Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Copper thrilled to rejoin teammates
 |
| New Orleans Saints wide receiver Terrance Cooper (18) tries to regain his balance as he spins away from a defender in an afternoon passing drill at the New Orleans Saints football training camp at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., Saturday, July 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) |
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
CHARLOTTE -- Terrance Copper may have been “off the street,” but he was in street clothes Sunday. Four days after being released by the New Orleans Saints, Copper re-signed with the team Saturday in time for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. However, the fifth-year veteran was listed as inactive and he could only watch the Panthers pull away for a 30-7 win.
“It’s bittersweet being back,” Copper said. “I really pride myself on playing. We lost the game, but it does feel good to be back.”
Copper , a wide receiver and special teams ace, understood why the coaches didn’t play him after he missed several days of practice. Still, that didn’t make things any easier.
“I want to play,” said Copper, a former standout at Washington High School and East Carolina. “I have a love for this game. I don’t like to just sit around and watch.
“It’s definitely tough when you can’t do anything.”
Though Copper doesn’t have any receptions this year, after coming in with 46 catches for 600 yards and six touchdowns in his first four years in the NFL, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is glad Copper is on his team.
“Copper is awesome,” Brees said. “He’s a great teammate. The best way to categorize him is to say, he’s a football player. Whatever you ask him to do, he’ll do it.
“He plays special teams; he plays every receiver position and he’s just one of those guys that you can count on and you can trust. He’s tough and he’s a great teammate.”
While Copper didn’t contribute in Sunday’s game, his teammates were happy to see him rejoin the club.
“Anytime somebody close to you gets cut, it’s disappointing,” said Lance Moore, a receiver who assisted Copper at this summer’s Terrance Copper First Annual Football Camp. “You never really know what’s going to happen. It’s great to have him back, and I’m sure he’s happy to be back. We need to get him back in the rotation this week.”
Second-year receiver Robert Meacham, who also helped out at Copper’s camp, admires his fellow receiver.
“He’s like a big brother,” Meacham said. “When he was gone, you kept looking for him to walk in the room and he never walked in the room. When he walked into the locker room (Saturday) and we saw him, it was like, ‘wow, my brother is back.’ I was happy.”
Devery Henderson, another Saints receiver who assisted at Copper’s football camp, was happy to bond with his friend again.
“It was great,” Henderson said. “We all have a really close relationship. It kind of hurt us to see him go, but it’s always good when a guy like that rejoins us. I know he’s going to go out and continue doing what he’s been doing, which is giving it his all.”
Copper and the Saints (3-4) will look to bounce back Sunday against the San Diego Chargers (3-4), who fell 23-14 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“We just have to go back to the drawing board,” Copper said. “We have to work hard and refocus ourselves. We definitely have to eliminate the turnovers, and everything else will take care of itself.
“Every game is important, but this game is very important. We’re already under .500, so you want to get back to .500 and keep building.”
Immediately after Sunday’s game, the New Orleans coaches and players packed up their gear and boarded a plane headed for London. The Saints and Chargers will play at Wembley Stadium this Sunday.
Though a win would have made the long plane ride a bit easier to take, Copper said getting away could be good for the team.
“I think we have a little experience getting out of our comfort zone to go practice somewhere else and play,” Copper said. “We went to Indianapolis to practice (to avoid a hurricane) before we came back to play (Tampa Bay) at the beginning of the season and we came back victorious.”
Copper plans to enjoy his first venture overseas.
“I’m looking forward to sight-seeing a little bit,” Copper said. “I’ve never been out of the country before. Getting the opportunity to go to London is big for me.”
More than anything else, Copper is anxious to suit up and get on the field again for the Saints.
“It’s all about the love for the game,” Copper said. “If you don’t have the love, you’re not going to last very long. I love to play, I love the teammates that I have and I just love football.”
“It’s bittersweet being back,” Copper said. “I really pride myself on playing. We lost the game, but it does feel good to be back.”
Copper , a wide receiver and special teams ace, understood why the coaches didn’t play him after he missed several days of practice. Still, that didn’t make things any easier.
“I want to play,” said Copper, a former standout at Washington High School and East Carolina. “I have a love for this game. I don’t like to just sit around and watch.
“It’s definitely tough when you can’t do anything.”
Though Copper doesn’t have any receptions this year, after coming in with 46 catches for 600 yards and six touchdowns in his first four years in the NFL, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is glad Copper is on his team.
“Copper is awesome,” Brees said. “He’s a great teammate. The best way to categorize him is to say, he’s a football player. Whatever you ask him to do, he’ll do it.
“He plays special teams; he plays every receiver position and he’s just one of those guys that you can count on and you can trust. He’s tough and he’s a great teammate.”
While Copper didn’t contribute in Sunday’s game, his teammates were happy to see him rejoin the club.
“Anytime somebody close to you gets cut, it’s disappointing,” said Lance Moore, a receiver who assisted Copper at this summer’s Terrance Copper First Annual Football Camp. “You never really know what’s going to happen. It’s great to have him back, and I’m sure he’s happy to be back. We need to get him back in the rotation this week.”
Second-year receiver Robert Meacham, who also helped out at Copper’s camp, admires his fellow receiver.
“He’s like a big brother,” Meacham said. “When he was gone, you kept looking for him to walk in the room and he never walked in the room. When he walked into the locker room (Saturday) and we saw him, it was like, ‘wow, my brother is back.’ I was happy.”
Devery Henderson, another Saints receiver who assisted at Copper’s football camp, was happy to bond with his friend again.
“It was great,” Henderson said. “We all have a really close relationship. It kind of hurt us to see him go, but it’s always good when a guy like that rejoins us. I know he’s going to go out and continue doing what he’s been doing, which is giving it his all.”
Copper and the Saints (3-4) will look to bounce back Sunday against the San Diego Chargers (3-4), who fell 23-14 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“We just have to go back to the drawing board,” Copper said. “We have to work hard and refocus ourselves. We definitely have to eliminate the turnovers, and everything else will take care of itself.
“Every game is important, but this game is very important. We’re already under .500, so you want to get back to .500 and keep building.”
Immediately after Sunday’s game, the New Orleans coaches and players packed up their gear and boarded a plane headed for London. The Saints and Chargers will play at Wembley Stadium this Sunday.
Though a win would have made the long plane ride a bit easier to take, Copper said getting away could be good for the team.
“I think we have a little experience getting out of our comfort zone to go practice somewhere else and play,” Copper said. “We went to Indianapolis to practice (to avoid a hurricane) before we came back to play (Tampa Bay) at the beginning of the season and we came back victorious.”
Copper plans to enjoy his first venture overseas.
“I’m looking forward to sight-seeing a little bit,” Copper said. “I’ve never been out of the country before. Getting the opportunity to go to London is big for me.”
More than anything else, Copper is anxious to suit up and get on the field again for the Saints.
“It’s all about the love for the game,” Copper said. “If you don’t have the love, you’re not going to last very long. I love to play, I love the teammates that I have and I just love football.”
 |
||
| Panthers ‘Brees’ past Saints |
