NEW ORLEANS (AP)Saints coach Sean Payton had a full night and morning to reflect o

n and review how much of an effect officiating really had on New Orleans’ narrow loss to Atlanta. By Friday afternoon Brian Poole Jersey 2019 , it sounded like the coach had decided that his initial concerns were warranted, and that it’s a problem the league should address. ”The officiating was extremely poor,” Payton said in a conference call. ”Inconsistent would be a great way to put it. I thought that had a lot to do with the way this game ended.” The way the game ended was costly for the Saints. New Orleans (9-4) missed an opportunity to strengthen its hold on first place in the NFC South, which now has three teams within a game of one another; Carolina (8-4) sits in second place and Atlanta (8-5) in third. The Saints also lost several players to injury during Thursday night’s 20-17 loss, but Payton seemed most concerned by the penalty flags that were thrown against his team – or weren’t thrown against the Falcons. Payton said he ”went through every one of `em – and the ones that weren’t called. Too many inconsistencies.” The Saints were penalized 11 times for 87 yards, and the Falcons gained nine first downs by penalty. Payton would not address all of the calls he disagreed with, but he did single out a roughing-the-passer call on defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins against Matt Ryan. The penalty came at the end of third-down incompletion, keeping alive a drive that ended with Atlanta’s first touchdown. ”I know what that rule’s in place for,” Payton said, ”but it wasn’t in place for what happened with Sheldon.” The officiating ”has been a problem all year and it’s something that’s going to have to be addressed from a leadership standpoint at the top in our league office. ”It’s frustrating when you have a game, instead of it being decided on the field like it’s supposed to, you have a crew make so many mistakes in one event.” After Matt Bryant’s 52-yard goal gave Atlanta a 20-17 lead with 3:49 left, Drew Brees drove New Orleans into position for a tying field goal or winning touchdown. But linebacker Deion Jones made a leaping interception of a Brees pass in the end zone with 1:25 left. The Saints lost their last chance to get the ball back when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Payton – who had angrily rushed onto the field to communicate with an official – gave the Falcons a first down that enabled them to run out the clock. Payton said after the game that he was trying to call a timeout when one of the officials ”asked me again.” ”I said, `I’ve already called the timeout,”’ Payton said. ”I probably said it with a little more oomph or vigor than I was supposed to, but I had enough. I’ve got to be smarter than that.” Payton said Friday that he had not heard from the league office about any further sanctions. He said the process of reporting disputed calls to NFL headquarters is ”a waste of energy.” The NFL automatically reviews any penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct toward officials to determine if any further disciplinary action is warranted. Even the Saints’ star on offense could have had a bigger game if not for the officiating, Payton said. Michael Thomas caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. ”He made some big plays,” Payton said. ”He was held on two or three occasions. We have to get him more touches Black De’Vondre Campbell Jersey , but he was impressive.” Meanwhile, the Saints will be monitoring the health of half a dozen players injured during the game: running back Alvin Kamara (concussion), guard Senio Kelemete (concussion), wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (undisclosed), linebacker A.J. Klein (groin), defensive end Trey Hendrickson (ankle) and safety Kenny Vaccaro (groin). The Saints have extra time heal up before their next game, at home Dec. 17 against the New York Jets. New Orleans hosts Atlanta in a rematch on Dec. 24. — The No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Maryland 52-51 on Saturday in one of college football’s most thrilling games of 2018 so far. The Buckeyes will move on to face No. 4 Michigan next week in yet another colossal edition of The Game, but what stood out during the game in College Park had little to do with the 22 players on the field. Urban Meyer looked physically and mentally distressed as the game progressed. Just one example of him constantly slumping over and grabbing his head:Towards the end of the game that ended in overtime, ESPN’s cameras showed him slouched over on the sideline during a crucial timeout, far away from a huddle: The whole scene looked much like the end of his time at Florida, when Meyer was clearly exhausted much of the time. The teams look somewhat similar to each other, too.After the Buckeyes win, Meyer was even asked how he was feeling: Tom Luginbill: “Just watching you on the sideline, very, very emotional, very energetic, how are you feeling after this win today?”Meyer: “I’m feeling just a W, and I’m glad Buckeye Nation’s here to support us.”It was a little nerve-wracking to watch Meyer on the sideline De’Vondre Campbell Jersey 2019 , especially considering his health issues. His mental health has suffered at different points in the past. He’s also been diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst in his brain and dropped to the ground on the sideline during one 2018 game. He’s dealt with “aggressive headaches” in the last two years, his doctor recently told Yahoo Sports:“As with many medical conditions, the issue with his cyst is incurable and progressive,” Cleveland.com wrote after Meyer talked in late October with local media about his health. When asked about retirement rumors, he didn’t exactly shoot them down directly:Being completely honest, there were times during the Maryland game where I was concerned about how Meyer would react. I’m by no means suggesting or reporting that Meyer will definitely leave after this year. But look at the bigger picture here. When Ohio State released its findings of the investigation into Meyer’s handling of Zach Smith’s domestic violence allegations, documents showed Meyer was fully aware of what a problem Smith was. Meyer served a three-game suspension at the start of the season, with reports of rifts between him and his bosses at Ohio State. All these things made for enough reason to wonder whether OSU would consider moving on from Meyer after this season.On the field, Ohio State lost to unranked Purdue 49-20 on Oct. 20. As my colleague Matt Brown pointed out, Meyer wasn’t even coaching the Buckeyes that well on the field up to that point. The Buckeyes’ issues, especially on defense, have hardly gotten better since then.Nearly a month later, the Buckeyes still have a shot to make it into the Playoff, pending wins over Michigan and Northwestern. The on-field case for Meyer to remain at Ohio State is simple to make. But this isn’t so much about Ohio State football as it is about Meyer the husband, father, and grandfather. He’s 54 years old, turning 55 years old next July. That’s by no means old by college football head coaching standards, but it’s not exactly young. His health issues aren’t new Black Deion Jones Jersey , either — back when Urban was at Florida in 2009, Meyer had to be taken to the hospital for chest pains. He later admitted that he was depressed during the season and lost 37 pounds over the course of the year. Meyer briefly announced his retirement after his ‘09 incident, only to return a few days later and coach the Gators to an 8-5 season in 2010, his last year in Gainesville. After his time at Florida, Meyer took a year off from coaching while working as an analyst for ESPN. Before he could accept the Ohio State job in 2012, he had to sign a now well-known contract with his family that included things like putting his family first, and taking care of himself and his health. I’m not saying Meyer hasn’t done those things. But after 17 years of coaching at the head coach level, and another 15 as an assistant before that, when is enough enough? Meyer has three national championships, six conference titles, a slew of BCS and New Year’s Six Bowl berths. Just based on on-field accomplishments, he’ll be inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame down the road. What else is there to win before then? A couple more conference titles? One more national championship?Hell, former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops retired at 56 just because he could.He’s since been seen smiling near the sidelines in Norman pretty regularly. There’s nothing else Meyer has to win in order to prove his ability — the idea of just hanging it up, buying a boat, and taking a breath has to sound like a good idea on some level.