AP PhotoMetairie, La. -- The Saints executed a trade Monday night to bring veteran linebacker Barrett Ruud to the team from Seattle in exchange for a future undisclosed draft pick.
Ruud is best known for his tenure with the Buccaneers from 2005 to 2010 where he started 68 games. He spent 2011 with the Titans and was in training camp with the Seahawks until being traded. For his career, he has 642 tackles, 42 of which have come against the Saints.
Interim coach Joe Vitt is familiar with Ruud and has high hopes for him: "He is a guy that I personally worked out when he was in college. I think he has a real good feel for the game. He has played at a high level in this league. He has played on some of the top defenses in this league. He's 29 years old, so he still has a lot of football ahead of him. We will introduce him to our system and see where he can get to by this weekend."
As for Ruud's new teammates, they know there is a big need for linebacker help. "Last year, I think there was a period of time during the season when we shuffled linebackers for a few games there," said Scott Shanle. "Guys played all sorts of different positions but I think it's a strength of the guys on this team and something that Joe Vitt has always expressed. You have got to be able to play multiple positions just in case something like this happens."
"I've got some experience with him since he played in our conference so I was able to watch him on film for a few years. He's a great player," Jonathan Casillas stated, also acknowledging the need for linebackers on the Saints squad "We're kind of struggling right now with the health of the linebackers so a guy like that with veteran experience, quality wins and plays, that's just going to add to the depth at linebacker and help us out."
