Good leaders do more than set examples with on-field play. They rally the troops and inspire confidence in those around them. New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu is the embodiment of such an example and his leadership played a major role in Sunday’s win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
TAMPA -- Against the Bucs, in a must-win game to keep even the slimmest playoff hopes alive, the Saints defense came up big with four takeaways. All of which had the secondary’s name attached.
- Cornerback Alontae Taylor interception
- Safety Johnathan Abram interception
- Abram forced fumble recovered by linebacker Demario Davis
- Bucs wide receiver Trey Palmer’s self-fumble recovered by Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom.
Even though it will not show up on the stat sheet, an interception by cornerback Paulson Adebo preserved a two-score deficit late in the game can be added as well. Along with several pass breakups and solid plays in the run game, especially thanks to the tackling prowess of Abram.
Mathieu’s name may not show up on some of these plays, but his voice spurred the defense backs into action. After speaking with the three-time All-Pro safety, it was clear that the secondary was moved to action by their team captain.
“I told the (defensive backs) that I know there’s like 60 other dudes on this team,” Mathieu said in the locker room following the win. “But every game that we’ve played well in the backend, we’ve won those games. The games that we’ve lost, (the secondary’s) played bad. That was really just the challenge I put on them. The responsibility, it’s a lot. I think they went to sleep with that in their mind. So it’s cool to see it all kind of come to life.”
Mathieu explained that the coaches asked him to speak, so that the players would have a voice going into the game. He said that it was a gesture that meant a lot to he and his teammates. To be a player speaking to players about playing. He used that opportunity to administer the challenge to his position-mates
“That’s what you want,” Mathieu said. “Even during the course of the game, it’s important to be able to go to a coach and tell them what you’re seeing and have (the coach) trust you. It makes you feel good because it makes you feel like your voice is important.”
Needless to say, the challengers was accepted and met. Each player in the secondary had their own standout moment. Including one player, Taylor, who was benched just a week ago. And another in Abram who was tasked to start after rookie safety Jordan Howden missed the early portion of the team’s practices last week with illness.
Mathieu stepped in as a leader and the rest of his group stepped up in response. A welcome sight late in the season, especially in a game that not only kept them alive, but kept a division opponent from celebrating an NFC South championship while they were in attendance.
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