WhoDat!656

METAIRIE, La. -- Kenny Vaccaro said the best way to describe the versatile role he is now back to playing in Rob Ryan’s system is "ADD" -- which is fitting since the New Orleans Saints safety said people have often used that term to describe his personality, as well.

But Vaccaro admits it took him a while to realize that this hybrid/nickel role is the best one for both him and the Saints’ defense.

The second-year pro said he wanted to move into a true strong safety role this season, thinking he might become "great" at one thing. Instead, he went through growing pains all season before switching back this past week.

The Saints believe using Kenny Vaccaro in multiple roles benefits their defense more than having him play only strong safety."I took it wrong in the offseason," said Vaccaro, who admitted that he looked at someone like fellow 2013 rookie Eric Reid making the Pro Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers and thought that could have been him. "Eric Reid, for instance, he plays free safety, he’s sitting back there and that’s all he’s doing. He went to the Pro Bowl last year. And I was like, 'Dang, maybe if I played one position, I could ...'

"I thought that might help me make more plays, I guess. But not really though. Not in Rob’s scheme. The position I was in last year, that’s where you want to be. You want to be that guy that he designs the whole thing around."

New Orleans Saints' Kenny Vaccaro, Rob Ryan like safety in 'ADD' role - ESPN

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

NOLA54

Hmmmmm...lets hope it works out for the remainder of the regular and post season.

Danno

Yep, that star DB role is perfect for his Tazmanian devil type play. A little undisciplined head huntin rover type fits his skill set.
Basically a more violent Roman Harper.

CharityMike

All good! If this keeps working, roll with it! Just wish it didn't take 15 weeks to figure this out.

NonieT

It's called growing pains. He had to figure it out....all by himself. Be grateful it didn't happen after the season was over.

Jack Vegas

Frustrating that it took them this long to figure it out when the fans have been screaming it for 2 months.

Also gonna be frustrating if this defense really takes off now, because who knows what this season could've been if this year's defense had been more like last year's.

QBREES9

If it's working, don't fix it.

lee909

The move made sense prior to the season with Bush,Sunseri and Byrd on the roster. Thing is now can we go into next season with Sanford,Ball and Sunseri to fight out the SS position or do we need a FA/Draft a SS to take the role?

hagan714

LMAO now they both know he is not a true SS? what the .....? so the bill of goods Rob and Kenny sold us at the beginning of the season was just that a bill of goods? Or was it once again Rob's glaring inability to evaluate players correctly?

go back and read scouting reports on Kenny and this is the type of player he was in college and by all odds will never be a true SS in the NFL BUT you never really know he has not been given the chance in college.

Rob and the front office blew it and a SS need was not full filled in that draft.In the First round we drafted a player with the same skill set as White.

Not a bad thing just for the love of god do a better job of knowing the players we are drafting.

I am really tired of this craw fishing out of responsibility for player decisions.

right now i do not see a true SS on this team that meets the new nfl requirements for the job. I did not see it at then of last year either.

Got some really good back ups to work though. But that is all they are quality depth projects

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

Jack Vegas

That's why I wanted to keep either Harper or Jenkins in the offseason. We didn't need both of them, but we could have kept one. I would be very much in favor of bringing Harper back for 2015 if Carolina lets him go, which seems like a good possibility.