Doesn't it just warm your heart to see a player handle his return to the city that once embraced him as their own so well? And to think, I was worried that Jimmy Graham wouldn't be able to put aside the business of football (that he rightfully invoked to leverage himself the highest contract ever for a tight end/self proclaimed wide receiver) to show appreciation for a franchise whose offensive system was largely responsible for transforming him from a subpar collegiate power forward to one of the most dynamic weapons in the entire league. I'm just glad that he doesn't hold his abrupt departure against former teammates that have been nothing but complimentary of him as a player and person. Most notably, thee teammate that was most essential to his wealth of athletic and fiscal success. I thought all the unprovoked negative things he said about New Orleans were going to be reflected in his attitude following a devastating loss to his former team. It's really great to see that he didn't let his silence on the field carry over to the postgame. It sucks that the Seattle Seahawks are the beneficiary of his astronomic increase in mental toughness, but that's just the risk you run when you trade away a player of his caliber I suppose. They might just arrive at their new destination and use their previous experiences to learn some accountability. No one has ever painted a picture of new found maturity as flawlessly as the guy pretending he's looking at non-existent test messages while storming past a group of reporters asking fairly reasonable questions like they were homeless people begging for change. A message to anyone that still thinks that trading Jimmy Graham was a mistake: You're wrong. I was skeptical at first too, but it's really as simple as that. I'm not saying he was the primary source of the character issues that plagued the Saints towards the end of his tenure, but - if this "interview" is any indication - then he certainly wasn't helping matters. Obviously the swap would be more lopsided if Stephone Anthony hadn't completely misplaced the promise he displayed last year, but I would gladly take the stability that Max Unger has brought the interior of the offensive line over the offensive production that was easily replaced by a 34 year old. That's not a knock on Jimmy, but Drew Brees has proven - time and time again - that he doesn't need a $10 million dollar tight end to run one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL. Especially when that $10 million dollar tight end that was basically invisible against a secondary whose really more of a tertiary after suffering so many injuries, and did his best route running when it came time to evade answering to his disappointing performance. P.S. I don't want to question the opinion of a vanilla, former born-again-virgin doofus who speaks solely in cliches, but if Jimmy Graham is a "true pro" then I would really like him to give me an example of a "false pro"...
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