The poetry amid the violence is noticeable when it comes to Devaughn Vele.
The full-body layout catches on Sunday — a 1-yarder for a touchdown to pull the Saints to within 21-14 in the third quarter against Detroit, and a 31-yarder on third-and-5 in the fourth quarter that extended the drive which led to Daniel Carlson's 28-yard field goal to pull New Orleans to within 21-17 — were worthy of being hung in Sunday's NFL Louvre of receptions.
Vele had a simple explanation for it.
"I think the best way to put it into words is, Coach Dub (receivers coach Keith Williams) be telling us to fall in love with the ball," he said. "And so when the ball's in the air, you kind of just forget everything else that's going on — where the defender is, where you are on the field.
"You just fall in love with the ball and make sure that all you care about is catching that ball and having possession of it."
There isn't much doubting Vele's love for the ball after he reeled in seven of nine targets for 69 yards and the touchdown in New Orleans' 31-30, overtime loss to the Lions. It was reminiscent of the four-game stretch he posted last year – 19 catches on 26 targets for 239 yards and a touchdown — before he sat out the last three games with an injury.
"I figure it's just right time, right opportunity," he said. "(Saints quarterback Tyler) Shough giving me the opportunity to make a play and I made a play. Obviously, we wanted to win but there's things that we can build off of from the film."
For Vele, that means a continuation of building off the chemistry he has established with Shough, whom he credited with generating New Orleans' second-half run against the Lions. The Saints outscored Detroit 30-10 after falling behind 21-0 in the third quarter.
"I think I've got to give credit to Shough," Vele said. "The first half wasn't the best as an offensive unit as a whole, but the way he responded, his maturity, his leadership, it goes a long way to show how far he has come in the few snaps that he has had, the few games he has under his belt. I'm excited for him."
And, he said, for the offense as a whole. The Saints registered 358 yards in the second half and scored on four consecutive possessions to lift themselves into overtime.
"I think the biggest thing we took from this is we've just got to start fast," Vele said. "I know that's going to be a theme for this week. If we are that same football team in the second half in the first half, I think the game is a totally different outcome. We understand that as an offensive unit.
"With how well the defense was playing, we have to do our part in carrying our burden and making sure we start fast. If we want to be able to play in the playoffs and make a run deep in the playoffs, that's where it's going to start."
