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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 80
Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 80 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Thursday means just 80 days remain before the New Orleans Saints host the Arizona Cardinals in their 2025-26 regular season opener. Advertisement The Saints will be embarking on their 59th NFL season. They'll be doing so with a new head coach in Kellen Moore after the team's 5-12 finish a year ago. Rookie tight end Moliki Matavao will be wearing number 80 for New Orleans going into training camp next month. Out of UCLA, Matavao was the first of two choices in Round 7 by the Saints in this year's draft. If he makes the roster and keeps his current number, Matavao would become the 33rd player to wear No. 80 for the Saints in a regular season game. Here's a look through the list of other players that have done so. Saints History of 80 Jan 14, 2012; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) sprints for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2011 NFC divisional playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images • Jim Garcia, DE (1967) Advertisement • Richard Neal, DE (1969) • Mike Walker, DE (1971) • Doug Winslow, WR (1973) • Earl McCullouch, WR (1974) • Sam Havrilak, WR (1974) • Larry Burton, WR (1975-77) Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Larry Burton (80). Credit: • Gordon Banks, WR (1980-81) • Lindsay Scott, WR (1982-85) • Mike Miller, WR (1985) • Malcolm Barnwell, WR (1985) • Herbert Harris, WR (1986-87) • Stacey Dawsey, WR (1987) • Brett Perriman, WR (1988-90) • Wesley Carroll, WR (1991-92) • Marcus Dowdell, WR (1993) • Tyrone Johnson, WR (1994) • Haywood Jeffires, WR (1996) • Daryl Hobbs, WR (1997) • Tony Johnson, TE (1998) • P.J. Franklin, WR (1999) • Robert Wilson, WR (2000-01) • Jerome Pathon, WR (2002-04) • Chad Meier, TE (2005) Advertisement • Mark Campbell, TE (2006-08) • Darnell Dinkins, TE (2009) • Jimmy Graham, TE (2010-14, 2023) • Austin Carr, WR (2017-20) • Chris Hogan, WR (2021) • Kawaan Baker, WR (2021) • Jarvis Landry, WR (2022) • Jermaine Jackson, WR (2024) • Moliki Matavao, TE (present) Dec 12, 1982; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints receiver Lindsay Scott (80) catches a pass against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images Jim Garcia was the first to wear number 80 for New Orleans, doing so in the team's inaugural season for 12 games and recording one sack. Richard Neal followed as a second round draft choice in 1969. Neal was with the Saints for five years of his career, wearing three different numbers and only number 80 during his rookie year. Six different players wore the 80 jersey between 1967 and 1975, with none wearing it for more than a year. That changed with WR Larry Burton, a first-round pick and seventh overall choice out of Purdue in 1975. Burton was also a world-class sprinter who finished fourth in the 200m (20.37) at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and once held the world record (5.9 seconds) in the 60m sprint. Advertisement As a football player, Burton wasn't nearly as successful and goes down as one of the biggest draft busts in New Orleans history. In three years with the Saints, he suited up in 28 games and caught just 35 passes for 615 yards and 4 touchdowns. 1989 Topps football card of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brett Perriman (80). Credit: ebay Less than a year after trading productive wideout Wes Chandler, the Saints tried to replace him with Lindsay Scott, the 13th overall choice in the 1982 NFL Draft. Scott would instead take a place alongside Burton as one of the biggest draft busts in the franchise's history. In four seasons with the Saints, Scott played in 49 games and made only 22 starts. He had just 69 receptions for 864 yards and only 1 touchdown. Scott was out of football altogether after those four years. Advertisement From 1967 to 1987, there were 13 players that suited up in a number 80 for New Orleans. Only the disappointments of Burton and Scott played the equivalent of more than one year in the jersey. New Orleans hoped to break that string with the drafting of two productive Miami Hurricanes wide receivers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first of those Hurricanes stars was WR Brett Perriman in 1988. Perriman played 46 games for New Orleans over three seasons. Over than span, however, he managed a somewhat pedestrian total of 72 receptions for 953 yards and 4 touchdowns. After leaving the Saints, Perriman's production would skyrocket in the run-and-shoot attack of the Detroit Lions. Nov 3, 1991; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints receiver Wesley Carroll (80) fights for a pass against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK The second Hurricanes star was Wesley Carroll, drafted after Perriman departed in 1991. Carroll had similar results. He'd play 28 games for the Saints over two years, catching 36 passes for 476 yards with 3 touchdowns. By 1994, Carroll was out of the NFL. Advertisement After Carroll left, the Saints saw 11 different players suit up in number 80 over a 17-year span between 1993 and 2009. Only wideout Jerome Pathon had any reasonable success. Pathon had 121 receptions for 1,682 yards and 9 touchdowns in a three-year stretch between 2006 and 2008. He and tight end Mark Campbell were also the only two players who managed to stay with the Saints for more than two years over that 17-year span. The 2010 NFL Draft brought not just the best number 80 in franchise history but one of its best offensive players and one of the most gifted tight ends in NFL history. Nov 21, 2013; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) breaks a tackle against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Jimmy Graham's 2010 rookie season was one of promise with 5 touchdown catches in 31 receptions. What followed was one of the most productive stretches in the history of the franchise. Advertisement Graham caught 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 scores in 2011. He followed that up with 85 receptions, 982 yards, and 9 touchdowns in 2012. The 2013 campaign saw him pull in 86 passes for 1,215 yards and an NFL-best 16 scores. In 2014, Graham had 85 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. New Orleans traded Graham to the Seattle Seahawks during the 2014 offseason in a controversial move. After nine years and three different teams, Graham would return to the Saints in 2023 with 4 touchdowns on his six receptions. Nov 3, 2013; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) dunks the ball over the goal post after a touchdown against the New York Jets. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Graham was with the Saints for a total of six years and 91 games, far more than anyone else who has worn No. 80 for the team. Over that stretch, he had 392 receptions for 4,791 yards and 55 touchdowns. Advertisement Jimmy Graham is second in franchise history in touchdown receptions and sixth for both career catches and receiving yardage. He holds the team's single-season record for scoring receptions and no one other than Michael Thomas has more receptions in a season. Since Graham's original departure in 2014, six different players have worn 80 but only Austin Carr for more than one year. Only Jarvis Landry showed flashes of production. Now, Moliki Matavao takes his turn in 80. Related: Saints Sign Another Player To Their Tight End Position Related: Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 82 Related: Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 84 Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 87 Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 89 Related: Derek Carr Further Explains Retirement Decision From New Orleans Saints This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jimmy Graham's signature touchdown dunk is the Saints Play of the Day
Jimmy Graham's signature touchdown dunk is the Saints Play of the Day We're at Day 80 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' 2025 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, which means one of the signature plays from No. 80's career is an easy choice for the Saints Play of the Day. Go back to 2013 and you'll find this moment from Jimmy Graham stands the test of time. Facing a 10-7 deficit midway through the second quarter against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons, Graham scored a 44-yard touchdown for the Saints and threw down afterwards with his signature celebration. Or went up, rather. A former college basketball player with the Miami Hurricanes, Graham was known for getting up high and slamming the ball over the goalpost after a big play. And what goes up must come down. When Graham leapt to dunk the football over the dirty birds' goalpost, he bent the crossbar out of alignment, which led to a delay in play while the field crew hurried to rebalance it. You can see the full sequence for yourself here. It was a fun moment for Saints fans, and embarrassing for Falcons faithful, but there were some unexpected reactions to this incident. The NFL later outlawed goalpost celebrations like Graham's dunk, making it a 15-yard penalty and $5,600 fine for first-time offenders. For his part, Graham wears it like a badge of honor.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caleb Lohner's traits excite Broncos coach Sean Payton
With their final pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos made an unconventional selection, picking Utah tight end Caleb Lohner, a basketball player with just four career receptions as a tight end. Speaking at rookie minicamp earlier this month, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked what he's seen from the Lohner so far. Advertisement 'It's limited," Payton said. "So this is a basketball player for most of his career. He plays a year of football, count the snaps, count the catches. I get it. Yet you see traits, you see movements. I'm not a big fan of the Big 12 Pro Day because a player like him gets six routes instead of 20 that he would get at his own Pro Day. So hopefully that's going away, but there are two or three clips where I'm like, 'Play it again. Play it again.' Then, when you watch him, and you watch him move, and even in our first two days here, [you see promise]. "People bring up Jimmy [Graham as a comparison]. Now, Jimmy was a third-round pick. I get it, but there were some similarities in that. He only played a year, 80-something snaps. I think he had 18 catches. So yes, we have to coach and develop. In other words, if it was already present when you watch him, and you guys see him, and shake his hand and stand next to him, like, 'Holy cow.' There are traits there that excite me. Then just visiting with him, and his intentionality and his excitement about it. I'm excited to watch it.' Lohner (6-7, 250 pounds) has been connected to Graham because he's a converted basketball player in Payton's offense, but the rookie isn't quite ready to make that connection himself. 'I think our size is the same, but I have a long way to go," Lohner said when asked about his similarities to Graham. "I have to keep learning and growing every day in this game.' Advertisement After attending rookie minicamp earlier this month, Lohner will return for organized team activities later this week. 'It's an amazing experience, an amazing opportunity," Lohner said at rookie camp. "All I want to do here is improve every day [and] learn the game of football. I think this is the best place for it. I'm excited to take [on] each and every day the next steps.' Lohner will be a long shot to make the team's 53-man roster in 2025, but he'll get a chance. It's up to him to take advanatage of it this summer. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Caleb Lohner's traits excite Broncos coach Sean Payton
