Jon Vilma: Saints aggressive, not dirty

The New Orleans Saints’ defense has faced some nasty allegations lately.

First, the Tennessee Titans called safety Roman Harper a “dirty’’ player. Then, Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson said the Saints were intentionally going after his injured ankle in Sunday’s game.

There’s one man who is the unquestioned leader of the New Orleans defense. That’s middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and he had plenty to say on the topic.

"We're an aggressive defense, we've always been an aggressive defense,’’ Vilma said. “I'd rather be labeled that than (not aggressive). We don't do anything intentionally or maliciously.’’

I’ll side with Vilma on this one. I don’t think the Saints are different than most defenses. Part of the job description is to be aggressive. Yeah, there are times when lines can become blurred. But Vilma’s right. Being aggressive is definitely better than the alternative.


(espn.com)