WhoDat!656

YardBarker is getting to be as silly as BleacherReport

One fact about the New Orleans Saints is obvious. Like most teams they will only go as far as their best player will take them.

It isn’t obvious to most people who the best player on the New Orleans Saints actually is. Who is the guy that can provide the spark needed for success? Who is an NFL MVP candidate? Who will lead the Saints to the postseason and beyond? Sure, Drew Brees is great, and a future Hall of Famer if there ever was one. Sure, Pierre Thomas is a great locker room leader and the most underrated back in the NFL. But the real answer is clear. Jimmy Graham. The Saints will only go as far as Jimmy Graham will take them.

Each team in the NFL has their star player. The Denver Broncos have Peyton Manning, the New England Patriots have Tom Brady, and like most teams, as these players go, the team goes. For example, with Brady out in ’08 the Pats didn’t even make the playoffs, although they did win 10 games that year. While two years ago, the first for the Colts without Manning in more than a decade, they won the fewest games of any team, resulting in a number one draft pick. Its more than obvious that each franchise needs a player to stand above and set the tone for their season.

Jimmy Graham is one of the best players in the NFL. If not the best. He’s certainly the best tight end in the game. There was a time when Gronkowski of the Patriots was considered a little better, but by missing the first half of the season Gronk has a lot of ground to make up

Graham may even be the best receiver in the game. So far Graham is tied with only one other receiver, Calvin Johnson, for most receiving touchdowns this season with 11. Johnson has been targeted over twenty more times than Graham but has just one more reception, translating into Graham catching 66% of the passes thrown his way while Megatron grabs 54%.

It’s clear that the Saints offense runs through Graham. He has as many touchdowns as the Saints receiving corps combined. He’s tied Tony Gonzales’ record of 100 yard receiving in a game by a tight end in a season at 6. With 5 games to go. Bree’s has made it a habit to focus in on him. And why not? Cornerbacks aren’t big enough to get in his way, safeties and linebackers are to slow to keep up, and if someone can cover him they can’t out jump him to keep him from making a catch. Grahams ability to run past, over, or through anybody on the field is what sets him apart.

Graham has been limited some this season by an injury and in those games the Saints have struggled. Maybe the Saints and Brees should move so much of offensive focus away from Graham so the offense can be more balanced when a team figures out how to contain him. Or maybe they should follow Graham all the way to the post-season and beyond. Graham is the best play on the Saints squad, and quite frankly in the NFL.

Saints will go as far as Jimmy Graham takes them

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

Danno

Jimmy Graham?

If you had to lose 1 of these 5 guys for 3 or 4 games, who would you pick?

1. Drew Brees
2, Pierre Thomas
3. Darren Sproles
4. Marques Colston
5. Jimmy Graham

I already have mine ranked above.

jnormand

Um...I like Jimmy and I think he's a beast. But um...he isn't nearly as good without Brees.

No disrespect to JG, but who wrote this? His agent? Lol.

Halo

Yeah next headline on that blog will read: "Jimmy Graham So Poor That He Needs 28.5 Million Dollars Just To Prevent Undernourishment!"

dueceloose

Jimmy compliments Drew but I think the saints will go as far as Sean will take them.. I guess Drew isnt good enough to carry the team if this article is correct

exile

I hope Seattle has quality staff on hand for the game.

The Dude

Sorry but its Brees. He makes our receivers look so much better. They cant hold onto the ball now and with another QB throwing to them forcing them to actually go out and make plays we would be screwed. Its a lot easier to catch the ball when you know exactly where the ball is going to be every single time. HIs accuracy is what makes our receivers.

dueceloose

Jimmy carries the saints on his back like he does defenders .. all the way to the end zone.

RaginCajun83

What crack is this hack smoking, Jimmy might drag defenders to the endzone but Drew gets him the ball

QBREES9

The Siants will go as far as Sean and Drew taken them. Hey what is written on the level.