New Orleans Saints: TE Jimmy Graham Shines In Homecoming

New Orleans Saints rookie TE Jimmy Graham has come a long way since those dog days of summer.

Back in July, teammate and fellow tight end Dave Thomas told Graham that everytime Graham's name came up in the media, he would have to buy Thomas a meal.

So, Graham tried to stay low-key but that's hard to do when you've got talent.

It's the start of training camp and Graham makes a spectacular one-handed catch on a deep ball from Drew Brees.

Graham shrugs it off. Tells the media he got lucky. Expresses confidence that he can make big plays like that when it counts.

The media mentions his name and he owes Dave Thomas a meal and we're not talking Wendy's here.

Saints coach Sean Payton saw Graham's talent two months earlier in the May rookie camp.

Payton marveled at Graham's ability to quickly grasp the system. He said Graham stood out and while he had things to learn, he was eager to do just that and Payton said something coaches never say about a rookie, he said Graham was "smart."

On Sunday afternoon, Graham proved to Payton that his confidence in him was justified.

Meachem split out wide to the right...Jimmy Graham to the near side...Here's Brees...throwing...and it's going to be caught by Jimmy Graham for the touchdown!!!

Graham's catch gave the Saints a 14-3 second quarter lead over those Carolina Panthers and they never looked back.

They still call him JimmyGraham...one long name...no one ever calls him just Graham.

It was a sweet homecoming for Graham whose mother dropped him off with two sacks of clothes in front of a youth home when he was just 11 years old and drove off into a North Carolina night abandoning Jimmy Graham forever.

Life in the NFL must seem like a piece of cake to him after a rough start like that.

"Most people don't get to enjoy their first touchdown twice," Graham told WWL Radio, referring to his first NFL touchdown reception against Tampa Bay being called back for pass interference. "So, today was definitely a special moment for me...catching it...being from North Carolina with my family here."

Graham overcame those humble beginnings and became a star. A star at the University of Miami- first as a basketball player, then as a football player.

"I definitely think I'm growing. I think I'm getting better and they're able to trust me a lot more than they used to," said Graham. "Hopefully, I can keep improving."

Brees likes Graham's basketball pedigree.

"It's a great trait to have, that basketball mentality that (Graham) has, boxing a guy out, using your hands, using your elbows, just kind of being physical.I think that's a good thing but, then again, you've just got to learn some of the proper techniques," says Brees.

Brees says Graham is still an unpolished gem...still a little green...but a guy who is taking advantage of every opportunity given to him.

As for Payton, he said he saw things on film that led him to believe Graham could have a big day.

"We felt inside the tight ends, the inside slot receivers, some of the running backs, might have a chance to get some receptions with some of the coverage looks we were getting but we made plays inside and outside when we needed to and that was important," Payton told reporters.

As for Graham, he says he will celebrate his big moment but not for too long.

"I'll probably put (the football) in a nice little box frame and move on because we have the rest of the season ahead of us...and I'm excited."