Saints defensive tackle Orien Harris making presence felt

Saints defensive tackle Orien Harris has quickly made himself known among his coaches and front-office personnel, putting together statistics that even he did not think he would have through two preseason games.

Harris, a 25-year-old who was signed by the Saints in December, has 11 solo tackles -- best on the team -- and a sack this preseason.

"He's been one of those guys that's been durable," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "He's been steady. He's a try-hard guy that gives a lot of effort on each play. Even today, he made some plays in practice. So he's caught the attention of a lot of us, the guys on defense and myself included. He comes to work every day, and he showed that last week in the game."

Since coming into the league from the Miami (Fla.) in 2006, Harris has played in two games, both for Cleveland in his first season. But Harris figures to find more playing time this year with the Saints, especially with other defensive tackles, such as Brian Young and Hollis Thomas, dealing with injuries.

Harris had six tackles in the Saints' loss to Houston, just after speaking with his family about the improvements he wanted to make.

"My mom and my sister, I was telling them I was not really where I wanted to be as a football player, and so they heard my sob story and they came back the next day and they called me," he said. "They were like, 'Ah, don't be so hard on yourself. Just try to build.' And that's what I've been trying to do."

(blog.nola.com)