New Orleans coach Sean Payton is all warm and fuzzy when talking to visiting media.
But there’s clearly another side to the mastermind behind the Saints rise to Super Bowl champions and perennial playoff contenders.
“The first day of practice Coach Payton said to me, ‘Jimmy if you don’t understand where you’re supposed to be at or what you’re supposed to do, you can’t play for me,’ ” Saints tight end Jimmy Graham said. “So for me, that was the biggest focus. If I wasn’t always in there I was making sure that I could pick it up as quickly as I could.”
Payton knew what button to push with Graham, who’s having a monster second season and will be the X-factor for Monday night's game against the Falcons.
Graham leads the Saints with 87 catches for 1,171 yards and nine touchdowns. In the previous meeting, a 26-23 Saints’ victory in overtime on Nov. 13 at the Georgia Dome, Graham had seven catches for 82 yards and one touchdown. His numbers could have been even better, but he dropped a couple of passes. He was targeted 12 times.
Graham clearly knows where to line up and what to do.
The Saints will move him around to create mismatches. He’ll even flex outside like a receiver and may end up with a cornerback in coverage.
“It’s very hard to double one of us and take us completely out of what we do,” said Graham. “Drew [Brees] is the type of player who finds the open man. Whoever is open is going to get the ball. We don’t have plays specifically for one person.”
Before going to the NFL scouting combine in 2010, Graham, who played basketball at the University of Miami, met Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, who also played basketball in college.
Gonzalez has urged Graham to improve his blocking so he can become a complete tight end.
“I remember talking to Gonzalez and telling him that I’ve watched everything he’s done and every play he’s ran for the last five years,” Graham said. “That's how much film I’ve watched of him.”
After the last game, Gonzalez sought out Graham to chat with him. The two plan to spend some time together this upcoming offseason.
“He’s the greatest tight end to ever play in the NFL,” Graham said. “If I can do half of what he’s done, I would have a successful career.”
