WDZ | Archive for May, 2009

via Sun Herald

For the entire season, the statistics seemed to back Payton up. Thomas was stopped for only six losses as a rusher, or 4.7 percent of the time. Among running backs with at least 100 carriers, that was the lowest percentage of runs for losses in the NFL.

“They think they need a bigger back,” Thomas said. “I can do most of the same things Reggie does. … I’m very versatile. I can be used in so many different ways — special teams, out there on the wideout, in the backfield — so I think that’s what they see me as, but I’m trying to show them I can be that power back that they need.”

Pierre Thomas could very well be the every down back for the Saints if he can stay healthy. If that happens, look for a big season out of Thomas.

via The Advocate

“I think me and Reggie give us the same thing we had with Deuce and Reggie,” Thomas said during a break from offseason workouts last week. “I’ve heard they want a power back, and I’m trying to be that power back for them.

“I’ve been trying to work on my legs, get more explosiveness in my legs, and just try to get that chance when it’s third and one and they call my name, and they know I’m going to get it for them.”

Payton said he likes what he has seen from Mike Bell, a four-year veteran who rushed 13 times for 42 yards and a touchdown in four games after being signed in November last season, and Lynell Hamilton, who spent last season on the practice squad as a rookie. The Saints list Bell at 225 pounds and Hamilton at 235.

New Orleans signed two undrafted free agents with impressive college credentials — P.J. Hill, who rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons at Wisconsin before turning pro early, and Herb Donaldson, who rushed for more than 4,000 yards in his career at Western Illinois.

The Saints list Hill at 218 pounds and Donaldson at 226. Fullback Heath Evans (250 pounds), signed as a free agent in March, could be a short-yardage option as well.

“I think that we have good competition,” Payton said. “I think those guys understand their roles and understand what they’re competing for. They’re all competing for touches — be it hand-offs or passing plays or reps in a game — and we have three fullbacks that are doing the same thing, all with a little bit of a different background and experience.”