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The New Orleans Saints are a team that has boast having one of the best offenses in the entire NFL over the past three or four years. Drew Brees is of course the leader of that unit and he is a big reason that so many players are as good as they are. Working together with a unit that has learned the intricacies of one another in order to be as close to perfect as possible.
Up until this past season though, the Saints relied mostly on their passing game to get them where they needed to be. Unfortunately it was never quite enough and that was why the help of a running game including Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell this season helped them reach the pinnacle.

Wide receivers are still a big part of the offense because Brees can only be as good as those that catch the balls he throws. Marques Colston and Devery Henderson have more then proved their worth on that field so then the corp seems to get a bit crowded. Robert Meachem showed this season that he was not a first round bust as many originally thought. Adrian Arrington has never gotten the chance to really get on the field and Courtney Roby is a decent receiver, but an extremely good return man.

Looking at who this season became the fourth receiver though is what the deal at hand is. So essentially, should the Saints re-sign Lance Moore?
Moore is a wide receiver out of the University of Toledo that came to the Saints undrafted like many others in the Sean Payton regime. His original route took him to the Cleveland Browns but then to New Orleans after his release. He spent all of 2005 on the practice squad of the black and gold. It was in 2006 when he was moved up to the active roster, but only was active for six games and saw playing time in four.

2007 saw Lance Moore finally get extended playing time as he took part in every game and got his first start in October of that year alongside Marques Colston. His numbers were modest as he tried to work his way up the long line of receivers the Saints had on the roster, but he showed a lot of promise and nice flashes of talent.

Lance Moore's Career Statistics
Year Games Receptions Yards Average Long TD First Downs Fumbles Lost
2006 4 1 10 10.0 10 0 1 0 0
2007 16 32 302 9.4 22 2 22 0 0
2008 16 79 928 11.7 70 10 40 0 0
2009 7 14 153 10.9 22 2 10 0 0

The next season is when Moore completely came out of his shell and showed that he was a force to be reckoned with, albeit a small one. He went into the season as the number three receiver on the depth chart, but moved into the starting role when Colston went down early in the season with a broken finger that sidelined him for quite a while. Moore's small stature meant nothing because he was all over that field and became one of Brees' favorite targets in 2008. He even set the Saints' record of 5 for the number of consecutive games in which a player caught a touchdown reception. Lance Moore really showed his worth that season.

2009 would not be nearly as successful for him though as injuries shortened his playing time considerably. He played in seven games, but even that time was limited by hamstring and multiple ankle injuries. Recording only fourteen catches all season is not a good way to look at things. It appears even worse when seven of those receptions came in just the game against the Giants alone. Moore's injuries really affected a lot and it hurt his season so much.

Lance Moore proved in 2008 that he can be a big time threat when healthy, but he wasn't going to surprise anyone this season. The problem is that he never got the chance to really do so because of injuries that kept him on the sidelines. It's a shame too because I was really looking forward to seeing if he could build on that breakout season he had that put him on the map. Sadly he wasn't really given the chance or opportunity too thanks to reasons no-one had control over.

With the amount of valuable wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart and the number of tight ends on the roster that are just as valuable; one has to begin wondering if Moore deserves a long term deal or an amount of money necessary to keep him on the roster. I like Lance Moore a lot and think he has a great amount of potential when he is healthy, but there should not be an extraordinary amount of money spent on him.

Colston is your number one with Henderson finally losing the butterfingers and proving he can catch the ball as a number two. He also has the speed to burn defenders at will. Meachem came out of nowhere and proved to be a giant touchdown threat this season so he moved up easily into the third spot while Moore was out. With the looks of Arrington, Roby, and even Rod Harper (who looked very good in the offseason), then Moore could be the odd man out if he decides to get greedy.

Did I mention the kid has great hands? Look at that, not a single fumble in 126 receptions and that's saying something. A healthy and stat-filled season this upcoming year could get him the type of money he would deserve, but a season with only 14 catches does not really give you much of a bargaining chip. If he decides to play greedy though, then it should be a rather simple decision. Hate to see him go, but there was plenty of success in then passing game without him.

A little bit of healthy legs and some more time on the field...we could possibly be seeing the next Steve Smith (of the Panthers) on our hands.
Final Word: Give Moore a long-term deal if he wants it, but do not overpay him.


FULL STORY AT THE EXAMINER

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