New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore (16) makes catch on a 2-point conversion while defended by Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jacob Lacey (27) during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Mark J. TerrillNew Orleans Saints pass catchers have made a lot of great receptions over the years.
From Joe Horn to Marques Colston to Jimmy Graham to Michael Thomas to Chris Olave, I’ve seen the best in franchise history ply their trade.
Like so many of these previous lists, this one was extremely difficult to narrow down.
These catches had to be physically great grabs to be considered.
It’s interesting that not one catch made the list from the three leading receivers in franchise history — Colston, Horn or Thomas. Some certainly were considered, but in the end, none of them made the cut.
Without further ado, this week’s installment of my season-long “25 for 25” series is the best catches in my 25-year tenure on the Saints beat:
No. 5: Hail Copper
(Nov. 26, 2006)
People have forgotten about this amazing catch. To some extent, they’ve also forgotten about Terrance Copper, whom Sean Payton signed early in his inaugural season after the Cowboys released him.
— Lane (@Lanejgoo) February 4, 2022Terrance Copper. Caught a Hail Mary pass from Brees for a TD at the end of the first half vs the Falcons in the Georgia Dome in 2006. Came with Payton from Dallas.
For whatever my mind will always go to him when mentioning random Saints players.https://t.co/W6iUL6RcRN
Copper was a role player who made his biggest contributions on special teams, but his 48-yard catch of a Hail Mary pass against the Falcons always will be remembered as one of the highlights of the magical 2006 season.
Copper outleaped a gang of Falcons defenders to haul in the desperation bomb from Drew Brees on the final play of the first half. The improbable score gave the Saints a 21-6 lead at the intermission, and the Falcons never recovered.
The Saints went on to rout the Falcons 31-13 and complete a season sweep of their longtime rivals.
No. 4: Jimmy G’s one-hander
(Dec. 19, 2010)
Graham had several candidates for this list, but this is the one that stands out the most because of the quality of the opponent and the degree of difficulty of the grab.
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2023
Graham needed every inch of his 6-foot-6 frame to corral Brees’ pass, which came on a first-and-10 play from the Ravens’ 18. Brees strategically located his pass away from the defender toward the right front corner of the end zone. Graham was angling toward the sideline but had to pirouette into a 360 and somehow snagged the ball high above his head with his left hand. The momentum from his spin caused him to dive into the end zone for a spectacular 18-yard touchdown.
The touchdown opened the scoring in a big-time showdown between two of the best teams in the league at the time. The Ravens went on to edge the Saints 30-24.
No. 3: Moore’s super conversion
(Feb. 7, 2010)
Lance Moore’s diving catch of Brees’ two-point conversion pass in the right corner of the end zone in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV remains one of the enduring memories of the Saints’ first and only world title.
Moore displayed remarkable awareness and body control to snare the ball with two hands and extend it across the goal line while he landed on his back at the 1-yard line.
The conversion, which came after a 2-yard touchdown catch by Jeremy Shockey, gave the Saints a 24-17 lead with 5:42 left in the game. It was the first time the Saints had been in front, and they never looked back from there.
No. 2: Oh my, Olave
(Sept. 18, 2023)
The degree of difficulty on Chris Olave’s juggling one-handed catch against the Panthers was off the charts.
Facing a third and 7 at his own 28, Derek Carr fired a bomb to Olave in single coverage against C.J. Henderson, who was running with the former Ohio State speedster stride for stride down the left sideline. Olave’s diving, juggling one-handed catch was a momentum-changer in a tie game and set up the go-ahead touchdown seven plays later. The Saints went on to win 20-17.
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023
The catch, which thrilled a national television audience on Monday Night Football, elevated Olave’s profile and stamped him as the Saints’ WR1 early in his sophomore season.
No. 1: Moore’s tip drill
(Dec. 19, 2010)
Moore makes a return appearance, and this time with the best catch of them all. His juggling, 15-yard touchdown catch against the Ravens in 2010 highlighted the athletic skills — hands, body control, hand-eye coordination — that made him a go-to receiver for Drew Brees from 2006-13.
This catch by @LanceMoore16 was ridiculous 👋#TBT | via @nflthrowback pic.twitter.com/iCRG0sMK82
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) February 18, 2021
Moore’s catch came on a classic tip-drill deflection that caromed off the hands of Ravens cornerback Josh Wilson and Saints receiver Marques Colston into the waiting arms of Moore, who was in the right place at the right in the back left corner of the end zone. The score was clutch, too. It tied the game at 24 with 11:34 left. The Ravens eventually would win 30-24, but the loss did not overshadow Moore’s heroics.
It would be interesting to know what Next Gen Stat’s improbability factor was on this crazy grab.
