Story
US, Iran Race to Fill Out Contours of a Nuclear Agreement
American and Iranian negotiators raced to fill out a framework for rolling back Iran's nuclear program and punitive U.S. economic sanctions, hoping for enough progress to call in other world …
Story
Learn from History: Change the State Flag
Now, our elected leaders should get on the right side of history, listen to the will of the people and embrace progress. Change the flag.
Story
Story
State
MDOC Move Draws Fire from Hinds County
Officials with the Hinds County Sheriff's Office are blasting a decision from the state corrections commissioner to end a program that provides inmate labor to the county.
Story
State Official: Clinton Email Practices 'Not Acceptable'
A State Department assistant secretary said Wednesday it's "not acceptable" for any agency employee to conduct government business on a private email server as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham …
Story
Europe's Comet Lander Makes 2nd Contact After Waking Up
The Philae spacecraft has been in touch with Earth from a speeding comet for the second time since waking up a few days ago, mission control said Monday, and scientists …
Story
Person of the Day
Kayla Paul-Lindsey
Kayla Paul-Lindsey is a gospel recording artist, president of the Leadership Greater Jackson Alumni Association and the operator of her own CPA firm in Jackson.
Entry
For the Saints, Scoring Slowly Is (Almost) More Important Than Scoring
By Todd StaufferIf there's something I feel like I've learned after years of watching the New Orleans Saints play football, it's that there really is such a thing as scoring their last points too soon.
The classic instance in their modern incarnation is the Saints-49ners NFC Championship game in 2012. In that game, quarterback Drew Brees threw a 66-yard touchdown to tight end Jimmy Graham that put the Saints into the lead with 1:37 left on the clock. The point after put the score at 32-29.
The ensuing 49er drive took 1:28, as Alex Smith moved the team methodically down the field against a porous Saints defense, with the final touchdown just seconds before the end of the game.
It was a painful loss for Saints fans who watched a second Super Bowl berth slip away in a scenario that's happened just a little too often in the Sean Payton era—the Saints scored too soon on their final drive.
I don't think you can fault Payton and his quarterbacks, whether Brees or now Luke McCown, for seeing a potential matchup and going for the jugular late in the game. That's how football is played.
But what I do feel like you can fault Payton for—and I hate to say this—is trusting that his awful defenses will be able to hold off the other team's final drive if you give the opponent any time at all.
This past Sunday, for instance, I submit that a little conservative play-calling might have won the day.
The Saints were poised to beat the Carolina Panthers late in the fourth quarter, after marching down the field in an unhurried three-minute offense led by the surprisingly unflappable McCown.
Faced with dropped passes by the usually reliable veteran receiver Marques Colston and a couple of hot grabs by slot receiver Brandin Cooks, that final 24-yard pass into the end zone to Cooks looked too good to pass up; and it was, for Carolina cornerback Josh Norman, who made a fantastic interception on a pretty good pass by McCown.
It's hindsight, yes. But clearly the pass shouldn't have been thrown.
With over a minute on the clock and with timeouts still available, the Saints had two downs to get 6 yards and at least three backs to think about using to get them. On the play that they ran for the interception, Mark Ingram was wide-open in the flat for at least 5 of those 6 yards—a quick throw to the back would might have netted a first down and, critically, an opportunity to bleed more clock. (Colston, as it turns out, was also wide-open over the middle and might have scored if thrown to.)
Crazy talk? Sure. And, of course, there's no guarantee that you score from the 15 or so yards out.
But I can't avoid asking the question... is it too much to ask an NFL coach to at least temper the desire to toss it into the end zone for the quick …
Story
[Kamikaze] Spread the Projack Love
I'm what you call a ProJack. I steadfastly support anything in Jacksoncommunity, music and business. If you operate or reside firmly within this city's borders, I pray for your success.
Story
I-55, Revisited
Better Than Ezra burst onto the national rock scene in 1995 with the hit single, "Good." Formed while its members attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1988, Better …
Story
Farish: Must ‘Make a Profit'
Jackson developer David Watkins seemed to quell concerns when he presented a list of tenants for the long-awaited $100 million Farish Street Entertainment District project during a public presentation last …
Story
The Lawyers and the Statistician
Day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing resumed on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with Ellis' attorney Lisa Ross concluding her cross-examination of Charlie Bonds, Jackson Public Schools executive director of …
Story
Council Protests Melton Picks
Council members bickered Monday afternoon over Mayor Frank Melton's decision to appoint Chief Administrative Officer Robert Walker and City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly-Evans to run the city while he recovers from …
Story
Mississippi Legislators Respond to Oil Spill
Troubles keep on brewing as a stricken BP oil well continues to daily jet more than 200,000 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum's attempt to …
Story
South Jackson Mall Seeks Community Input
The Jackson Square shopping center that has struggled with crime and vacancy for years is showing signs of life. The South Jackson retail mall at Terry Road and Interstate 55, …
Story
Banking Locally
Joe Magee, 59, is a third-generation poultry and cattle farmer. His farm, located just outside Mendenhall, produces a little more than half a million chickens and around 100 head of …
Story
[Balko] The Case for Bifurcated Trials
In July, the Texas Forensic Science Commission found that arson investigators used flawed science in the trial of Cameron Todd Willingham. Willingham was convicted of setting a 1999 fire that …
Story
Tell Me the Truth, JoAnne
Q. I'm fairly recently divorced, and have even more recently returned to the North Jackson area after a few years away. Do your sources have any idea where interesting single/divorced …
Story
Creating a Brand
Tripp Muldrow is a busy man. In the past year, he has spent 150 days traveling throughout the country, listening to residents and compressing often-complicated stories into brands that instill …
Story
Politics
YOUR TURN: Obama's Rope-A-Dope Revisited
We were at my sister's house with two generations watching the first of three scheduled presidential debates. The rest of my siblings kept in touch via telephone and texting.
