 Wysłany: Wto 22:55, 16 Lis 2010 Temat postu: Organized Team Activities |
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| Saints making noise on defense
The Carolina Panthers will have their hands full when the defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints arrive at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Saints quarterback Drew Brees isn’t the biggest problem, though. Jonathan Vilma Jersey The biggest problem for the Panthers will be the Saints’ No. 3 ranked defense, which has overcome injuries to its secondary to become one of the best in the league. The Saints’ defense has had to play without Pro Bowl free safety Darren Sharper, who began the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has also had to work with five different starting cornerbacks this season because of the injuries in the defensive backfield. Jonathan Vilma Jersey And the Saints’ success is even more amazing considering the defense was ranked 25th overall last year. “They have had guys step up,” Panthers quarterback Matt Moore said. “They have had young guys step up and fill in roles. They are a good squad. They are well coached, and they know what they are doing. It doesn’t surprise me they have done some good things with a lot of different people back there, so we need to be prepared for anything,NCAA Jerseys, and anybody who is back there. Jonathan Vilma Jersey “We have seen a lot of guys on tape. But they will be ready to go regardless of who is playing.” Despite the struggles to maintain healthy bodies in the secondary, New Orleans has been able to make plays on defense when necessary. In the last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Saints’ defense had three sacks and a huge goal-line stand in the second quarter after a touchdown was overturned due to a coach Sean Payton challenge. The goal-line stand gave the Saints a lot of momentum and was an important factor in winning the game. Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma Jersey said the run defense is the biggest improvement from last season. The Saints were ranked 21st last season, but they rank 16th in the NFL this season. But Jonathan Vilma Jersey said the number from last year’s defense can be misleading because the Saints were leading in a lot of games, and teams threw the ball in the second half to catch up. “Right now we are just playing solid ball,” he said. “Games aren’t blowouts, but we will take what we are doing right now.” The Saints might not get runaway wins like last year; however, they are getting solid play out of unexpected players such as cornerback Leigh Torrence, who was the fifth cornerback on the depth chart. Moreover, Torrence is not a typical backup cornerback and special teams player. After being released twice in the last three months by the Saints, he was forced into the starting lineup due to injuries to starters such as Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter and Randle Gay. Torrence has made the most of his opportunity. For example, he made the game-clinching interception in the fourth quarter against the Steelers and has 15 tackles. Jonathan Vilma Jersey isn’t surprised at how well Torrence and others have played when they had to replace a starter in the secondary. He believes the completion during minicamp, Organized Team Activities, training camp and practice has prepared the team for injury situations. “We have the mentality that once you are in there you are a starter regardless of where you were two weeks ago, three weeks ago or if you release,” Jonathan Vilma Jersey said. “If you are in there you are the starter. You are playing, so he has really done a great job embracing that role and stepping up for us.” |
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