The Saints took their sweet time hiring a replacement for former WR coach and current head football coach of the Tulane Green Wave Curtis Johnson. That man is now known and it’s Henry Ellard, former superstar receiver of the Los Angeles Rams. My memories of Ellard mostly associate themselves to playing Tecmo Super Bowl incessantly as a kid. That picture to the right is Ellard being hosted on the game after scoring a touchdown on the Saints. Back then the Saints played the Rams twice a year as they were both part of the NFC West. That Rams team featured Jim Everett at quarterback, who later had a decent run with the Saints, and both Ellard and Willie “Flipper” Anderson at receiver. Not only did both receivers often rip me a new one when I played against the Rams on that game (I always picked the Saints), they often ripped the Saints a new one in real life as well. While Ellard was always the more reliable and solid of the two, Flipper was the one who gave me my first Saints memory. In a game that went to overtime, Anderson helped the Rams win with an NFL record 336 yards receiving. To this day it’s the most embarrassing Saints performance defensively I’ve seen.
Anyway back to Ellard…
He played 11 solid years with the Rams before finishing his career with stints with the Redskins and Patriots. He finished his career playing 16 seasons, with 13,777 yards receiving, third all time. He also made 3 Pro Bowls with the Rams, and some have described his as one of the best ever. The guy was a baller and speaking strictly from his track record he’s as accomplished of a player as the Saints could sign to teach young receivers. He was also known as a terrific route runner and leader during his playing days.
As a coach, he was with the Rams for 8 seasons before coaching the Jets the last three years as their receiver’s coach. Now he’s a member of the New Orleans Saints staff. Personally, I’m thrilled to have a guy of his caliber on the staff. This is a bigger addition than it’s getting credit for. Kudos to the Saints for once again hiring quality coaches with elite pedigree. He’s a terrific replacement for Johnson who’s been an oustanding receiver coach in his own right.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
