Payton: Hartley not on short leash
 

By SHELDON MICKLES
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Oct 14, 2010


New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley will be active for the first time in three games when they play the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday and he won’t be on a short leash, coach Sean Payton said Thursday.

Hartley regained his job Tuesday evening when the Saints released John Carney, who was signed Sept. 29 — just three days after Hartley missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt that would’ve given the Saints an overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons.

“No, that would not be the way I would word it. … He’s our kicker,” Payton replied when asked if Hartley would be on a short leash. “I just watched him kick today and he’s had a great week — he’s had a great couple of weeks.

“That wouldn’t apply to him, he has too much ability,” Payton stressed. “He’s going to play just fine over the long haul. He’s going to play well.”

Hartley, who was 4-of-7 on field-goal attempts before being benched, said Wednesday his only thought after Carney was brought in was to get back on track as quickly as possible.

“From my state of mind, it was like, ‘OK, there’s a problem … let’s fix it and fix it quick,’” Hartley said. “I worked with John and we fixed my stroke, and now I’m hitting a clean ball.

“I had four misses (dating to last season) and they were all left,” he said. “That was a red flag. I made some mental notes, and now I’m hitting it straight.”

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2theadvocate.com | Sports | SAINTS NOTES: Payton: Hartley not on short leash — Baton Rouge, LA

They should keep Carney as a consultant.

I thought they would do that. He's a phone call away.