SmashMouth

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera might be a little biased, but he said
fans shouldn’t be down on the New Orleans Saints’ defense after their season-opening setback to the Washington Redskins.

Rivera, who worked with first-year Saints defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in Philadelphia, said Wednesday it’s much too early to draw anything from their 40-32 loss to the Redskins.





“I worked with Steve Spagnuolo in Philadelphia. … I saw what he did in New York. I saw what he was trying to do in
St. Louis. He’s trying to do
the same thing in New Orleans,” Rivera said in a conference call with Louisiana reporters.

“The only thing I can say is that you have to be patient.”

The Saints had a rough start Sunday, giving up three touchdowns and four field goals on the Redskins’ first eight possessions.

Rivera pointed out that when Spagnuolo was with the New York Giants in 2007, people wanted him fired after three games. However, they went on to win Super Bowl XLII with Spagnuolo drawing up the defensive blueprint for a stunning 17-14 win over a potent New England Patriots’ offense.

“Everybody wants to jump to conclusions after one game,” Rivera said. “We’ve played one game this year, and the big thing is the proof’s going to be at the end of the year.

“My whole point is if we’re going to make judgments after the first game, a lot of crazy things happen.”

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