"Long passing gains were a fixture with the Saints for first 13 games of the season.

New Orleans players routinely raced past defenders for huge gains, making the offense nearly impossible to defense.

But those explosive plays all but came to a halt during the Saints' final three games.

That stretch of big-play futility coincided with the absence of starting tight end Jeremy Shockey, who suffered a toe injury Dec. 13 and missed the final three games.

"The importance of a tight end with what we do -- both in the run game and the pass game -- is significant," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "Whether it's in the intermediate routes or down the field more, those are both things that factor into what we do passing the ball."

The Saints should be able to do more now that Shockey is healthy and eagerly awaiting his return against the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC divisional playoff game at the Superdome on Saturday.

Shockey, 6 feet 5, 251 pounds, caught 48 passes for 569 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. But his impact is bigger than just receptions and yardage.

Several players credited Shockey with opening up lanes for big plays by pulling the safety away from the Saints' speedy receivers.

"Shockey has been a good tight end in this league for a long time, so you got to keep an eye on him," said Saints tight end Billy Miller, who spent the season on injured reserve. "A lot of times you get a tight end in an offense where there are so many other threats that you can pay less attention to him. But what he brings, you have to put a guy on him, a guy to watch him, or maybe double-team him, which gives our receivers the ability to make more plays. "