Five Moore Years of Lance with Saints

He creates separation. He is an aggressive returner. He brings ability and confidence to the game.

He is Lance Moore. And the wide receiver is back with the Saints, having signed a five-year deal last week.

The Toledo product has steadily climbed from the Saints' 2005 practice squad to one of Drew Brees' favorite targets. Injuries to Saints receivers thrust Moore into a starting role, and he responded to the challenge skillfully. In 2008, he was the Saints' leading receiver with 928 yards and 10 touchdowns on 79 catches.

He suffered through injuries in 2009, but had an equally strong year last season with 66 catches for 763 yards and eight touchdowns. Moreover, who could forget his electrifying two-point conversion catch, one of the highlights of the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV win?

Moore has proven he is a consistent receiver who can catch most of what is thrown to him, and sometimes what is not thrown to him.

"He's probably one of the most complete receivers we have on the team," Brees has said. "There's not a route he can't run. He's the total package."

Whether the Saints are 99 yards away from paydirt, in the red zone, or on the goal line, Moore is always a threat of scoring. I predict that prying Moore out of New Orleans' roux-stained hands after these next five years will be nearly impossible.

Last Friday, just two days after Lance announced he was re-signing with the Saints, I had the pleasure of conducting a phone interview with him:

Jennifer Trosclair: You've developed into a reliable target for Drew Brees. Can you describe the kind of work you put in with Drew to create this chemistry?

Lance Moore: I would best describe it as 'endless'. Something we developed a couple of years ago - going into practice early, leaving practice late. Just trying to get as many repetitions as we can so that we would always remain on the same page. Whether it be at practice or on game day, we try to be in sync.

JT: You are described by most as "down-to-earth" and "approachable." How do you maintain such a low profile even though you are a key player in the most prolific offense in the league?

LM: I guess just remembering where I came from and the hard work that it took for me to get to this point. There's no real way for me to change the way that I am. I guess I was always taught to be nice to people because you want people to be nice to you. (It is here that I interrupted with a laugh that I could not suppress. This is not an answer you would expect from someone who is arguably one of the top possession receivers in the league; only confirming the "down-to-earth" rumors.)

JT: In your Tweet on Wednesday, you took an obvious jab at former teammate, Reggie Bush, who used the same words, "It's been real New Orleans" when the Saints drafted Mark Ingram in April's draft. Have you talked to Reggie since he's decided to go to Miami?

LM: Oh yeah, I talk to Reggie every day since this free agency thing started. I wasn't trying to talk poorly or bring anything negative towards the situation, I was just trying to play off of it and be a little silly and make people think that I was leaving too.

JT: You've been referred to as the Wes Welker of the Saints and as "one of the most underrated players in the NFL". What is your reaction to these comments?

LM: First of all, the 'Wes Welker of the Saints' is an unbelievable thing, because if you look at his statistics over the last 3 or 4 years, he's got as many, if not more, catches than anybody in the league. So that's an awesome thing to be compared to, a player that's so great. As far as calling me 'one of the most underrated players in the league', it's just as great. I make sure I'm doing my job properly and I'm effective out there, but at the same time I'd like to not necessarily be one of those underrated players. I want to be one of those guys that everyone knows about. But, that just means I've got more work to do to make myself better.

JT: With kickoffs getting moved to the 35 yard line, does this affect the roster's plans? Because you have experience doing this, is it possible we will see you doing more special teams work?

LM: I think kickoff being moved up could potentially affect the game - absolutely. It will be easier for kickers to get touchbacks, and therefore, certain guys may not be able to be evaluated properly because they aren't getting that many returns in games.

JT: You haven't been going to the player organized practices, obviously because you weren't under contract. How does it feel not being a part of these practices? Were you training on your own?

LM: I was definitely training on my own and it was tough not to be here in New Orleans because you see Drew Brees and the guys here on tv all the time and just not to be around my teammates, it was tough. But, I had to take care of myself.