When Joey Blount got hurt against the Saints, it forced the Cardinals into some of the in-game special team adjustments that coordinator Jeff Rodgers frequently references. But those moves often are unnoticed, and Jonathan Gannon wanted to make sure they were noticed after the team's season-opening win.
The head coach made sure to bring up a couple of game day heroes. Backup tight end Travis Vokolek was one. Another was Greg Dortch, who was forced into a gunner role in punt coverage with Blount down, and came up with a big effort at the end of the game.
The Cardinals had a fourth-and-long on their final punt, allowing the Saints to have confidence there would be no fake -- and allowing for double-teams on the gunners, which included Dortch.
"When I went out it was single at first, and I heard the Saints special teams coach running down the sideline and he called a guy from the stack and told him to come out," Dortch said. "I said, 'Y'all doing all this for me?' To be able to win on that rep, two-minute situation, man, it was fun."
That's what happened. Dortch beat the double team off the line of scrimmage, racing down to help contain dangerous return man Rashid Shaheed before the final Saints drive.
"They have one of the best returners in the league and both of our gunners are double-viced, and he's standing on the 50 next to me and I'm like, 'Oh boy,'" Gannon said. "Dortch is out there because Joey Blount's out. Joey Blount's probably our best gunner and Dortch makes a play. It's like good God, that goes unnoticed but like I asked the defense in there, I said, 'The value of a yard, is that real, guys?' That thing gets to the 30 or he pops that or whatever the case may be, but that's what it takes to win games."
Dortch said it "means everything" to him to be seen as such a cog.
"Just to be reliable, a guy who can be counted on in any quarter of the game," Dortch said. "If they need a guy to go in at nickel -- whatever position -- and they know I am a reliable guy? That just adds to the more I can do and just my value to the team."
