Jimmy Graham Steps Up

Rookie TE Jimmy Graham’s best game coincided with Shockey’s injury. He caught three passes, including his first NFL touchdown reception.

“He just keeps getting better,” Payton said. “The one catch that was even more impressive than the touchdown was the third-and-seven or eight that he caught down below his knees. He’s a tremendous worker; he’s very smart; he’s very athletic and he has soft hands.

“We just have to keep giving him opportunities. It was good to see him come out and make some plays for us because those were big plays. Obviously the touchdown was a big play and the third down conversion was significant. He plays with a lot of confidence. You don’t see a first-year player in his eyes on the sideline or in the huddle, and that’s encouraging.”

Graham, who was sidelined by an ankle injury during the preseason, said he used the down time to study a lot of film.

“I definitely think things are slowing down for me,” Graham said, “and that’s the biggest thing is being able to recognize what’s going on out there, being more confident and knowing what’s going on within our offense.”

Graham said he comes in on his off day on Tuesday and studies a different tight end each week, one of which has been Falcons TE Tony Gonzales, a future Hall of Famer who, like Graham, started out as a basketball player.

“He’s one of the best tight ends to ever play the game and he changed the game for people like me,” Graham said of Gonzales. “So I pick up everything from him because he’s so talented.”

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(neworleans.com)