Lance Moore reflects on his time with the Saints, talks about Willie Snead comparisons

New Orleans Saints fans can’t help but remember the smiling face of wide receiver Lance Moore.

Nov 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (left) greets Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lance Moore (16) after their game at Heinz Field. The Saints won 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Lance Moore faces his former squad for the second consecutive season, but this time it’ll be in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in front of the home crowd that cheered him on for so many seasons. Moore may have been the best thing to come out of Jim Haslett’s last season with the Saints, as he joined the team as an undrafted rookie free agent from Toldeo following a short stint with the Cleveland Browns in 2005.

Moore would spend some time in NFL Europe developing in 2006, and ended up appearing in 4 of the team’s games as a returner and receiver.

He broke out in the 2008 season, when he finished with 79 receptions for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns. Arguably, his best play with the New Orleans Saints came in Super Bowl XLIV when he held on to convert a huge two-point conversion in the 2nd half.

In 2012, Moore reached a personal best milestone, going over 1,000 yards receiving for the first and only time in his career. Unfortunately, injuries would hamper Moore in 2013, and ultimately led to him being released by the Saints on March 7, 2014. Moore would latch on with the Pittsburgh Steelers just two weeks later, and spend the 2014 season with Mike Tomlin’s squad.

Since joining the Detroit Lions in 2015, Moore’s appeared in 11 games for the Motor City. He’s racked up 29 receptions for 321 yards and has 4 touchdowns this season. Although it’s been some time, Moore hasn’t forgotten what New Orleans has meant to him and what Monday Night Football will bring when the two teams meet.

“I think this year will definitely be a lot more weird going back to the place that pretty much it all started for me and I played for a long time, but my whole deal is not making it a big deal. It’s just our next game,” Moore said on Thursday via a conference call with the local media.

“It’s somewhere that is really important to me and always will be, but my focus is on the game and not so much on my emotions or what I’m trying to get accomplished. (I’m) Just trying to do what I can to help the team win,” Moore added.

Lance Moore hasn’t lost the love and support of the Who Dat Nation, saying that he gets Twitter and Instagram love just about every day thanking him, wishing he were back in black and gold, and that he should come back to New Orleans.

“I mean there is a ton of things people say, but obviously there is a mutual love and I will always love that place,” Moore said.

Since Moore’s departure, fans have looked for the next coming of Lance Moore, and they may have got him with current star Willie Snead, minus the touchdown dances and other antics Moore was known for. When asked, Moore acknowledged the comparisons between him and Snead.

“I think it’s pretty fair. Obviously he is a young guy who came up the hard way, bounced around a little bit and found a place he is comfortable in and he is making plays. I think a lot of times, specifically undrafted guys, it’s a matter of what you do when you finally get an opportunity and if you actually get an opportunity and some guys never get that true fair shake at it,” Moore said on Snead.

Moore added, “He is a guy that, kind of similarly to me, you bounce around and find somewhere that is kind of a nice niche for you and you show up and make plays on a daily basis and, obviously, in practice and show up on Sundays and on Mondays or whenever you are playing on film and they have no choice but to play you.”

Moore’s career numbers with the Saints were 313 receptions, 4,281 yards, and 38 touchdowns. Assuming he plays, you can realistically expect many cheers for Lance Moore on Monday night. He’ll always be a Saint in the hearts of many.