Winning Ways Give New Saints WR Coach an Edge

He promised there would be changes and last week Saints head coach Sean Payton delivered. He brought in a slew of new coaches, among them veteran receivers’ coach, John Morton.

The Saints’ receiving corps can certainly stand to benefit from improvement, as the wide-outs the past three seasons had innumerable difficulties getting open, dropping passes, and a rather low yardage after catch.

Payton’s Saints are a pass-first team on offense, so it makes perfect sense for the bread-and-butter of the team to be able to perform at a high level.

That’s why he brought in Morton, who certainly has the pedigree as a player and a coach including experience in two Super Bowls.

Morton played football collegiately at the University of Western Michigan in 1991-1992. He played professionally for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, and the World League’s Frankfurt Galaxy before landing on the practice squads of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

Morton joined the Raiders’ personnel department in 1997 becoming a senior offensive assistant/wide receivers’ coach in 2002. Notable receivers on that squad: Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. That Raiders team played in Super Bowl XXXVII, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2004 Morton coached receivers for Norv Turner’s Raiders.

A year later, Morton moved back to the collegiate ranks, coaching passing game and receivers for Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego. The USD Toreros played to an 11-1 record in 2005, winning the Pioneer League Championship.

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Sean Payton apparently took notice and scooped up Morton as an offensive assistant coach for his 2006 staff. Morton moved back to the West Coast the following year to coach under Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California as the passing-game coordinator, eventually being promoted to offensive coordinator.

He became OC in 2009 when Steve Sarkisian left to become the head coach at the University of Washington. He spent four years with the Trojans, leaving in 2011 to rejoin Jim Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers.

He guided the receiving corps for three years, including their 2013 Super Bowl campaign and three Conference Championship games. Noteworthy 49ers under his tutelage: Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree.

Morton’s experience, should, hopefully, translate to improvement for the Saints passing game.

Having worked alongside three significant coaches in Payton, Carroll, and Harbaugh, Morton knows what it takes to operate a winning program.

His style and record should be a positive change from Henry Ellard, who as a coach did not produce the expected high-end results with the Saints.

After repeatedly torching the Saints in his playing career for the Rams, Ellard in three seasons never provided a spark leading one of the NFL’s most prolific passing squads.

A fair number of Saints fans pine for the days under coach Curtis Johnson when the Saints receivers were known for getting open, catching and maintaining possession, and producing yards after catch/contact.

Johnson kept a watchful eye on the receivers, making sure routes were run properly and timely, often requiring more repetition after practice.

Based on past success,  Morton’s methods should be closer to that of Johnson’s, getting the most out of the talent available.

Don’t be shocked if the Saints select a wide receiver in the early rounds of this year’s draft. Unlikely in the first round, considering all the holes on defense, but we all know how coach Payton craves offensive weapons.

Nov 9, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches the ball to score a touchdown in front of San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jimmie Ward (25) during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton has never had a true Number 1 receiver, a guy that has speed, size, precision, and who is a nightmare after the catch.

I don’t see that guy in this year’s receiver crop, but maybe scouting chiefs Jim Ireland and Paul Zimmer already have him targeted.

We Saints fans cannot wait to see what could happen if Morton opens things up in the passing game. Two things the Saints have been lacking in the receiver department are separation and a harder up-field push.

Coupled with one of the league’s best passers in Drew Brees, it will be scary if Morton can help make that happen, . The outlook is positive, but this is a ‘wait-and-see’ proposition. Based on Morton’s history, it looks like he’s the man for the job.

Next week, I’ll take a closer look at the Saints new running backs coach, Joel Thomas.

Next: 40 AND MORE: Can Drew Brees Play Longer Than We Thought?