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The defense feels responsible, not just for this year, but for the last few.

It’s hard for them not to feel that way. They look at the stats and see what everyone else sees. Drew Brees is always among the league leaders in nearly every category, and the offense is always among the leaders in points scored.

Unfortunately, the defense resides on the opposite side of the spectrum. And with Brees getting older and the window slipping closer to the sill, the defense knows its not fulfilling its end of the deal.

“It is our fault because he’s doing everything he can for us to be a championship team,” safety Kenny Vaccaro said. “We have an elite offense. They’re top five every year. We got to get going, and we got to take ownership of that.”

While there was some optimism for how the defense played during the first three quarters against the Oakland Raiders before Delvin Breaux broke his fibula, and then again in Week 2 against the New York Giants, that came crashing down in what some players admitted was an embarrassing performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

The showing was bad enough that it could lead the team to re-evaluate how it is doing things and look at the personnel doing it. Injuries were part of the problem, the team was without several starters on that side of the ball, but youth and depth won’t be used as crutches. The defense knows it has to play better.

Vaccaro believes some of the problems can be covered by bringing a different mentality to the table.

“I feel like guys think I’m an undrafted guy, I was a fifth-round guy. It’s OK to be dominant right now,” Vaccaro said. “I feel like that when I was rookie I wanted to be the best safety in the league right when I stepped in. And I think that’s OK. That will take you far. You might not ever achieve it, but you’ll do the little things. You’re going to play hard. You’re going to execute your assignments. I feel like when you’re scared to let your teammates down, that’s when we’ll become dominant.

“That’s my biggest fear before every game is that I’ll lose the respect of my teammates. I don’t care what the media says, what the coaches say, I just care what Drew Brees thinks when he goes back to watch the film, ‘What’s Kenny doing?’ I want to get him another ring. He’s a Hall-of-Fame quarterback. I want him to pass up Tom Brady.”

It feels like the Saints are far off from getting Brees his second ring. The team is 0-3 for the second year in a row and is entering a critical game against the San Diego Chargers this week. Despite Jim Mora's protests, not many 0-3 teams make the playoffs, and it becomes rarer with each loss.

But that doesn’t mean the season is over. The rest of the NFC South has gotten off to a slow start, and New Orleans is only two games out of first place. A win this week would go a long way toward keeping some level of hope alive.

The defensive performance against Atlanta aside, when looking at how the team has lost each of the first three games, it feels like New Orleans was close to being on the other side of the equation. That might be cause for optimism in some quarters, but the team doesn’t see it that way.

“That’s not really a unique situation to be in,” tackle Zach Strief said. “It’s not like we’re 0-3, but we were right there, so we shouldn’t be there. That’s how 0-3 teams are in this league. There’s not a lot of blowouts in this league; it’s not a real common thing. It’s always a couple of plays.”

The special teams gaffes that have hurt this team can be cleaned up, and some of the injured players are on their way back. Vaccaro and defensive tackle Tyeler Davison should return after missing last week, and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe started practicing on Wednesday. All those things will help.

While Vaccaro made it clear he wasn’t suggesting players aren’t playing hard enough or have given up, he feels like there’s always more to give and the desire to be great could help this team clean up some of the mistakes and overcome issues with depth and injuries.

“If you don’t have it you need to make up for it in hard work and all the other stuff that goes with it and you can do that,” he said. “There're times that we’ve shown up on tape -- playing hard will erase a lot of mistakes. I don’t care if you get out of your gap, if a guy busts a coverage – I’ve wiped out a lot of plays just by running to the ball. It had nothing to do with talent, scheme, nothing.

“If you watch the best teams like Seattle, they play hard, and they’re all talented. When you combine that nobody gets yards. If you just work hard, you can still be a good defense.”

Things have come to a place of urgency. Right now, being two games out of first is something the Saints believe they can overcome. Losing again would hurt. If the losses keep piling up, it could lead to a long season.

These things are known, and Vaccaro believes it’s time for everyone to step up and prevent that outcome.

“Everyone needs to take ownership of their mistakes and what they’ve done these past couple games,” Vaccaro said. “We need to get better now. I don’t care if you’re old. I don’t care if we don’t have any depth. It starts somewhere. At some point, it starts in everybody’s career whether you want to be great or whether you want to be average.”

No one wants to be average. This team has lived in that range the last two seasons, and it led to a lot of frustration and disappointment.

The early hole doesn't help, but if the defense does its part, however small the odds, there's a chance that outcome could be avoided.[/I]

Source: Kenny Vaccaro says it's time for the Saints defense to take ownership of its situation | Saints | theadvocate.com

jeanpierre

Another level of respect for Kenny V - who has taken a beating 'round here now and then (some deserved)...

Really would like to see him paired with Bell, NOW, for several games...

Byrd is just toxic for this defense in so many ways...

K Major

It's pretty discouraging when a highly paid starting safety is called out on MNF. I think Jon Gruden used the word "liability" a few times.

IDK, maybe he simply isn't the same player in NO because of past surgeries, scheme or the talent (or lack-thereof) around him. I thought he played well vs the Giants last week though.

blackangold

He always had a very strong front 7 in Buffalo. They would create pressure forcing errant throws, and they would keep him clean in the run game. Byrd hasn't changed, the Saints just don't understand how defenses are built.

WillMacKenzie

Bout time. Look, everyone's an athlete in the NFL. It really comes down to your attitude. Can you keep going longer than the other team? Can you capitalize on the mistakes the other team hands to you? Can you adjust to situations on the fly, and use your instincts to your advantage? Don't relinquish the "momentum."

I've always wondered what the heck momentum is, as it relates to a sport? Is is the shot of adrenaline when your emotions are running high? Cause to be honest, momentum affects objects in nature, I'm not sure it affects the psyche of a human being. I kind of throw up in my mouth when I hear players, coaches, or commentators bring it up almost as a physical phenomenon. "Yeah we had some momentum swings in the 4th quarter."...you mean you got comfortable and got whipped a couple of times?

[end] Tangent [/end]

Utah_Saint

"...and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe started practicing on Wednesday. All those things will help.

Ellerbe practicing doesn't help. Ellerbe playing helps. I'm sympathetic to getting hurt but when it becomes chronic, it's a wasted roster spot and a drain on the cap. His base salary is more than Robertson, Laurinaitis, and Mauti combined and has only played in 6 out of 19 games for the Saints.

Potential is great but it doesn't actually mean anything from the bench. If Ellerbe doesn't get on the field and start contributing right away, then he's just another FA bust.

jeanpierre

Didn't we cut Westbank because he wasn't "available?"

Should the same standards apply to all players on the roster?

Ellerbe is an impressive talent, but his conditioning is insufficient in regards to preventing chronic injuries...

And where's Stupar? He looked great in coverage and stuffing the run during the preseason...

Mardigras9

It seems like most big plays occur because Byrd is out of position to shut them down as the last chance when he is supposed to be providing help.

Utah_Saint

And Keenan Lewis.

Should the same standards apply to all players on the roster?

Keenan played 6 games last season just like Ellerbe. I guess the old saying "you can't make the club if your always in the tub" only applies sometimes.

And where's Stupar? He looked great in coverage and stuffing the run during the preseason...

That's a good question. He's been active on each game day but he's only played 10 total snaps in the three games. PFF has him graded poorly (50.3) but still miles ahead of Laurainitis (33.5). Apparently he's keeping Anthony company on the bench while they learn how to get trucked in the middle linebacker position from a true veteran like Laurinaitis.

There's no way the coaching staff can be satisfied with Lauraintis's individual play. We've all seen how bad it is. PFF ranks him 79th out of 80 linebackers. They have got to change things up. If they don't feel Anthony is ready to call this defense by week 4, then that's on them. It's Joe Vitt's job to get him ready. It's not like he's some rookie free agent. He was a first round draft pick for Pete's sake. Let Laurinaitis coach them up in practice if that's what they're trying to do but injuries to the defense overall can't account for how bad his individual performance has been over the last 3 games.

K Major

Coach Payton did mention how poorly the Linebackers played as a group. He also did emphasize that James needed to play better pre season (notice how important pre season is) & same applies here. Neither James or Anthony have been good at shedding off blocks. At this point, SA needs to play better wherever he is because the angles he take have been poor as well.

IMO James L is simply too old and slow to be remotely effective.