Jimmy Graham setting some lofty standards

They're trying. You know they are, because no NFL defense worth the pads it wears willingly will subjugate itself to embarrassment. And because no defensive coordinator pores over film, devises schemes and puts his players through a numbing number of repetitions because he thinks the things he's emphasizing won't work.

But still -- to the Saints' delight and in another compliment to their foresight -- there's been no solution for Jimmy Graham.

Week after week, home and away, night or day, the second-year tight end embarrasses one defender after another, renders useless one scheme after another, takes advantage of one defensive coordinator's underestimation after another.

After eight more catches for 89 more yards in a 31-17 victory over Detroit on Sunday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Graham's season totals stand at 75 catches for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns for the Saints (9-3), who have a two-game lead in the NFC South with four games to play, and will win the division barring a stunning collapse.

He's the first 1,000-yard receiving tight end in franchise history, and on a team where wide receivers sometimes have disappeared for weeks while taking turns in the spotlight this season, the shine on Graham never has dulled.

Opponents have tried to cover him with corners, slow him with safeties, bully him with linebackers. All they have to show for it is this: Graham is having one of the greatest receiving seasons in franchise history.

If he doesn't catch another pass this season -- and take the bet if you run across anyone stupid enough to insist he won't -- he already has had a Pro Bowl, All-Pro year that has set the standard of what the expectations of him now will be.

"I'm not really concerned about 1,000 yards," Graham said. "For me it's about the wins.

"Personal accolades, we'll wait until the offseason comes (to think about them)."

That's a good mind-set to have. The rest of us aren't burdened by such boundaries, though, so we can appreciate Graham's play to the fullest today.

The Lions (7-5) actually had reason to be pleased with their work against Graham in the first half, when he had just two catches for 22 yards.
But perhaps partly as a result of the attention given to Graham, receiver Robert Meachem gashed Detroit in the first half. Meachem, who'd had six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in his previous five games, caught two passes for 105 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown, in the first half.

"He cleared it out for me, and I caught the ball," Meachem said.

When the Lions adjusted to take away Meachem in the final two quarters -- he caught one more pass for 14 yards -- Graham helped pick up the slack. He caught four passes for 46 yards on the Saints' final touchdown drive, a seven-play, 55-yard march that led to the final points, a 6-yard pass from Drew Brees to Darren Sproles.

But then, that almost was to be expected, considering the way he has played this season.

Entering Sunday, Graham had the third-most receptions and sixth-most yards in the league. It's easy to forget that he only has been playing football full time for three years, that his forte was basketball at the University of Miami until he was persuaded to play football for one year.

Now, he's the hottest player going at the position, a blend of size, speed and skill that has made him a matchup nightmare for every Saints opponent.

When it comes to Saints receivers, opposing defenses can't possibly know from where the next blow is coming. It's impossible to prepare for the group as a whole, given the fact that a new threat appears, or reappears, weekly.

But Graham has been a constant. And still, they have no answers.

They're trying.

Graham just makes sure they keep failing.


(nola.com)