Emmanuel Sanders scored a touchdown in his first game with the New Orleans Saints and caught three passes.
But the veteran receiver made it clear this week that despite getting off to a quick start, he’s still not completely acclimated to the Saints offense.
“Obviously, I would be lying to you guys if I say, yeah, I am 100 percent comfortable,” he said. “But I know, week-by-week, I am going to get more and more comfortable with the personnel, with the plays and everything.
“And so I am looking forward to this upcoming game to see if I can get that 85 to 90 and week-by-week, just like I said, just keep progressing.”
Sanders said New Orleans’ offense “is not an easy” one which one of the reasons he thinks the Saints have had so much success in the passing game.
“You move around a lot, different splits, different personnels (groupings), it's a lot of moving pieces,” he said. “And so, it can definitely make your head spin. But, you know, I'm starting to grasp it more and more."
Sanders said one area he still adjusting too is the way the Saints use their personnel.
“I think the first game kind of caught me off guard with the amount of personnel that we use,” he said. “We have over 15 personnel packages, you know. And you know, some plays I'm in, some plays I'm out.
“So, some plays they're calling the personnel and I have to remember, like, am I in on that personnel? Or am I not in on that personnel? And sometimes I get caught up like, like having to think.”
Sanders who’s played with the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers throughout his career said most teams he’s been on don’t use that many.
“Most of the time, you've got three wide receivers, that's a three receiver personnel. You've got two wide receivers, that's a two wide receiver. If you've got one, that's one and that's it,” he said. “Most teams have probably about six personnels (groupings), here you've got a lot.”
Sanders said he’s focused on quickly adjusting as he’s seen how this offense produces.
“They try to get guys in the right position to make the best plays possible,” Sanders said. “And so, they've been having a lot of success with it."
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver should see lots of snaps Monday night when the Saints take on the Raiders, as the team will be without Michael Thomas who is recovering from an ankle injury.
Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. on WWL Radio and ESPN.
