Saints rookie Taylor Stallworth embracing next man up role after Sheldon Rankins injury

SmashMouth · 01-17-2019, 07:51 AM

Taylor Stallworth is not going so far as to say his role has changed after the New Orleans Saints lost defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins for the season to a torn Achilles.

It is more like his role is picking up.

“Man down,” Stallworth said. “I’ve got to pick it up some more.”

The undrafted rookie out of South Carolina could potentially be thrust into a more expansive role than he has ever played at the professional level, and if that is the case, it would happen at the season’s most critical juncture against one of the NFL’s best offenses.

And Stallworth is good with that.

With help from his coaches and veteran teammates, Stallworth feels he has been building his game into something better with each passing week, picking a small detail each day to master and add to his game.

He has solicited help from Rankins, Tyeler Davison and David Onyemata, refining the minutiae of his technique, whether it is regarding his first step or his hand placement. The help Rankins offered made seeing him down on the turf sting more.

Stallworth said he reached out to Rankins the day of and the day after the injury.

“It sucks seeing how much he put into this, his work ethic, how smart he is and understands the game,” Stallworth said. “I look up to him. Seeing him go down, it hurt.”

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01-17-2019, 07:51 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,479 Blog Entries: 29	Saints rookie Taylor Stallworth embracing next man up role after Sheldon Rankins injury Taylor Stallworth is not going so far as to say his role has changed after the New Orleans Saints lost defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins for the season to a torn Achilles. It is more like his role is picking up. “Man down,” Stallworth said. “I’ve got to pick it up some more.” The undrafted rookie out of South Carolina could potentially be thrust into a more expansive role than he has ever played at the professional level, and if that is the case, it would happen at the season’s most critical juncture against one of the NFL’s best offenses. And Stallworth is good with that. With help from his coaches and veteran teammates, Stallworth feels he has been building his game into something better with each passing week, picking a small detail each day to master and add to his game. He has solicited help from Rankins, Tyeler Davison and David Onyemata, refining the minutiae of his technique, whether it is regarding his first step or his hand placement. The help Rankins offered made seeing him down on the turf sting more. Stallworth said he reached out to Rankins the day of and the day after the injury. “It sucks seeing how much he put into this, his work ethic, how smart he is and understands the game,” Stallworth said. “I look up to him. Seeing him go down, it hurt.” more on NOLA Attached Thumbnails