Sean Payton remains in comfort zone with New Orleans Saints wide receiver situation
“The New Orleans Saints offense is doomed.” “What is Drew Brees going to do without Jimmy Graham? He has nobody to throw it to.” Really, people? By now, everybody should realize the Saints don’t need flashy weapons on offense to be successful, as long as Brees is under center.
Head coach Sean Payton is well aware of this. He’s been helping run an offense full of nobodies-turned-somebodies for almost a decade now — Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Pierre Thomas, the list goes on.
But even years later, after New Orleans has proved time and time again that they do not need a roster brimming with sexy names, the club is getting criticized in 2015 for its lack of talent and depth at the wide receiver position, and the season hasn’t even started.
I’ll bet money that Sean Payton is willing to prove his critics wrong with a couple more no-name guys who could be making their mark in the NFL this year.
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The Saints head coach spoke with Fox Sports Radio personality Rich Eisen Thursday afternoon, and SP seems just comfortable with where the team currently stands.
“The one area, the position where a lot of the fans, even the local fans don’t know a lot about are some of the younger receivers we have and are excited about,” Payton said. “These are guys that came in, two of them last year as free agents (undrafted), and have really done a good job.
“We saw them on the practice squad, they’ve been here to train, they both have good size. Brandon Coleman and Seantavius Jones, we really feel like those are just two of a handful of guys that are playing well at that position.
“Of course, Marques Colston returns, Brandin Cooks. But, you know, we’ll find a way, and each year we’ve kind of looked at it like ‘hey, where are our play-makers, how do we want to get them the football?’ And the balance of us being able to run the ball, it starts with that, and we feel like that’s important.”
That kind of strategy has worked up to this point for Sean Payton and company. The receivers aren’t the ones to blame for last year’s mishaps. However, I’m not here to talk about a struggling defense and a subpar offensive line, which both look to have made great strides this offseason.
Payton feels comfortable going forward with his current receivers, and if Coleman and Jones can play up to their potential like their coaches and teammates have been gushing about, then unpredictability could be the name of the game for the Saints once again, especially with Jimmy Graham out of the picture. A incalculable offense is exactly what this team needs.
The 6-foot-6 Coleman would be an immediate threat as a red zone target, but a low profile could keep him open. In addition to his outstanding size, the Rutgers product has quick feet and impressive hands, making him a solid candidate as a big man for Brees to look for in the absence of Jimmy Graham. The same goes for Seantavius Jones, who at 6-foot-3, also has no problem going up to get the ball, and apparently he’s showed that well thus far at summer workouts.
It’s starting to make sense as to why the club avoided taking a ‘much needed’ wide receiver in this year’s draft. Payton and the rest of the staff obviously feel that the team is already equipped with the necessary talent they need to move on and compete.
Training camp is just around the corner, and at the moment, there are a total of 12 wideouts currently seeking to contribute and pick up whatever slack was left behind this offseason.