What happened to Vaccaro
 

I am puzzled as to how Kenny went from outstanding rookie to stinker in one year. I believe that he was fully recovered from his injury. He went from assassin to slug . Anyone out there that can explain this ,please do

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Sophomore slump, I hope.

He also stated that he didn't really understand what his assignments were as a traditional SS. That surprises me however.

I think he goes back to that roving LB/SS player he was in 2013.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Because of the meeting he had with Payton late in the season last year and what was said about said meeting, what I drew from it was...

KV got by on his preseason press clippings, hype and forgot to put in the work and show up gameday and make plays...

Reinforcing the notion of youthful hubris, arrogance in his play were bone-headed plays like the unnecessary roughness call in the Pittsburgh game...

That call and his subpar play nearly allowed a great team effort go to waste by letting Steelers come back and nearly steal that game...

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Yeah I think he started thinking he was the smartest man on the field and could go purely off what he "thought" he should do. Then he got his ass kicked. Hopefully it was humbling enough to bring him down from his high horse.

I'm a big KV fan (or was until last year) but he better get off cloud nine and come back to earth or he'll be riding the pine.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Growing pains. He was absolutely terrible at tackling in 2014.

He is good playing close to the line. With a lot of talented guys in front of him, hopefully he gets his game back on track this year.

This link provides some clarity ... New Orleans Saints' Kenny Vaccaro, Rob Ryan like safety in 'ADD' role - NFC South - ESPN

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Change of position. He played nickel CB in his rookie year and strong safety last year. He's a way better nickel CB than strong safety... Simple as that.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

PJ Williams has something to say about that nickel spot

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I think Vaccaro better get going or get gone. With the shift toward D there should be absolutely no position that is a weak link from front to back.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Don't believ the HYPE, Kenny!!!! Get to work, do the work.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I think he was slow coming back from the broke ankle along with what you guys stated as well.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Might have been him and Stills getting together to go partying till the wee hours and not prepare properly.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I see some 3-2-6 sets. KV would be that LB/Safety. Love to see him play that key role he did as a rookie.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

KV is just what he was advertized to be. hybrid CB/S. some even had him listed as a FS in the draft which still makes me chuckle. SS was a bit of a stretch. he is not a PURE safety at the NFL level. well not yet? He is quick like a cockroach (4.06 in 20 shuttle) but has absolutely no straight head speed also like a cockroach (4.63 in the 40). easy pickings when they make a run for it.

instincts that is what his game is all about. Rob screwed the pooch last year trying to make him a pure SS out him. he was thrown into the role which set him back big time. Sophomore slump? For who? Kenny or Rob? Rob should have known better. he is no sophomore. KV is not to blamed for poor coaching decisions that it took an entire season to adjust, once again. Rob will bang a square peg into a round hole all season long. KV was one of his victims. no hind sight involved here

he is, as was pointed out earlier, an add on player. moved him around and drive teams nuts. that is what he does best and getting under peoples skin to get them off their game.

Still KV has done little to prove he was worth that 15 pick in the first round and is in danger of becoming yet another player on defense that is not worth the price they paid during the Rob Era. though Rob may have saved himself in the first time in the draft this year.

If Rob stops screwing with the kid and lets him do what he does best, he can be an impact player year in and year out. also one of the most hated. which is not bad.

KV reminds me of Harper in so many ways.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I think the knee injury mentally affected kv more than anything. He lost that fearless, reckless style that defined him, probably because he was either protecting his knee or protecting himself in general.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Concussions. Instead of playing the game with reckless abandon as he did as a rookie, he tried to adjust. I don't blame him. He would like to have a career and a normal life after football. That's not an easy thing to do. The NFL has legislated most of the hitting away from safeties. Now, he just has to tackle better and not be afraid. You can't be timid on the football field. Otherwise, it's time to move on to a new career.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Rob didn't use him to his strengths which is not KV's fault.......still, he should have played and tackled better. Part of the problem I think was he got the big head.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

He sucked tackling and repeatedly blew assignments. That has nothing to do with Rob Ryan and everything to do with Kenny Vaccaro.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Not quite. KV can cover.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I agree it was a mistake to change KV's responsibilities, and it took far too long to correct the issue. I disagree that "Rob" has shown any kind of pattern, positive or negative, in the draft. Let alone, enough of a draft trend here to use the phrase "yet another player" or "Rob's Era" when referring to players drafted by the Saints.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

What knee injury :confused:?? The only injuries KV has had thus far were concussions and the ankle. You must be confusing him with another player.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I heard he's a butt hole in the locker room.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Sources?!? Were you in the locker room?!?

Who exactly likened him to a sphincter or did someone hear something emanate from his sphincter in the locker room?!?

Et tu Marlboro?!? Who are you guys partying with to get all this inside TMZ gossip?!?

Obviously I need to stay in the city in the evenings when I drive down to New Orleans for business...

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

every DC leaves their finger print in the draft or in FA. additional players we keep and let walk.

the final say so is not theirs but there input carries a lot of weight as to what players fit the scheme there running. just like the coordinators have input with the scouting dept. when the coordinators are making their shopping list.

SP and Rob carry most of the credit or blame with the players we pick. granted SP is also the head coach so get more say and more responsibilty but in no way are player picked and coaches told make it work. they have input or this is the most dis-functional multi million business ever. Now the commish is a totally different story.

so there is an era stigma attached to the coaches and players is unavoidable.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

interesting. option year is coming up (2017 - UFA) so we will soon find out.

Stills? my gut says he may have been one of the ones always late

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Sophomore slump yes.... But just for Kenny.... GTFOOH? How about for the entire Defense. I'm not defending but if I have to come down every single play and do the job of a LB, and my dline as a safety it makes it incredibly hard to do my actual job when it matters most. Not saying that I shouldn't as a safety have to occasionally come into the box and support against the run.... but damn near everydown is asking way too damn much.... This in my opinion is what got Byrd hurt.... Dline and LB will show improvement and I think this Secondary becomes the badass ball hawk take no prisoners secondary we know it can be.... Browner is also a tremendous addition, for his leadership abilities and can get Vaccaro back to be the KV that we all loved from his rookie season!!! BTW when my actual job is to support two players who at points in last season where both the worst cover corners in football IJS

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Not really.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Kenny got his bell rung. After his concussion and time missed he was never the same. It was psychological or a choice to be more careful. I think choice. Hopefully he gets back to the being the mad tackler he was.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Kenny has two years to settle in and Rob might not have two years to screw with his head.

we joke about drafting yet another safety but last year i would have in a heart beat. SS Deone Bucannon @24, was my guy. KV would have been free to be the best pest he could be all over the field.

this year not so much. 2016 draft looks pretty tempting. who says you can not play two FS in the modern day NFL?

Jalen Ramsey Florida State
Su'a Cravens USC
Karl Joseph West Virginia
Jalen Mills LSU

that's just to name a few. if some of the 2017 draft class come out in 2016 dam. this could be one of the deepest safety classes we have seen in years.

So kenny better get going. picking up that option year might just be a mute point with what maybe the 2016 class. Or take a safety and admit the best way to use KV is as a pest. If you can get under Steve Smiths skins you have a gift.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

"Assassin" Payton's suspended again!!

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Vaccaro had a down season. He wasnt given as much help as he had his freshman year. I see him being a breakout player this year.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

'Um, yes he can. He may not have done it very well last season because the entire defense was bad but he did it great in 2013. He didn't all of a sudden forget how to cover.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Define: All of a sudden

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

He's awesome in man coverage when he can jam the WR at the line of scrimmage. Man coverage downfield or zone coverage... Not so much.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

This might have something to do with it:

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Thanks Chris, thats certainly encouraging. We heard the same thing about Evans as well.

If those two get back to 100%, combined with the solid new additions across the board we're freaking loaded!

Look at the list of Injured players last year returning who should be much better. I've bolded the guys with pro-bowl and all-pro potential..
Byrd
Cooks
Vaccaro
Evans
Armstead
Bunkley
Foster
Jenkins
Sunseri
KRobinson
Austin Johnson
Lorig


Thats just amazing.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I wonder if his adding of muscle mass had to do with the injuries? Didn't he come in heavy today too?

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

He added muscle, but no that would have nothing to do with muscle injuries. Joint and ligament injuries might be able to be attributed to carrying more weight but I think with Vaccaro it's just bad luck.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

He is 220 now.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

I think he was overrated from the beginning. He is a big hitter who plays with a nasty attitude and hes shown he has decent hands and ball skills, but he's not a great cover guy and he isn't very fast. I say Ronan Harper is probably better. Surely some will say I'm nuts but their 40 times are nearly identical and Harper was a much better tackler.

Re: What happened to Vaccaro
 

Press coverage is his thing. he is one of the better secondary player at using the 5 yard contact zone i have seen in a while. he has a nasty jam. has to because like you said it falls apart from there.