New Orleans Saints A-to-Z Roster Breakdown: LB Stanley Arnoux
By Keith Null
Quick-take: Stanley Arnoux is entering his third season with the Saints since becoming their fourth round choice (118th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft. Arnoux was selected just two picks after fellow Wake Forest team mate Chip Vaughn, who now resides with the Indianapolis Colts.
Unfortunately for Arnoux both his prior seasons ended with injury and a designation on the Saints injured reserve list. In 2009, during rookie mini camp, Arnoux tore his Achilles tendon severely enough that he missed the entire year.
Last year he appeared in eleven total games before once again tearing the Achilles. He accounted for five total tackles and one forced fumble as a special teams contributor.
Recently Arnoux was in the news when his Super Bowl ring turned up missing from his vehicle outside a Florida night club. As it turns out the ring was stolen by the valet driver, who tried to pawn it several days later. The valet was arrested and the ring returned safely.
- College: Wake Forest
- Position: Outside Linebacker
- Age/Height/Weight: 24 years old, 6-0, 232 pounds.
- Status: Special Teams/Backup
Breakdown: The former Demon Deacon was the second faster linebacker at the 2009 NFL scouting combine posting a 4.61 forty-yard dash time. Coupled with his body of work at Wake Forest – 245 tackles, five sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and four
fumble recoveries – his draft stock sky rocketed entering the draft.
New Orleans acquired an extra fourth round draft choice in 2009 from the New York Jets in their deal to get middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. The picked was used to take Arnoux.
Originally a middle linebacker in college, upon entering the NFL the Saints began to groom him an outside linebacker, more specifically a weakside outside linebacker. During last years off-season he was a constantly in the forefront of coaches minds, turning in play after play during scrimmages.
Jonathan Casillas was also turning heads and was eventually rewarded with the starting job, relegating Arnoux to a top backup spot. Casillas will be returning and should once again compete for the start against Arnoux, and incumbent starter Scott Shanle should he indeed re-sign with the Saints.
The coaching staff has been high on Arnoux for some time, but injury has continued to hold him back year after year. If he can continue to stay healthy and on the field he stands a good shot at earning more playing time in 2011.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has proven he is not afraid to use a rotations of linebackers at multiple spots throughout the regular season, as he did last year on the strong and weak sides.
Fujita’s departure in free agency left a hole that has still not yet been fully filled and the question of who will surround Vilma for the foreseeable future still has no answer, Arnoux has chance to be one of those linebackers.
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