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jeanpierre

BY NATHAN BROWN | nbrown@theadvocate.com Jan 20, 2019 - 9:35 pm


New Orleans Saints Tight End Dan Arnold (85) makes a catch that he later lost control of for no score during the first half of the NFC Championship NFC football game against the Los Angeles Rams in New Orleans, Sunday, January 20, 2019.
Advocate Staff Photo by Hillary Scheinuk

Dan Arnold knew as well as anyone on the Saints roster the fleeting opportunities a fringe NFL player has to make an impact.

The second-year pro played Division III football in college, spent his rookie season on injured reserve and didn’t catch a pass this year until Week 7. He was a wide receiver-turned tight end catching passes from one of the greatest throwers in the history of the game.

And so that’s why letting an opportunity to score a touchdown in the NFC championship game literally slip through his fingers had him in tears in the locker room after the Saints’ crushing 26-23 loss to the Rams Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

He knew entering Sunday’s contest he may have an opportunity come his way, with starting veteran tight end Ben Watson ruled out with appendicitis. Arnold had a stretch of four games in November where he caught a ball in each contest and hauled in 10 of his 13 targets for 115 yards and a touchdown.

So when Drew Brees slung the second-year pro a ball near the rear of the end zone on third-and-7 from the 19-yard-line on the Saints first drive, putting it in a spot only Arnold could grab it while draped with two defenders, and Arnold let it ricochet off his mitts, he couldn’t contain himself, knowing those four points could have made the difference.

“It stings. Every play, every moment in the game. It’s tough to go out like that,” he said. “That’s one play that’s gonna sting hard. I feel like, you know, you let your team down more than anything. You weren’t strong enough for that moment. Those are the kind of things that are going to define you.”
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Arnold was inconsolable just minutes after the game, when fellow tight end Josh Hill, who exited the game midway through the first quarter with a possible concussion and didn’t return, came over and put his arm around Arnold.

“I’m so sorry,” Arnold muttered.

And to have his season end with a pivotal missed call by the referees, when he felt, looking back, that he had the game in his hands, the sting cut even deeper. There’s only so many things he, one player on a field with 22, can control in any game. He said letting that opportunity soar through his gloved hands will stay with him for a while.

“That feeling sucks,” he said. “I never ever want it again in my life. From here on out, it’s how you respond, it’s what matters most.”

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

jeanpierre

Rookie UDFA Converted Wide Receiver to Tight End Dan Arnold on the year -

GP - 10, GS - 1, Tgt - 19, Rec - 12, TDRec - 1, Fum - 1, Catch Rate - 63%, Drops - 0, 1st% - 75, 1st Dwn - 9

Source: https://www.tsn.ca/nfl/statistics#/receiving

And yes, he had a great chance to catch the ball in the end-zone, but he had just wrestled not one, but two defenders who were clearly holding/illegal touching/pass interfering with him...

As a rookie, an UDFA, and one who had to learn a new postion (WR -> TE), the kid had a helluva season...

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

neugey

Am I the only one who thinks it wasn't that bad of a drop? The defender was pretty close and he had to pull it down from a high point. Not an easy play, just disappointing he couldn't finish the catch at the end.

If you want to see a drop from yesterday afternoon just check out Gurley's drops. What a choke artist.

jeanpierre

The rookie was being man-handled and at the least should have gotten a flag - fat chance...

Still, he's a professional football player and should've come down with the ball...

Rugby Saint II

Crap Occurs! Work hard and support the Tight End we bring in to be our #1.

RefsRobbedUs

3rd string tight end. It was a tough catch.

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jeanpierre

We need another Tight End to replace Watson for sure, but we got the makings of a solid group with Josh Hill and Dan Arnold...

Remember Arnold is converting from WR to TE, give him an entire off-season and summer to bulk up and fill-out and I know y'all like the results...

Draft priority is Defensive Back (CB or Safety) and Interior Offensive Line...

K Major

Upgrade the TE position in the off season. Either in Free Agency or the draft.

Even a broke up/older Jimmy Dickens (Graham) is better than anyone on our current roster at tight end.

yungbreesus

i was pretty shocked when we left the draft without a new TE. then kind of pissed off that we got a bunch of guys that we ended up letting go. felt like there were a lot of good prospects in that draft. and it's not like we needed the second coming of jimmy. we really just needed someone who could play physical and catch a few passes. pulling for this guy to make the leap but really shocked we went into the season the way we did at TE.