METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton didn’t seem too surprised or concerned over the fact that receiver Marques Colston was held without a catch for the first time in 87 games played during Sunday’s 26-24 loss at the Cleveland Browns.
As rare as that was, Payton indicated that a receiver having a quiet day -- even Colston -- is pretty normal in a Saints offense that spreads the ball around so much.
And Payton is right.
The way the Cleveland Browns made it their mission to devote heavy coverage to the Saints’ receivers downfield reminded me of a handful of games from last season (at Chicago, at New England and at Philadelphia in the playoffs). In those three games combined, Colston caught a total of five passes for 42 yards.
And just like the Saints did in those three games last season, they eventually adjusted to the Browns’ defensive plan. The Saints’ offense finally started rolling late in the second quarter and through the second half with a heavy dose of tight end Jimmy Graham and the run game.
“We got a lot of sub-packages, but I thought by and large we threw it pretty well. The targets sometimes are going to be different,” Payton said. “Jimmy ended up having one of his better games. That happens with our offense. I thought Kenny Stills was able to have an impact coming back. [Robert] Meachem had some big plays for us.
“I thought as that game went on Drew [Brees] did a good job of finding the matchups that were advantageous to us.”
The Saints’ four receivers combined for a total of nine catches, 79 yards and no touchdowns -- with three catches apiece for Brandin Cooks, Stills and Meachem.
It’s still a bit surprising that Colston couldn’t even match that type of output. And it's worth noting that Colston’s snaps were cut down from 64 in Week 1 to 41 in Week 2 (second behind Cooks’ 55 snaps, but still ahead of 29 apiece for Stills and Meachem).
“We felt he played too many the week prior,” Payton explained. “Managing the amount of snaps these guys get and trying to keep them from getting north of 50, for instance. We have depth there. Obviously Brandin received more snaps yesterday. That’s something that we will pay attention to each week.”
Still, there’s no reason to expect that Colston will be scaled back in the Saints’ offense on a weekly basis.
After all, Colston had five catches for 110 yards in Week 1, though his late fumble proved costly. And Colston has talked all summer about feeling healthier than he has in two years.
But Sunday’s game was a reminder that even the greatest pass catcher in Saints history isn’t immune to being passed over in this deep, diverse offense.