the start of the 2006 season Gramatica was signed by the New England Patriots and competed with then rookie Stephen Gostkowski, but lost and was cut. Eventually he ended up with the Dallas Cowboys after Bill Parcells had released an inconsistent Mike Vanderjagt. Gramatica may well be fully healed and back to his once Pro-Bowl form, but only time will tell. Taylor Mehlhaf is a big leg rookie out of the University of Wisconson. Mehlhaff played quarterback in high school and is considered a solid all around football player, despite being undersized for most any position besides a kicker at 5-10 and 184 lbs. Mehlhaff had a very high touch back ratio in 2007 with 42 of 76 kick offs resulting in touch backs. He has kicked in poor weather conditions and is able to hit field goals from 50+ yards out. Mehlhaff had some accuracy issues early in his college career hitting only 70% of his field goals as a freshman, but improved every year and in 2007 made 21 of 25 (84%) with a long of 51 yards. Some have said that he had a slow approach on college game film prompting Mehlhaff to spend considerable time trying to improve that for scouts in the offseason. Only time will tell if Mehlhaff has the mettle to be an NFL reliable kicker. Mueller and Payton have said that it is possible that the Saints could carry two kickers on the roster, as they did for the 2006 season. If Mehlhaff wins the job hands down, look for the Saints to keep only one, but if Mehlhaff shows promise, but doesn't win the job outright, the Saints may keep both with the hopes of developing Mehlhaff during the season.

Saints Kicker Spot Still Up in the Air

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:18:28 -0500

From: Pro Football Weekly It's too early to give either Martin Gramatica or rookie Taylor Mehlhaff an edge in the battle to become the Saints' placekicker, but we hear there's a real chance that both could end up on the roster. If that were to happen, it's likely that Mehlhaff, a sixth-round pick, would handle kickoffs while Gramatica kicked field goals. The Saints are frustrated by the lack of success they've had with kickers in recent years and will be relieved if one of the two kickers emerges as a reliable option.