Jimmy Graham insists he's ready for more work on short week

METAIRIE, La. – The New Orleans Saints' offensive roster will probably look much the same for Thursday night’s game at the Carolina Panthers as it did this past Sunday night.

Tight end Jimmy Graham continued to practice Tuesday on a limited basis with his shoulder injury, while running backs Pierre Thomas (shoulder/rib) and Khiry Robinson (forearm) remained sidelined.

Graham admitted that the short turnaround is “tough on an injury like” his. But he said he fully expects to keep playing through it after catching five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers two nights ago.

“You know, I’ve been playing. So I’ll do whatever I can to be as healthy as I can come Thursday,” Graham said. “I’m doing alright. I’ve been better. But nobody really cares about that. We’ll just keep going and do what I can to be as healthy as I can on Thursday.”

Graham acknowledged that “I guess I was more of a decoy than anything” in his first game back two weeks ago at Detroit, when he played 30 snaps but was only targeted twice, not catching a pass. Graham credited coach Sean Payton, though, for finding ways that he could continue to help the team as much as possible without missing any games since he first suffered the injury in Week 5.

“I told Drew [Brees] I want to be a part of something special. So Sunday, I felt like that was a special night for us, and I want to be a part of those things, I want to help us win,” Graham said. “So I know when I’m out there, even if I’m just running around with my head cut off, I know it helps Drew.”


(espn.com)