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Linebacker Stephone Anthony has been a good fit for Saints

John DeShazier Senior Writer NewOrleansSaints.com

Rookie one of five players to start every game on defense

Defensive end Cam Jordan, safety Kenny Vaccaro and cornerback Brandon Browner entered the season as relied-upon veterans, expected to be cornerstones for a defense looking for improvement after the 2014 season. And cornerback Delvin Breaux, while a first-year player, isn’t the average first-year player – he’s a talented 26-year old who was a blue-chip recruit and who, but for the misfortune of a broken neck in high school, would’ve been an NFL starter several seasons ago.

The fifth? Rookie “Mike” linebacker Stephone Anthony, the second of New Orleans’ two first-round picks (No. 31 overall), acquired in the trade with Seattle that sent tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks, and netted the Saints center Max Unger and the pick that would become Anthony.
But that, too, isn’t exactly a surprise.

The Saints, 5-8 entering their Monday night game against Detroit (4-9) in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, drafted Anthony with a clear vision in mind for the 6-foot-3, 245-pound standout from Clemson. After parting ways with Curtis Lofton, the team’s leading tackler from 2012-14, New Orleans had a need in the middle of the defense at linebacker.

And from the beginning, Anthony clearly has looked like a good fit for the Saints.

Given the headset early and the responsibility of relaying the defensive calls to his teammates, Anthony rarely has come off the field and leads the Saints with 120 tackles. But he also has given New Orleans some bonus production: a sack, an interception, five passes defensed, a forced fumble and recovery that he returned 31 yards for a touchdown, and a returned blocked point-after attempt for a two-point conversion, the first defensive two-point conversion in league history.

“In my opinion, I still have a ways to go,” Anthony said. “We’ve got three games left and I just want to hone in and pretty much keep preparing the way I have, keep trying to get better each week and keep trying to figure this thing out.


John DeShazier: Linebacker Stephone Anthony has been a good fit for Saints

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