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The Late Bloomer - Ted Ginn

The Saints’ newest wide receiver star, Ted Ginn, prepares to bloom in 2017.



July 31st, 2017 by Paul Wegmann

You can never have too much of anything good, or really fast. To paraphrase New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton at the beginning of the team’s off-season program, the Saints will offer a varied range of wide receivers in 2017: Mike Thomas with his physicality, Ted Ginn with his speed, Willie Snead with his shiftiness and Brandon Coleman with his size and strength. All year long, opposing defensive backs will have to cover the entire gamut of skills and athleticism, meaning there will be a receiver for each and every game matchup and situation. In training camp, Brees immediately opened his yearly exhibition with a few deep throws to Ted Ginn, and the Saints’ all time leading quarterback was effusive in sharing his impressions of him. “I could not be more impressed with Teddy,” Brees said. “I think he is great for that room, just being a veteran guy, he has been around a long time, played a lot of football. I think he has played some of his best football over the past few years too as he has become more veteran. He brings a great element to that room. I think wisdom, leadership and he’s still extremely productive. He certainly doesn’t look like he’s lost a step. He can fly.”

The Saints emerged from the 2016 post-season having traded their steady but scintillating speedster Brandin Cooks for what, via the draft, would ultimately prove to be a much needed offensive lineman, Ryan Ramczyk, and a new potential third down running back, Alvin Kamara, an exchange which becomes seemingly become more prescient as the new season draws near. However, the trade left a sizable hole in the offensive game plan, which Cooks had once occupied — 246 targets, 2,311 yards and 17 touchdowns in the last two seasons, or 123 targets, 1,155 yards and 8.5 touchdowns per year. Presumably filling his spot as second wide receiver would be Willie Snead who could likely pick up a fifth of those targets. Meanwhile, over the last two seasons in a rushing oriented offense captained by an occasionally erratic Cam Newton in Carolina, Ginn averaged 49 catches for 746 yards and 14 total touchdowns. However, now with the Saints, 100 targets, 65 receptions, 800 to 900 yards and 8 touchdowns seems very possible for him.

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