As the New Orleans Saints prepared this week for their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was an odd dynamic in the secondary meetings.

Of the Saints' four likely starting defensive backs, the player with the most experience against the NFC South-rival Buccaneers is actually one of the team's new players.

Kurt Coleman, who coach Sean Payton said will start at strong safety on Sunday, played against the Buccaneers five times while he was on the Carolina Panthers from 2015-17 and six times total in his eight NFL seasons, so his younger teammates leaned on him a bit this week in meetings.



"It's always nice if you have somebody that knows what the opponent is doing," cornerback Marshon Lattimore said. "Just him coming from Carolina, being in the NFC South, he knows (the Buccaneers') tendencies and he knows (them) just like we do."

Lattimore and free safety Marcus Williams have both played against Tampa Bay twice, both games coming in their rookies seasons last year. Ken Crawley, the other starting cornerback, has four games of experience against the Buccaneers during his two NFL seasons.

The other key secondary addition was nickel cornerback Patrick Robinson, a first-round pick by the Saints in 2010 who has played Tampa Bay nine times, but the most recent was in 2014, unlike Coleman who spent the last three years in the NFC South.

"He's been around this division a lot, so he knows them in and out," said reserve safety Vonn Bell. "He's a big help."

Coleman's familiarity should benefit the Saints, but it doesn't guarantee the secondary will have more success on Sunday. Sure, the 30-year-old looked this week at his notes from 2017, but Coleman was preparing last year for Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, not Ryan Fitzpatrick who will start while Winston serves a suspension. Coleman has played against Fitzpatrick just once, and the safety didn't even start that 2011 matchup when he was with Philadelphia Eagles and Fitzpatrick was the Buffalo Bills.

read more on NOLA