Five Saints Players Stock To Watch Against Texans On Sunday
Safety Vinne Sunseri
Aug 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Vinnie Sunseri (43) against the Tennessee Titans during second half of a preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tennessee Titans 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
I may be in the minority on the position that Sunseri is in heading towards the regular season but it’s simply my observation.
I thought he could come in and lockdown one of the safety positions as a backup to either Rafael Bush or Kenny Vaccaro and as camp went on I was pretty sure of it as he racked up the most interceptions during practice of all the defensive backs.
He was utilized at the strong safety position during the Ravens preseason games and it was not a performance that I was expecting at all.
Sunseri seemed to be playing a bit unsure of himself and appeared a bit stiff and slow to react in the 25 snaps he was given during the game.
On one play in particular, he came up way too far in coverage and allowed receiver Michael Campanaro to get behind him for a 45-yard touchdown.
Yes fellow safety Kenny Phillips could have helped with a tackle close to the goal-line, but Sunseri bit extremely hard on the pass play.
For the Patriots game he played primary at free safety but still didn’t fair as well while playing 39 snaps at the position.
Watching him live Sunseri still didn’t blow me out of the water after all the reports that he was still looking good in camp.
Fellow safeties Phillips and Jamarca Sanford have faired a bit better in their grades after both games and have been having a good camp, albeit in a quiet way.
I really expected Pierre Warren to challenge for a backup spot as well but he hasn’t had quite the impact that myself or others had expected.
SaintsNation.com’s Andrew Juge recently said on Saints Happy Hour Podcast that Warren was more akin to the “Jason David of safeties”, but his performance has improved some which we’ll see if it sticks against the Texans.
Sunseri needs to have a solid performance against the Texans to rally, otherwise it won’t matter how many interceptions he has during camp.
I’m not saying he’d be cut, but his status on the depth chart could fall just like his stock has during the last two games.
Stock Watch (Falling)