I caught up with Dave Choate of the Falcoholic to get some tidbits on the special teams ace and backup linebacker Nate Stupar. As much as I hate the Falcons, he’s actually a really entertaining follow on Twitter, and a good sport generally. So check him out. Here’s what he had to say about Stupar:
Andrew from Saints Nation: Does this guy have any realistic shot at starting, or is this a special teams ace?
Dave from the Falcoholic: Honestly, I’m no great fan of James Laurinaitis, so there might come a time where Nate Stupar is the guy in the middle of your defense, at least for a few games. I wouldn’t suggest him as a full-time starter simply because he’s never shown that he can excel with that many snaps, but in spot duty last year, he was legitimately impressive.
That said, he is truly a special teams ace. Terrific guy, very intelligent player, excellent special team tackler, etc. You guys will love him.
Does he have any special qualities? The Saints were awful at covering backs and tight ends last year, so any coverage ability would be nice.
He can chip in when you need him to there. We certainly were happier with his efforts covering running backs and tight ends than some of the other linebackers on the Falcons’ roster, for what that’s worth, and while he doesn’t have the lateral agility and instincts to be a true asset there, he’s not going to hurt you either.
Are Falcons fans pissed they lost Stupar, or whatever?
It’s faded over time but everyone was kind of shocked and unhappy he was gone. Special teams is such a core focus for the Falcons, he had answered fan questions on our site last season and sort of endeared himself to the fanbase, and when he was on the field on defense he played better than I think anyone would have anticipated he would’ve. Considering the sorry state of the Falcons’ linebacker group, we still miss him.
Anything else we should know about him?
He has a #StupLyfe hashtag, which you should probably ask him about, and he’s a good dude. Don’t be surprised if the Saints wind up liking him more on defense than the Falcons did and giving him some snaps even when everyone’s healthy, because he seems to endear himself to coaching staffs.
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