David Starts to Redeem Himself

Through blunder after blunder through his 22-game career with the New Orleans Saints, cornerback Jason David stood up and took the heat.

He’s tried to be as gracious as possible considering he’s been the defense’s main punching bag for the past couple of seasons. David even took his demotion from the starting lineup in stride, becoming a solid contributor on special teams.

But when No. 42 runs on the field to try to cover a wide receiver, fans typically cringe and quarterbacks typically attack.

During Sunday’s 34-3 win over the Oakland Raiders in the Louisiana Superdome, David gave fans a reason to root for No. 42. He played one of his most solid games since being with the Saints and made the type of plays Saints coach Sean Payton and Co. were hoping to see from him in the previous 21 games.

David racked up two tackles and deflected two passes during his extended playing time in the Saints’ nickel package. Yet it was David’s interception of the Raiders’ JaMarcus Russell in the third quarter that directly aided in start of the Saints’ blowout.

“Jason David’s interception to set up the touchdown a few plays later put us up all of a sudden three scores,” Payton said. “That’s a significant play in the game.”

David said the business of playing in the NFL is all about putting bad performances him and making up for it the next time. The scrappy 5-foot-8, 180-pound cornerback can revel in his Sunday performance.

“I’m just working hard, man,” David said. “I always kept faith in what I can do and things that I’m capable of doing. I never really gave up being that I wasn’t the starter this year and I was only playing special teams.

“It was a little more than about four years when I had to make a start as a rookie in Oakland and I got an interception for a touchdown. This league is all about making the best of your opportunities and (Sunday) I got an opportunity to plays some nickel and play some corner and it worked out (Sunday). I was just going out there to try and make a play.”

David could have gone diva for a minute and patted himself on the back for his interception and solid play. But for David, it still goes back to being a team-first guy much like his teammates have done when defending David through his struggles.

“Most importantly, it means a lot to the defense just being able to turnover the ball and make a play for our team,” David said. “Regardless if it was me or another player, it was big for our team as a whole. But for me personally, it felt good. I haven’t had much playing time this year. I just practice hard each day and try to work on my craft and try to get better.”

David probably won’t see the type of playing time like he has the past couple of weeks once veteran Aaron Glenn returns from a sprained ankle ligament. He probably won’t crack the starting lineup again unless injuries force him in the game.

None of that will stop David from looking to improve, though, and Sunday’s game was a step in the right direction.

“Each day at practice, you can ask the coaches, I try to practice as hard as I can,” David said. “I stay afterwards and do the little things just to get better. The thing that I always do is work hard and try to get better. Even last year when fans and the media were on me for not playing as well as I could, and that’s true, but I was still trying to get better last year. It’s same thing for me this year.”