If I were ranking these positions purely on talent and maximum potential, then the Saints Wide receivers might be at the very top for the team. There is more receiving talent on this team than at any point in the Brees/Payton era. However, there is also a lot of young and (as of yet) unproven talent that is still developing. Football is a game that requires a lot more than the raw physical tools we call ‘talent’, it is a game that is just as much about instincts, practice, and force of will, as it is the ability to run fast and jump high. It’s for that reason I have them below the offensive line and personally consider the Saints WR group to be the most feast or famine position on the roster. The Saints are loaded with potential, but only have 2 players who have demonstrated a consistent ability to make plays and one who has shown flashes of star potential. Let’s take a look at what we have right now shall we?
WIDE RECEIVER:
Marques Colston: 59 receptions for 902 yards, and 5 TD.
This was actually the first time I looked at Colston’s season stats and I was fairly surprised. If you look at the season as a whole and his total production Marques certainly had a down year, but it wasn’t the disastrous season I expected. In some ways I think I was looking at him in a similar way to how some fans looked at Drew, the timing of some of his mistakes made them stick out in my mind which made me believe he had a worse year than he did….at least statistically. By his own standards this was a poor season, and while his numbers weren’t awful, the parts of his game that have always made him such a key component to the offense were obviously diminished. If I wanted to define him and his career to this point in three words they would be: quiet, tough, consistent. He is most certainly still a quiet guy who does his job to the best of his ability regardless of the hits he has to take, but it’s that third word that saddens me. The great thing with Marques was you already knew what you were going to get; he made the tough catches in traffic and almost never made a backbreaking mistake. This last season broke that trend in a big way. Recency bias is real, but I honestly think he dropped more catchable passes this season than he has in the last 5 combined. There were some passes this year that he dropped that very well may have made the difference in losses this year, that is something we aren’t used to with him. The crushing fumbles is something else we haven’t really seen from him, and I hope he comes back just to not have that be the lasting image of him in our minds. I think he still has something left in the tank, but his days as the feature guy are done, and I can’t realistically claim he deserves to be Drew’s security blanket anymore. Personally I hope he takes a significant pay cut and the team keeps him, but if he won’t…I just don’t see it being a huge loss ON THE FIELD ( it’s in caps because his locker room presence is invaluable).
Kenny Stills: 63 receptions for 931 yards, and 3TD.
Kenny didn’t necessarily have the kind of breakout year many of us were expecting, but a lot of that was due (imo) to lingering issues from his quad injury in the early part of the season. Over the course of the season he began to become the teams number 1 option. That is in part due to injuries to both Jimmy Graham and Rookie WR Brandin Cooks, but the fact is that Kenny Stills demonstrated a skill set that fits perfectly into the SP system throughout the year. We always knew he had great speed and deep threat ability, but what we really began to see as the year went on was a player who had ball catching ability similar to Lance Moore (relax guys I said similar lance is still one of the most ridiculous catchers I have seen) while also possessing the ability to stretch the field like Devery used to. It is my firm belief that Kenny’s role in the future will be as a ‘hybrid’ between those two roles in the offense with more of a focus on Lance’s. This to me makes him a potential fringe pro-bowl candidate next season. He has demonstrated terrific hands, body control, speed, and route running as well as the ability to ‘go get it’ when the catch is contested. Kenny has earned Drew’s trust and if he makes the next ‘leap’ during the offseason he could become a part of one of the deadliest duos in the NFL. Make no mistake folks, Kenny is on the rise and he wants to be great…badly.
Brandin Cooks: 53 receptions for 550 yards, and 3 TD, also had a rushing TD.
It is a well documented fact that Brandin is one of my favorite players in the league even as a rookie. We are both from the East Bay (SF Bay Area), both went to Oregon State, and both love the Saints (he doesn’t get a choice 🙂 ) It’s not just what we have in common that makes me like him though, it’s the combination of his incredible physical gifts with a sharp mind, ravenous hunger to improve and achieve greatness, and stellar work ethic. Every coach, player, scout, and personnel figure has had nothing but great things to say about him on and off the field. For the moment though, let’s look at just on the field. He played in only ten games, but he practically never dropped it (there was really only 1 that bothered me), made some circus catches show tremendous hands, and demonstrated the explosive speed that got him drafted in the first place. Halfway through the season I was so exasperated with the way Cooks was being misused by the Saints that I tried to write up a ‘how to’ guide for using him best. There was no correlation with that piece and Sean Payton coming out within a couple weeks of it and saying he was holding Brandin back, but it does show that maybe the guy who saw literally every snap he had in college and knows some of his former teammates might have some insight. I was really bummed when he broke his hand because he was just starting to come into his own. The game against Green Bay was a great example of the kind of impact he can have (just check out how he blew by one of the better corners in the league to beat double coverage like it was nothing). In many cases it is the second year where players make their biggest jump, and know him, he will not buck that trend. Brandin missed a lot of training camp and spent half of the season being put in a ‘Darren Sproles role’ that didn’t suit him (for the record it WOULD suit OBJ), I expect him to come out on fire from the beginning next year as he adjusts to the NFL and his QB and coach grow more accustomed to/ comfortable with him. He has star potential, and that is great for the future, but it must be acknowledged that to this point POTENTIAL is the biggest buzzword with our young speedster.
Nick Toon: 17 receptions for 215 yards, and 1 Td.
Speaking of potential! No really, that has been the whole thing with Toon since the Saints first drafted him. The guy was the ultimate weapon in training camp and during the preseason, but then couldn’t crack the active roster during the year. The few times he did the lack of reps and chemistry with Brees was obvious as either he dropped it, or Drew flat out missed him. In either case, his performances left us with very little confidence in him (even disdain in some cases), while the flashes we saw gave us just enough hope to keep him on the roster. Some of why he coudln’t crack the field was Payton’s insistence on playing Meachem because he trusts him more, its was a lot like trying to get a job out of college. You need job experience to get hired, but until you get hired you don’t have any. Toon couldn’t build up film to earn him time that would surpass one of Sean’s ‘guys’, and his inconsistency made a difficult task all but impossible. He finally started to get some reps towards the end of this season, and while there were still some drops and miscues, he also made some great plays. Toons first career TD was a heck of a play where he showed elusiveness, toughness, and strength. He also beat players deep a number of times which is the part of his skill set many forget about, his 4.4 speed. Toon isn’t a Colston clone and never will be, but if used correctly and given a shot he might just be worth a roster spot as a rotational receiver. We will see if the coaches give him a real shot and let him try to earn his reps. I for one hope he does (although I won’t be making any more ill-conceived bets on his behalf…thanks Juge).
Jalen Saunders: 1 reception for 7 yards.
He is listed as a WR so he is on this list, but Saunders value comes entirely in the return game. Say hello to Roby number 2 folks! Saunders made more plays in the return game in about 5 games than the Saints have had since Sproles first year here. He should definitely be the starting kick and punt returner going into next year…cuz y’know…he actually does something with it!!!
Robert Meachem: 7 receptions for 114 yards.
Cut him. Great guy, really good career, a good vet and someone who works his butt off. But I am looking at purely ‘on the field’ value, and in that regard Meachem is a waste of a roster spot. At this point in his career he could’nt play for the Panthers as a WR…that clear enough guys? (Coach Payton) Give me the Meachem of a few years ago and I say heck yes, but his unreliable hands, total lack of ball skills, and declining speed (his only real attribute) makes him an easy cut.
Sentavious Jones and Brandon Coleman: Incomplete
Neither played a snap and both are potential recipients of the Andy Tanner award for guy who just didn’t quite make the roster. Of the two of them I really like some of what I saw from Jones and I think he has the higher upside, but fans love Coleman (cuz he looks like Colston I guess). I won’t go into any detail about these two guys, because they haven’t done anything yet. I do think both have potential and that one or the other is going to make the roster next year, but I think Jones has the higher ceiling. I can’t wait for training camp for one or both of them to prove me wrong and make the active roster…I love me an underdog.
Positional Grade: B
The Group gets a solid B with an aging vet, and three guys who are still developing. Normally that would be a lower grade, but since two of those three already look like they could be stars and are still developing it bodes very well for the future. The Grade next year could easily be an A if both Stills and Cooks elevate their games the way I think they will.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
