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Saints Training Camp Reports


rajncajn
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That's a real shame, he was getting off to a pretty good start.

 

Missing a year for a broken foot seemed a little odd for me.... I guess they figure he might be too far behind missing the rest of camp/preseason. This way they can keep him on the team and free up a roster spot at the same time?

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Missing a year for a broken foot seemed a little odd for me.... I guess they figure he might be too far behind missing the rest of camp/preseason. This way they can keep him on the team and free up a roster spot at the same time?

Sums it up pretty well & they don't have to worry about losing him off waivers if they wanted to put him on the practice squad.

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What's Arrington looking like so far?

I haven't had a chance to look at the reports today, but to date Arrington has been playing really well & there have been comparisons to another surprise 7th round draft pick. If he keeps it up he may not start, but he'll definitely make the roster & may even be looking at the #3 or 4 spot.

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From the Offense

8:57 a.m. The two receivers injured in practice yesterday afternoon are sitting out this morning's workout. Devery Henderson, who hurt his hamstring, is here in shorts and his jersey, but no pads. Todd Blythe, who took a shot to the head, is in the same attire and standing off to the side.

 

9:06 a.m. Before his injury, Henderson was getting some looks with the first team offense, especially in the three receiver sets. From the early drills today it looks like Terrance Copper is taking over that spot.

 

9:19 a.m. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 100's today but right now it's clear skies, pretty hot, but there is a little breeze to make it manageable.

 

9:22 a.m. Deuce McAllister is working out in full pads this morning, this is the first time all camp that we've seen Deuce go in back to back practices.

9:30 a.m. The wideouts are working on getting separation off the line of scrimmage against the DB's. While Robert Meachem and Adrian Arrington are having a nice camp so far, they are the one's struggling in this drill a little bit. Hard to believe with guys their size.

 

9:34 a.m. Drew Brees is such a perfectionist. He missed a handoff to McAllister and slammed his hand against the ball, showing the most emotion I've seen from him all camp.

 

9:49 a.m. While Adrian Arrington may be going through the rookie learning curve with some of the fundamentals, the guy is a playmaker. He just beat Aaron Glenn on a deep ball and laid out to make a spectacular catch.

 

9:53 a.m. Lance Moore is not going to outrun anybody, and has a tough time creating separation but somehow the guys seems to catch any ball that comes his way.

 

9:56 a.m. In the receiver drills going on, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush are even lining up on the outside and working on going out in patterns.Bush does'nt look completely comfortable yet, while Shockey is just such a beast he creates space to make the catch almost every time.

 

10:15 Special teams drills just finished up. Steve Weatherford, the teams punter the past two seasons, continues to look pretty good but is being challenged by rookie Walter Prather.

 

10:27 a.m. In red-zone work, Billy Miller just made a nice catch in traffic on a pass from Brees. With Eric Johnson being cut three days ago, Miller becomes probably the second best pass catching tight end behind Shockey. Mark Campbell is not bad but his specialty is as a blocker.

 

10:30 a.m. Terrance Copper continues to get reps with the first team as Devery Henderson sits this practice out, but Copper just dropped a pass on a quick slant pattern.

 

10:43 a.m. Offense struggling some in red zone drills. Brees was intercepted on one pass and flushed out of the pocket and forced to throw the ball away on another. Deuce is getting a good amount of carries down inside the five and the Saints missed his presence in those situations last season.

 

10:49 a.m. Tyler Palko is not helping his cause as he's been intercepted the past two plays in the end zone.

 

10:51 a.m. They just tried a little tight end screen, Brees hit Shockey and then Will Smith hit Shockey. The play didn't work too well. Practice is close to over, so we'll be back in just a little bit with notes from the team and then we'll be back with live updates this afternoon at 4:20 p.m.

 

Press Conference Tidbits:

 

-The latest on Devery Henderson is that he strained his hamstring and is only suffering from moderate swelling. That said Coach Payton believes he will be out at least a week. Payton also added that Henderson is not at a position where the team knows what they have in him. Bad news for a guy that has under performed in his four year career and is in a battle to make the team as a receiver.

-The other receiver who sat out this morning, Todd Blythe, will likely miss this afternoon's practice and then return tomorrow. Blythe took a shot to the head on Sunday. The team believes it may have been a mild concussion but nothing too serious.

 

-Staying with the receivers, we spoke with rookie Adrian Arrington after practice. The 7th round pick has been a pleasant surprise in camp so far, making big play after big play. Arrington believes he's starting to get adjusted to the game speed and more importantly is recognizing defenses before the play. The Michigan product says he's hitting the playbook hard at night and trying to learn a lot from the older receives like David Patten and Marques Colston.

 

-As for the overall assessment of today's first workout, Coach Payton says the offense struggled in the beginning and from our vantage point we agree. The defense was more impressive, so we'll see how the offense responds this afternoon. Payton says there will be an emphasis on red zone offense in this next practice. Of course we'll keep you up to date with live reports starting at 4:20 p.m.

 

Defensive notes

Saints Training Camp in Jackson: Defense Day Five, Practice One

By Kristina Pink

 

Story Created: Jul 28, 2008

 

Story Updated: Jul 28, 2008

 

FOX 40 is back with more live updates for you on Day Five of Saints Training Camp.

 

9:08 AM The players are doing walk-thrus. Tracy Porter is noticeably sidelined today. The rookie suffered a hamstring injury on the same play that WR Devery Henderson got hurt in yesterday's afternoon session.

 

9:24 AM The players just through with warm-ups. The usual guys are out (Mike McKenzie and Josh Bullocks.) However, defensive tackle Brian Young is back on the field after sitting out several practices to tend to a lingering knee injury.

 

9:37 AM Young doesn't looked to be bothered to much by the knee in drills, even though its his first practice in a while.

 

9:50 AM Simoneau is back out with the first-team defense again, instead of Jonathan Vilma. Payton's been rotating the two in and out all camp. He says he's trying to create competition. But I don't think there's a doubt in anyone's mind Vilma will be the starter, just needs to learn the system.

9:58 AM Usama Young continues to impress. Young has stopped his receiver back-to-back times during one-on-one drills, first an interception covering Adrian Arrington, then a pass breakup.

10:15 AM It's a scorcher! It feels like its already 100 degrees out here. Special teams is working out right now, while some of the guys have retreated to the cooling tent.

 

10:38 AM Randall Gay is back with the first team, and just picked off Drew Brees.

10:48 AM Back to back interceptions for the third team defense in the endzone.

 

11:04 AM Practice just wrapped, I'll be back with notes after Coach Payton's presser.

 

Press Conference Tidbits:

 

-CB Mike McKenzie is expected to participate in his first practice this afternoon.

 

-There's no time frame as to when Rookie CB Tracy Porter will start practicing again. Porter had relatively no swelling, and they'll continue to rehab him.

 

-Bobby McCray suffered some back spasms.

 

-After a great morning practice, Usama Young and he is feeling a lot more confident. Payton said Young is right in the thick of the cornerback competition, and he's definitely someone they're going to continue to look at.

 

-There is no new information about Sedrick Ellis or his holdout, but Coach Payton seems pretty irritated with the fact that he's missing so much practice.

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Altogether Usama Young had 3 INTs this morning. :wacko:

 

I hope that's good news for the defense & not bad for the offense. :D

 

 

This may answer that qusetion. :D

 

10:49 a.m. Tyler Palko is not helping his cause as he's been intercepted the past two plays in the end zone.

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I've got another more detailed report from the AM practice, but I want to get the posters permission before I copy it here. If you want to see it you can go to saintsreport.com & look in the Saints Superforum.

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Rajn covered some of this already a few posts up but here's the full recap of Monday's practices...

 

Monday 7/28 Wrap Up - Offense

 

-The hottest day of camp is over and it wasn't the best day for the offense. The group struggled in the morning session and then the defense picked up the intensity on them even more in the afternoon practice. It was a day when some of the young receivers got a chance to work in with the first team, most notably Robert Meachem and Lance Moore. Moore remains fairly consistent while Meachem is still hot and cold with his performance.

 

-The reason these guys were getting reps with a different unit was because of the injury suffered by Devery Henderson on Sunday. Coach Payton told us that Henderson hurt his hamstring but the prognosis is relatively good since their was only moderate swelling. Saying that, Henderson is expected to be out at least a week. Henderson is a guy who's underachieved in his four year career and Payton even said today they're not sure what they've got in him. Basically, he needs to be proving himself in practice if he wants to make this team.

 

-Also this afternoon David Patten did not practice. That's the first time the veteran receiver has not participated in a full workout.

 

-Rookie receiver Todd Blythe is another guy who did not go today. Blythe had his "bell rung" on Sunday, but is expected to be back in action Tuesday.

 

-While we're talking receivers, we talked with rookie Adrian Arrington today. The 7th round pick has been a pleasant surprise in camp so far, making big play after big play. Arrington believes he's starting to get adjusted to the game speed and more importantly is recognizing defenses before the play. The Michigan product says he's hitting the playbook hard at night and trying to learn a lot from the older receivers like David Patten and Marques Colston.

 

-This is the time in camp where players really are tested. Tuesday they'll be coming off a day in which both practices were brutally hot. There is also very little light at the end of the tunnel because they won't get a true break until Sunday.

 

Monday 7/28 Wrap Up - Defense

It was a great morning for the defense, and it continued to get better as the team got veteran cornerback Mike McKenzie back this afternoon. McKenzie tore his ACL in the 2007 season finale. McKenzie says he felt very little pain, and he felt like he could make most of his cuts and breaks, but would have to watch film later to make sure he wasn't favoring one leg or another.

 

Also spoke with defensive end Bobby McCray about those back spasms Coach Payton said he had in the earlier morning practice. McCray acted like it was nothing and said it was just his muscles tightening a bit.

 

Second year cornerback Usama Young stole the spotlight this morning, in 11-on-11 drills he made a couple of great plays in the red-zone. Young also played well in one-on-one drills beating his receiver both times.

 

"Today was just one of those days." he said "I was just feeling really good, definitely a different level of confidence."

 

Finally, Head coach Sean Payton is obviously frustrated with the fact that his first-round draft pick is missing so much practice. There isn't any new information about contract talks with the Sedrick Ellis, but seeing as how all the six picks before him have signed, most people expected him to be in camp by now.

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Tuesday 7/29 Wrap Up - Offense

 

Tuesday's morning session really had very little to write about so we'll focus on what went on Tuesday evening. It was a perfect night as the Saints went under the lights at Memorial Stadium for the most comfortable practice, as far as temperature, since camp started. The nice conditions did not equal stellar results.

 

-The first team offense was very inconsistent and the frustration could be heard from Drew Brees. Really the third team guys, led by Tyler Palko, moved the ball more effectively than the other units.

 

-Big plays were made by Palko as he hit Skyler Green and Todd Blythe with deep passes of more than 50 yards. Deuce McAllister had a nice run as well, drawing a huge "Deeuuuccee" chant from the fans. Also, that guy Adrian Arrington made a couple of tough grabs that very few receivers on this team could make besides Marques Colston.

 

-We had another injury this evening with 2nd year running back Chris Barclay going down after running out for a pass. Barclay was carried off the field, putting no pressure on his injured leg and then was carted to the locker room. This injury didn't look good, we'll find out how severe it is tomorrow.

 

-We also talked with backup QB Mark Brunell who shared this interesting note. Brunell, a 13 year veteran, says he has never been to a training camp where the team was only carrying three quarterbacks. This is something to watch as all three guys will be taking more reps because of that and possibly wearing out their arms. Brunell added that he is now serving as Palko's "big brother" offering the other lefty QB on the team lots of advice.

 

Tuesday 7/29 Wrap Up - Defense

 

The Saints focused mainly on special teams in the earlier practice so here's what happened in the evening.

 

-First round pick Sedrick Ellis has finally agreed to terms with the team. The defensive tackles has missed six days and 12 practices while holding out during contract negotitians. Ellis was the seventh pick overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. Ellis will be on the field for the Saints only practice Wednesday at 4:20 pm. Saints vice president and general manager Mickey Loomis spoke after the night practice and expressed his frustration with the length of time it took to get the deal done and his absence from camp.

 

"It's going to set him back." Loomis said, "He's got a lot of catching up to do."

 

- The Saints held their first night practice of the season. Practice lasted about two hours on the grassy field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Linebacker Scott Fujita said playing under the lights reminded the players of Friday nights in high school.

 

-CB Mike McKenzie practiced for the second time in training camp.

 

- DT Hollis Thomas sat out practice again, even though Payton had said earlier in the day he would play. Other defensive players to sit out the evening practice were CB Tracy Porter, DE Bobby McCray, and LB Jonathan Vilma.

Edited by myhousekey
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Wednesday 7/30 Wrap Up - Offense

 

First time all camp the Saints have had only one practice in a day. Coming off the nighttime workout on Tuesday, the team just took the field this afternoon. It may have been the hottest practice of camp, paired with the humidity that followed an afternoon shower, it was a sweat box.

 

-Roster notes: running back Chris Barclay, who twisted his knee Tuesday night, was cut.

 

-Injury updates: Deuce McAllister and Jeremy Shockey did not practice today. Coach Payton says there's no setback in their recovery, but he is just monitoring each very carefully. It has yet to be determined if McAllister and Shockey will take part in the scrimmage on Saturday. Devery Henderson, who has a grade 1 hamstring injury, remains out and will not take place in the scrimmage on Saturday and may not play in the first pre-season game next Thursday. Towards the end of today's practice right tackle Jon Stinchcomb tweaked his shoulder but Payton does not believe it is serious.

 

-Payton said that for the second straight day the defense has looked a lot better than the offense. He acknowledged that it's tough for an offensive-minded head coach to accept that, but maybe it's good if the defense is improving.

 

Wednesday 7/30 Wrap Up - Defense

 

The Saints only practice today was delayed by the rain.

 

-The Saints waived Safety Tuff Harris and signed first round pick DT Sedrick Ellis.

 

- CB Tracy Porter and CB Mike McKenzie did not practice. Coach Payton says he intends to move slowly when it comes to practice and preseason for both these players.

 

-Sedrick Ellis didn't do anything spectacular today at practice, but it was an overall good day for the defense once again. The man is defiinitely fast, and head coach Sean Payton said he picks up pretty well and he's fairly sharp, saying "his learning ability is a strength of his."

 

-Due to some technical difficulties I couldn't get all of my posts up during the team drills, but here are a couple of notable defensive plays that I observed while unable to update:

 

DT Antwan Lake sacked Drew Brees in the backfield.

 

LB Marvin Mitchell deflected a pass that lead to DT Kendrick Clancy intercepting the ball.

 

DE Bobby McCray batted down a Mark Brunell pass

Edited by myhousekey
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Thursday 7/31 Wrap Up - Offense

 

Day eight of training camp is in the books and it was a pretty calm day which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The team's key offensive players remain injury free and strides keep being made leading up to Saturday's scrimmage, which will really show how much progress is being made.

 

The morning session focused mainly on special teams. Rookie kicker Taylor Mehlhaff had a good day showing off his leg strength on kickoffs and accuracy of field goals.

 

Reggie Bush struggled catching punts but Coach Payton says he is not worried and remains confident putting him back there. Bush did look good running the ball during the afternoon practice.

 

The second session also saw some nice catches from Robert Meachem, Billy Miller and Todd Blythe. Adrian Arrington, a standout most of camp, brought his butterfingers to the field this afternoon, dropping two passes.

 

We also got a good look at the offensive lineman in one-on-one drills and rookie Carl Nicks continues to catch the attention of the coaches, in a good way.

 

-For the first time since the first day of camp, Drew Brees spoke to the media. One of the first questions asked was how he was holding up with only three quarterbacks in camp. Brees says that it's not affecting him, he can't tell any difference and he feels he's getting the right amount of throws. Brees commented on the battle for receiver spots and highlighted Meachem and Arrington as two guys that are standing out. He says Meachem looks so much more comfortable in his second year and Arrington is a guy that continues to show up on film making catches and doing all the little things well. I asked him how the relationship with Jeremy Shockey was after just a week and he said that he can already tell Shockey is a tenacious player, who puts a lot of passion into the game and he looks forward to building that relationship throughout the year. Brees finished his interview by saying the goatee he's growing and shaggy hair is just part of his training camp ensemble.

 

Thursday 7/31 Wrap Up - Defense

 

The Saints saved their most physical practice of training camp for this afternoon. After a light morning walk-thru mainly for special teams, the players brought the pads out for the later session and actually needed them for the first time in camp. The players were allowed to hit at certain portions of practice. The most intense drill came in a one-on-one blocking drill that had the wide receivers against the defensive backs, and the tight ends against the linebackers, all with a running back behind them. But they turned the intensity up a notch with the lineman. They squared up one-on-one, withthe entire team and all of the coaches gathered around them them on the field. DT Hollis Thomas and DE Charles Grant were two of the standouts in the drill, but it was pretty exciting overall.

 

After missing a week of two-a-days, Sedrick Ellis graded him self at 70% for his second day of practice with the team. Right now, Ellis says he's 305 lbs, but says he'd like to get down to 300 lbs. Ellis admitted he was a little fatigued towards the end of practice saying he's got some more conditioning work to do. He did have some bright spots throughout today's practice. During one of the blocking drills, Ellis used a spin move to get around his guy.

 

"I know my role." said Elllis "Wherever they put me, I'm going to try to help the team to the best of my ability."

 

There were some NFL officials who took part in today's practice. The officials will be at camp for the next few practices to help educate the players and coaches on some of the new rules and clarify some of the existing ones.

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Friday 8/1 Wrap Up - Offense

 

Unfortunately we didn't get to see much from the Saints this morning as rain and lightning cut off practice less than an hour in. The clouds did clear and allowed the team to practice this afternoon. It wasn't an all out go as the guys were just in shorts and spamshirts, no pads. What we did get out of today was impressive showings by receivers Lance Moore and Robert Meachem. Moore made three nice grabs in the morning session on deep balls, while it was Meachem stealing the show in the afternoon. Coach Payton said today that Moore is consistent, has sure hands and is pretty much always where he's supposed to be on plays. As for Meachem, Payton said he is encouraged by his progress and that his conditioning level is getting where it needs to be.

 

-Injury updates: Jeremy Shockey did not work out at all today. That's three straight days he's been held back. Payton continues to say that Shockey has suffered no setbacks in his recovery and they are just monitoring his snaps since it's still early in camp. The new tight end will not take part in Saturday's scrimmage but he may see the field in the first pre-season game next Thursday.

 

-Marques Colston did not practice this afternoon because of soreness in his left knee but is expected to get some work tomorrow. Martin Gramatica missed some of the afternoon practice due to a kidney stone. Devery Henderson is still out with the hamstring injury.

 

-The fullback position in football is usually not a glamorous one. Saying that, the Saints fullback Mike Karney is a fan favorite. Karney has been a strong force for the New Orleans offense the past four seasons and will again have a big role in 2008. Karney willingly accepts his role and lists the priorities of his job as 1) taking out LB's in the hole 2) helping offensive lineman by getting chip blocks on pass rushers 3) catching passes out in the flat. Many fans remember the night that his 3rd priority turned into his 1st, when he scored three TD's in a game vs. Dallas in 2006. Karney doesn't know if he'll ever have that big a role in the offensive game plan again, even equating that performance to a no-hitter in baseball, as to how rare it was. This camp Karney has shown up about 10 pounds lighter than he was a year ago. The weight loss is something Coach Payton and him discussed in the off-season. When I asked him how much different that 10 pounds makes, he said a lot, especially right now in training camp when he doesn't want to be carrying any extra weight around. It should also allow him to be more agile and fit the role he played two years ago.

 

Friday 8/1 Wrap Up - Defense

 

Lightning forced the Saints to cut their morning practice short on Day Nine, but they returned to the practice field in the afternoon for their final practice before Saturday's scrimmage.

 

CB Mike McKenzie took part in a few drills, but was limited and sat out the team drills. Tracy Porter continues to sit out practice while nursing a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Brian Young missed practice to attend a funeral, but Coach Sean Payton said he probably wouldn't have practiced anyway. Young is expected to return to the team tomorrow evening and will miss the scrimmage. Payton also said that Porter, Young and McKenzie would not participate in tomorrow's scrimmage.

 

Payton says the defense has improved overall as a whole, however today may not have been the best example of that. Drew Brees' arm and the offense definitely outshined the defense in first-team drills. On one play in particular, Brees hit Robert Meachem 40 yards down on the right side in between tight coverage from Usama Young and Roman Harper. That was pretty much the trend for the afternoon. Also, CB Wale Dada and WR Todd Blythe got into a mini-fight during team drills. They hit each other a few times and then walked away.

Edited by myhousekey
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Saturday 8/2 Scrimmage Notes - Offense

 

2:09 p.m. As expected, Jeremy Shockey will not be on the field. Coach Payton said yesterday Marques Colston would get some work but he's only out here in shorts and no pads. Payton also said Deuce McAllister would sit out but he is in pads and we'll see how much playing time he gets.

 

2:25 p.m. The team just went through some light drills and now Gramatica and Mehlhaff are kicking field goals. Gramatica goes 3 for 4, Mehlhaff 4 for 4.

 

2:30 p.m. Now they're live. First play, Reggie Bush gets the handoff and tries the right side for no gain.

 

2:31 p.m. Brees' pass to Terrance Copper is incomplete. On 3rd and 10 Brees finds a wide open Lance Moore for 17 yards and a first down.

 

2:32 p.m. Brees throws one right through the hands of David Patten. On 2nd and 10 from their own 47, Brees a quick comeback pass to Patten, another drop. 3rd down Brees does complete a pass to Patten for 12 yards and first down.

 

2:34 p.m. Handoff to Bush for no gain. Finally, Reggie bursts through the middle for 8 yards. Another 3rd down, Bush goes for about a yard but it's good enough to move the chains.

 

2:35 p.m. Nice little pass to Aaron Stecker in the flat, first down. Then a give to Stecker for 3 yards, ball sits on the 17 yard line. Brees tries to find Mark Campbell, incomplete. 3rd down Brees lays a beautiful ball up to Lance Moore, leaping grab for a touchdown.

 

2:37 p.m. The first offense goes 70 yards in 13 plays for a TD, capped off by a 17 yard scoring strike from Brees to Moore.

 

2:52 p.m. In between series this is kickoff work and Skyler Green just did what he had to in order to make the team. Green took the ball and find a hole along the right side, made one move back to the middle of the field and was gone for the score.

 

3:07 p.m. The ball placed on the 40 yard line of the defense. First play is play action and Mark Campbell drops the pass from Brees. Reggie Bush up the middle for 1. Brees avoids the pressure and throws to Lance Moore, he drops it. Reset the chains back at the 40.

 

3:10 p.m. On first down Bush goes for 3 yards up the middle. Brees steps up and throws deep down the middle for Moore, too deep. Great catch by Patten, had to adjust to a ball underthrown, first down.

 

3:12 p.m. First down Bush almost breaks one but is grabbed by the jersey after a 3 yard gain. Brees throws a floating screen pass to Bush for 6 yards. 3rd and 1 Bush leaps the pile for a gain of 3 and a first down.

 

3:14 p.m. First down Brees finds Bush right past the line of scrimmage, the middle of the field is open and he scurries in for the 8-yard touchdown.

 

3:15 p.m. The first team offense was stopped on their first 3 plays. When they reset the chains they go 40 yards in 7 plays, capped off the by 8-yard Bush TD catch.

 

-The scrimmage was cut a little short and it was due to the overbearing heat. Coach Payton said for the most part he was happy with the effort but there are a lot of things he needs study on the film to get a better assesment. He did say the offense hurt themselves by getting in a lot of 3rd and long situations. The only guy he really mentioned as having a good scrimmage was Drew Brees, saying his QB was sharp.

 

-Skyler Green made a statement with his kick return and long catch, and says he did everything he could do today to show the coaches he's ready to play football.

 

-Other notes: Deuce McAllister, although dressed in full pads, did not play at all in the scrimmage. Rookie Carl Nicks, who's been impressive all camp, saw some snaps at left guard with the first team. As a whole the receivers and backs did not have a good afternoon. There were a lot of dropped passes and very little running room for Reggie Bush and company.

 

Saturday 8/2 Scrimmage Notes - Defense

 

2:25 PM Mike McKenzie is taking part in passing drills with the WRs and DBs, so it looks like he's going to participate today, even though yesterday Payton said he would not play. Also, Jonathan Vilma is not participating. As expected, Tracy Porter is still out with the hamstring injury.

 

2:31 PM Right now the defensive front consists of Sedrick Ellis, Orlen Harris, Marquies Gunn, and Bobby McCray, but they are rotating guys in and out.

 

2:35 PM Nice defense play, Jo-Lunn Dunbar just tipped a pass from Brees

 

2:37 PM Not a good series for the defense, Aaron Glenn just got beat by Lance Moore for the first score.

 

3:07 the 1s are about to get underway with the rookie Sedrick Ellis in at tackle. Will Smith, Charles Grant and Kendrick Clancy make up the rest of the front line.

 

3:08 Jason David in at corner almost had an interception.

 

3:11 Charles Grant just stopped Reggie Bush for now gain.

 

3:15 Reggie Bush just went untouched on a 7 yard run..

Edited by myhousekey
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Monday 8/4 Wrap Up - Offense

 

There has been a lot of focus on red-zone and goal line situations the past week in camp. Today the first team offense had a hard time finding the endzone in these situations, especially in the morning practices. There were no real standouts as far as good performances, but we did notice Drew Brees, in a negative way, as he threw a couple of uncharacteristic interceptions.

 

Marques Colston did not practice at all. He's not worked out since Friday morning and was wearing a sleeve on his left leg and walking with a slight limp. Coach Payton says he's got some swelling behind that knee but it's nothing too serious.

 

Colston is questionable for Thursday's game against Arizona according to Payton. Also, Deuce McAllister, Jeremy Shockey and Devery Henderson will not play in that first pre-season game.

 

Reggie Bush showed up for an interview this morning, first time we've heard from him since the opening day of camp. Reggie is coming off an injury to his left knee late last season, but there seems to be no carry over from that injury to his progress right now. Bush looked good at times in the scrimmage Saturday, even catching a touchdown on a short pass. He says there is no worries about him being back to full speed but he did wear down during the scrimmage because of the horrible heat.

 

There was plenty of talk in the off-season about Bush sticking around New Orleans in the off-season and being more involved in team activities. He says because of that he feels more mentally prepared and ahead of where he's been in past training camps at this time.

 

Everyone wants to know how Bush will be used in the offense this season, including Reggie. He says that a lot of things are still up in the air and that he doesn't know what the coaches want to do, so he just has to be ready for anything. What he does know is that he wants to be the #1 punt returner and he has been putting a lot of effort into earning that spot right now.

 

One roster move to update, wide receiver Curtis Hamilton has been waived.

 

Monday 8/4 Wrap Up - Defense

 

The Saints focused a lot on red-zone and goal line drills at todays practice. The defense faired well in the drills, stopping the run more times than not on the drills. In the morning session, the 'D' stopped shut out the offense on five straight plays. Later in some afternoon 11-on-11 drills the defensive back started to make plays. Cornerback Randall Gay made a nice interception, stepping in front of his receiver and catching a pass from Drew Brees. Safety Roman Harper also knocked down Brees pass snf Cornerback Mike McKenzie knocked two passes away from Robert Meachem.

 

Sean Payton said both Tracy Porter and Mike McKenzie will sit out Thursday nights game against Arizona. Sean Payton is pleased with the play of safety Kevin Kaesviharn so far in camp. Kaesviharn has been running with the first- team defense, and Payton says he likes his ability to key and diagnose quickly, plus he's a good tackler.

 

"He's listed as a starter this right now, and he wasn't this time last year." said Payton.

 

The Saints signed two free agent defensive tackles, Tim McGill and James Reed, and waived defensive end Marquies Gunn and wide receiver Curtis Hamilton.

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Tuesday 8/5 Wrap Up - Offense

 

Maybe the Saints had a rough day off the field in meetings, or film studies, but on the field it was one of the easiest of the entire camp. The team did not practice this morning and then worked out for less than two hours in the afternoon and without pads. Much of the time in practice was spent learning the different formations that the Arizona defense may throw at the New Orleans offense Thursday.

 

Marques Colston did not practice again and will miss the first pre-season game according to Coach Payton. Colston, along with Deuce McAllister, Jeremy Shockey and Devery Henderson will all sit that game but all are expected to be ready to go when practice resumes in Jackson on Saturday.

 

Tuesday 8/5 Wrap Up - Defense

 

The defense practiced with the scout team offense preparing the 'D' for the Cardinals' offense. During the drills, Scott Fujita, Randall Gay, and Jason Craft all had interceptions.

 

The following players will not play in the Saints first preseason game: Jonathan Vilma, Brian Young, Josh Bullocks, Mike McKenzie, and Tracy Porter. But Coach Payton says he expects all of these players to be back on the practice field on Saturday.

 

The Saints began the day with a few roster moves. The team waived defensive tackle Tim McGill and signed rookie free agent defensive end Jeremy Geathers. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints on May 5, 2008, Geathers spent most of the offseason with the club before being waived prior to the start of training camp. He is the son of former Saints and NFL star defensive lineman Jumpy Geathers. Payton said Geathers will get some playing time at the end of Thursday's game.

Edited by myhousekey
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Does anyone know why the name "Pierre Thomas" can not be found in any of these daily reports? Is he that irrelevant?

 

Mainly because he's been running with the 2nd team when Deuce and Bush are both practicing. I've even seen Stecker getting some carries with the first unit. I did see some notes on him from Saturday's scrimmage.

 

2: 39 p.m. Now the second team offense will get a chance against the first team offense, ball starts on their own 30. First play Mark Brunell throws incomplete to Robert Meahem. On play action Brunell finds Adrian Arrington on the sideline, catch is made but the feet aren't in. 3rd and 10, draw play to Pierre thomas for a gain of 4.

 

2:42 p.m. Since they didn't get the first down, the chains are reset and the ball placed back at the 30. First down Pierre Thomas runs up the middle for 2. Brunell then throws incomplete to Stecker. 3rd down Brunell connects with tight end Buck Ortega for a short gain, no first down

 

2:45 p.m. Another reset of the chains, Brunell pressured and throws incomplete. Pierre Thomas runs through the right side for 5. Brunell completes one to Thomas for only 3 yards, again no first down.

 

2:47 p.m. Back to the 30-yard line. Adrian Arrington catches a pass for 7 yards. Delayed handoff to Thomas for 2. Thomas then gets the 2nd team their first first down on a short gain.

 

2:49 p.m. After the first down, Brunell throws incomplete. Next play another incompletion and a holding penalty on the offense, it's declined. 3rd down Brunell is sacked and that will do it for the 2nd team offense vs. the 1st team defense. Not much success for Brunell and company.

Edited by myhousekey
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