By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
While his foot was throbbing as he stood on the sideline watching the final seconds of the NFC Championship Game tick off the clock, the pain wasn’t anything close to what Terrance Copper was feeling in his heart.
Copper watched as his New Orleans Saints lost 39-14 to the Chicago Bears on a snowy Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. The Saints packed up and headed for home after the game while the Bears prepared to leave for Miami to face the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.
Copper, who started the game and finished with three catches for 29 yards, said turnovers proved costly in the game.
Copper said he and his teammates felt as though they let down their fans, especially those in New Orleans still suffering from the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. However, the players saw their spirits rise when their plane landed back home.
The Saints’ players met with the coaching staff for the final time on Monday.
Copper, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints at the beginning of the season, will have to wait a couple months to see if he’ll be a part of the team again. The third-year pro will be a restricted free agent after February.
He played his first two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys under Bill Parcells, who announced his retirement on Monday.
Copper is coming off a career year, finishing with 27 catches for 415 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, he has 35 receptions for 506 yards and four touchdowns.
The former Washington High School and East Carolina University standout, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game after reinjuring his foot, will take some time off before he begins working out in preparation for next season.
Copper will rejoin the Saints for camp in April.