Willie Snead wants to prove he's more than just a possession receiver for the Saints
 

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BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | JERICKSON@THEADVOCATE.COM JUN 21, 2017 - 8:45 AM

Willie Snead has come a long way.

From his starting point as practice-squad fodder, Snead has become an established No. 2 target in one of the NFL's most productive passing offenses, a key cog on the verge of getting his first big contract.

Snead still feels like he has to prove himself, particularly in one key area of his game.

"I want to be more of a deep threat, down-the-field type of guy," he said. "I feel like most people know me as an underneath, check-down, short throws type of guy. I feel like a part of my game people haven't seen is me down the field."

The first catch of Snead's NFL career was a 63-yard catch-and-run, an intermediate throw over the middle against Arizona that he turned into a big gain, breaking tackles and running away from most of the Cardinals secondary.

For the most part, that has been the formula for Snead's biggest plays with the Saints.

He has averaged a respectable 13.3 yards per catch in two seasons in New Orleans, but few of those catches were deep balls. A lot of Snead's big gains have been short throws that the tough receiver turned into something more with his combination of strength and vision in the open field.

The truly big gains have been few and far between. Snead made six catches that gained more than 30 yards in 2015, and a year ago he had just three in 72 grabs: two deep balls against Oakland in the season opener, then a 35-yard catch-and-run on a short throw against Atlanta in the season finale.

In the 14 games between those two, Snead did the dirty work that keeps the chains moving.

Snead would like to improve those numbers in his third season in New Orleans.

"That just comes with opportunities in training camp and getting those types of plays in the game, and just getting that confidence," he said.

The hard part might be fighting for those opportunities in an offense full of weapons.

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Re: Willie Snead wants to prove he's more than just a possession receiver for the Saints
 

I like his bravado but he is no Cooks. Good short possession WR that gets gunned down from behind. Not a bad thing either. Jerry Rice made a career out of hauling in catches with no speed. Precision route running is more important that speed. Way more effort and skill involved. He's pretty damn good at it. Likely improves this year again.

Re: Willie Snead wants to prove he's more than just a possession receiver for the Saints
 

His hands are incredible.

Re: Willie Snead wants to prove he's more than just a possession receiver for the Saints
 

Re: Willie Snead wants to prove he's more than just a possession receiver for the Saints
 

Some people can quite naturally handle going deep.

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Damn... somebody put her on the cheerleaders.
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Re: Willie Snead wants to prove he's more than just a possession receiver for the Saints
 

I'll be mad as Hell if we let him get away!