Now that Samuel Eto'o has retired from football, debate will rage about whether or not he was the greatest African footballer of all time. In short, he was and by some margin.

What shouldn't be debated was that "Samu" (as most of his teammates knew him) was one of the most contrary, stubborn, volatile, fiercely competitive, determined, talented, agile and unstoppable footballers in living memory. Perhaps even all-time.

Some examples. The first time I interviewed him, Eto'o had already helped Barca win their first trophy for six years (La Liga in 2005), helped them retain that title a year later and won the Champions League in Paris against Arsenal. One of the questions for him was to list the top five achievements of his career. The absolute creme de la crème moments. And he looked at me straight in the eye with an "I dare you to contradict me!" expression while listing "joining Real Madrid" (three appearances) and "Winning the Champions League with Real Madrid" (53 minutes played across 1999-2000) as two of his five greatest achievements...

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Plus, he didn't include anything to do with Barcelona despite his two La Liga medals, his flood of goals since moving to the Camp Nou or the Champions League final win a few weeks earlier where he'd actually scored to make it 1-1 vs. Arsenal. He was in a huff with Barcelona that day so he simply erased his current employers from his "my greatest moments" list.

Need more proof?

This is a guy who ditched a Cameroon youth team tour of France, when he was only 11, and hid for seven months in his big sister's flat, not leaving during that entire time in case the police stopped him and asked for his (nonexistent) residence papers. Eventually, in spite of his indomitable will, he arranged to go home only to arrive back in France a couple of years later, illegally again, and stay secretively with his sister while arranging trials with football clubs around that country, all of which unsuccessful. Stubborn and determined.

Eto'o is, incidentally, the only man in the entire history of football to win back-to-back Trebles of the league, the national cup and the Champions League. That he did it with two different clubs, one that had tried to toss him out the previous summer (Barca), and the other that had previously won the Champions League only twice during the competition's 55-year existence (Inter), makes the feat even more impressive.

What about another slightly personal anecdote in the list of Samuel Eto'os massive list of proud, aggressive, "winning" idiosyncrasies?

When we were filming the "Take The Ball, Pass The Ball" documentary in 2016, based on my book about Barcelona, an interview was agreed with Eto'o in Turkey on the occasion of a star-studded benefit match for his charitable foundation. By chance, the attempted military coup d'etat against the ruling government took place around the same time, which resulted in hundreds of casualties and, as you'd expect, the immediate cancellation of the event.

One of our producers, Marc Guillen and our cameraman, Victor Gros, were there for Eto'o's take on his single, volatile season under Pep Guardiola era. Initially, all planes were grounded because the military were bombing significant locations around Turkey. Then, suddenly, there was a window granted for some foreigners to exit the country. Private jets roared into the skies, with most of the stars who'd arrived early for the match naturally taking their chance to flee.

Not Eto'o.

He insisted that before using this window of opportunity he "must" complete his commitment and speak to our camera crew. And he did. His interview is intense, funny, characterful and you'd never tell that the instant Marc called "cut!" Eto'o was up and off the couch as quickly as he's ever moved for a penalty box chance. I think his jet left about 15 minutes later. But he stayed, risking the chance of being stuck in Antalya and making sure we had what he'd promised. That's Samuel Eto'o.

On the subject: I guess everyone remembers Guardiola arriving as manager at Camp Nou in 2008 and announcing he was giving Deco, Ronaldinho and Eto'o the boot. It caused a huge furore not just at the club but around Europe. Only Eto'o managed to avoid the cut, eventually hammering in 36 goals across all competitions in that single season under the Catalan boss.

After initially being shown the door, Eto'o stayed under Guardiola and became a central figure in helping Barca through the final knockout qualifying round for the competition itself, an ignominy the club hasn't suffered since. He scored in Guardiola's first Clasico. He accepted playing on the right wing to enable Guardiola's first 'Messi-as-false-nine' experiment in the 6-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu and he scored the opening goal, from an improbable position, in the Champions League final against Manchester United.

That goal, after only nine minutes, Alex Ferguson later claimed "killed us [Man United]."

All of these are known, if underestimated, parts of the Eto'o tapestry. What I think isn't known is how he managed to stay after Guardiola dropped the "Get out of town!" bombshell in his first news conference as manager.

In announcing Eto'o would stay, the young Catalan (who was about to rip up football history) said: "During the past month we've been together, I have been very pleased with his performance. I only have words of praise. His behaviour and attitude in Scotland and the United States [training camps] have made me decide that Eto'o will remain with us. And, as well as that, he is a player with immense talent."

What's not widely known is that the key trigger, during Barcelona's St. Andrew's training camp, was when the team captaincy group, helmed by Carles Puyol, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, went to Guardiola and said: "Look boss, we know what you've said and we know 'Samu' can be 'hard work' but he's going to be very useful to us if you'll keep him this season."

It wasn't a mutiny, nor a challenge to Guardiola's authority, but a hard pill for the incoming coach to swallow having committed himself publicly to the need to expunge problem players like the Cameroonian from the Camp Nou environment. The players won their argument and Eto'o seized his chance, but not many footballers generate a reverence among their teammates sufficient for them to risk and arguing with a new coach about extending his tenure. That's Eto'o.

Let's not forget either that Guardiola was the second Barcelona coach who tried to kick Eto'o out of the club. One day in training, one of Frank Rijkaard's assistants (legend says it was Johan Neeskens) failed to give an "offside" in a training ground match and Eto'o furiously grabbed him by the throat. Eto'o was expected to go but against the odds, as is his habit, he remained.

Then there was his belligerence towards racism. One of Eto'o's most-used phrases about his career was "I have to work like a black man to live like a white guy." He's never been scared of saying precisely what he believes with no reservations about controversy or consequences.

See Feb. 28, 2006, when Barcelona played at Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey. After suffering repeated monkey chants it was Eto'o, not Ronaldinho or any of the several players of colour on the pitch, who said: "No mas!" ("No more!") and took the unilateral decision to walk off the pitch in protest. It took extended and vehement persuasion from his teammates, notably Ronaldinho and, eventually, his manager Rijkaard, for Eto'o to eventually play on against his will. I think his actions were right and his cohorts were misguided.

Hit the racists, hurt them where they feel it. Eto'o had it right then, and only now are we beginning to see that.

Yet, and see this as a contradiction if you please, Eto'o was one of the quickest to staunchly defend Luis Aragones after he used derogatory terms about Thierry Henry, mentioning the colour of his skin, to try and shock a reaction out of the late Jose Antonio Reyes. Aragones was wrong, plain and simple. No ifs or buts. But Eto'o was certain he knew his old Mallorca coach better than this incident and firmly told anyone who asked that Aragones "wasn't racist... just Luis!"

With Eto'o, we are talking about a man who, in the early years of his career, steadily bought a fleet of old cars and shipped them back to Cameroon for friends and family to start jobs as taxi drivers and then checked up on them to make sure that they were working hard enough to make his generosity worthwhile. The man who stood in front of us in the Camp Nou mixed zone and, during one of his rare scoring droughts, described goals as "like rats: if you chase them they disappear up a drainpipe." Only Eto'o.

There's little in this appreciation about his time with Inter, Real Madrid (how Florentino Perez must rue losing him. In 20 matches against Madrid he lost only five times, scoring 11 goals.), Cameroon, with whom he won Olympic Gold, or his 11 other clubs.

But be clear about this: with Eto'o's retirement European and African football have lost one of the most superb, talented, athletic, clever, charismatic, quixotic, hot-tempered, big-mouthed, entertaining and most "winning" players we have seen or are likely to.

Tennis star Rafa Nadal recently said: "People get confused about talent. Talent isn't striking the ball well, or very hard. Some play beautifully, some flawlessly, others run brilliantly. But in all sport the final objective is to win. So, in summary, the person who wins the most is the one with the most talent"

Rafa knows. Samuel Eto'o knew. What a talent, what a winner. Adios "Samu!"

Adelaide Strikers have signed Sussex opener Phil Salt for the upcoming BBL season.

Salt, 23, joins Rashid Khan as the Strikers' overseas players after South African Colin Ingram left the team at the end of last season.

The right-handed opener has had an outstanding T20 Blast season for Sussex under the guidance of Jason Gillespie, the coach at Sussex and Strikers. He has scored 406 runs in 13 innings, including four half-centuries, at a phenomenal strike rate of 161.11.

Salt has been playing alongside Strikers keeper Alex Carey at Sussex this year and has also played with Rashid.

The Strikers' top-order batting struggled big time last season after being the cornerstone of their title win in BBL 07, and Gillespie was delighted to add a dynamic right-hander to compliment the bevy of left-handers in the top order. "We are incredibly excited to have signed Phil who has showed real signs of promise and has performed well for the Sharks in the Blast," Gillespie said.

"He's beyond excited to get started, obviously we have Carey over here in England and Phil has been chatting to him non-stop about how it's going to work, when he can come out to Adelaide and meet everyone and get stuck in."

Salt has experience playing premier cricket in Adelaide with Adelaide University in 2017-18. He played nine matches across the summer while doing a stint at the Darren Lehmann Academy.

"I had a stint in Adelaide playing for Adelaide University and loved it, I made some really good friends who I'm looking forward to seeing again," he said. "I love working with Dizz (Gillespie), Rash and Alex, it's so key when you're trying to build a great environment to have guys who you know are going to put 100% in at all times and give everything they've got to the cause.

"I've worked really well with Dizz over the course of my career so far and hope that we can be even more successful here at the Strikers."

The Strikers have also signed South Australia wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen to the roster. Nielsen played last season in Carey's absence and will likely be required again when the Australia ODI side tours India for a week in January midway through the BBL.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has denied Niroshan Dickwella a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and will also prevent Thisara Perera from playing in the majority of the T20 league, after the two players - and eight others - refused to tour Pakistan in September and October.

According to SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, it is the board's policy that if there is a national tour for which a player might reasonably be picked, that player will not be granted an NOC to play in a foreign league if he or she withdraws from national commitments voluntarily.

Another SLC official also expressed serious dismay that so many frontline Sri Lanka players had refused to visit Pakistan, despite the fact that the board's security assessments had concluded that the tour was safe.

"It's our policy not to give NOCs when there is a national tour, and the players would have known that," de Silva said. "So Dickwella has not been granted an NOC and will be expected to train with the national team in the next few weeks. We have also asked Thisara to return to the country on September 15, so he can also join the team in training."

Thisara has already played two matches for St Lucia Zouks after initially being granted an NOC. That agreement, however, was conditional upon his availability for Sri Lanka tours. And although he has refused to go on the Pakistan tour, he now has to return to Sri Lanka.

Unlike Thisara, Dickwella had not been granted an NOC at all, because he had been with Sri Lanka's T20 team for the series against New Zealand last week. A third player, Isuru Udana, had also been picked for a CPL team, but later made himself unavailable due to international commitments and is prepared to tour Pakistan. As such, he has not sought an NOC from the board.

Dickwella and Thisara were among ten players who refused to tour Pakistan despite assurances from Sri Lankan security experts. Although chief selector Ashantha de Mel has told players their refusal would not hurt their selection chances for future tours, there remains frustration within the Sri Lanka board that a full-fledged tour could not go ahead as planned.

"We have done a very meticulous security assessment, and the Pakistan board has gone out of their way," one board official said. "Other international players have also toured there with the World XI and so on. And Pakistan is also willing to provide the same security they give to heads of state for the players. What more could they want?"

The Sri Lanka players, however, have suggested they would prefer another team to take the lead in helping international cricket return to Pakistan. It was the 2009 Lahore attack on the Sri Lanka team bus that halted international tours to the country, though only Suranga Lakmal of the current list of players had been caught up in that attack.

"I can completely understand that for players who were actually there during the attack - like Lakmal - why they would be reluctant," the SLC official said. "But we have to help our Asian neighbours. Soon after the Easter Attacks this year, Pakistan sent an Under-19 team to Sri Lanka. We're not trying to risk anyone's life, but we do have obligations and there needs to be reciprocation. The security situation in Pakistan has improved a lot."

On refusing NOCs, the official said: "It's not a question of trying to be vindictive or victimise players. But they do have an obligation."

Geoffrey Boycott says he "does not give a toss" about criticism from anti-domestic abuse campaigners, after he was conferred a knighthood by Theresa May in her resignation honours list, despite his conviction in a French court in 1998 for assaulting his then-girlfriend, Margaret Moore.

In a testy exchange on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Boycott hit back at criticism from Adina Claire, the co-acting chief executive of Women's Aid, who described his honour as "extremely disappointing".

"I don't give a toss about her, love," Boycott, 78, told the presenter, Martha Kearney. "It was 25 years ago. You can take your political nature and do whatever you want with it. You want to talk to me about my knighthood. It's very nice of you to have me, but I couldn't give a toss."

Boycott was fined £5,000 and handed a three-month suspended jail sentence in the wake of an incident at a French hotel in 1996, but he has always denied the charge - adding that his experience of the French judicial system had contributed to his outspoken support for Brexit.

"Twenty-five years ago, love. In a French court, she tried to blackmail me for £1million," he said. "I said no, because in England if you pay any money at all, we think: 'Hang on, there must be something there.' I said: 'I'm not paying anything' … I'm not sure I'd actually got a million at the time.

"It's a court case in France where you're guilty, which is one of the reasons I [didn't] vote to remain in Europe - because you're guilty until you're proved innocent. That's totally the opposite from England and it's very difficult to prove you're innocent in another country and another language.

"Most people in England don't believe it. I didn't do it. Move on. It's a cross I have to bear, right or wrong, good or bad, I have to live with it. And I do, because I'm clear in my mind and I think most people in England are that it's not true."

May, who stood down as Prime Minister in June, is a keen cricket fan and often cited Boycott as her sporting hero - telling Test Match Special earlier this year she admired the way he "stuck at it, he had a plan and got on with it, and more often than not delivered".

Boycott's honour for services to sport was one of two knighthoods for former cricketers in May's resignation honours, alongside the double-Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss, whose three-year role as England director of cricket was integral in laying the groundwork for this year's World Cup victory.

May introduced a landmark domestic abuse bill to parliament earlier this year, which led a spokeswoman from the Woman's Trust to criticise the honour for Boycott.

"It's disappointing to see Geoffrey Boycott included in Theresa May's honours list, given her vocal support for domestic abuse survivors and the domestic abuse bill.

"While we welcome the recent domestic abuse bill for its work to widen the definition of domestic abuse, the inclusion of Geoffrey Boycott in the honours list shows just how much our attitude as a society needs to change when it comes to supporting survivors."

Boycott, however, was unmoved. "This is just recognition of my cricket," he said. "[It's] very nice, very honoured, thankful to Theresa May and I thank all the people that supported me and cared for me throughout my cricketing career."

USA will be making their home ODI debut on Friday without two of their most high profile stars with Ali Khan and Hayden Walsh Jr. absent from the 14-man squad for the Cricket World Cup League Two tri-series against Papua New Guinea and Namibia starting September 13 in Lauderhill, Florida.

Both of them had already rejected central contracts offered by USA Cricket and are now choosing to stay on at the CPL which clashes with the dates of the tri-series. Khan is in his second year with Trinbago Knight Riders while Walsh Jr. switched from St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots to Barbados Tridents for the 2019 tournament.

They are two of five players who have been switched out of the USA squad that played the recent T20 World Cup Qualifier Americas regional final in Bermuda. USA finished in third place behind Bermuda and Canada after losing twice to both sides in the double round-robin event. Their only wins were over Cayman Islands as they fell short of reaching the global T20 Qualifier in the UAE next month.

Also, according to sources, fast bowling coach David Saker has abruptly gone back to Australia rather than serve out the remainder of his three-month contract as part of USA's coaching staff in Florida. Saker had been one of USA's assistant coaches in Bermuda but decided to cut his term short after the team's poor results at the T20 qualifier.

Among the players, fast bowler Cameron Gannon also went back to Queensland at the end of the Bermuda tour for the start of the Australian domestic summer and was unavailable for selection. Batsman Sunny Sohal has been dropped while allrounder Timroy Allen has been relegated to a reserve member despite being part of the main 14-man squad in Bermuda.

As expected, former South African international Rusty Theron has been named in USA's ODI squad after meeting the three-year residency threshold under the ICC's eligibility requirements. Theron moved to Florida in 2015 and was part of a USA squad camp in July. He was recently given a three-month retainer contract but was unable to be part of USA's touring squad last month in Bermuda because he had to submit his passport along with other documents as part of his application for permanent residency.

The others to come into the team are left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige, left-arm seamer Elmore Hutchinson and opening batsman Sagar Patel. Kenjige and Hutchinson were part of USA's squad to Namibia in April where they played the WCL Division Two and the team won ODI status, but both men were dropped for the tour of Bermuda. Sagar has not played for USA since a bilateral tour of Oman in December 2017.

Three other players in USA's roster besides Khan and Walsh Jr. were also taken in the CPL draft this spring: Aaron Jones, Xavier Marshall and captain Saurabh Netravalkar. But Jones and Marshall accepted central contract offers from USA Cricket over the summer and were not given NOCs to skip the tour. Netravalkar has opted to miss the early part of the CPL to fulfill his role as USA captain.

USA are scheduled to play four ODIs as part of the tri-series. The first match against PNG takes place on September 13 at the Central Broward Regional Park. They play three more matches on September 17, 19 and 20 before PNG and Namibia go head to head in the final two matches of the series on September 22 and 23.

Stephen Fleming has become the latest high-profile overseas coach to be appointed for next year's inaugural season of The Hundred, after it was confirmed that he will serve as the head coach for the Nottingham-based men's team.

Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, is the most successful coach in the history of the Indian Premier League, winning three titles with Chennai Super Kings. He was also Nottinghamshire captain for three seasons in the mid-2000s, winning the County Championship title in 2005.

The Hundred's reliance on overseas coaches was criticised recently by Andrew Strauss, the former director of England cricket, who described it as a "missed opportunity" to promote home-grown talent. The confirmed names so far include several Australians in Shane Warne, Simon Katich and Andrew McDonald, as well as the South African Gary Kirsten, and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene.

Fleming will be joined at Trent Bridge by Salliann Briggs, the coach of Loughborough Lightning from 2016 to 2018, who will head up the women's squad. Briggs led her team to the Kia Super League Finals Day for the first time in 2016, and is currently coach of the Hobart Hurricanes in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia.

"I am looking forward to returning to Nottingham," said Fleming. "It was a special part of my career and it allowed me to fall back in love with the game. My memories with Nottingham and Trent Bridge are outstanding."

The draft for the Hundred takes place on October 20, and Fleming said he would be leaning on the local knowledge of his assistants - as-yet unconfirmed - to ensure the Nottingham team makes astute picks.

"I'm really looking forward to working with some of the talented local coaches," Fleming said. "You really have to be on your game from the first pick in The Draft and make sure you get players that represent what you stand for and how you want to play. Having local coaches is a massive part of that - working with our three counties - to tap into their knowledge of the players."

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred said: "Stephen is the most successful coach in IPL history and Salliann has made a real impact at the Loughborough Lightning over the past few years. It is great to have their knowledge and expertise as part of the first year of The Hundred."

"It's a great opportunity and I'm really looking forward to getting started and building the team," added Briggs. "When The Hundred was first announced I was struck by how it was different from the IPL and the Big Bash and I thought it was a great idea to create something different from those tournaments, rather than attempt to compete with them.

"Since then you look at the coaches who are getting involved - and it looks as if the best players want to be involved as well - and it just feels like we're set to be involved in a really good competition."

LSU's victory on the road against Texas on Saturday night came without the benefit of an air-conditioned visitors locker room, according to Tigers coach Ed Orgeron.

Speaking with reporters Monday about the 45-38 win, Orgeron said he was tipped off to the lack of air conditioning by Louisiana Tech, which played at Texas a week earlier, and brought fans as a supplement.

"It wasn't great, but it was better. At least we had air in there," Orgeron said, referring to the fans. "[Louisiana Tech] didn't have air. We had some blowers in there. I don't think that caused as much as going out there and having to play 93 plays on defense. I think that had a lot to do with it."

The temperature at kickoff was upward of 95 degrees, and several LSU players had to leave the game due to cramping and other injuries.

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte issued a statement following Orgeron's comments, saying it was the "first we've heard of any issues in that area."

"We provide one of the best visitor setups available and are proud of the efforts we put forth in hosting our guests," the statement read. "Our facilities staff did not receive any complaints from either Louisiana Tech or LSU, and we've confirmed that our air conditioning in the visiting locker room is in good working order."

Orgeron said that although it was hot, the humidity "wasn't like Louisiana." Moving forward, he said the team will use more IVs at halftime as a preventative measure.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady and Antonio Brown spent part of Monday together, taking the initial steps toward building more on-field chemistry.

"Antonio, meeting him today, I really enjoyed being around him," Brady said in his weekly Westwood One interview that aired Monday night. "He's a very smart football player, knows how to play the game. He's been extremely productive."

But the New England Patriots quarterback said that alone won't be enough for them to succeed.

"The only thing that I know what we can do is to go out there and work at it, to meet and to communicate, and get on the practice field and go through things," Brady said on Westwood One. "I'm not buying into any hype or potential. I'm into work. He's into work and our entire offense is into doing what's in the best interest for the team. I'm really excited to get to practice on Wednesday."

Brown spent his first day with the Patriots on Monday, with the club officially announcing the signing of the wide receiver in the late afternoon. His contract includes an option year in 2020 at $20 million that becomes guaranteed if executed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. It was done to help for salary-cap-proration purposes this season.

Brown posted a picture on Snapchat that indicated he arrived at Gillette Stadium at 6:58 a.m. ET on Monday -- just hours after New England beat his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in its season opener. He also knows he has an open invitation to stay with Brady.

"You know, I have asked a lot of guys over the years to stay at my house," Brady said. "Some have taken me up on it and others haven't. I just want this transition for him to be really smooth. It's been a lot of travel for him to go from the West Coast to the East Coast. Learning the playbook. I just want him to be comfortable. Whatever's up to him, I'm totally cool with."

Brady spoke about urgency.

"We're going to meet as much as we possibly can," he said. "I think that quarterback-receiver relationship is so important. The more you know each other, the more you know what each other's thinking, the faster you can accelerate the trust and confidence in one another when you get on the field. I have that with a lot of guys that I played with; certainly with the guys that are on the roster now, Julian [Edelman], Phillip Dorsett, Josh [Gordon] -- you saw that last night. But when you haven't played with guys, you got to try to do it as quickly as possible and the clock is ticking on us right now. This is not the offseason program. This is about real games that count, and we are going to try and spend as much time as we can together and really get up to speed and lock in with what [our] roles and responsibilities are."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley sustained a neck injury and was strapped to a gurney and taken off the field on a cart with 5 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Raiders' season opener against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

Conley gave a thumbs up with his right hand as he was moved.

"I got good word on him that he's going to be okay," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said after the game. "Don't know his status for the next game, but most importantly he's alright. That was a scary hit that he took. But all the reports I have are very, very positive."

The injury came on a play down the right sideline as Conley was trying to take down Broncos running back Royce Freeman on a 27-yard run. Raiders safety Johnathan Abram caught Conley on the top of his helmet with a leg whip as he hit Freeman.

Abram was flagged for leading with his helmet on the play.

NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints burned through 11 kickers in Sean Payton's first 11 years as head coach. But they finally found a keeper when they signed Baltimore Ravens castoff Wil Lutz during Week 1 of the 2016 season.

He made history for them on Monday with a game-winning 58-yard field goal as time expired in the Saints' 30-28 victory over the Houston Texans.

Not only was it a career long for Lutz, but it was also the longest field goal in the final 10 seconds of a season-opening game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"We all felt like it was going to happen the minute we heard that ball go off his foot," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "It was a thundering kick, and we all knew it was going in the uprights."

That isn't hyperbole -- well, not totally. The Saints were so confident in Lutz's leg that receiver Ted Ginn Jr. appeared to celebrate after he caught a pass at the Texans' 40-yard line with two seconds left. He thought that was close enough for Lutz to win it.

"We all knew," Saints running back Alvin Kamara said. "We see him do it in practice. If we get Wil in position, we knew he could hit it."

Lutz actually missed a 56-yard attempt wide left before halftime Monday. But he finished the game 3-for-4 on field goal attempts. Last season, he made 28 of 30 before the Saints signed him to one of the richest kicker deals in the NFL (five years, $20.25 million).

The Saints obviously had more success borrowing a young kicker from the Ravens than the Minnesota Vikings did (Minnesota traded a fifth-round pick to Baltimore for kicker Kaare Vedvik this summer, only to cut him weeks later). But part of that was because the Saints stuck with the undrafted rookie from Georgia State even when he had a couple early wobbles in 2016, including a missed 61-yard attempt that would have won his NFL debut.

Lutz brought up that game on Monday when asked how much pride he takes in the confidence the Saints have in him.

"You know, it's crazy. It brings back a memory. And the only reason I thought about it today is because Brad Seely is [the Texans' special-teams] coach. He was the Oakland coach my first game ever, when I missed a 61-yarder left. And Coach [Payton] stood up here and told me that he still had confidence in me," Lutz said. "And it kinda gives me chills thinking about that. And here we are three years later, so it's pretty wild."

Like most kickers, Lutz talks all the time about trying to keep the process the same for every kick. But he admitted Monday, "I gotta be honest, that one felt a little different."

"Obviously, I'm confident in what I do. I'm confident in my operation. I knew with 37 seconds left that we were going to have an opportunity to get at least close to field goal range. In that situation, there's not a single kick I'd turn down," Lutz said. "You know, we talk about the ebbs and flows of a game. The first half didn't go my way. And that's what this game is all about is bouncing back and being able to have your teammates have your back and make a kick like that.

"That's gotta be -- that's gotta be a top-one moment for me."