Marques Colston is still Drew Brees’ go-to guy.
Brees was only on the field for one series during the New Orleans Saints’ scrimmage on Friday, and he led a touchdown drive by connecting on two big throws to the 10th-year receiver.
The first time the Saints faced a third down on the drive, Brees hit Colston with a tight throw in traffic. He later threw a TD pass to Colston on a fade in the back of the end zone.
Colston, 32, missed almost all of OTAs and minicamp with an unspecified injury, and he gradually worked his way into full-team drills during the first week of training camp. But as soon as he got back up to full speed, Brees said it was “like riding a bike.”
“He’s a stud. He’s such a pro,” Brees said of the Saints’ all-time leading receiver and touchdown scorer.
The two have connected on 68 regular-season TD passes -- the fifth most of any duo in NFL history -- plus four more in the playoffs.
“We have such a great rapport. And he’s got such a great feel as a football player,” Brees said. “We’ve been in so many different situations together that I think we both see the same thing, feel the same thing, and it works.”
The touchdown pass looked especially easy. The Saints’ first-string offense was running against the second-string defense, and Colston was being covered by second-year cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste.
Colston said he “kind of tried to sell” the slant route on the play before he cut back for the fade. Jean-Baptiste bought the fake, leaving Colston wide open.
When someone pointed out that Colston “definitely sold it,” the usually-reserved veteran couldn’t resist a little smile. “I appreciate it,” he said.
Colston’s production has slowed down a bit over the past two years while battling through nagging injuries. He has had a little more than 900 yards and five touchdown catches in each of the past two seasons.
But if he can stay healthy, the big 6-foot-4, 225-pounder could become even more productive in the red zone after the Saints traded tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks.
Colston was the Saints’ original red-zone monster before Graham emerged in a similar role. Colston has always been able to shield smaller defenders with his size, and he has a wide pass-catching radius. He and Brees have mastered the art of the back-shoulder throw over the years.
“Somebody’s got to take those touches. And I think they’ll get spread around pretty evenly,” Colston said -- though he doesn’t necessarily expect his role to change much.
When asked how his game has changed over the years, Colston said, “I’d like to think it hasn’t.”
“But just going into Year 10, physically I’m not the same as I was in 2006,” Colston acknowledged. “With that comes some little nuances and just things I can do technique-wise that can make up for that.”
