Eagles could have used a Saint like Sharper

MIAMI - The New Orleans Saints' defense was the reason their record-setting offense couldn't get a sniff of the Super Bowl a year ago, so among other offseason moves, the Saints upgraded at free safety.

Raise your hand out there if you can think of another franchise that might do well to emulate this model.

In fairness, New Orleans also changed its defensive coordinator, from Gary Gibbs to Gregg Williams. That would be a tough thing to do to the Eagles' Sean McDermott, who inherited his job under difficult circumstances, still just a little more than 6 months ago. And, though the Saints managed an impressive eight defensive touchdowns, three scored by that aforementioned safety, Darren Sharper, they also ended up allowing 21.3 points per game this season. That was a 3.3-point improvement over 2008, but it was 0.2 points per game more than the Eagles allowed this season, even with all their problems.

Another difference between the Saints last year and the Eagles right now might be that there is no Sharper-level safety looming in unrestricted free agency, unless Sharper himself pops free again. Sharper, who went on to be named a Pro Bowl starter, and to tie for the league interception lead with nine, signed a 1-year, $1.7 million deal last March. It hasn't yet been extended, which doesn't mean it won't be.

The Birds or anyone else could have added Sharper a year ago, though - he lasted 3 weeks into free agency, not highly sought, at 33, coming off a one-interception year in Minnesota's Cover 2 scheme. The consensus seemed to be that Sharper's best days, which included three Pro Bowls in a dozen years with the Packers and Vikings, were behind him, much like Freddie Mitchell was on that fourth-and-26 play, so long ago now.

After all, the guy played alongside McDermott, at William & Mary, where he also was a teammate of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

"Everyone always wants to look at the age and say, 'OK, are you a guy who can hold up and continue to stay healthy for the length of the season?' " Sharper recalled yesterday, as the unrealized threat of rain moved Super Bowl media day indoors at Sun Life Stadium. "You know, I always knew that I could, by just how I take care of myself, the conditioning."

Sharper wouldn't say how many teams lined up for him last year. It's unclear if the Eagles considered McDermott's old defensive-backfield mate, after being surprised by Denver's signing of Brian Dawkins, the NFL's other dominant safety of the early-to-mid-2000s. It is clear that the Birds didn't do enough to replace Dawkins, one of the biggest reasons they didn't get past the first round of the playoffs last month.

"You always have teams that are interested in you," Sharper said. "A lot? If you have anybody interested in you, you should be happy, because that's going to keep you in the league and allow you to continue to play football."

The Saints' other starting safety, Roman Harper, said Sharper has been "a great kind of team guy, a great leader in the locker room . . . He helps me a lot, talking to me positioningwise, some of the things he's seen in his career, certain formations, certain plays. I think it's really helped me speed my game up."

Sharper has been humorously sniping at Colts quarterback Peyton Manning this week, ever since Manning accidentally referred to him as "Jamie." Jamie Sharper, Darren's older brother, won a Super Bowl as a Ravens linebacker but is now retired. For the second day in a row yesterday, Sharper intentionally referred to Peyton as "Eli," professing confusion over which Manning the Saints were facing.

Harper said Sharper "has a lot of ball left in him, man. You should see the way he runs around. He's still strong, and he's very competitive. When a guy says that you can't do something, that usually brings out the best in you. A lot of people said he couldn't do it anymore. He came out and proved everybody wrong and had a great year this year."

Against the Eagles in Week 2, Sharper took great delight in proving Saints coach Sean Payton wrong. Sharper said yesterday that after he picked off two passes against the Lions in the season opener, Payton ragged on his runbacks, telling his players, "If Sharper gets an interception, we have to block all 20 guys, even our own guys, to make sure he gets into the end zone."

Sharper said he suggested they place a little wager - if he returned a pick more than 50 yards, and scored, the coach would owe him dinner.

So, it turns out Sharper wasn't just rubbing the Eagles' noses in it when he returned a Kevin Kolb interception 97 yards for a touchdown with just 55 seconds left at Lincoln Financial Field, setting the final score of 48-22.

"It just so happens against Philadelphia, I get an interception, toward the end of the game, where a lot of people would say, 'Just get down on a knee.' In the back of my mind, I said, 'I believe coach Payton just said I can't score. I'm an old guy' . . . I had to take it back and score," Sharper said. "When I came to the sideline, I said, 'Get out your credit card, and make sure it's the black card.' "

Sharper confirmed Payton's account, that the safety looked over at his coach as he ran the ball down the field, warning him he was going all the way.

Sharper is having fun telling all those stories this week, as he returns to the Super Bowl for the first time since his rookie year, with the Packers. That was the Pack's second year in a row at the title game, so the rookie assumed, with Brett Favre as his quarterback, he'd get there again. The Pack lost to Denver, and 12 years later, Jamie is the only Sharper with a Super Bowl ring.

"It's been a long, long time, as they say. [In] '97, I thought I'd be back many a time after that game with a great organization and a great quarterback, but it lets you know how tough it is to get to this point, and you have to appreciate it, cherish this moment," he said. "And I'm going to make sure I do that, because we can pretty much say this might be my last time."