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BRIEFS


Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Brian Allee-Walsh

Sunday of firsts for Thomas, Moore

For Saints running back Pierre Thomas and wide receiver Lance Moore, prime time Sunday in Seattle will live forever. It is the night each scored his first NFL touchdown.

And each had the special ball tucked safely inside his cubicle Tuesday at the Saints' practice facility to prove it.

Thomas returned a fumble of an errant punt snap 5 yards for a touchdown in the Saints' 28-17 victory against the Seahawks Seahawks at Qwest Field.

"I'm going to give the ball to my mother, Greta (Thomas); she's coming down this week for the game," said Thomas, an undrafted rookie out of Illinois who earned his way on the team with an outstanding training camp. "I gave her my first (touchdown) ball from the preseason, and now she has two footballs."

Thomas' scoop and score gave the Saints a 7-0 lead with 12:38 remaining in the first quarter.

"I was shocked (to score)," Thomas said. "Sometimes I sit home and think about it, that I'm actually here playing in the NFL. I dreamed about this since I was little, and the time is here, and I'm just living a dream. I'm really blessed and thankful for everything I've been presented."

Moore scored the Saints' third touchdown on a 7-yard end-around for a 21-0 lead with 5:18 left in the second quarter.

"It's a great feeling," said Moore, who played in four games with the Saints in 2006. "To get that first touchdown feels great. I don't know if I can compare it to anything. It's different than my first college touchdown.

"Not a lot of people get to play in this league. Not a lot of people get a chance to score a touchdown in this league. It definitely feels good, and I'll never forget it -- ever -- in my life."

Veteran tight end Eric Johnson also scored his first touchdown with the Saints. It came on a 3-yard pass from quarterback Drew Brees with 14:28 left in the second quarter.

RUSH TO JUDGMENT: The Saints are proving to be tough against the run. For the fourth consecutive game, the Saints held an opponent to fewer than 100 yards rushing, matching a similar streak in 2000. In 1992, they held five straight foes to fewer than 100 yards rushing.

INJURY REPORT: The Saints came out of the Seahawks' game in relatively good shape. Rookie cornerback Usama Young injured his shoulder in the second half. His status for Sunday's game against Atlanta will be updated later this week. Kicker Olindo Mare kicked four extra points and said he did not aggravate a groin injury. Punter Steve Weatherford handled kickoffs. "I felt comfortable to kick from 45 yards, but if we had needed a 50-yarder to win, I would have tried it," Mare said. "I tried a (54-yard field goal attempt) the week before (against Carolina) when I couldn't kick it 10 feet. I'll do what I have to do."

MEACHEM UPDATE: Rookie wide receiver Robert Meachem, the team's No. 1 draft pick from Tennessee, continues to make up for lost ground from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. Meachem has been inactive for all five games. "He's made progress, but if it were to my liking, we'd be having him in the game," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "He still has a ways to go, and he's working hard at it. I think he's made progress, and he's running better."

FYI: Studies of NFL trends show that a team that scores a defensive touchdown or touchdown by special teams has a far greater chance of winning than a team that doesn't. "You end up being a winner 88 to 90 percent of the time," Payton said. "That's why what happened two weeks ago was so unusual, talking about the Buffalo-Dallas game. (Buffalo) scored twice on defense and scored once on special teams and still lost the game (25-24). That was the rare exception."

WORTH REPEATING: "I don't think the heat we were getting as an O-line was unjust. We weren't playing well as an offense. We needed to step our game up. These past two games we played better. We just need to continue on the path we're on and get the running game going and get (Brees) comfortable in the pocket." -- Saints right tackle Jon Stinchcomb. . . . . . . .

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