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Motivated Saints insist they'll be OK short-handed
Bill Haber / the associated press archives Jonathan Vilma, coming off his worst season, will �definitely� appeal. (CP)
NEW ORLEANS -- Short-handed and disappointed, but hardly crippled, the New Orleans Saints may at last be able to put bounty scandals behind them and focus on putting together a fourth-straight playoff season.
When the NFL first announced as many as 27 current or ex-Saints participated in a cash-for-hits bounty program, seemingly all Saints regulars on defence faced suspensions.
As it turned out, only two current Saints -- linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith -- will be sanctioned. And while Vilma, a defensive captain, is slated to miss the entire season, Smith's four-game suspension still allows him to participate in training camp, as well as the final 12 regular-season games -- and whatever playoff run the scandal-plagued but highly motivated Saints might make.
"We wish we had Will just like we wish we had Jonathan, but other guys will step up," Saints veteran right tackle Zach Strief said. "All we can do is move on and allow the process to run its course... and I have all the confidence in the world in the guys in the locker-room."
Smith said in a statement Wednesday, hours after his suspension was announced, he planned to appeal. Vilma at first said only that he would fight what he perceived as an injustice perpetrated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and then said on his Twitter page Thursday he "definitely" would appeal.
If Vilma is unable to win a reduction or delay in his suspension, the Saints will still have proven players ready to step in. New Orleans signed three linebackers in free agency, including two -- Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne -- who have extensive experience at Vilma's middle linebacker spot.
The 6-foot, 241-pound Lofton was a second-round draft choice by the Falcons in 2008 and has started 63 of his 64 games, including all 16 last season.
The 6-foot, 236-pound Hawthorne, entering his fifth year in the NFL, has started 41 games in his last three seasons at Seattle.
With new defensive co-ordinator Steve Spagnuolo bringing in his own system, Vilma would not have had much advantage over Lofton or Hawthorne in terms of experience in the system.
Also, Vilma, who turned 30 last month, is coming off his worst season with the Saints. He missed five games in 2011 because of nagging knee problems. He finished with 54 total tackles, one quarterback hit and only one tackle for a loss with no sacks.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 4, 2012 C6
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