On one of her reps in a one-on-one passing drill, New Orleans Saints cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins played it perfect. Monday morning, the first day of practice in pads, Jenkins hooked up at Emmanuel Sanders ‘hip, during Sanders’ break and was in such a good position that he could have been the intended receiver for the breakthrough. .
Next rep between the two, Sanders would have none of it. Similar route, completely different result.
The veteran receiver got his hands inside Jenkins and by the time he got out of his lap and turned up for football, Jenkins was on the turf on the field at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center.
Clean, uninterrupted reception, and an indication of why the Saints signed Sanders as an unlimited free agent.
If he can do work against Jenkins, you keep his chances against just about every other NFL corner.
“He’s a pro,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “He’s a pro. I think that’s what you recognize with these veteran recipients. I recognized it with Ted Ginn when he came three years ago. There’s just a veteran presence, an adult nature and just a “the way he does his job and his business and his preparation and his attention to detail. A lot of little things just start popping up and you realize why he could play at such a high level for so long.”
For Sanders, that equated to 601 catches, 7,893 yards and 42 touchdowns – plus a rushing touchdown and a few scoring throws – in his first 10 seasons.
For the Saints, it means adding another proven, productive player to an offense that already has several of them.
“I’m really excited to have Emmanuel,” Brees said. “I think he’s going to add a great element to what we do. He’s a different weapon, he’s got a great skill set and I feel like every day I just keep coming to the same page and being offended by the nuances of this work. and this system, so that we speak the same language here. “
“He’s a smart player, he’s certainly played in this league for a number of years,” said coach Sean Payton. “He’s a guy who transitions well. I think he’s a good route runner. He’s pretty elusive and I think slowly but surely, he picks up the terminology and some of the nuances relative to what he does. “
