Halo

Other than Drew Brees, no Saints player may be as valuable as cornerback Jabari Greer. For proof, look at how far the defense fell when he missed seven consecutive games with a sports hernia injury that required surgery. One of the NFL’s top-10 units for the first part of the season, New Orleans slipped to the bottom 10 in yards allowed entering the playoffs.

Greer, a lock-down corner, returned in the regular-season finale against Carolina and made six tackles. Before the Saints’ extended break in their bye week, he talked about his status, the mindset of the defense and where the rust was in his first game back.

Is it tough playing in a game when so few of the starters are out there with you?

“It weighs on your mind a little bit, but as a professional and a player you want to get in there and make sure that you make things happen. I was excited to get out there, but unfortunately we couldn’t get the win. That was not fun, but being able to play was fun.”

Did you feel like you were having the best year of your career before you got hurt?

“I was getting better, and that’s my goal for every season. I think I got better this year, but the year’s still young. We have a lot to fight for and a lot of goals to go for. Hopefully I can be an addition to our team that will benefit all the guys.”

Are you worried about getting into a rhythm with the other starters and being a little rusty after missing so much time?

“We know how to play with each other, and we know how to play the game. We realize that every man needs to fill his responsibilities, and once we do that collectively, we’ll be successful.”

Do you like the fact the Saints are an underdog now?

“I don’t think it’s a role we believe we have no matter what seed we are. We have the mentality to fight and we have the character to go out there and battle, and we showed it even in our losses. If people want to put that underdog role on us, that’s fine. That’s the nature of the game. We’re confident we have a good team in here. We’re confident we can go out there and put together a good product for the people of New Orleans.”

How important was it to get a game under your belt before the playoffs?

“It wasn’t about getting a game before the playoffs. It was really about playing. If I could go no matter if it was the fifth game or the last game, I wanted to go. The most important thing is I got to play and compete and fuel that competitive fire we all have as professionals.”

What can you take out of the Carolina game that you need to improve on...

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