Saints’ Bellamy is all about loyalty

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, July 05, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

New Orleans Saints
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In the NFL, out of sight is often out of mind -- and, ultimately, out of a job.

As an 11-year veteran, New Orleans Saints safety Jay Bellamy knows all about that. That may be one of the reasons he chose to remain on the sidelines with his team for the last eight games of the 2005 season, despite being shelved with a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder.

Another reason was loyalty.

"There so much that goes on within a team that people don't realize," Bellamy said recently. "I didn't want to miss the camaraderie."

And prior to his injury against the Minnesota Vikings, Bellamy hadn't missed many games. He had a string of 122 consecutive starts going with Seattle and New Orleans (67 as a Saint) and led New Orleans with 116 tackles in 2004.

A classic strong safety at 5-11, 200, the Rutgers product has become known for his fierce hitting. While he has 24 interceptions and 10 sacks in his career, Bellamy's trademark is the full-out collision that separates a receiver from the football. During his last full season, he caused three fumbles and recovered three.

Still, Bellamy is a realist, and he knows that the New Orleans Saints -- while threadbare in some positions -- are crowded at safety.

"This is the profession we choose to be in," he said. "You can be here today and gone tomorrow. If you want to be here, you elevate your game to where they want it."

Where new coach Sean Payton wants it, to all appearances, is a higher level than the Katrina- plagued season of 2005. This is just fine with Bellamy.

"It's a good look to me," he told the New Orleans Times-Picayune of the new discipline Payton has initiated.

With Bellamy, Dwight Smith, Josh Bullocks, Omar Stoutmire and second-round draft pick Roman Harper all competing for starting safety positions, something has to give. If Harper lives up to his potential, that something could be Smith, via trade.

It would be hard to imagine the Saints cutting Jay Bellamy loose, both because of his proven talent and his steadying influence in the locker room. He could have used his shoulder injury as an excuse to bail out of the whole sorry situation last season, but he chose to stand with his teammates.

"It's been a long process," he said on the Saints' website, "but I'll be ready to hit somebody come July."

Bellamy loves his teammates. And when the contact begins in preseason drills, he'll be trying to take their heads off.

Help us stay sharp. Point out any errors, ommissions, or just plain differences of opinion via the comments section below...get more New Orleans Saints coverage at Realfootball365.com
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