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Scott Shanle's honesty and insight have always made him stand out inside the New Orleans Saints' locker room. And that was certainly no different on Wednesday, when the 10-year veteran linebacker opened up about the possibility that this could be his final week with the team.




Unlike fellow veterans with uncertain futures such as Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma and Devery Henderson -- all of whom insisted they haven't thought about their futures beyond this season yet -- Shanle can already see the writing on the wall. He's been inactive for eight of the last nine games, despite being fully healthy.

After six and a half seasons as a full-time starter with the Saints, 101 starts including the playoffs, Shanle has been phased out.

"Even though I knew it was happening and accepted that it was happening, it was hard to accept," admitted Shanle, who became a backup when the Saints got veterans David Hawthorne and Vilma back from injuries this year.

And since Shanle isn't a standout special teams player, he has been in street clothes on game days.

"It's been very difficult. I haven't experienced this at any other point in my career," Shanle admitted. "But even more frustrating than that is just how it's gone for us as a team this year as well. I think it would be one thing to not be on the field playing and having us be 13-3 and getting ready for the playoffs. I think it would be easier to go through.

"It's even harder when you're not playing and there's still some struggles and you feel like you could help out in certain things.

But, Shanle added later, "I've had so many good experiences here that even if it does end like this, I have no animosity."

Shanle, 33, said he would still like to play in the NFL next year. He said he feels great physically, especially after such little wear and tear this year, and feels just as fresh mentally.

"I don't feel like I've played 10 years. The game doesn't exhaust me. The routine doesn't exhaust me," said Shanle, though he suggested that he will be picky about where he plays and the coaches and players he's around.

"I'm ready to move forward whatever comes my way," Shanle said. "If it's going somewhere else, if it's coming back, if its doing something entirely different in my life, I'll be ready for it. And I'm just thankful that I've been able to do it for 10 years."

Shanle has never been a dynamic star for the Saints, but he's always been a solid, dependable player who earned the trust of coaches and teammates. He was instantly plugged into the starting lineup at weakside linebacker after a late-summer trade with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. And he re-signed with the team twice as a free agent, never relinquishing the job to a younger challenger.

The Saints have Shanle credited with 673 tackles in those seven seasons, with 7.5 sacks, three interceptions, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

And, of course, one Super Bowl ring.


Saints linebacker Scott Shanle celebrates as a fourth down play fails to convert in the final minutes during Super Bowl XLIV in Fort Lauderdale, FL between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts February 7, 2010.
Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

When asked what memories he'll take with him if he leaves New Orleans after this season, Shanle instantly mentioned the Super Bowl. But he said that's far from the only one.

"I think as a whole when I look back at coming here in 2006, where the organization had been and everything that we've accomplished the past six, seven years, it's been truly amazing," Shanle said. "And the re-opening of the Dome (after Hurricane Katrina in 2006). My fifth in year in the league, I had no idea of the magnitude of that game, of what it meant. And now that I've been here and I've seen how this city lives and dies Saints football, I understand a heck of a lot more how that game meant what it did back then. And people being displaced for a year, and the energy they brought to that game ...

"You know, just, I'm thankful for the city. What they've meant to my family on a personal level. When I first moved here I had one son. And we've had two other children here. And forever we'll have that bond, not just because I played football here but because I had kids born in the city as well."

Shanle is tied for fourth among the Saints with the longest tenure on the current roster. He arrived in 2006 along with quarterback Drew Brees and draft picks Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Zach Strief and Marques Colston.

The only three Saints who have been here longer are 2004 draft picks Smith and Henderson and 2005 free agent pickup Lance Moore.

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dizzle88

Thanks for the memories Shanle

It looks pretty obvious he will be released seen as he's been a healthy inactive since week 6

Casillas starting there now

CharityMike

Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!

Boutte

Classy.

Jamessr

Thanks for the... The....
Wait what did you do?

ChrisXVI

I like the man... But dislike him as a player. I know that's a hard thing to do for a lot of fans but it's how I feel. I wish the best of luck to the guy but it's time to hang 'em up.

foreverfan

Thanks For Your Dedication Scott.
Never thought I'd live to see this.
Last of the "Cracker" backers.


New Orleans Saints Win the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLIV is over and the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts in a game worth watching, 31 – 17 and will bring the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy home to Louisiana. Much enthusiasm leads up to the National Football League’s Championship game of the year, its commercial and the half time entertainment each and every year.

This year the game was exciting, not a slam dunk by any means and America’s favorite team, the New Orleans Saints, recovered from being behind ten points early in the game to claiming victory over Payton Manning and his colts.

2019 Death of a Parrot.

TheOak

Dear Scott,

Thanks for your 7.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 401 tackles (3.5 tackles per game) in 7 seasons with the Saints....

You shouldn't have...


Your level of on the field contribution will never be equalled.

Hopefully.

Rugby Saint II

You gave it your best but it just wasn't enough...............I'm sorry. Thank you and good luck.

Marlboro Man

People don't seem to remember just how bad our LB's were before Shanle, Fujita and Vilma got here. Or how much they appreciated how well those 3 played for us. It's hard to imagine that was 7 years ago and these players have aged. Shanle, Fujita and Vilma helped us win a Super Bowl and now their time is coming to an end as does the career of every player in the NFL. Some fans have become so spoiled that they have been very harsh on Shanle and are now becoming harsh toward Vilma. It's one thing for a player to see his talents diminish but I wish our fans would be more graceful and appreciative of the accomplishments of these players that brought us to the mountain top. Yes, their talents have diminished and yes , it's time to replace them, but we should thank them for their contributions to winning a Super Bowl for a team and a city that saw some of the worst football in the history of the sport for over 40 years. These guy brought us out of the darkness of perennial losing seasons and laughable football, into the bright sunlight of a championship and I thank each and every one of them for what they did for me, our team and our city and I want to let them know that I appreciate them for that.