Here’s a great nugget from Marques Colston’s appearance on the NewOrleans.Football podcast — when discussing the state of his old New Orleans Saints team and rookie draft pick A.T. Perry (who has drawn a lot of comparisons to Colston in recent weeks), Colston noted that he and Perry have more in common than you’d first expect. As a former seventh-round pick from Hofstra, Colston empathizes with Perry as a sixth rounder and fellow late-round pick who uses rare size and strength to win their matchups.
“The funny connection is his offensive coordinator there, Warren Ruggiero, was my offensive coordinator at Hofstra my last few years there,” Colston said. “So when I would watch A.T. play, it looked very, very familiar. Similar offense, similar skill set, body build.”
Ruggiero is an interesting figure in the college football landscape — 57 years old, he’s the offensive coordinator and play caller at Wake Forest with decades of experience at the college level. In addition to Hofstra, he’s also coached at William & Mary, Elon, Kansas State, and Bowling Green while sending players to the pros like Josh Freeman, John Wolford, Jamie Newman, and soon, Sam Hartman. Not to mention Colston, the Saints’ all-time leader in receptions (711), receiving yards (9,759), and touchdown catches (72).
But it’s not like Colston immediately found success in New Orleans. After his own rough start, he didn’t expect he’d last until training camp: “At rookie minicamp I thought for sure I’d get cut. We had a three-day minicamp and I practiced for maybe half of the first day and was injured the rest of the time. So I came out of rookie minicamp thinking I was going to get cut. Came out of OTA’s not feeling really good about any chance I had on making the roster.
“So coming into training camp, my sole purpose was to survive. So from the day we got to Millsaps (College in Jackson, Miss.) I was in survival mode. It was a blessing in disguise for me because I didn’t allow myself to see anything going around me. As the depth chart started moving around, I was oblivious to it. I was in survival mode for six weeks straight.”
That’s a lesson he’d like to impart to Perry. The rookie had a couple of dropped passes in the team’s latest minicamp practices, but that’s something Colston said shouldn’t weigh too heavily on him. The rookie will have ample opportunities to stand out over the summer. He says Perry should keep his chin up and move with confidence and self-assurance.
Colston continued, “So what I would tell him is ‘Just be you.’ I know we take a lot of stock in these draft picks and draft positions, at the end of the day there’s 1,800 people who get to do this. And if you’re in the top 1,800 in the world, in any industry, you’re doing alright.”
This was a really great and insightful interview, so be sure to give it a listen. Colston shared his thoughts on Pete Carmichael Jr., Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and the state of the team moving forward, as well as the various ventures he’s pursued since hanging up his cleats. The “Quiet Storm” is still rolling.
