By: Jason Lake
But soft, what linebacker through yonder window breaks? It is Jonathan Vilma, the three-time Pro Bowler and a central figure in the New Orleans defense since joining the team in 2008. Vilma was originally suspended for the entire 2012 season for his alleged involvement in the Bountygate scandal, then reinstated upon appeal, then re-suspended last week by an NFL “internal appeals panel.”
All is forgiven in the Big Easy. The Saints have covered each of their last two games, and they just might have one of their Bountygate pariahs back in the fold when they visit the Buccaneers this Sunday. Check out our recommended NFL picks play.
One day, all this will be forgotten. The 2012 Saints will be lost in the memory hole, just like all those college football teams and their NCAA sanctions. But that day has yet to arrive. New Orleans was a juicy fade to start the season after Roger Goodell’s long list of suspensions, and the team is still very much in the woods at 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS.
Vilma!
But soft, what linebacker through yonder window breaks? It is Jonathan Vilma, the three-time Pro Bowler and a central figure in the New Orleans defense since joining the team in 2008. Vilma was originally suspended for the entire 2012 season for his alleged involvement in the Bountygate scandal, then reinstated upon appeal, then re-suspended last week by an NFL “internal appeals panel.”
It gets better. Vilma filed papers in federal court on Monday, and according to Vilma himself, he will come off the PUP list this week and intends to play against the Buccaneers (2-3 SU, 4-1 ATS). Whether all that happens remains to be seen, but the Saints could use a dose of Vilma right about now. They had the No. 31-ranked defense in the league going into Week 6, ahead of only the Buffalo Bills.
Interim Interim
The Vilma situation bears close attention, but there are more important things happening on the New Orleans sideline. This will be the last week the Saints have to make do with “interim interim” head coach Aaron Kromer. Next week, assistant head coach and linebackers coach Joe Vitt will be under the headset after serving his six-game suspension.
That could prove to be the real turnaround point for the Saints season, provided they actually do turn it around. As I wrote earlier in the year when New Orleans was getting taken to the woodshed, this is a time of great upheaval for the Saints defense. Steve Spagnuolo has replaced Gregg Williams as defensive co-ordinator, and even without the suspensions, the switch was going to be a work in progress. Not having Vitt around certainly didn’t help.
We Can Rebuild Them
The Saints have still managed to pull it together and get paid in back-to-back games against the Green Bay Packers (–7.5 at home) and the San Diego Chargers (+3.5 away). Now they get to face one of the weakest offenses in the NFL. The Bucs went into Week 6 with the No. 26-ranked offense on the efficiency charts, but they looked way better than that last week against the awful Kansas City Chiefs, winning 38-10 as 5-point home faves.
It’s good to see that Tampa Bay can actually dominate a football game. But let’s temper that enthusiasm for a moment. The Chiefs are a mess on both sides of the ball, and they were starting Brady Quinn at quarterback. The Bucs were playing at home coming off a bye week. That game was a big helping of soft-serve for hungry Tampa Bay supporters. Even I somehow picked it correctly.
Let’s not forget that the Buccaneers are in Year One of the Greg Schiano Era, following three wayward seasons under Raheem Morris. Schiano did a great job turning around the Rutgers program, so there’s hope he can do the same in his first crack at the NFL. We shall see. For now, Schiano’s claim to fame is that he’s a jerk (see: Victory Formation).
The betting lines for Sunday’s matchup (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX) have the Saints favored by anywhere between one and three points. The best value I see on the board as I write this is New Orleans –3 (+105), available at Guardian and Intertops and other fine establishments.
My Pick: Saints –3 (+105) +++
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