John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints‘ wide receiver Marques Colston became the all-time leader in reception for the Saints, Sunday afternoon when he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees in the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. Colston, who finished the day with five receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown, now has a total of 537 receptions. He also has the franchise record for touchdowns, at 59, and his 7,462 receiving yards places him third in Saints history.
In his eighth year since being drafted by New Orleans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Colston has recorded 1,000 yards or more receiving six out of the last seven seasons. The lowest he has ever recorded with the Saints was in 2008, when he caught for only 706 yards. He has also caught 10 or more touchdowns in two different seasons.
While dealing with a lingering foot injury throughout training camp and preseason, Colston’s performance against the Falcons was a nice indication that he was healthy and ready to play. His diving touchdown grab in the second quarter and a catch with his back turned towards the defenders anticipating a hard hit don’t leave me with any doubts about his health and availability in the weeks to come.
This is good news for Saints fans as Colston is without a doubt one of Brees’ favorite targets in a target-rich environment. Some of the younger receivers, like Kenny Stills and Nick Toon, might not see as many targets when he is healthy and on the field, but they can certainly benefit from his very presence on the field. On-the-field defenses know he’s a reliable pass grabber and will have to choose between concentrating on him or somebody else. Off the field and on the sidelines, he can help the younger guys by passing on his knowledge and experience.
For Colston and the Saints, it’s a win-win.
Jack Cavanaugh is a New Orleans Saints contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @cav_jack, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
