The NFL journey for Stephone Anthony has been an interesting one so far. The former Clemson linebacker had a great rookie campaign with the Saints as a Mike linebacker, but has to adjust to the linebacker position of Sam. The last time Anthony took a snap at the Sam was all the way back in high school he quipped during his time with the media on Friday.
He also discussed that transition saying that “It’s a fairly big adjustment because you’re going from standing five yards back to one yard away and being able to attack guys with your hands and feet. There’s a lot more that goes into it.” The move came due to the free agency acquisition of former St. Louis Ram James Laurinaitis, who has helped the second year player adjust to the fairly foreign position.
“He’s helped me a ton.” Anthony said of Laurinaitis, “Just his presence and the way he teaches players and guides them through it. He knows defense inside and out.”
Even moving to the new position along with a different scheme under Dennis Allen, who took over the team after the Saints fired Rob Ryan last November, it seems like he’s adjusting to the position nicely. Laurinaitis talked up Anthony early on in camp saying that he’s “An impressive football player. I really don’t know if he needs a whole lot of help. He’s very smart and I’ve been surprised at how much he can process especially when you’re a Mike and you’re trying to learn the Sam, it’s a totally different thing when he’s up on the line of scrimmage now with some of our stuff but his ability to pick it up mentally has been impressive.”
If all of the hype that a veteran like Laurinaitis is giving to Anthony in the first week of camp, expect another good year and possibly more to come. Allen even talked up the biggest improvement in a player’s development coming in the second year.
-Clint Domingue