NEW ORLEANS ― Friday night could turn out to be the night Chip Vaughn found a way to make the coaching staff keep him on the roster.
On a team that had issues in the previous two preseason games, Vaughn came up with three big stops in kick coverage as the Saints held on to beat San Diego 36-21 in the Superdome.
But he won’t say he made a point in the third tuneup for the season.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Each game I try to make sure I do have a chance. Tonight I was trying to give myself a chance to compete for the team. That’s it. I just try to come out and ball out on special teams – make a play, a block, something. That’s one thing I wanted to do, is give myself a chance tonight.”
Vaughn is likely in a fight with Usama Young, Pierson Prioleau and Chris Reis, among others for a spot on the Saints’ 53-man roster.
On the depth chart handed out to the media before the game, he is fourth at free safety behind Darren Sharper, Malcolm Jenkins and Young. But against San Diego, he moved to the strong safety position.
And he’ll tell you he loved it.
“It was good,” Vaughn said. “I learned on the fly, per se. But it was a whole bunch of fun. I can’t wait until next week.”
It’s just another reason Vaughn is giving coaches to keep him around.
