Rewind: The 10 most valuable Saints players
No. 2 Jabari Greer
Credit: Photo by Dave Martin / The Associated Press
Without Jabari Greer, the Saints’ secondary wasn’t the same this season. And that, my friends, is the key to being indispensable.
In the first eight games, which Greer played, the Saints were 16th in the NFL in total defense and 16th against the pass. When he was out with a sports hernia, the Saints’ defense plummeted to 25th total and 21st against the pass.
When Greer was in the game, the defense had 16 interceptions. When Greer was sidelined, the Saints had only 10. But in the playoffs, when Greer returned full speed, the Saints’ defense was back to its menacing ways, forcing eight turnovers, which led all teams.
New Orleans’ opponents had six of the eight best passing days in the second-half of the season when Greer was out. Indeed, he solidified the back four or five players on the field, allowing Darren Sharper to freelance from his free safety position. In fact, seven of Sharper’s nine interceptions came in the first eight games, which corresponds to when Greer was playing.
Greer had 19 tackles and five passes defensed in the postseason and, despite missing seven games, had a career-best 53 tackles in the regular season. He had 12 passes defensed in nine regular season games.
