One of the positions at which the Saints are the most secure going into next season is the Tight End position. It was a bit of an up and down season for the Saints simply because superstar all-world Tight End Jimmy Graham was dealing with an injury for the vast majority of the year. As he always does Jimmy fought through it, but it was obvious he just wasn’t the player we are used to seeing. Jimmy is backed up by veteran Ben Watson and young up and comer Josh (Jonah?) Hill. Both are quality players who serve key roles within the team. Without further ado lets take a look at the Saints TE position heading into next season.
TIGHT END:
Ben Watson: 20 receptions for 136 yards, and 2 TD’s.
Watson is the elder statesman of the Saints Tight Ends and unquestionably one of the highest character guys on the entire roster. Ben is known as a tireless worker, a very intelligent and thoughtful man, and a true ‘Pro’. His on the field value is declining, it may very well be gone at this point, but unless a spectacular talent falls to the team in the draft I fully expect him to be welcomed back as the team’s third TE. It was obvious throughout the year that this team needs leaders. On one level it needs some of its younger guys to step up and take control of the locker room (Jimmy is one), but I believe it is equally important to have guys in the locker room who are already comfortable with a leadership role. Ben provides those qualities in spades and he still brings some on the field value as well. His days as a starter are long gone, but in the case of an injury I believe that (provided he stills wants it) he has the ability to step in and make some plays for the team. This is a weak draft at the TE position anyway and it would be a waste to not keep depth at a position that needs it with such a high quality human being (perhaps with the hope that he rubs off on certain bearded folks).
Josh Hill: 14 receptions for 176 yards, and 5 TD’s.
Hill made a lot of progress this past season and to my eyes deserves to see a lot more action next year. His value to the team was immense and he is just the kind of player that championship teams are filled with. High character, hard working, productive, and humble. Hill showed his ability to be a credible red zone threat by catching 5 Touchdowns this year and should receive more opportunities in the future. I would be shocked if he doesn’t permanently overtake Watson as the Team’s number 2 TE next year and see a marked increase in snaps and attempts, and provided he keeps working (he will) the Saints will have a legit 2 TE formation they can attack defenses with next year (death by formation!!!). Hill doesn’t just bring value on offense though, he brings great value to the special teams unit as he was their leading tackler. It’s that kind of versatility and effort that make him such an integral young piece to the team. We as fans, and I am certainly no exception, love guys who make splash plays and score points, but I will promise you the guys who coaches truly love are the unsung heroes like Hill. Guys who come in, do whatever you ask of them and do it well.
Jimmy Graham: 85 receptions for 889 yards, and 10 Td’s.
Blur the name in front of those stats and just tell someone that those are the numbers put up by their TE, watch their eyes get big and hands start rubbing together. If you haven’t caught on by this point what I am saying is by any measure other than his own Jimmy had a tremendous season. It’s important to keep that in mind before we call him ‘soft’ (some morons do) or question his worth or effort. It is also important to remember that Jimmy DID have a down year; Jimmy fought throughout the off-season to get a record contract and he got it. For the numbers he put up that is a slight overpay, even if you factor in his total impact on the offense beyond just his own numbers (hint: that means he gets better looks for others). In the last couple of years Jimmy has had to deal with at least one nagging injury per year, but has still put up strong numbers. This year was different in that he was good, but rarely great, whereas the other two years he still dominated at times. This year he had much less success fighting through his injuries than he has in other years and I think I know why.
Anyone who questions Grahams toughness is a total dingbat (there are a number of other terms I would like to use, but I won’t cuss in an article); he played more than half a year with a partially torn Plantar Facia in his foot, and as I mentioned over the off season that is an injury that brings excruciating pain with it. The pain and its effect on the player’s performance is exacerbated by the fact that he plays a position that requires strong feet in order to plant and change direction quickly (not to mention get off the line fast and fight through jams). What makes the shoulder injury different (this is a guess as I don’t have the full medical report) is that it isn’t just about pain management (aka ‘toughness’ geniuses) which he has demonstrated he has plenty of, its structural. How many times did we see him try to one arm a ball or alligator arm it over the later part of the season? How many times did guys target that shoulder and did we see him get over powered in a way we never have? Too many. The reason is that a shoulder injury (and the one I think he has in particular) not only hurts like heck, but it also removes a lot of functional ability…it’s not whether or not he wanted to do things…its whether or not he COULD. I firmly believe it was a structural issue and that once it is fully healed he will be back to being the near superhuman we are used to seeing.
Position group Grade: A-
The one and only reason this is a minus grade is Graham is not fully healthy. With him and Hill at full health I fully expect the Saints to use their TE unit to dominate the opposition next year and beyond.
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