Saints Tight End Jimmy Graham Still Fan Favorite Despite Arrest After Rejoining Team For 'Leadership'

NEW ORLEANS - Notre Dame has Touchdown Jesus.

And the New Orleans Saints have Touchdown Jimmy Graham.

The prodigal tight end on his second Saints stint went all Moonlight Graham about two weeks ago when the Saints held joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers before their preseason game on Aug. 20 in Inglewood.

Saints Tight End Coming Back Strong, Still Popular

Hold off on the "joint" jokes, but Newport Beach Police did pick Graham up for erratic jogging in and out of traffic on Friday evening Aug. 18. Police arrested Graham, 36, on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance after spotting him moving into traffic and appearing disoriented.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham scores a touchdown against Baltimore in the 2014 season at the Superdome. (Getty Images).

This after Graham was coming off his two best practices, Saints coach Dennis Allen said after the Saints lost to Houston, 17-13, in the final preseason game of the season Sunday night in the Superdome.

JIMMY GRAHAM SAID TO HAVE 'MEDICAL EPISODE'

"Really, probably since the Chargers practices, I started to see some signs of the mental picture I have of Jimmy Graham," Allen said. "Again, I saw it this week in practice, and I saw it carry over into the game. That's a positive."

When Graham signed with the Saints last July after a year off due to a leg injury from a motorcycle accident, it was not a given that he would make the team. With final cuts due Tuesday, it appears now he is a lock.

New Orleans Fans Erupt After Graham Catches

Graham caught three passes for 34 yards and a 3-yard touchdown in the Saints' 17-13 loss to Houston Sunday night in the Superdome. And the crowd went wild with each catch and after the touchdown. It was just like the old days for Graham, who caught 51 touchdowns for the Saints from 2010-14, mostly from quarterback Drew Brees. He was one of the team's most popular players.

"He's a living legend," Saints backup quarterback Jameis Winston said Sunday after completing 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards and the touchdown to Graham. "It's a blessing to be able to throw him the ball and watch him go up there and make special catches."

After touchdowns in his first five seasons with the Saints from 2010-14, the 6-foot-7 Graham liked to dunk the ball over the crossbar of the goalposts. He did play basketball for four seasons for the Miami Hurricanes. Graham averaged 6 points and 4.9 rebounds in the 2007-08 season and 4 points and 5.9 rebounds in the 2008-09 season. In one season of football at Miami in 2009, he caught 17 passes for 273 yards and five touchdowns.

Jimmy Graham Reminds Saints Fans Of Glory Days

Then-Saints coach Sean Payton - always looking for an offense toy - took him in the third round in 2010. And the rest is history. Jimmy Graham caught 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns in the 2011 season when Payton directed one of the greatest offenses in NFL history. That Saints team still holds the NFL record for most all-purpose yards with 7,474.

Graham's 1,310 receiving yards that season was second all-time among tight ends until 2018. His 16 touchdowns in 2013 remains the second most for an NFL tight end in a season. In 2014, the NFL banned Graham's patented dunks. Graham's last touchdown for the Saints before Sunday came on a 4-yard pass from Brees on Dec. 21, 2014, in a loss to Atlanta in the Superdome.

Graham's touchdown Sunday brought him back.

Jimmy Graham celebrates a TD catch versus Buffalo in the Superdome during 2013 season. (Getty Images).

"It just reminded me of all the amazing moments I had here in front of these fans, with my teammates and coaching staff, so many special moments and wins," he said. "I'm looking forward to continuing to capitalize and let this feeling become even bigger. It's been an amazing training camp, and I can't say enough about how good this team is at every position and how awesome iron sharpening iron is."

New Orleans Opens Regular Season On Sept. 10

Graham made that comment to a member of the Saints media relations department. He was not made available to reporters. That could come next week as the Saints prepare for their regular season opener against Tennessee (1 p.m., CBS) in the Superdome on Sept. 10.

"It was nice to see Jimmy have a couple of nice catches, contested catches," Allen said.

Allen was the Saints' secondary coach in Graham's rookie season in New Orleans in 2010 and was happy to welcome him back this summer.

"I think he provides a lot of leadership for us," Allen said last week. "We've got some fairly young players in that tight end room. Jimmy's a guy that's been around a long time and has been a part of some really good teams. And he played the position at a high level for a long time, so he understands the game. He understands what it takes to be on a competitive team. So that's been important for us."