Vilma makes obvious impact as leader of New Orleans Saints' defense

It didn't take long to reduce the obvious storyline of Sunday's New Orleans Saints-New York Jets war to capsule form.

"Drew's O vs. Ryan's D a Must-See, " said one Manhattan headline.

Welcome to a chess game between the Mad Bomber and the Mad Scientist. You'll be hearing all about the Xs and Os right down to kickoff time.

You'll be hearing how Rex Ryan,  the beefy,  free-spirited coach who has made the Jets defense the talk of the NFL,  is planning to make life miserable for bomb-throwing Drew Brees,  a quarterback wearing jersey No. 9.

You'll be hearing the story of the Saints 35-22 loss to Baltimore in 2006,  when Ryan was the Ravens defensive coordinator,  the day Brees was pressured into three interceptions,  the day the Ravens scored 28 points off five turnovers.

Ryan vs. Brees is a big story all right. But not the whole story.

That's because the Saints have two quarterbacks.

Jonathan Vilma will be wearing jersey No. 51.

Some of the defensive calls,  some of the last-second,  on-field adjustments Vilma will be making from his inside linebacker position,  could have as much of an impact on who wins as a Brees audible.

Coach Sean Payton doesn't mince words. He calls Vilma the "quarterback of the defense."

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams calls Vilma,  "a rare gem,  the kind of player whose smarts,  whose fast-thinking,  lifts the level of play of those around him."

In Sunday's showdown between two 3-0 ballclubs,  Vilma will be matching wits against a team that made him its first-round pick in 2004,  then watched him live up to his press clippings as Defensive Rookie of the Year. That was followed by three years of quality play,  until the Saints made him their top free-agent acquisition in 2008.

To get an idea of what makes Vilma "a special teammate, " just pose the question to Jeremy Shockey,  who shared a roster spot with Vilma in college at Miami.

"When I think of Jonathan, " said Shockey,  placing a finger to his temple,  "I think of smarts. He's the same guy now he was in college. No one knows the game any better.

"I'm a tight end,  we're going against one another in practice,  and he's telling me,  in a nice way,  about running routes. 'Don't give your route away, ' he'd say. 'Do this,  don't do that.' Jonathan was into all the little things that make you a better player. He not only had the talent,  he had the drive to keep getting better and help his teammates."
Ask defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis,  last year's first-round pick.

"Jonathan helped make my rookie year a happy memory, " said Ellis. "Little tips. It was like he knew all positions,  what to look for. He gets so much from watching film. A real student of the game."

Ask Scott Shanle,  who plays alongside Vilma.

"Last week in Buffalo, " Shanle said,  "he's coming up with all kinds of hand signals to overcome the crowd noise,  to make sure everyone's on the same page,  linebackers,  corners,  safeties. A real coach on the field."

Outside linebacker Scott Fujita got a quick read on Vilma.

"From Day One,  I was blown away by his work ethic,  his passion. Jonathan wants to become recognized as the best at his position. He plays like he's on a mission."

Less than a month after undergoing arthroscopic abdominal surgery in the offseason,  Vilma was on the practice field the first day of training camp,  thanks to 100-percent attendance at voluntary workouts.

"Stuff like that tells you a lot about someone's qualities as a team leader, " Payton said.

So how will it be playing the role of a leader against a bunch of former teammates?

"I have some great friends on the Jets, " Vilma said. "Am I surprised they're 3-0? Not at all. I'm happy for them. I look at that offense,  and I see more than a rookie quarterback (Mark Sanchez) who has done a fine job managing the game. I see an excellent offensive line and a dynamic duo at running back (Thomas Jones and Leon Washington). They have balance on offense,  and they have an outstanding defense. The Jets are the real deal."

So far,  so are the Saints.

And keep this in mind: Whoever loses will still be in Super Bowl contention.



(nola.com)