Ridiculously Early 2010 Saints Roster Breakdown: Wide Receiver
by Dave Cariello on Apr 28, 2010 6:00 AM CDT
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PrintAll has been quiet on the receiver front this off-season. None were selected by the Saints in this years draft and the team has only picked up one in undrafted free agency. Not surprising, given it's the Saints strong suit and they've had arguably the best receiving corp in the NFL the last four years. So the landscape looks much like it did last year and the training camp battles will be pretty familiar to all of us. The only question is: Will the results be different?
Let's take a look at what we can expect from this years crop of wide receivers during training camp and pinpoint just what to keep our eye on when the Saints put on the pads again. As always, your thoughts, opinions and analysis are more than welcome.
Definite
Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson
No tough decisions and nothing too controversial here. Doubt there will be much disagreement. Devery Henderson has come a long way from the "Droppery" nickname and a time when Saints fans wanted desperately to trade him away. Now I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's an incredible threat and always dependable. I've really started to grown an affection for Henderson this past year. Anyway, he's definitely in the regular receiver rotation this year.
We finally saw Meachem come into his own last year so I expect only greater things this season. And the fact that Marques Colston is included in this group should need no further explanation.
Likely
Technically Lance Moore is still a restricted free agent without a contract but it appears both sides have been communicating and Lance will at least be participating in upcoming mini-camp workouts. I'd say chances are good a deal will get done and he'll remain in the black and gold for 2010 though he might make for interesting trade bait with such an abundance of skill at the position. All things remaining the same, he's nearly certain to make the team and hopefully returns to being Drew's go-to-guy.
On the Bubble
Courtney Roby, Rod Harper, Adrian Arrington
This is where all the action is, naturally. All three of these guys have a legitimate shot at making the final cut. As always, Courtney Roby has a serious chance of making the team because of his special teams and return ability. As of right now I've got to say it's Roby's job to lose.
Third times the charm should be Adrian Arrington's motto this summer, who will be entering a contract year and will look to finally crack the lineup. He missed his rookie season with turf toe and showed a lot of promise last training camp; just not enough.
Rod Harper, though, has got to be the guy I'm most excited about seeing in training camp this year after the show he put on last summer. If you remember, Harper consistently put up some impressive numbers in pre-season action. Had he been in training camp with another team less fortunate to have an abundance of quality receivers and he might have actually made their 53-man roster. If last year is any indication, he's a good underdog candidate to steal someone's job.
Longshots
Matt Simon, Jamarko Simmons, Chris Bell
Simon saw some significant action during training camp last year and showed some flashes of talent if my memory serves me correctly. Enough to earn him a spot on the practice squad. I think he's destined for more of the same, if he's lucky. Definitely not final 53 material.
Simmons and Bell were undrafted and have their work cut out for them with such a talented group of receivers.
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Roby’s fumble in the Super Bowl could have been catastrophic. He still gets my vote among these players, but I’ll be interested to see if Rod Harper still provides the spark he did last pre-season. If he can produce on offense late in games with Daniel and Canfield and continues to shine on punt returns, he could be worth keeping around. Especially with Lance Moore entering his contract year and Reggie Bush’s base pay escalating even higher in his (from an already ridiculous $8M to $11.8M ) in 2011. If the salary cap returns and he doesn’t agree to a restructured extension, or if he gets hurt yet again this season, something will inevitably have to give.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
when did he fumble?
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
There were no fumbles. Must have been on a play called back.
Got those pretty little straps around your ankles
They overturned the fumble (recovered by Reis) and it wasn’t reviewed. Could have gone either way, imo.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
“Roby’s failure to conclusively maintain control of the ball prior to the whistle blowing in the Super Bowl could have been catastrophic.”
Rephrased for the nitpicksters.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
that was Hoculian
"Bow Down Before The One You Serve"
by MobileSaint on Apr 28, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Ground can't cause a fumble.
Reis did recover it anyway.
by WhoDat_OH on Apr 28, 2010 7:54 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
That’s why I said “could have been” catastrophic. Also, if you watch the replay, Roby leaps and it at least appears as if the Colts’ player’s hand misses his foot. In such a case, the ground can cause a fumble, as he wouldn’t be down by contact. At the same time, if the whistle blew — which I believe is what occurred, though you can’t hear it on the replay they showed — then it wouldn’t have been reviewable, regardless.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Roby was tied for 3rd
in the NFL during the regular season for the most yds/return among guys with at least 20 returns at 27.5 yds per return, or tied for 11th overall counting guys with one , 10, 16, returns.
That HAS to be enough to earn him a roster spot, plus he’s a great tackler on kickoffs and punts!
rotoworld.com:
Terrance Copper-WR- Chiefs Mar. 6 – 12:06 pm et
3/6/2010: Signed a one-year contract. Chiefs re-signed WR Terrance Copper.
Copper was running with the first-team offense throughout preseason action last year, but he’s been limited to special teams duty in meaningful games.
Got those pretty little straps around your ankles
It should be noted that Arrington is no longer eligible for the practice squad, as he was part of it for the past two seasons. It’s pretty much do or die for him.
Copper’s currently with the Chiefs, though he’ll be hard-pressed to make their final roster, with the additions of Jerheme Urban and Dexter McCluster (projected as a WR in the pros) this past offseason.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Easiest poll yet
Roby, by a mile. Not only is he a good return man, he’s maybe the best punt gunner in the league. He and Morstead have seemingly developed the same kind of chemistry as Brees and Colston.
This comment is sponsored by Southern Bell, the 'Then' Network.
Status quo
Roby… I second the Morstead parnership as being special
6 receivers on the roster (Colst, Devery, Meach, Moore, Roby and Harper)
Arrington and possibly another one on the taxi squad. If Moore somehow gets traded AA steps in
"Saints don't commit sins, they exorcise demons. The NFL most accurate passer was preaching, and the league MVP watched as the Game MVP delivered an impressive sermon"
I could see...
Moore getting traded due to his contract almost being up and with the logjam we have at receiver. If you think about it, Moore is the only receiver that we have that is both worth a trade but also someone we could give up. Certainly Colston isn’t going anywhere and Payton isn’t giving up Meachem, Henderson maybe worth more but between him and Moore, I would think Payton would keep Devery because of his speed. Granted, everything I’ve just posted is PURE SPECULATION, so no need to flame on me!
In case you still want to flame on, hopefully this will change your mind…
by tlsk1066 on Apr 28, 2010 8:14 AM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
LMAO!! That pic is hilarious!
rec’d just for the pic
"I still think we're a team of destiny. Destiny is more powerful than a curse. Whatever is meant to be will happen. Faith." - Drew Brees
boom rec'd it
Post super bowl distraction syndrome, all in a little gif
Got those pretty little straps around your ankles
still think he has to stay
Moore is a great receiver and play maker. We have Colston, Meachem, and Henderson. Three top guys. Moore is certainly in that mix. Injuries always happen. To me I would want to keep no less than 4 top guys in my receiver corps. And I mean the top 4 guys. Because if one receiver gets hurt, then you have only two top guys left if Moore is not there. I think the fifth guy is an option as far as talent wise. You can maybe keep the fifth guy who may not be the most talented of the remaining bunch but for other reasons (salary, experience, duel roles and versatile) may be the better option. I think from the fifth guy on down you can afford to have options as for as receiving talent goes, but the top four guys have to be the top 4 receivers.
i dont think anyone will give us anything for moore
i think most of the nfl considers our wr’s “system” players the same way that scouts would consider a college prospect coming from the spread
I like hamburgers!!
by DrewBreesManCrush on Apr 28, 2010 9:02 AM CDT reply actions
In the case of Moore specifically, I agree with this. Meachem (draft status), Henderson (speed) and Colston (size) would all likely draw interest, just not to the extent that we tend to value them. Moore’s a very good possession receiver … it’s just that those guys are a dime a dozen at the pro level. I honestly don’t think we could get a first round pick for any of them.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Roby
definitely has the job to lose. His ability to return kicks is good, not great (yes, I saw the TD too) but his play as a gunner is what puts him over the top in my opinion. I haven’t seen any other return man in the league who downs more punts inside the 20 or makes more special team tackles than Roby.
"Bow Down Before The One You Serve"
I actually think...
his worth is more on the defensive side of ST then as a return man. He comes close to breaking a couple, but I think Rod Harper was showing equal speed and vision before he got hurt. I think the downing of punts within the 10 yd line is really what we would miss if he were to be cut.
Harper was returning punts, not kickoffs. That’s not really comparable, when it comes to vision.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
I see where your coming from...
but I think you get my gist.. All things being equal, between competition for the one spot, and both guys have speed to burn, I think you go with the guy who seems to have good defensive instincts, which I value more than his speed.
Yeah, I just don’t think it’s an open and shut case — i.e., “by a mile” — like some others have opined. I do agree that Roby’s gunning gives him an edge. Then again, has Harper even been exposed to that side of special teams? If it’s truly an open competition, then we should get to see the whole picture during exhibition season. That is, if the coaching staff thinks they can handle all the same duties and there’s enough reps to go around.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Whoever they wind up keeping, I’d like to see them more involved in the offense. This special teams only cr** is for the birds. Troy Evans, Prioleau, Casillas … all those guys manage to contribute elsewhere in at least SOME capacity, as do many other punt and/or kickoff returns specialists around the league. Hell, Josh Cribbs was STARTING opposite Massaquoi in Cleveland last season!
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
I could agree
I’d like to see those guys be more of a contributor other than on special teams, but to be honest, I would not want to see Colston, Henderson, Meachem, or Moore on the bench for any play in favor of Roby or Harper.
I agree … I meant like in the Patriots game, when Bush and Moore were both out. If you remember, they were lining up Shockey wide quite a bit, even after he left the game hobbling following his backflip TD. How effective was he the rest of that game? Any other game, you saw four WR sets at some point, but when it gets down to Roby, it’s like they’re afraid to use him. My point being that if he’s THAT bad of a receiver … to the point that you have to rethink where you line up your starting TE … and he’s not contributing elsewhere, aside from special teams … then maybe he isn’t worthy of a roster spot, when you have other viable options at the position. Skyler Green, same story. I guess the real question there is, is it more a lack of talent on the player’s part … or a lack of faith in the player on Payton’s part? I have to think it’s more the latter, as Roby was at least somewhat involved in Tennessee’s offense, Haslett used Michael Lewis here and there on offense, etc.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
totaly agree
I don’t think Payton has much confidence in Roby as a reciever. If that is so and Harper seemed to be pretty good last pre-season in both the return game and as a reciever so with that said, and if it is as it seems, then Harper would be the better option to keep.
I have always like Roby as KO returner
but I don’t think he is much of a wideout- certainly not as good as the rest – even Arrington , Harper,etc. So, if they can’t keep Roby AND 5 receivers (unlikely) then I think they need to take a long look at another KO returner such as Harper, Arrington, whoever and decide then. Unless someone looks unbelieveably good, I guess you HAVE to take Roby, but it is a shame to cur a Harper or Arrington because I think they could be excellent NFL wideouts and Roby couldn’t.
I could also see trading Moore and then keeping Harper or Arrington if they look promising.Moore could have his best days behind him even though I like him.
"I think we agree, the past is over" - George W Bush
"The greatest enemy of knowlege is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge" Stephen Hawking
Special teams will drive this
Roby certainly proved his worth but I think everyone is forgetting about Harper’s special teams performance. He was a beast of a punt return man. We certainly could use that skill set after ranking 31st last year.
I love Lance Moore but think that Roby and Harper offer more to the Saints given their special teams performance. I’d look to keep both of them before having to chose one of them in favor of Lance Moore.
Harper
I was very impressed last pre-season with Harper’s performance returning 2 punt returns for TD’s yardage and did well at receiving. I see him as younger version of Devery Henderson. Very Fast!
Devery these past 4 seasons had a really bad 2007 season. But in 2006 he was phenominal. 2008 he did very well. 2009…great. The only bad game he had last season was the Dallas game.
I would finally like to see how Adrian Arrington pans out.
Roby is a good punt returner.
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