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Jabari Greer was one of the unsung heroes of the 2009 New Orleans Saints squad, which won Super Bowl XLIV and brought the city its first Lombardi Trophy. The veteran cornerback started several years for New Orleans and consistently manned up against the best receivers in the league.
His playing career ended with a torn ACL, but Greer has found success in covering NFL games in Canada for TSN and contributing to the SEC Network as a college football analyst, a role he’s enjoyed as a proud Tennessee Volunteers alum.
When prompted by a fan to discuss the changes in the 2019 Saints offense against the unit Greer played alongside from 2009 to 2013, Greer acknowledged the differences seen today while praising Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff for creatively working with the personnel they have, and not trying to put players in positions they aren’t suited for.
“Great question! I believe the Saints have adjusted their offense based on the personnel they have available, and not draft based on the system that is in place,” Greer wrote from his official Twitter account. “That is good coaching! Humbly asking ‘Who do we have, and how can we make ‘em shine.'”
A great illustration of Greer’s point would be Taysom Hill. Nominally a quarterback, the Saints have developed Hill’s positional versatility to a point where he’s scoring multiple touchdowns (both on the ground and through the air) while making an impact on special teams with blocked punts, all in the same game.
Obviously it would be great if the Saints had the personnel to where Payton doesn’t have to scheme up so much smoke and so many mirrors. If they had, for example, another wide receiver to make plays opposite Michael Thomas then things would be going much more smoothly — but their best options, Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith, have caught just 38% of their targets since the bye week.
The Saints will have opportunities to improve that position group in the offseason. But for now, it’s like Greer said — good coaching and creative adjustments to personnel are helping the Saints win the day, week in and week out.
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