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Saints-receivers
08/21/08 - 07:43 PM
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METAIRIE, La. (AP) - Sean Payton’s love for the passing game and
Drew Brees’ ability to throw the ball has produced fierce
competition among receivers during the New Orleans Saints’ past
three training camps.
Heading into the Saints’ third preseason game at Cincinnati on
Saturday night, the only certainty for the receiving corps is that
Marques Colston is their leader.
David Patten, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Terrance Copper
and Lance Moore all are fighting for playing time, while Skyler
Green is hoping his versatility as both a punt returner and
receiver earns him a roster spot.
Saints coaches seem comfortable that they know what they’re
getting with Patten, a 12th-year veteran who won three Super Bowls
with the New England Patriots. That hasn’t stopped Patten from
playing with a sense of purpose during the first two preseason
games. He’s led New Orleans in catches with six, one for a
touchdown. He is also third on the team in receiving yards with 70,
including a 39-yard reception against Houston last weekend.
After missing some practice time and the first preseason game
with a strained hamstring, Devery Henderson is working with the
first team again. Still, Payton has said that Henderson, a blazing
fast running whose downfall at times has been his inability to hold
onto the ball, needs to perform well consistently to keep up his
playing time.
“This is another important game for Devery,” Payton said. “I
see him fighting more for playing time ... competing against those
other guys behind him - Robert Meachem, Lance Moore. Those guys are
wanting to get more snaps, so that’s kind of where he’s at.”
Meachem, the Saints 2007 first-round draft pick, leads the team
in yardage - a refreshing development for a franchise still waiting
to get him on the field during a regular season game.
He has five catches for 140 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown
that resulted mostly from Meachem’s running after hauling in a
short pass over the middle from Tyler Palko during the Saints’
first preseason game at Arizona.
Because Henderson returned to the lineup last weekend, Meachem
played less against Houston, finishing with one reception for 11
yards.
Henderson had two catches for 13 yards and also gained 9 yards
on a reverse, a play well-suited to his speed.
While Payton is pleased with Meachem’s progress, he said the
second-year receiver may not yet be ready to take the field with
the first team in this weekend’s game.
“That’s got to be something that’s earned, and right now there
are guys ahead of him,” Payton said. “Robert’s improved and yet
he’s still got a ways to go.”
Copper, who at 6-feet, 207 pounds has proven a reliable reserve
receiver and highly regarded special teams player for the past two
seasons, appears to have a firm spot on the roster and is listed
ahead of Meachem on the team’s unofficial depth chart.
Seventh-round draft pick Adrian Arrington drew solid reviews
from coaches early in camp, but severely sprained his big left toe
during the preseason opener at Arizona and has missed valuable
practice and playing time since. He won’t play Saturday and may
miss the last preseason game against Miami on Aug. 28, which may
force the Saints to either place him on injured reserve or the
practice squad, Payton said.
If it came to that, Arrington said, he’d rather be on the
practice squad with a hope of playing this season but would
understand if the Saints chose injured reserve to avoid the risk of
another team claiming him off waivers.
Meanwhile, Moore has stood out throughout training camp as
someone who rarely ever runs a route wrong or drops a catchable
ball.
The fourth-year receiver may be easy to underestimate because
he’s relatively small (5-9, 190), came from a relatively
low-profile college program (Toledo), and played in now-defunct NFL
Europe between his first two NFL seasons, which were spent mostly
on the Saints’ practice squad.
Yet he caught three passes for 65 yards against the Texans,
including a 42-yard heave from backup quarterback Mark Brunell.
“He’s extremely smart and he has very reliable hands,” Payton
said. “He’s very athletic. He battles his size, but
overcompensates for that in a lot of other areas. He’s at a point
in his career where he’s past the (undrafted) free agent-Toledo-NFL
Europe (tags). He’s played for us and played in big games for us.
He’s doing a great job.”
Moore, who also has a black belt in Karate and the sort of
sculpted features that might make him a good movie action hero,
said he is increasingly comfortable with the Saints’ offense and
has refined his receiving technique, but stands ready to do
whatever it takes to make the active roster for a second full
season.
“If they want me to play receiver a lot, if they want me to
start, if they want me to be the fifth guy, it doesn’t matter,”
Moore said. “As long as I’m out there helping, if it’s on special
teams, it doesn’t matter. I’ll hold field goals for all I care.
“As long as I’m out there helping the team to win games. That’s
really all I can ask for.”

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