New Orleans Saints sign veteran kicker John Carney

[Canuck]

New Orleans Saints sign veteran kicker John Carney

The New Orleans Saints have signed 46-year-old kicker John Carney to a one-year contract, a league source said Tuesday afternoon.

Financial terms were not released, but it is believed to be for the veteran's minimum. Kicker Garrett Hartley's status with the team is unknown. But the team carried both kickers for much of the 2009 season.

Carney was signed after Hartley missed a 29-yard field goal in overtime that would have given the Saints a win in their 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. On the season, Hartley is just 4-for-7 on field goal attempts.

The Saints could decide to keep Hartley on the roster even if they sign another kicker.

Last year, they kept Hartley and Carney on the active roster for nearly three months after Hartley came back from a four-game suspension to begin the season.

Carney held the job through the first 11 games, then Hartley took over for the final five games of the regular season and the playoffs.

Carney, 46, has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the Saints during the Payton era. After six steady seasons with the Saints, he was released in 2007 because the Saints wanted a kicker with a stronger leg. But Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis admitted later that it was one of their greatest regrets. While they struggled through kicking foibles with Olindo Mare, Martin Gramatica and Taylor Mehlhaff over the next two years, Carney shined for the New York Giants in 2008.

The Saints brought Carney back last year, though, when Hartley was suspended. And they kept him around for several months, though he wasn't able to permanently secure the job, making 13 of 17 field-goal attempts and 50 of 52 extra-point attempts. After they released him in December, they kept him around as a kicking consultant, and he played an important role in Hartley's development.

Carney ranks third in NFL history with 2,044 points in a 22-year career spent with Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Kansas City, the Giants and the Saints again. He made 150 of 180 field-goal attempts (83 percent) during his first run with the Saints.

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/09/new_orleans_saints_sign_vetera_2.html

 

[JoshHoward5]

They should cut that <Censored> Hartley. God I hate that guy.

 

[footballplaya52]

carney also missed a clutch kick a few years back no?

 

[WHO-DEY-BENGALS_18]

Carney is 46 years old and can barely make 40 yards, no offense to him but I think the Saints could have done better. Surprised they didn't pick up Kris Brown, he's struggled but has a pretty big leg.

 

[RipCity32]

Hartley is the <Censored> in Madden, just saying lol.