Saintswrath

NEW ORLEANS — Three years ago, Pierre Thomas joined the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent from Illinois, a guy looking to prove himself against the best players in the game.

In February, Thomas had a touchdown reception that helped the Saints beat the favored Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

On Friday night, Chris Ivory made a splash in the Saints’ 36-21 victory over the San Diego Chargers in an NFL preseason game in the Louisiana Superdome.

A big splash.

Ivory’s a good bet to make the Saints’ final 53-man roster as the team gets ready for opening night on Sept. 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

“(Ivory has) size and speed. Those are two things when you really begin to grade the free agents,” Saints coach Sean Payton said.

Ivory showed speed and power in turning a simple swing pass into a 76-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against the Chargers.

The 6-foot, 225-pound back from Division II Tiffin (Ohio) slipped past one defender near the 25, bowled over another a few yards later and bolted through several defenders near midfield.

Ivory held off the Chargers’ Brandon Hughes with a stiff arm and carried safety Darrell Stuckey the final few yards into the end zone.

“(Stuckey) jumped on my back and slowed me down at the end,” Ivory said.

Not enough, though.

Ivory grew up in Texas and played college football for three unspectacular seasons at Washington State. He was dismissed from the team at WSU by the Cougars’ coach, Paul Wulff, last August before finishing his college career at Tiffin.


Read more: Another undrafted gem: Chris Ivory is following Pierre Thomas' lead - New Orleans Saints - SunHerald.com