Jimmy Graham learning football ropes

As a relative newcomer to the game of football, one of the first lessons rookie Jimmy Graham got when he joined the Saints this spring came from veteran tight end David Thomas.

“David Thomas said, ‘Rookies need to be seen and not heard,’” a smiling Graham said recently, “so this is probably the last time I’ll ever have a camera in my face.”

The fact that Graham was talking to several reporters in front of his locker, however, was a clear sign that Thomas has had enough fun with their third-round draft pick.

Thomas officially gave the OK for Graham to talk after last Sunday’s 34-3 win over the Carolina Panthers, a game in which the 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end got his first NFL touchdown and had three catches for a career-high 49 yards.

Graham, a former University of Miami basketball player, got the equivalent of a thunderous slam dunk when he snared a 19-yard scoring pass from Drew Brees late in the second quarter against the Panthers.

Graham celebrated by running to the back of the end zone, faking a “Lambeau Leap” into the stands and letting the ball roll off his fingertips like he was making a layup in basketball.

While he made a basketball move there, Brees said there’s no doubt Graham’s future is in football -- like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, former college basketball players who became All-Pro tight ends.

“I’m excited about him, you see the potential and you see it starting to click,” said Brees. “It takes a little while, especially for a guy like him who’s used to being on the hoops court and putting the cleats on and coming on the field -- especially at this level.

“It’s a lot to take in with the adjustments, speed of the game and the physicality,” he said. “And there’s a new offense and defenses, and all those things. But he’s such a talented guy and he wants to be good … he wants to be great.”

Graham’s contributions have been limited so far, mainly because he played college football for only one season and then missed much of training camp after spraining his right ankle in the preseason opener.

“Definitely, I think things are slowing down for me,” said Graham, who uses his off day each Tuesday to watch tapes of Gonzalez and Gates. “That’s the biggest thing, being able to recognize what’s going on out there. Just being more confident and knowing what’s going on within our offense.

“People forget, or don’t realize, how complicated our offense can be -- especially for a rookie who’s only been playing (football) for a year. I’m continually learning and getting better at those things. That’s changed a lot for me recently, and it seems like things are coming together.”

Seven of Graham’s eight receptions have come in the last three games. He’s averaging 12.3 yards per catch and has one TD although he would have had another had he not pushed off against a Tampa Bay defender.

But he found a silver lining in that following Sunday’s game.

“I got to enjoy my first touchdown twice, and not many people get to do that,” he said with a smile. “But I’m glad that’s out of the way and I can hopefully have many more touchdowns.”

Brees and coach Sean Payton certainly see more in his future, mainly because of his size, speed and quickness. Graham, who is a tall target like teammate Jeremy Shockey, another former Miami player, has 4.55 speed in the 40 to go with soft hands.

Two of Graham’s three catches Sunday were made with cornerbacks covering him, a definite mismatch in the eyes of Brees and Payton.

“You’re excited to watch a guy like that and to have him be on your team,” Brees said. “I see the opportunities for him continuing to expand as we move forward, and hopefully, he just continues to grasp it at the pace that he has.”

Each of Graham’s three receptions at Carolina produced a first down and he now has seven first downs on nine touches -- including a 3-yard run on a reverse the first time he got his hands on the ball in an NFL game.

“I definitely want to be a playmaker,” he said, “and I definitely want to be a guy Brees can count on to get that first down for him.”

Graham is well on his way, according to Payton.

“He just keeps getting better,” he said. “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.

“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.”

While he’s heard from several veterans that he’ll be called “rook” until training camp begins next summer, Graham doesn’t mind going along with it.

As such, he’s had to carry veterans’ shoulder pads and helmets into the locker room after training camp practices and had to bring donuts on Saturday morning -- another time-honored NFL tradition.

Then again, he said, it helps when Shockey treats him like his brother.

“The good thing is all the other veterans try to get me to do stuff and Shockey just squashes it because he tells them I’m his rook,” Graham said. “Fortunately, he looks out for me and doesn’t make me do anything crazy.”

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(2theadvocate.com)