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NOTEBOOK: BUSH STATUS FOR SUNDAY IN DOUBT
ELITE TEAMS LIKE SAINTS CAN WIN UGLY
BLACK & GOLD STAYS HIGH IN POWER RANKINGS
NewOrleans.Com/Sports - New Orleans Saints News |
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Written by Ken Trahan Saturday, 20 June 2009 08:30
Marques Colston is a quiet, unassuming person. He carries himself very well, with a calmness that stands in stark contrast to his substantive, competitive nature on the field. He is nicknamed "Quiet Storm." Though he is a man of few words, Colston leads by example.
His attitude, size (6'4, 225) and ability earned him a passing glance by the NFL despite playing at little-known and little-seen Hofstra. Thankfully, the New Orleans Saints saw him enough to know he was worth taking a flyer on with the 252nd selection in the 2006 college player draft. He would take flight in New Orleans in quick and decisive fashion.
The seventh-round draft pick was a training camp smash in 2006 which carried over into the regular season. Drew Brees recognized a great talent and fed him liberally. Colston was a huge part of the most memorable season in New Orleans Saints history, recording 70 catches for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns as the team returned to New Orleans, won a division title, a playoff game and advanced to the NFC championship game.
In 2007, Colston ascended to become one of the NFL's best receivers, compiling 98 receptions for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 98 catches were the highest single-season total in franchise history. His 11 touchdown catches tied a Saints' single-season record. Somehow, he was snubbed by his peers and by fans by not gaining a Pro Bowl invitation, a grave injustice. He was far more deserving than Torry Holt or Donald Driver, who each got the Hawaii nod.
He became only the third player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to record over 1,000 yards receiving in each of their first two seasons, joining Randy Moss and John Jefferson in that elite category. No player in league history has caught more passes in their first two seasons than the 168 that Colston has hauled in since 2006.
Then came 2008. Colston suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb which required surgery. When he returned, he was slow to regain his elite form. He would suffer through several drops, attributable in no small measure to his thumb injury. When you catch footballs for a living and have a damaged thumb, catching the football becomes a challenge.
Colston finished 2008 with 47 catches for 760 yards and five touchdowns. He missed seven of 16 games due to injuries. In addition to the thumb injury, Colston battled a knee injury which required micro fracture surgery following the season, a complicated procedure. Fortunately, the procedure went well and Colston has looked good during offseason workouts.
Perhaps a portend of things to come came in his final three games of the 2008 campaign in which Colston snared 22 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Colston was healthier in those final three games than he was at any other point in the season. For the year, he had three games of 100 or more yards receiving.
With the way he finished 2008 and with his health restored, Colston is happy to have 2008 behind him. "It was definitely a trying season. I'm just glad it's done and over with and I have a clean slate this year to come out and play the way I know I'm capable of playing," said Colston.
Colston is excited about the Saints depth of talent at wide receiver. "We know we have a lot of talent in our meeting room and I wouldn't hesitate putting this group of receivers against any group in the league. We've got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things."
While the Saints passing game approached near NFL record numbers with Drew Brees under center in 2008, the running game must improve to make the Saints a better team in 2009. Colston thinks this will occur. "I think we're going to have a more balanced attack," he said.
Coming off of a pair of non-playoff seasons, expectations are high for the Saints. In the "what have you done for me lately NFL," Colston knows what fans are thinking. "There's pressure to win every year. The guys wouldn't be in this locker room without a competitive edge to win so I feel that the pressure in this locker room comes from within."
Colston is optimistic that the Saints will return to the postseason in 2009. "Our offseason conditioning program has been a big success. The attendance has been off the charts. You can just feel the focus in this locker room."
Most importantly, Colston says he feels good, healthier than at any point last year. He has looked that way in most recent offseason workouts, catching the ball consistently. While Lance Moore, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Adrian Arrington, Courtney Roby and Skyler Green provide talent and potential to the Saints wide receiver mix, and while Jeremy Shockey should be healthier and more productive this year, the straw that stirs the drink appears ready to mix up a winning concoction in 2009.
If Marques Colston remains healthy, he should approach the monster numbers of his 2007 season in the Saints pass-heavy offense with Brees pulling the trigger. Such production could well take Colston and the Saints back to where they haven't been since 2006, taking the pressure, external or internal, off of the players, coaches and front office.
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& very sexy!!!!!!!!!!