New Orleans Saints cornerback Jabari Greer in Sunday’s win against the San Francisco 49ers landed awkwardly on his knee in the first quarter. Greer’s ankle rolled as he landed, pushing his knee in the opposite direction as he came down, in all not a pretty sight.
Saints coach Sean Peyton noted the significance of the injury Monday, but at this time there was no official report on the implication of the injury. “We’re just kinda keeping our fingers crossed with him,” Payton said. “I spoke to him last night in the hospital. You know, it’s always difficult when someone like Jabari, who’s been with us and been a staple of what we’ve done defensively, goes down with an injury like he sustained.”
In the meantime the Saints signed cornerback Trevin Wade on Monday night according to his agent, Michael Hoffman. Wade was the Cleveland Brown’s seventh round draft pick out of Arizona in 2012. He spent 2012 with the Browns and was released in August. He played in 13 games last season with 17 tackles and one pass deflection.No comparison to Greer but a body on defense.
Greer is a solid 10-year NFL veteran corner, and has quietly assumed a leadership role in the locker room among his Saints teammates. Since he signed with the Saints as a free agent before the 2009 season he has remained a starter at corner. He has made an impact on the field this season with one interception and 12 pass breakups in 10 starts this season. In 2012 Greer, signed a four-year extension for $21.1 million contract extension.
As he was carted off the field he remained in good spirits, as he waved to fans.
Payton said Greer was doing “as well as could be expected” when he visited him in the hospital Sunday night. “He’s a strong person, and it’s something that has nonetheless been still difficult,” Payton said. “But he seemed to be hanging in there, and he was with his family.”
This season Rob Ryan defense been plague by injuries this season to his starters beginning with lost inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma, outside linebacker Will Smith and defensive end Kenyon Coleman due to injury, while outside linebacker Victor Butler remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
Certainly not a good year for the Saints starting defense. However, Ryan certainly can put the pieces back together if Greer is down for the season, the team still lots of ammunition in the defensive backfield starter Keenan Lewis (in his fifth season) and backup safety/cornerback Chris Carr (ninth season) as the most experienced cornerbacks left.
Greer’s teammate Cameron Jordan said “We can’t replace Jabari and the … spiritual leadership he brings to the team as well as the field leadership, but talent-wise, Corey White is very promising, and he’s going to be a great guy in the future,”.
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