Justin Reid on X
By Ross Jackson
With so much changing around the New Orleans Saints, it’s always interesting to hear players discuss their roles in the new systems.
Newly-signed safety Justin Reid doesn’t have to worry about his roles changing as much since he arrived fresh with all the new changes, but he still gave some valuable insight into his responsibilities and freedoms working in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme.
And they are incredibly intense.
“Pressures, disguises, playing different looks,” the safety listed. “Having a little bit of autonomy of what happens in a play. “ I get to choose if I want to blitz myself or if I want to send a corner, if I want to send a linebacker based on what I see. I can manipulate the situation.”
That’s quite a bit of autonomy, for sure. The ability to make those kinds of decisions before the snap requires quite a lot of knowledge and experience. Both of which Reid keeps in droves.
Beyond that, he saw and studied Staley’s defense twice a year while both were in the AFC West. Sure, he didn’t have to match up against it, but he knows it. With that familiarity, he quickly becomes a quintessential piece to the system’s success. Especially when paired with the departure of former Saints’ safety Tyrann Mathieu.
“Playing that chess match on the field,” Reid said. “And putting ourselves in the best situation for success is pretty fun for me.”
