Saints reaping benefits of project Jimmy Graham's play

Rapidly developing into one of pro football's most exuberant and lethal receivers, the second-year New Orleans Saints tight end waits for his teammates — or perhaps ESPN's Chris Berman — to bestow upon him an unforgettable moniker.

"The Graham Reaper" perhaps?

"I like it,'' Graham said when someone suggested it Sunday after his 10-catch, 132-yard, 1 TD afternoon in a 23-10 victory in Jacksonville.

After all 6-6, 260-pound tight end and former Miami Hurricane basketball enforcer is slaying NFL secondaries. In his second season, he is first among tight ends in yardage (367), second in receptions (24) and tied for third in touchdowns with three.

Incredibly, Graham didn't play in high school, only played one year of football at Miami and has the equivalent of one pro season under his belt.
An edgy competitor who enjoys trash talking, Graham has averaged six catches and 91.7 yards while scoring touchdowns in three of four games.

His knowledge and confidence are building — and he only has scratched the surface of his potential.

"It seems like the game has slowed down to a crawl for me," said Graham, referring to his quick recognition of defensive schemes designed to thwart him.

An extremely edgy competitor who enjoys trash talking,

He said, "even close friends are shocked" by his outbursts. "I kind of black out a bit and just start saying stuff. I just love the game, man."

No tight end has racked up more 20-yard-plus plays (seven) as Graham has emerged into a downfield target for quarterback Drew Brees, who said "the sky is the limit for him." His early-season performances are a prime reason why the Saints (3-1) are tied for first in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not so long ago, Graham was merely trying to survive. Discarded by family and living in foster care at 14 in Goldsboro, N.C., Graham was adopted by a single mother named Becky Vinson.

Before the nurse's aide rescued him, Graham carried his clothes in a plastic garbage liner, foraged for food and cried himself to sleep, he said.
Graham did not play high school football because Community Christian High in Wilson, N.C., did not have a team. Miami offered him a scholarship to play basketball.

The power forward was better known for his hacking prowess and intimidation tactics than for point production — he ranks fourth on the school's all-time foul list with 290.

"I (was allowed) five fouls, so I was going to use every one of them," Graham said with a smile.

As a fifth-year senior, the notion of "running through the smoke at Miami" to play football was too tempting, so he turned his attention to football.
Graham's athleticism — including 4.53 speed and a 38½— inch vertical jump — make him a matchup nightmare for defenses, particularly in the red zone where his leaping ability gives him a decided advantage. Against linebackers, he is a load and nearly unstoppable in one-on-one coverage.

Like former basketball players-turned-star tight ends Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, Graham's transition has been swift. In only 16 games, he has caught 55 passes, averaging a touchdown once every 6.8 receptions.

Still, the Saints took a calculated risk by selecting the raw prospect with the 95th overall selection in the 2010 draft. He remains a work in progress.

"Usually, I am chippy after I have caught the ball and after I am down,'' he said. "(But) I don't want to get a 15-yard (penalty). If I get chippy, Sean will get chippy with me. That little guy is fierce, man.''

Two weeks ago, Saints coach Sean Payton ripped into him after Graham fouled up a route that resulted in a fourth-quarter interception in Houston. Instead of pouting, he rebounded and made three crucial fourth-quarter catches. Afterward, Brees called the young player "mentally tough, physically tough — he wants to be great."

Said Payton: "I am hard on him because we — all of us, himself included — think he is a special player."

Graham's intensity is unmistakable. He often will quickly jump up after a catch and flex his biceps at his opponents or the opposing sideline. He could draw a penalty flag for taunting, but Graham said his gyrations are nothing more than a reflection of his excitement, love for the game and the passion necessary to excel.

"I never will get physical with anybody," he said. "But it is football. You have to play with your heart on your sleeve."


(usatoday.com)