blacksaint

By SHELDON MICKLES
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 15, 2007

JACKSON, Miss. — When the New Orleans Saints opened free agency by signing Brian Simmons to a three-year contract on March 6, they raised more than a few eyebrows.

Almost everyone assumed Simmons, who had started 115 games in nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, would step right in and become the Saints starting middle linebacker.

At least one person had other ideas, however.

And eight-year veteran Mark Simoneau, who started 14 games as the Saints won the NFC South title a year ago, was the only one who could do anything about it. As training camp comes to a close, more than five months after the acquisition of Simmons, Simoneau still has a firm grip on the job — and he doesn’t appear ready to let go.

Instead of brooding about the team’s decision to bring Simmons in, Simoneau took it as a challenge.

After being acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in the Donté Stallworth trade Aug. 29, Simoneau quickly settled in as the starter in the middle and helped the defense finish 11th in the NFL in total yards allowed. He ranked fourth on the team with 73 tackles and had one sack and one interception.

He’s got even more confidence this season after going through the entire offseason —including a minicamp, on-field coaching sessions and hours of classroom study — in Gary Gibbs’ defense.

“I definitely feel like I’m getting better in the system after getting in late last year and learning on the run,” Simoneau said. “I really had an opportunity to go through the minicamp and training camp and two-a-days. Those type of things help you to settle in. You really learn the defense step by step, and that’s really helped me out a lot.”

Simoneau’s familiarity with the Saints system and how he fits in with fellow linebackers Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle is showing daily as he works relentlessly under a scorching mid-summer sun.

“He’s playing at a high level,” said Saints coach Sean Payton. “He’s having a very good camp. He had a good offseason and he’s playing extremely well right now.”

That he would work harder than ever was no surprise to the Saints, who knew what they were getting when the Eagles parted with Simoneau after he lost his starting job in the second half of the 2005 season. Because of his work ethic, he’d been a favorite of Eagles coach Andy Reid.

When they were able to get Simmons, the Saints knew it would create some spirited competition. At the worst, they’d wind up with more quality depth than they had a year ago — no matter who started.

In the meantime, Simoneau couldn’t wait to get to work.

“I didn’t know how anything was going to play out really,” he said. “I just knew that I had to come in and work hard and take care of what I could take care of. Basically, that was my attitude — and it’s still my attitude.”

The Saints didn’t expect anything less from the 6-foot, 245-pound Simoneau. Originally a third-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2000, he’s been a steady player for them and the Eagles — and now with the Saints.

“He’s improved since we’ve gotten him and I think he’s a big reason for our success a year ago,” Payton said. “He’s battling right now and playing good, so it’s real important to him. He’s got the respect not only of the coaching staff, but of his peers.”

When he found about the Simmons’ signing, Simoneau took the news in stride and figured Simmons would only help to make him a better player.

“They felt like they wanted to bring another guy in to push me or to play, whatever it was,” Simoneau said. “I had to be at the top of my game and I have to continue to be at the top of my game. That’s the nature of the game and this business. It doesn’t matter if they bring in a veteran or draft a guy, you always have to try to get better. That’s the name of the game.”

Simoneau will be the first to tell you the Saints still have three preseason games remaining, which is more than enough time for Simmons, who missed part of the offseason work because of a knee injury, to make a push for the starting job.

“Competition brings out the best in everybody, so if you have a good team and you have a lot of competition at a lot of different positions that’s only going to be a positive,” Simoneau said. “We have that on this team right now. We have competition and guys are pushing each other.”

saint4life
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JOESAM2002

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saintsrule

So they would have two veteran MLB, on the team ready to play.