SB Nation - Jeff Charleston

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades vs. Patriots

saints-nation — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:00:15 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

14 days ago: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sits on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

View full size photo »

You know the drill by now, below are the grades.

Patriots vs Saints coverage

Patriots vs Saints recap

Patriots vs Saints boxscore

Will Smith: B+ (2.88) Early in the game, Laurence Maroney ripped off a 22 yard run, and Will Smith had a clear shot at him around the line of scrimmage. Sometimes I feel like he's focused on improving his sack total and his run defense has suffered from it. That said, he did a good job of staying in Brady's face despite double teams for a good portion of the game. He finished with 4 tackles, hit Brady 3 times, and ended with 1.5 sacks. He was the beneficiary of a stat padding sack at the end of the game, and that sack gave him 10 for the season. It's been a while since we've had a double digit sack guy, so that's nice to see 11 games into the season. After having a lower GPA early in the season, Smith's grades have been rising steadily and he continues to pile up consistent performances.

Charles Grant: D (2.24) For an extended portion of the game, Grant was nowhere to be found. He was manhandled anytime a play came his way, and he was unable to get any pressure whatsoever on Brady. On an end around to Welker at one point, Grant showed ZERO pursuit or effort. I was pretty disheartened to see on tape what I concluded was a lazy performance. He did finally get good pressure on a 3rd down play in 4th quarter, though, hitting Brady as he released the ball. It was tough sledding for the Saints' pass rushers though, as they dropped most players they had and often rushed only 4 or sometimes even 3. He finished with 2 tackles.

Sedrick Ellis: C+ (2.71) Nice to have the big man back, and his presence against the run game was felt. He was rusty, though, so I'll expect better things as he gets more reps. I'm sure everyone remembers the fumble fiasco. Hey Sedrick, YOU ARE A DEFENSIVE TACKLE. Fall on the ball already. The fact that he picked up the ball and tried to shimmy his way to the open field like Barry Sanders was laughable. I give him credit for a good all around effort, though. He was sloppy in his tackling at times, but he was also disruptive. He had a terrific tackle at the line of scrimmage at one point on Kevin Faulk. On the Darren Sharper interception, Ellis put nice pressure on Brady to force a bad pass. He finished with 4 tackles.

Remi Ayodele: C- (2.14) Ayodele really didn't play much, surprisingly. When he did, I thought he did an ok job of congesting the middle and forcing Maroney outside. The Saints spent a large part of the game either with a 3 man front, or using Hargrove more because of his superior pass rushing ability and the decreasing threat that the Patriots would run.

Anthony Hargrove: C+ (2.43) As much as Hargrove played he was rather quiet, but he did show terrific effort and a good motor. The plays just didn't really come his way. He finished with 2 tackles, and he did get a chance to force an incompletion by poppin' Brady pretty good right as he released the ball.

Bobby McCray: B (2.00) Finally I saw McCray come in and show me some of those pass rushing skills. Finally! McCray got the other half of the sack with Will Smith, but I felt McCray got the better pressure on that play. He was often coming off the edge and drawing either a double team or a chip block. On one play he absolutely CRUSHED Brady as he released the ball. He also had very good pressure on the long pass to Moss and almost got a sack but Brady evaded him before getting rid of the ball off his back foot. He finished with just 1 tackle, but given the limited help he got rushing the passer I thought his performance was much improved.

Scott Fujita: B+ (2.81) Fujita played MUCH better in the second half. In the first half he was mostly quiet, and I saw him stand out on a play he got beat with on pass play over middle. In the second half, Fujita was dominant. He made a terrific play to force the fumble that Ellis recovered, and he got terrific penetration on that same drive to nail Sammy Morris in the backfield. Kevin Faulk did beat him to the outside on one run, but he was very aggressive and all over the field. He finished with 7 tackles.

Scott Shanle: C- (2.67) Pretty forgettable performance from Shanle who is losing his early season form. He was burned badly by Kevin Faulk on the opening drive of the gain to convert a 3rd down. Then, he was blown up on the 4th down touchdown run by Maroney. He had an absolutely miserable first half. As the game progressed he got more involved and absorbed blocks better, but he was unusually mediocre in pass coverage. He finished with just 3 tackles.

Jonathan Vilma: C+ (2.94) Vilma was up and down during the game. He had 9 tackles, which would lead you to believe he was active and all over the field, but he was also involved in way too many negative plays. Vilma was blown up on first run of the game. Later, he whiffed on Maroney badly to allow the back to get big yardarge. On a pass to Welker, Vilma showed poor awareness. While Welker wasn't his assignment, he had a chance to jump that throw and break up the play or maybe intercept the ball. Instead it was a completion. Like Shanle, his first half was by and large dismal. He did get good pressure on Brady a couple of times blitzing right up the middle. He made up for a shaky start when he BLEW UP Maroney in backfield shooting the gap in the second half. Just when he got on my good side again, though, there was that moronic late hit on Welker out of bounds to give the Patriots 15 free yards. He did get better as game progressed.

Malcolm Jenkins: B (3.06) He was often lined up against Wes Welker and he did an admirable job. He was very physical with Welker, sometimes getting away with possible penalties, and you could tell Welker got frustrated by it. He was PHENOMENAL with tackling all day long, and any time he had a shot at Welker he made sure the slippery receiver went down. He was caught holding twice, once negating an intentional grounding by Brady and another time giving the Patriots a first down - but that was all part of him roughing up Welker. Great job, and I'm glad we have him. Did I already mention he's a terrific tackler?

Chris McAlister: B- (2.67) McAlister was pretty solid all day in coverage, especially in the first half. Despite being matched up against Randy Moss, he didn't allow the future hall of famer to catch a ball until very late in the second quarter. He was however responsible for the long pass to Moss in the second half, and he was fortunate that Brady overthrew a long ball intended for Aiken because McAlister was beaten badly and it would have been a touchdown. He finished with just 1 tackle and he didn't offer much support against the run. Give him credit though, he's only been with the Saints 2 weeks and his he's obviously still capable of covering elite receivers.

Mike McKenzie: A- (3.67) Per Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football "he has guts". I thought that described McKenzie best. He gambled and occasionally lost, but his aggressiveness and fire was instrumental in the win. It was clear the Patriots were going to attack him, and he responded present. It was almost like he never missed a beat from his peak performances 2 years ago. His interception was a HUGE momentum changing play. Later in the game, he had a 3rd down tackle short of 1st down, forcing the Patriots to punt. At one point, beaten by Moss, he dove to make the tackle and somehow jarred the ball loose for a forced fumbled. It was a suspect play, but he saved the Saints from Moss getting major yardage after the catch. He did give too much cushion at times, and was beat on a 3rd and 9 throw curl route to Aiken. The Patriots tried to run that same play soon after and McKenzie jumped the route and almost had another pick. He allowed a first down late by missing a tackle I've seen him make countless times, but he redeemed himself moments later by killing the game with a BIG 4th down play breakup on a pass intended for Moss. He finished with 3 tackles, an interception and 3 defended passes. It's nothing short of incredible that this guy could play at this level after being out of football for a year. The Saints are very fortunate he was available. The welcome back party was in full effect for #34.

Pierson Prioleau: B- (2.67) Prioleau was used as the dime back on some passing downs, and had awesome coverage on a deep pass to Ben Watson down the seam for a breakup. He did a pretty good job in coverage when he was in.

Roman Harper: B (3.21) I have no earthly idea how Harper totaled 10 tackles. He seemed to have a very quiet game, but somehow Harper gets his nose in a lot of plays. He was quiet about his business, but I did notice a big hit he put on Wes Welker on a crossing route early that slowed the receiver down just enough to allow Malcolm Jenkins to knock him down and force the Patriots to kick a field goal. He did get flagged for an illegal contact on a 3rd down to give the Patriots an easy 1st down, which was stupid and negated a good pass rush by Bobby McCray.

Darren Sharper: A- (3.20) Sharper seemed more interested in laying the wood early than getting himself another pick. It seemed like there were passes out there he could have tried to make a play on, but he was focused on crushing anyone that came over the middle. I liked the change in philosophy because he knew he had corners that needed help and he let Pats know early, you go over middle, you pay. Specifically he had a DISGUSTING hit on Faulk that I'm not quite sure how the LSU product got up from. He was very solid all day in coverage and he was a good security blanket limiting the damage when a play would break open. He finished with 6 tackles and was rewarded for his good play with an interception late on a gift wrapped terrible pass by Tom Brady.

Jeff Charleston: C+ (2.33) Not a ton to say, but he played a good amount and was decent pass rushing and decent against the run. He finished with 2 tackles.

John Carney: D (2.61) He was awful. His first field goal hit the upright, and he was fortunate to give the Saints a 3-0 lead when his 30 yard kick bounced in. With the game out of reach he also missed a 36 yarder. So you're thinking, "he was 1 for 2 on field goals, not that bad". True enough, but once again his extra points were VERY dicey. At least three of his point after touchdowns barley made it just inside the right upright. He's already missed 2 this year, and lately it's felt like an adventure with him out there. Not impressed with the guy lately, but I also know he's capable of bouncing back from a bad performance. That said, this extra point thing is nothing new. He's been shaky on those all season long. I've mentioned this before, but I wonder if Brunell being left handed isn't part of the problem? Or maybe the new snapper?

Thomas Morstead: A- (3.09) Every single kickoff he booted went in the end zone, and over half were downed for touchbacks. I mean the guy is just awesome on kickoffs. On punts, it wasn't his fault Welker ripped that big return. He had a nice high and deep punt that the coverage unit should have covered better. He did manage to get another punt inside the 20.

Courtney Roby: B+ (2.97) Roby's best kick return was his first one, which went back to the 35. Two other times he had a shot at getting nice gains but he slipped. As usual he was good and dangerous. He made his grade covering kicks this time. First he caught Welker from behind on that long punt return showing amazing speed. If he doesn't make that play Welker is gone for a touchdown, and McKenzie doesn't come up with a pick on the next play. He also had terrific coverage on a punt to force a fair catch by Welker.

I also need to give props to Lynell Hamilton. He gets an incomplete grade based on limited playing time - but he had a punishing closeline tackle on kick return, and he was a decoy on the touchdown pass to Dinkins.

My Defensive Player of the Game: Mike McKenzie

My Special Teams Player of the Game: Thomas Morstead

Poll

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game vs. the Patriots?

Canal Street Chronicles: Fleur-de-Links 9.08.09

Saintsational — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:30:15 -0000

Twitter

jeffduncantp Practive observation: If Drew Brees is 6-feet tall (and he is), then Chase Daniel is 5-10 -- tops.

wwltvsports First pass of regular season camp: A drop from Drew Brees to Jeremy Shockey. And the fun begins.

jeffduncantp On the bright side, Reggie Bush did practice and looked 100 percent. Ran the ball with impressive speed and acceleration.

wwltvsports No.'s of Interest: Those still on the roster after preseas caught 56 passes for 778 yards and 5 TDs. Hamilton had 10 catches, Shockey had 8

wwltvsports Of the 6 TD passes caught this preseason, only 1 was caught by someone who isn't left on the roster? Yep, Skyler Green caught that pass.

FletcherMackel Payton says if grant and smith are not suspended by nfl today or tomorrow then he assumes nfl will not suspend them

jeffduncantp Payton was very cryptic about Pierre Thomas. Played the old "we'll wait until Wednesday" injury-update card. My gut says he's out for Sunday

jeffduncantp Best quote of open locker room. I asked DE Jeff Charleston his thoughts on playing rookie QB in 1st career start. Charleston: "Fresh meat."

jeffduncantp For all of you Saints' jersey numbers freaks, John Carney still had No. 1 today but said he plans to wear No. 3 for the season starting Wed

JeremyShockey Just got home from work... Cant wait till sun going to be a blast....

JeremyShockey "sinner to SAINT" ill alwaqys be a CANE...... enjoy your night going to eat with all SAINTS...... cant wait till sun @@@@@@

JeremyShockey @saints83 bill how did it go?? canes play tonight

saints83 @JeremyShockey good bro but I really miss you guys already you are going to have a great season and when u go to probowl I am going with u

Pierre_Thomas Sunday is around the corner! Is the Who Dat Nation ready to rock the Dome or what? @DrewBrees lets make it happen captain!

ChaseDaniel Been on the Saints for less then 24 hrs & I'm amazed at the type of player/leader #9 is...such a great opportunity to learn from him!

saints83 Congrats to our 2009 captains @drewbrees John V and Troy E

MalcolmJenkins just got done eating dinner with the team... had some great seafood! now im gonna relax and enjoy my day off tomorrow

Linkage

New Orleans Saints salivate about getting after rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford in opener - Times-Pic

"It's fresh meat," Saints defensive end Jeff Charleston said of Stafford. "It's his first real game. He's our opponent, and you still have to respect him, but we're going to come after him."

-Jeff Charleston

"He's from Georgia, and I'm from Georgia Tech," Saints defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove said, smiling. "Any time I get a chance to go against a Bulldog, I'm definitely going to try to bring my 'A' game."

-Anthony Hargrove

"This isn't an internship," Schwartz said at a news conference. "This isn't a trial basis, you know. He's our starting quarterback.

"His command of the offense is very good. His command of what defenses are doing is very good. And what he needs to do is play. I think he had a very good preseason."

-Jim Schwartz

"Last year Matt Ryan kind of got on my nerves, and he was a rookie and he was kind of intelligent," Saints defensive end Bobby McCray said. "So therefore I'm going in with the same perception of Stafford. He's the No. 1 overall pick and probably highly intelligent.

"I'm sure they're not going to give him too much to handle in his first game, but it's our job to get after him no matter what. It's very important that we break his spirit early."

-Bobby McCray

"It's still football 101," Ellis said. "We have to keep the pressure on him and keep the ball in his hand as much as possible. Everybody knows that's the rule when you play against young players.

"Gregg is an up-tempo guy, so I'm sure we're going to be running around a lot and coming after him."

-Sedrick Ellis

"With a rookie you can do some different things to try to get him rattled and get him looking at the rush, instead of looking down field," Hargrove said. "Daunte is a guy who's been in the league a while, and he knows how to stay in the pocket. Plus, he's also a great escape artist, so you like playing against a rookie quarterback."

-Anthony Hargrove

"I don't think the Lions' coaching staff is going to try to put too much on (Stafford) at first," Harper said. "At least I wouldn't want that as a rookie quarterback in the NFL. I don't think that would be the smartest thing to do. They'll try to run the ball a little bit and establish that and give him a nice little package that he has confidence in and understands."

-Roman Harper

"This team has changed," Hargrove said. "It has made a 180. It's not the 0-16 team from last year. They were the No. 1-rated offense in the preseason, and you got to take that into account."

-Anthony Hargrove

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush says he's ready for opener, but Pierre Thomas looks iffy - Times-Pic

"I feel like (my timing and rhythm) is good, " Bush said. "And if it's not good, it'll be good by Sunday."

-Reggie Bush

New Orleans Saints' Charles Grant-Will Smith saga deserves fast conclusion - Times-Pic

Saints Practice Mon Pre-Detroit, other thoughts/news (including Smith, Grant news) - WWL

Payton plans to play Smith, Grant, for now - WWL

Kristian: Are the Saints overlooking the Lions? Not a chance! - WWL

Mickles: Saints not looking past Lions - The Advocate

Stafford to start at QB in Lions season opener - Detroit Free Press

Dozens of new faces in Detroit - ESPN

Video

New Orleans Saints talk about taking on a rookie quarterback

Audio

Here are three clips from WWL's Sports Talk yesterday.

Billy Miller's Surgery Experience

Saints tight end Billy Miller traveled to Vail, Colorado yesterday to have surgery to repair his torn achilles. He documented his experience using Twitter and pictures, all found below. Click each picture for a larger version and to read what Billy wrote to go along with it.

saints83 Ok, Billy is out, it was successfull! He is very groggy and just wants to sleep. Great job Dr. Clanton! Great prayers from everyone! xoxo

Sean Payton Press Conference Transcript

From NewOrleans.com

Opening Statement:

"Today - much like we have done in the past - was an additional day of preparation with the focal point just on Detroit. The players will be off tomorrow and we'll come back Wednesday and then resume preparation."

How do you prepare for a team that has a new coaching staff?

"I think you have to go back and pay close attention to the preseason first off, and then go back to Jim (Schwartz) and his staff and try to research in regards to their history. It's fairly common when there is a change in a coordinator or in a coaching staff. Until you start seeing regular season games on tape, you're going off the preseason and past places where the coaches have worked."

What is the situation right now with Charles Grant and Will Smith?

"Right now our focus is playing them in this game until we're told otherwise. They practiced today and both of them moved around well; that's our approach until the league tells us otherwise."

Do you have a contingency plan in case they are suspended?

"Yes. The two scenarios were that of the suspension taking place on the weekend and how that would affect the roster and then the second scenario is no suspension and how that affects the roster. To answer your question, yes, and we have to take the approach that here we are on Monday and those two are playing in this weekend's game until we hear differently."

To clarify, you're waiting on a federal appeals court to rule in their case?

"I think it's a state, and really we're waiting to hear from the league. That's really the proper channel. The league will keep us up to date and advise us as to how to proceed. Right now we're proceeding with the idea that those two players are playing."

Has the league given you any assurances that they won't suspend them on Thursday or Friday?

"That wouldn't be the case. Generally, they're mindful of the preparation time it takes to bring in players to replace them. I don't anticipate that being an issue. The key is just staying in touch and moving forward with the idea that both of them are playing and then waiting to hear."

Is it likely that any suspension that would come this week would happen tomorrow then?

"I think that would be a good assumption. Past tomorrow, it would get difficult."

Did their status weigh at all on your roster moves this weekend?

"It did because hypothetically had the two of them been suspended, then the roster would look different with two more players. That's the challenge of a suspension - or two suspensions in this case."

Would Paul Spicer be likely to return if the suspensions do go through?

"Potentially. He's someone who has gotten a lot of work. I visited with him two days ago on the day that we made the releases and we'll stay in touch with him and make sure he's staying in shape. The key is really just trying to monitor and wait for word."

If they are going to be suspended, would you prefer it happening at the start of the season and not delaying it?

"It's all out of our control. There is really no other way to put it - we wait and proceed forward with them planning to play and stay in close contact with the league and follow their lead as it pertains to this."

Do you feel that the league is taking a sympathetic approach on this?

"I think they're just trying to gather the information as best they can and that's a big reason why nothing has been done to date, officially."

How did Rod Harper stand out over the other receivers in making the team?

"He had the two punt returns - which is one thing - but when you spend time watching him in practice and in the games, you see that he's someone that can run, someone that catches the ball pretty well. He still has a lot of room for development. There are a number of things that he has to improve upon but we did like what we saw from his speed and we liked what we saw in the returns and his consistency in catching the football."

Would you be looking at him to possibly return kickoffs?

"We'll see as we get closer to the game who we'll feature back there. He's certainly a guy that's comfortable and has good ball security and can handle that part of it."

Who are other options for that role of kickoff returner?

"Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Rod Harper - we'll look at a bunch of these guys. Potentially one of the running backs - certainly Pierre Thomas has had a lot of experience doing it so he would be another lead candidate."

Is there an update on Pierre Thomas' health situation?

"Nothing right now. We'll wait until Wednesday and then go ahead and give you the injury status on these guys. We're hoping that he's making the progress necessary so we can play him in this game, but we'll see."

Did you hold him out today since it was a bonus day?

"We held him out today, tomorrow will be a day off and then Wednesday we'll have a chance to practice him and see."

Is it the same injury he had on his knee?

"He has a laceration that took place in the last three days that's not real significant, but nonetheless something that he had to get some stitches on and he's battling through that. I'm optimistic; we'll see Wednesday where he's at and go from there."

Is that in the same area?

"No, a different area. Just a cut from a fence."

Going into training camp, did you always plan on just carrying two quarterbacks on the active roster?

"We didn't go into it with the idea that we were going to keep two. You go in developing and training and evaluating, and those are always tough decisions. We felt like when it came down to it, looking at the 53 and the decisions that we had to make in a number of areas that that was one area that allowed us to protect another player and we went that direction. We then went and signed Chase Daniel to the practice squad. He arrived last night; David Thomas arrived last night and they practiced today."

What is Randall Gay's situation?

"He has the flu. We sat him out today with the fever and we'll see where he's at Wednesday."

What do you like about Chase Daniel?

"He had a good training camp. I was familiar with him in high school where he played in Texas. We thought when we evaluated him on Missouri film that he was a big part of that program's turnaround. But equally as important was the film that we had on him at Washington in the preseason. He's a guy that is smart and competitive and can make some plays with his feet. We'll have a chance to look at him now."

Did you make a run at him after the draft?

"He would've been one of those guys; I can't recall exactly where we were at as far as signing him after the draft, but certainly we had evaluated him as a guy that you'd like to have in camp."

He has drawn comparisons to Drew Brees. Do you see any of that?

"For us it's a chance to look at a young prospect and see if we can develop him. The important aspect was really how he played in the preseason. He separated himself from some of the other practice squad quarterbacks that we were looking at."

Does David Thomas immediately vault to the second tight end spot?

"Sooner than later. The key is getting him up to speed with everything we're doing."

Detroit named Matthew Stafford their starting quarterback today. How overwhelming can it be for a rookie to start from day one?

"There is so much transition anymore. When you look at last year, there were a couple good examples of guys in Baltimore and in Atlanta, there were two guys that were selected fairly high that led their teams to not only good seasons, but postseasons. Having spent a lot of time on evaluating that position in the draft each year, (Stafford) is someone that has real good arm strength. I'm sure that as Detroit looks at it, they're looking to really make a decision based on who gives them the best chance to win - whether that's a first-year player or a veteran player, we have to prepare accordingly. He's a tremendous talent and someone from whom on Georgia film you saw a lot of good things."

Does having Grant and Smith available at this point almost feel like a luxury?

"It is what it is in regards that we're planning on them playing. The good news would be a reduced or no suspension down the road, but again it's really in the league's hands and it's something that if there is a suspension, there are going to be four games, so you could argue it either way."

How is Charles' hamstring?

"He practiced pretty well today and it looked pretty good. We'll see how it feels tomorrow when he's in for treatment but today he went and took a lot of snaps."

Was he held out of the game for injury reasons?

"Mainly because of that."

Do you have an update on Jammal Brown?

"Nothing new right now. He's back out east having another exam - we're having his hip looked at. The sports hernia surgery went well, but before they can examine the hip area, the sports hernia needed to heal. There's really nothing new to report. We'll find out if there is any additional work that needs to be done. He's rehabbing and we're planning to play Jermon Bushrod."

What is Reggie Bush's status for this weekend?

"He looks good."

Have you ever been around a quarterback that has the physical and mental command the way Drew Brees does?

"He is exceptional in those areas, so to answer your question, no. It would be hard to make a comparison to other players that I've worked with. He's unique and there are so many things that go into his preparation. He's accurate and he's a quick decision-maker. Those are the things that you can see when you watch him play. It would be hard for me to draw a comparison to another player."

Where could he get better, if he can?

"I think he can. Certainly you look to reduce the turnovers, that's one area that he has worked on and I think ultimately we tend to measure quarterbacks by championships so that's an area that he certainly has as a challenge ahead of him, and all of us. There are parts of his game that he has worked hard - especially this offseason and training camp - to improve on."

Is there a potential for your team to possibly overlook the Lions since they didn't win a game last season? How would you guard against that?

"I think the focus is really on ourselves and our preparation. This league is too good - it's not like college where you can look past someone. Every week you prepare and you focus on playing your best game regardless of who the opponent is. This is an entirely different team than a year ago when you look at their roster and their coaching staff, the make-up of everything is really completely different. The focus is really on us and playing our best football and eliminating the mistakes and the things that keep you from winning."

Do you have to remind your players that this is a new team?

"I think we have players that are pretty intelligent and they understand that they need to play well to have a chance to be successful. I think that's really the key objective as we head into this game or really any game that we play."

Does it put your mind at ease that you seem to have so much depth at running back?

"Mike Bell certainly is a guy that has had a good camp and played well for us. We kept Lynell Hamilton because we thought he had a good preseason. He came back after the fumbles early in the preseason and he has worked hard. It gives you some depth at a position that where often times it's necessary."

Are you anxious to see your new defense in its full regular season form?

"There have been some encouraging things already in regards to the takeaways and you've seen it each week. The key is being sound and having the proper plan in place week by week for the opponent you're playing and that can vary. I think all of us collectively and everyone in the league is excited now. This is the first week of regular season games and there's always a level of excitement. The key is still doing the things well - blocking, tackling, protecting the football - that end up really winning games for you."

Are you leery at all about playing against a young quarterback?

"You try to spend as much time on the tape that you've seen and find what are his strengths and weaknesses. Our players - with the additional day of this Monday's practice - will have plenty of opportunity to study the film and do all the homework necessary."

Saints @ Texans: Training Camp Update - The Ruckus at Reliant

Saintsational — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

3 months ago: New Orleans Saints' Marques Colston makes a catch during a joint NFL football training camp with the Houston Texans on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Browse more photos »

The title of this post was borrowed from Jeff Duncan's tweet

Twitter

JeremyShockey 1 more practice with texans before game... Drew is back and i see that look in his eye.... look out

bawtp Twitter-dee, twitter-dum ... Saints smell the blood of the houston tex-uns ... That's my prose 4 the day!

jeffduncantp Back at Reliant Park. Sun already on high wattage. Gonna be another sweat-fest. FYI: Drew Brees is reportedly back.

wwltvsports Jammal brown not out yet. Brees on field.

jeffduncantp Houston Cougars and Rice Owls football teams are attending the morning workout as guests of the Texans.

jeffduncantpFirst major skirmmish of the two-day workouts. Troy Evans involved.

bawtp First fight ... 9:04 ... More details later

wwltvsportsFight breaks out in inside run with n.o. On d. 1st of camp with texans

wwltvsports Not sure how fight started or who started it, but it was not small

jeffduncantp Pierson Prioleau (ankle) is new addition to injured list. Jammal Brown also out. Saints are thin at tackle. Bushrod working with 1s at LT

wwltvsports Troy evans starts 2nd fight with houston's 21

jeffduncantp Another huge scrum. Dogpile of Texans and Saints at midfield.

bawtp Second fight. 9:04

jeffduncantp Huge SRO crowd at this workout, ringing field three and four deep. Feels like Fat Tuesday on St. Charles Ave.

jeffduncantp Local boy Jacoby Jones with a nice punt return on a punt by Pakulak.

wwltvsports Shockey starts fight, throws punch. It's an active day at camp

jeffduncantp Two more scrums. Buck Ortega and Jeremy Shockey engaged in separate fracases. Shockey throwing haymakers.

wwltvsports Practice is over. Let's say it got a little physical out here. 3 fights and kots of tackles to the ground by Saints defense.

wwltvsports Jammal Brown in Philly getting checked out for possible sports hernia.

wwltvsports 4 fights, 2 on each field hilighted bt Shockey's brou ha ha and Troy Evans' melee.

jeffduncantp Update: Jammal Brown with potential sports hernia. Flew to Philly for evaluation by specialist Dr. William Myers. Out Sat., indefintely

jeffduncantp Texans players called Saints cheap-shot artists afterward. Some didn't take to defensive players constant ballhawking. Quotes to come.

jeffduncantp Darren Sharper: "I haven't seen this many fights in my whole career. From our team, now against another team."

GregBensel we welcomed drew back to the team; met us in Houston where the practices were intense

jeffduncantp Brees returned to practice & didn't skip a beat. Said it's been an emotional week but was glad to rejoin "my other family."

wwltvsports OK fans, there seems to be a lot of concern over Bush. No one in the media saw anything happen. Ergo, nothing to report at this moment.

MalcolmJenkins it got a lil chippy today in practice... this is gonna be a great game!!

jeffduncantp I've asked Saints officials about Bush. No official word. I didn't see the injury & after his "iced knee" prank I'll withhold speculation

ltorrence24 We play 1 of the last gladiator sports on earth! 1 of the few places U cn smack some1 in the mouth & not worry abt going 2 jail. I luv it!

jeffduncantp More Ruckus at Reliant ... Texans LB DeMeco Ryans: "I told our defensive guys that nobody's going to come in our house and push us around."

jeffduncantp Texans FB Vonta Leach on R. Coleman: "Nothing was being said - it was a cheap shot, our guy came off the blocks, and they started swinging."

wwltvsports Bush sitting on bench while team goes through walk thru practice. Will talk with Payton post practice.

wwltvsports Stay calm Saints nation. Don't jump to conclusions.

jeffduncantp Bush not working at pm prax. Walking gingerly on right leg but nothing wrapped. No official word from Saints til post-practice.

wwltvsportsBush now standing with team. Light practice with no helmets

jeffduncantp My take is the Bush injury -- if indeed there is one -- isn't serious

wwltvsports Bush seems to be spending practice sitting on the sideline, content to watch practice.

wwltvsports Payton on Bush: strained calf,

jeffduncantp Payton: Reggie strained calf. Not serious. Could play if needed

wwltvsports Bush on Bush: said it's just a bad cramp. Payton says it happened during post practice conditioning, nothing to worry about

wwltvsports Bush after practice was limping slightly, but Payton said if it were reg season, Bush would be playing. Just a mild calf sprain.

jeffduncantp Payton: Brees will play first half Saturday and Joey Harrington will finish game with second- and third-teams.

jeffduncantp No word on Jammal Brown's sports hernia. Evaluation to be done later today, Payton said. Specialist is same doc who worked on Will Smith

SupaFreak69 great day so far....headn bak to telly to relax...

Linkage

Photos from the New Orleans Saints Jeremy Shockey and Houston's DeMeco Ryans fight - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush suffers strained calf - Times-Pic

Video: Shockey at the center of brawl with Texans - WWL

Deke: Saints/Texans Day 2/Practice 1 - WWL

Saints and Texans Squabble - New Orleans Saints official website

Kristian: Shanle quietly leads Saints in tackles - WWL

New Orleans Saints left tackle Jammal Brown sidelined indefinitely with possible sports hernia - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans tangle in fight-marred practice Thursday morning - Times-Pic

"Being tough is part of it, I don't think we want to take it to the level of fighting because that's going to hurt our team," Sharper said. "But being tough and challenging and being competitive are all things that (defensive coordinator Gregg Williams) preaches with his defense and being aggressive, also. All those things come along. Something us guys as players take it a little too far and that's when it boils over into ruckuses."

-Darren Sharper

New Orleans Saints defensive end Jeff Charleston working overtime - Times-Pic

"Every day, I've got to get a little extra work," he said. "Me and (fellow defensive end) Charles Grant, we've been working every day. That first week of camp is brutal -- it kills you, it wears you down. We just figured after every practice, we're going to do a little extra, run a little more. It's gotten easier.

"More time means more time for me to work. I get off my feet, I ice. I do the proper methods to recover. But if (Coach Sean Payton) gives us a little extra time to get a little extra work, we're going to get a little extra work."

-Jeff Charleston

"I don't feel right unless I do a little bit more than everyone else," he said. "If I don't do just a little bit more, I feel like I'm on the same level. And I know I've had to work for everything I've gotten. So I'm just trying to get a little bit extra, a little bit more. Then, when I go to sleep at night, I feel a little bit better."

-Jeff Charleston

"There's a young man that loves the game of football," defensive line coach Bill Johnson said. "He's got a great passion for it, he's got a great work ethic, a person that wants to excel. To me, he's headed in the right direction. All he has to do is start getting some playing time. Experience is what he's got to go after, but he plays fast, plays hard and he studies the game. That's what I love about him.

"He's the type guy you look for as a coach. A guy that loves it, a guy that wants to get better, a guy that doesn't just want to come out and practice, but he wants to study tape and learn more about football. He's got a big heart."

-Bill Johnson

"We're going to rotate, and we're going to play him," Johnson said. "Once we get our roster set -- in this league, if you get on the bus, you play.

"You know our situation (with the pending suspensions). It's pretty obvious what's going on. He's going to get that chance. He's doing all the things he needs to do to get that chance."

-Bill Johnson

"I've always felt like I have belonged," Charleston said. "Any team I've been on, I've always felt I had a role. Any place you go, you have a role. If you're on a 53-man roster you have a role -- if it's special teams, if it's backing up someone, if it's coming in on third down. And this is a game with injuries.

"You've got to be ready at any moment. I've got friends and college teammates that were backups and never thought they'd see the field and they become starters, because one guy goes down and they shine in their opportunity."

-Jeff Charleston

Video

Jeff Duncan's New Orleans Saints video log from Houston, Day 22 (Aug. 20, 2009)

Drew Brees Press Conference Transcript

From the New Orleans Saints official website

Q: How was it to get back?

A: It was good. I got back last night, watched the film, it looked like there was some great work yesterday. I think this is important work to get anytime you can go up against another team you're not familiar with since they're not in your division and in fact in a whole other conference. You just get new looks that you haven't seen all training camp, because it's competitive because everybody wants to get out here and play well and you have something to prove.

Q: Has it been therapeutic for you to get back on the field after your mother's passing?

A: It's always nice to get back. Certainly my mind has been on my family and my mother. I have a family back here with our team the Saints, so when I got back it was great to see everybody, great to flip on the film and just start kind of getting back focused on football again.

Q: Can you compartmentalize things relatively easily?

A: I definitely think I can. I think unlike maybe when my mom first passed away, it was such a shock. Now that it's been almost two weeks and the fact that we've already had the memorial services. We've already had a family, friend memorial service on Monday and another yesterday. Now there's some sense of closure. I'm able to compartmentalize that and think about football.

Q: Does it take some time to feel completely comfortable again on the field?

A: Yes. It did. It's only been three days and I practiced Sunday morning and it hasn't been that long, but you feel out here, it does take a few snaps to get back in it. I don't want to say it's working the rust off or some kinks, since it's only three days, but just getting your mind back in it.

Q: Who won the battle between Jeremy Shockey and DeMeco Ryans?

A: I think I'd take Shockey over just about anybody in that deal. Tempers flare because it's competitive. Things are physical and it's football. Obviously we're not trying to get hurt out here. We're trying to help ourselves get better and they're trying to get better as well, but in the end when you have competitive people and you're in a physical sport like this, it's bound to happen. You just don't want anybody to get hurt because of it.

Q: Do the fights serve as a prelude to Saturday?

A: Last year it was the same thing. There's more fights as you go on because in the beginning you're kind of going at it and you kind of understand he's going faster than me, so you pick it up or I'm going a little faster than him. The second day you're more agitated. That's usually the way it happens. The longer you practice, the more you're going to see it happen. You wouldn't see it in the first or second drill. Once the second day rolls around that's what happens. It makes for a competitive game on Saturday.

Q: Are the fights with quarterbacks kind of like with goalies in hockey? Did you look for Matt Schaub when the fights broke out?

A: He was on the other field here. No, I'm just trying to get my guys out of there. You don't want anybody to get hurt.

Q: How do you evaluate the job the offensive line has done in camp?

A: I think they've been doing well. It's a group that's been together for a very long time. You mention the injuries. Obviously Jammal (Brown) and some other nicks and dings, but for the most part, our guys up front have been together a long time. Even the backups have been here for quite a while. (Jermon) Bushrod and (Zach) Strief have been here a few years. When those guys need to step in and get the job done along with (Jamar) Nesbit, those guys get the job done.

Q: How uneasy would you be if Jammal is sidelined?

A: That's tough, because obviously he's the anchor on that left side. I mentioned Strief and Bushrod. I'm very confident in those two guys. I certainly want to have Jammal back as quickly as possible, but that's a part of the game.

Q: Can you talk about the support of your team and teammates when you had to deal with your mom's passing?

A: It was awesome. In fact, Mr. Benson gave his plane to Sean Payton and six or seven guys to come out to the memorial service on Monday. It was awesome. They walked in and it brought a tear to my eyes, because I know how much they mean to me, just the fact that they were there to support me and my family was great.

Q: Can you tell which team members attended the service?

A: It was Sean Payton, Pete Carmichael Jr. our offensive coordinator, who I've been with a long time, Billy Miller, Jon Stinchcomb, Charles Grant, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Reggie Bush.

Q: Do you think the circumstances will make it difficult to start preparation wise?

A: No, having today, this afternoon and then tomorrow, we'll be fine. I've been playing a long time. I hope it doesn't take more than a few throws to get me back in it.

Sean Payton Press Conference Transcript

From the New Orleans Saints official website

Opening Statement:

"One quick injury update: we're having Jammal Brown looked at. He has some pain in his upper groin area and he's flying to Philadelphia to have Dr. Meyers give him an exam and see if we get to the bottom of it. It's something that has been troubling him a little bit; yesterday it flared up and he wasn't at practice this morning. This afternoon's practice will be indoors and separate and we'll get ready for Saturday's game."

Is Jammal out of Saturday night's game?

"I think he would be right now. As soon as I know more in regards to the feedback we get from Philly, I'll pass it along."

What is your reaction to the fights on the practice field this morning?

"There were a couple on both fields but I don't think it was anything significant."

Is that something you expect when you go up against another team in practice? Is it indicative of the attitude of this defense?

"When you practice against somebody like we have for the second day now and it's hot, tempers get flared up a little bit. It happened twice on both fields and both teams handled it well and got back to playing."

Does it concern you when your starting tight end is involved in the fight?

"No, it's just what I said. Regardless of position, it was just guys getting a little frustrated on both sides of the ball. Nothing serious."

How tight is the competition between Skyler Green and Courtney Roby for the kick returner spot?

"It's not just those two players. Both of those guys are competing for a roster spot and it would have to include being a returner, yet that doesn't mean that one or the other is going to make the team. It's pretty competitive for those players who are having to play defense or offense as well as the kicking game."

What did it mean to have Drew Brees back today?

"It was great to have him back. He means a lot and obviously he's one of the leaders of this team. A lot functions around him offensively so it was significant."

How did the offensive line look in practice?

"I think he did pretty good. We're nicked up a little bit with Zach Strief, Jammal Brown, Tim Duckworth - there were three guys that weren't able to practice so these young guys are getting a lot of reps. Jermon Bushrod got a lot of work today and it was a good experience for him."

Is the concern with Jammal a sports hernia?

"That's what he's being examined for. We'll wait and see and get some feedback. He's having the exam later this afternoon after flying out this morning."

What was your overall take on the three practices with the Texans?

"I thought it was good work. I just talked to Gary (Kubiak) as we were finishing practice. We get so much because you get different looks and it changes the routine. For the players, that's most important because this is the hard part of training camp, the latter part of it. To try to keep the focus and the edge becomes a little easier when you're going against someone else; you can't really let up and try to just glide through practice. You have to get ready and that's what I like about it."

Usama Young was working with the first-team defense today. Is that something he'll be doing more often?

"We're going to continue to work him into that group. He's doing real well and he's pushing. That's a good competition right now."

How is Chris Reis doing?

"He's battling and you're going to see him in and out of the lineup. He's doing well, so we have good competition there. We'll try to get all of those guys work on Saturday."

With Chip Vaughn out, is Reis working at both safety positions?

"He's flexible enough to work both positions, but primarily we have him at strong now."

Predicting the Saints 53-Man Roster

Saintsational — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:20 -0000

Here's a crack at the 53-man roster, not necessarily in correct depth chart order. Go ahead and share your thoughts.

Offense

*Position*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*
QB	Drew Brees	Mark Brunell	Joey Harrington
RB	Pierre Thomas	Reggie Bush	Mike Bell
FB	Heath Evans
WR	Marques Colston	Robert Meachem	Lance Moore	Devery Henderson	Rod Harper	Adrian Arrington
TE	Jeremy Shockey	Billy Miller	Darnell Dinkins
C	Jonathan Goodwin	Nick Leckey
G	Carl Nicks	Jamar Nesbit	Jahri Evans	Tim Duckworth
T	Jammal Brown	Jon Stinchcomb	Zach Strief	Jermon Bushrod

Defense

*Position*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*	*Player*
DE	Bobby McCray	Anthony Hargrove	Paul Spicer	Jeff Charleston
DT	Sedrick Ellis	Kendrick Clancy	Rod Coleman	DeMario Pressley
LB	Jonathan Vilma	Scott Fujita	Scott Shanle	Jo-Lonn Dunbar	Jonathan Casillas	Anthony Waters
CB	Jabari Greer	Tracy Porter	Malcolm Jenkins	Randall Gay	Leigh Torrence
SS	Roman Harper	Pierson Prioleau
FS	Darren Sharper	Usama Young	Chip Vaughn

Special Teams

*Position*	*Player*
Kicker	John Carney
Punter	Thomas Morstead
Long Snapper	Jason Kyle

Canal Street Chronicles: Fleur-di-Links 8.5.09

Saintsational — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:00:20 -0000

Twitter

CPT23 Another day on the grind - the best one yet! @therealJShock making playes all over the field today! WHO DAT!

MalcolmJenkins sitting here Skype'n

therealJShock getting ready for some much needed rest!! If you can come see us practice in the am!!!! night

ltorrence24 Attitude is Everything! Pick a good one!

saints83 Man had a tough practice today just never felt in a groove but the great thing is, God willing, I get another chance tomorrow. God bless

MalcolmJenkins good night world... wake up motivated to make something... anything better!

drewbrees Another good practice today. I can't wait to scrimmage our defense on Saturday. You won't want to miss it! Work to be done until then

Linkage

Coleman working into form - Times-Pic

"Well, I'm just really getting my feet back under me, and the coaches understand that," said Coleman, who had 58 1/2 sacks with the Raiders and Falcons between 2001 and 2007, including 22 from 2004 to 2005. "So each day I'm getting better and getting my timing down. I feel like I'm on pace to really be the old me."

-Rod Coleman

"At first it was (frustrating to start over from scratch), but I started out from the bottom," Coleman said. "So I just took it as a challenge to myself. I'm just trying to approach it and get the mindset like everything is stacked against me and just work hard and take it day by day and then go out there the first preseason games and make plays and make some highlight films and just show other teams, 'I'm back.' "

-Rod Coleman

"I think Rod's heading in the right direction," said Johnson, who is optimistic about Coleman's potential. "All I can tell you is this: I think his arrow's pointed in the right direction. Who knows where those arrows stop? When you come in this time as far as evaluations are concerned, all you want to see is them headed in the right direction and let time take care of itself."

-Bill Johnson

"The thing he told me when we went through this process is that, the thing he missed most, is that they used to call him a football player," Johnson said. "The year he wasn't playing, he wasn't a football player anymore, so that tells you about his commitment. It isn't about the money or the contract. It's about the fact that he loves playing the game."

-Bill Johnson

News and notes from Tuesday's New Orleans Saints practice - Times-Pic

PLAY OF THE DAY

The best example of the back-and-forth competition came when the second-team units were on the field. Tailback Mike Bell was shoved out of bounds by a group of defenders, leading to some jawing back and forth. Then on Bell's next carry a few plays later, he lowered his head and drove into linebacker Mark Simoneau, knocking him to the ground.

Jeff Duncan: Malcolm Jenkins on losing end of negotiations standoff with New Orleans Saints - Times-Pic

Special teams must improve - The Courier

One step forward, two steps back for Arrington - New Orleans Pro Football

Training Camp, Day 5: Shockey rules the day, big hits color wet practice and more! - WWL

Video: Offense, Shockey have big practice - WWL

Saints offense looks like its regaining form - WWL

Saints return outdoors for Tuesday workout - NewOrleans.com

"I'll be first one to tell you the defense had our number yesterday," Brees said following a practice held at times in a light rain "They stuck it to us. We wanted to respond today with a good practice and I feel like we did."

-Drew Brees

"He made a couple big catches kind of right there at the goal line, and then kind of busted through a couple arms to get in the end zone," Brees said. "That's where he absolutely comes in handy."

-Drew Brees

Audio

A couple of clips from WWL's Sports Talk. Training camp coverage and a bit with Jeff Charleston.

Video

Drew Brees Transcript

From the New Orleans Saints official website

What are your thoughts of Pete Carmichael as an offensive coach?

"He's a great coach, a great offensive coach. He's the guy that really paid his dues, going back to when he was a tight ends coach in Cleveland, a quality control coach in Washington and San Diego and then becoming the quarterbacks coach here in 2006 prior to me coming a month or two later. That meant so much to me to have familiar face around - a guy that I knew and he knew me - and we just worked so well together. Obviously now three years later he's our offensive coordinator and he's a guy who has absolutely earned it. He has gained a lot of respect from everybody on the team, especially us quarterbacks. It's a great dynamic in our quarterback room and it's very conducive to learning. He's constantly challenging us and helping us to prepare to play well on Sundays."

Did Sean Payton solicit any opinion from you when he was looking to fill the offensive coordinator position?

"Sean and I had talked about it before because Pete had had the opportunity after the 2006 season and then after the '07 season to take the offensive coordinator position in Miami on two occasions - the first with Cam Cameron and then with Tony Sparano. That just shows you what other coaches around the league think about Pete; he's highly regarded. He chose to turn down those positions to stay here and I think that was another big reason why Sean knew that we needed to lock him up because other coaches were coming to grab him away."

How did the first day of red zone go today?

"It was good. It's a lot of information in a short amount of time. Granted, we did go over it in OTAs and minicamp and a lot of it is our base stuff that we've been running for three years, but there are some new wrinkles and new coaching points and then obviously we're going against a new defensive scheme. It's just constantly repping it against our guys and then the more our defense understands how to play that scheme, the tougher it becomes for us to get the ball in the end zone. It makes for some really competitive periods because unlike any first down, second down, third down where you're just in the middle of the field, down in the red zone their backs are against the wall trying to keep us out of the end zone and we're trying to get it in the end zone so you find that even periods where there's no tackling, it ends up being when you get close to that goal line that the runners are trying to get in and the safeties and linebackers are trying to keep them out. It becomes really physical."

Would you agree that the offense looked really fluid out there?

"It was. Like I said, they're working on their defensive schemes. Every team has a few things that they do in the red zone and they just try to do it really, really well. Typically it requires you as an offense to be patient but you have to be really accurate with your throws, timing is everything. You're trying to get into good plays and it becomes a big challenge. It's very much a chess match when you're down there. That's what makes it a lot of fun. These red zone practices are a lot of fun."

Was it nice to see Jeremy Shockey use his size on some of those plays down there?

"Yeah. He made a couple of catches right there at the goal line and then busted through a couple of arms to get into the end zone. That's really where he comes in handy."

What have you seen from Robert Meachem so far in camp?

"He's coming around. He just continues to get better every day. He's one of those guys that the more reps that he gets, the more opportunities he gets, he's only going to continue to thrive. I'm really happy for him. I think he has worked extremely hard and we just have to keep finding the right opportunities for him."

How does his knowledge of the offense and maturity help him?

"There are certain things that look good on paper or you might teach it the way that it's written on paper and it's not necessarily always the way that it's drawn up once you get on the field. So much of once you get on the field is feel and not everything is really the same - that can be dependent on the coverage, that can be dependent on the defensive back that you're going up against. That's what studying film is all about and that's why the more repetitions that you get, the more you're able to really hone in on those things. The more time you can spend with your quarterback - I know a lot of times the way I would like to see a route run or where I'm expecting them to be - and that's why we rep this so much and that's why we stay after practice and get those extra reps. The more that we can get on the same page and the less thinking it is and the more just reacting it is, that's when the plays really start to happen and it becomes automatic."

Has there been a change in the amount of time that he's been spending with you in the last couple of years?

"I'd say that starting last year, yeah. In '07, he was really just running reps on practice squad a majority of the time and didn't dress out for many games. He was kind of banged up a majority of that time. Last year, the more he started playing and the more opportunities that he started getting, the more that we were spending time together and getting on the same page. He had a package of plays to start with so we just repped that package of plays. It was, ‘If you have five plays this week, we're going to be as good as we can be at those five routes. Gradually that has expanded to really being the whole offense for him."

Do you have a bigger target area with Marques Colston than with any other receiver?

"Definitely. You can just have him stand here and show you his wingspan."

But he also seems to catch a lot of low balls and throws behind him too. Why is that?

"It's because he has great body control. Most guys like that you can look at and guarantee that he's a good basketball player, which he is. A lot of it you can also see on the hoop court - the way that they position their bodies where they're used to shielding guys off, giving you a place to get them the ball. Then there just comes a confidence level with that. I know that if he's one-on-one, there aren't many times where I'm not going to throw him the ball and know that he's going to make a play and he knows that I'm going to be putting the ball where it's going to be him or nobody, and that's just repetitions."

So you guys have that rhythm to where you could throw behind him and he'll expect that?

"I feel like I could throw it just about anywhere with him and he has a chance to catch it."

You've played basketball with him before. Is it the same in that situation?

"It's the same. We haven't played a whole lot. Nobody wants to hear that we're playing a lot of basketball in the offseason."

Is the play called sometimes so that the throw is to his back shoulder?

"Yes, according to the look. Again, that's a feel thing. That's something that you can draw up on paper but it's not until you get out there. If you rep it enough times, you don't think about the back shoulder you just know that according to the look or the feel, you know that it's going to happen. We call it the ‘clock in your head' - that clock goes off to where they understand that I've probably hit my back-step and I'm ready to throw the ball - in fact I probably have to get it off because the pass rush is going to get to me eventually and here it comes."

Do you feel like that timing and feel is back between you two after his thumb injury?

"It's coming back. We're only a couple of days into camp here. It really takes camp and preseason and just getting those live reps to kind of get back on the same page. Any time you're injured and are out for an extended period of time - and especially when it's a thumb deal like Marques had - it kind of affected the way that he would catch the ball and where I could throw the ball - and so it made a difference. He wasn't catching the ball the same because the thumb wasn't able to move like it used to with the brace that he had on it. Now that he's out here and he's 100% and we're able to get this time together, we'll get that chemistry back."

He said you guys had some time in the summer in California. How was that?

"We were able to see each other in California and then obviously work together quite a bit here in the offseason."

So there's room for improvement this season?

"Are you kidding me? Yeah. There's not much he can't do."

Can you think of particular plays where he has bailed you out?

"You can look at the Carolina game last year. The first touchdown that we threw right before halftime, there was a safety basically standing right there and Marques was running and I threw the ball high because I was trying to throw it to where he could get it and the other guy couldn't and it ended up being one of those balls that was going to be a collision - and I don't like to do that to guys - but Marques jumped up there and snatched the ball and the guy just kind of fell off him. It was one of those throws where I don't know if there's anyone else on the team that I could've made it to, just because of its location. You see him being such a big body that he was able to take that shot while elevated and grabbing the ball and then he falls on his feet, keeps his balance and then runs five yards into the end zone. If any other guy was to catch that, he probably would have fallen down and been hurt. Marques kept his feet and got in the end zone."

Was Antonio Gates like that?

"Yeah. Gates was like that."

Was he more plodding than Marques or almost as fast?

"Gates is a tight end so he isn't as fast, but when I talk about former basketball players and body control and he has that. The thing that Gates has - and Marques does too - is that even though they're big guys, Marques is a receiver at 220 pounds and Gates is a tight end at 250 so different positions, but they both have great suddenness to them. For being big guys that you wouldn't think would be really quick, they have a suddenness to them to where it doesn't seem that they're really running, they're just really fluid and all of a sudden they just give you a little shake and it freezes a defender and just stuns them enough to where then they can gain separation and get by the guy really quickly without the guy really knowing it. I call that suddenness. He's a big guy, he's pretty quick, not extremely fast but he's sudden which allows him to really get separation and put himself in a position to catch a lot of balls."

Did the defensive backs making a lot of plays in practice the last few days get the offense on focus more today?

"Oh yeah. I'll be the first one to tell you that the defense had our number yesterday. They stuck it to us. We wanted to respond today with a good practice and I feel like we did. But you certainly can't sit back on your laurels at any point during training camp because the installation continues so you're always in that learning mode while at the same time having to stay up on the same stuff that we've already installed. When we scrimmage this weekend, it's going to be a little bit of everything so guys are going to have to know what to do. That's when it gets really fun because you really start playing in situations. We'll be moving the chains and third downs will be mixed in there. We'll get in the red zone and get red zone snaps. You're just put in a lot of situations which is good. It's like a real gameand that's what we're trying to simulate."

Saints Training Camp Update: Day Two

Saintsational — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:36:36 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

4 months ago: New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper (42) talks with teammates during the morning practice session at the club's NFL football training camp in Metairie, La., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Browse more photos »

Here are all your updates so far from todays practice. Remember, this post gets continually updated on a regular basis, so keep checking back. We've also got some more AP photos. Click the picture on the right to view all of them.

Twitter

jeffduncantp 8:30 a.m. WhoDat Nation out in full force. Saints fans already lined up & lubed up (& I don't mean Coppertone) outside

MalcolmJenkins hopefully i can make this a productive day...tryna make the best of it

jeffduncantp Morning practice about done. A lot of work on running game. Mike Bell might've tweaked his groin. Gotta check.

jeffduncantp Still no official word on Bell. He practiced throughout so didn't look serious. Shockey to speak after afternoon practice.

jeffduncantp Another camp observation: Media horde has multiplied. Local media overflowing, all seats in work room taken. Visiting media out of luck.

jeffduncantp Had a great interview with new fullback Heath Evans. Great guy. Strong leader. Winner. I can see why the Saints brought him in.

jeffduncantp Saints media fashion trend 2009: Hipster hats. Lotsa reporters rocking straw fedoras w/their requisite cargo shorts. Bucket hats a close 2nd

therealJShockgetting ready for round 2 for the day.......

saints83 Man today was a hot one! I think we had about 10 guys need IVs. Well back out to the next practice, I feel like I have been here a week

jeffduncantp 3 fracases in evening practice. Reis-vs.-Strief. Torrence-vs.-Bushrod. Hargrove-vs.-entire O-line. Done for day. White Linen Night on deck!

Linkage

Marques Colston returns to drills for New Orleans Saints - Times-Pic

"I'm definitely 100 percent injury-free," Colston said. "It's just a matter of now trying to manage it so I can come out of preseason feeling the same way. I'm always going to be leery of that and keep working hard."

-Marques Colston

"I'm going to do what they'll let me," Moore said. "They don't want me to have any contact for another two weeks at least, so I won't be in team drills."

-Lance Moore

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams: All jobs are open - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints offense will try to catch up to the defense today - Times-Pic

"You come out here everyday you're challenged to hold onto the football the right way, you're challenged to pickup blitzes and anymore this game is about applying pressure to the quarterback," Payton said. "How you get it, whether it's a four man rush or applying pressure, the ability to change his comfort level is critical in terms of forcing turnovers and bad decisions. From that aspect, he's really been good. They've done a good job defensively so far of creating pressure."

-Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. isn't just a face on the sidelines - Times-Pic

"Pete handles all the quarterback meetings with (quarterbacks coach) Joe (Lombardi)," Payton said. "Pete sits in on all the installs. He's involved in the installs. He handles the staff. (Friday night) for example, practice is ending, the staff is meeting at the hotel and Pete's running the meeting. I'm not there. That happens a lot. He's done a great job."

-Sean Payton

"He came here from San Diego with a pretty diverse background and each year he's done a great job with not only working with the quarterbacks specifically, but working with the group in general," Payton said. "He's had two opportunities to leave as a coordinator and to his credit he's stayed with this system and this offense. He's a huge asset for me and he is very talented."

-Sean Payton

"His role on game day is on the sidelines he'll work hand in hand with the quarterbacks as they come off, communicate with Joe Lombardi," Payton said. "They'll go through the pictures with Drew (Brees) and the quarterbacks and really be my voice or ear in the passing game with my thoughts each series. I have a lot of trust in him. He works very hard at it, is very diligent and very thorough. He's done a great job."

-Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints work on special teams in morning training camp practice - Times-Pic

Fifth-round draft pick Thomas Morstead looked good in practice with nice hang time, distance and direction. He is battling with Glenn Pakulak, a midseason pickup in 2008.

Reggie Bush was smooth in fielding punts while local favorite Skyler Green muffed two returns and let another ball hit him.

New Orleans Saints afternoon practice is schedule for outside - Times-Pic

Training Camp, Day 2: WRs best the DBs in 7-on-7, other observations - WWLTV

Cody: Lance Moore shows his stuff - WWLTV

Porter Picking Up Right Where He Left Off - New Orleans Saints official website

"It feels great being out here practicing again," Porter said today after the team’s morning practice session. "I am pleased with how I have been able to get right back to playing before I was injured."

-Tracy Porter

"Things were going well and I was gaining confidence on a daily basis," he said. "You hear guys say that the game starts to slow down a bit for them as they become more and more familiar with all that is thrown at them and I definitely felt that way."

-Tracy Porter

"I thought it would be one of those things, that despite hurting pretty bad, would only force me to miss a week or so," Porter said. "But then they said it required surgery to repair it and that it would mean going to injured reserve, and that ends your season."

-Tracy Porter

"Right now you see all of us on defense competing really hard and trying to do what the coaching staff is asking us to do," Porter said. "It’s great working against what was the best offense in the league last year, because it is only getting us better and testing us on each play."

-Tracy Porter

"That keeps your focus all the time," Porter said. "There is no letting up. You want to be the guy making the play and creating a turnover or keeping the offense from making a play. Every play is a test and if you don’t do it right, not only are you going to hear about it from the coaches, but you risk the possibility of someone coming into your spot and getting the chance to show that they deserve to be in there."

"That’s motivation, in itself," he summarized. "I know every guy on this field wants to be out there making plays, I am no different."

-Tracy Porter

New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas on training camp at home - Times-Pic

"It's still training camp, but the fact that it's here and this is where we normally practice helps out," Thomas said. "It feels good to be home. Jackson, Miss. was good, but the guys feel more relaxed here."

-Pierre Thomas

"It's always good to get your mind off everything," he said. "When we were there we weren't getting caught up in stuff outside of football and I think we really came together as a team."

-Pierre Thomas

"Here we're not building, we've got a good group on offense and defense," Thomas said. "What we're doing now is just putting the pieces together."

-Pierre Thomas

Malcolm Jenkins still unsigned by New Orleans Saints as other first-round picks around him get signed - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper thinks highly of his backfield mate Roman Harper - Times-Pic

"I believe he has Pro Bowl potential," Sharper said. "He's doing extra drills after practice to perfect his technique."

-Darren Sharper

"That's where it starts with knocking it down," said Harper, who was ribbed constantly by teammates for his stone hands last season. "Now I've got to start catching the ball."

-Roman Harper

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton is singing different tune this year when it comes to Kenny Chesney - Times-Pic

"I told Kenny to stay away this year,'' a smiling Payton said of his longtime friend who first met in 2002. "Plus we can't hook up; he's on a West Coast tour when we're in camp.'

-Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints defensive backs still looking for first interception against Drew Brees - Times-Pic

"You know, I'm pretty sure someone might throw a ball out to a fan or something if we can get Drew," Saints safety Roman Harper said. "You know, Drew's pretty smart out that. He doesn't throw many, especially against us. He kind of knows what we're doing a lot of times, and he's such a good quarterback and he's so accurate, he doesn't throw many to us. So we're just trying to take advantage of him if he ever does hang one up to us."

-Roman Harper

"He's tough to get. He's tough to get," said Sharper, the NFL's active leader in career interceptions with 54. "He's a quarterback that's not going to throw the ball up and just give you a chance too many times by making a mistake. So the first guy that gets him, he'll definitely be able to say he has a little one-up on the rest of us guys."

-Darren Sharper

Morning practice report - Other signings may expedite Jenkins deal - NewOrleans.com

Day Two Notebook - New Orleans Saints official website

New Orleans Saints have an old roster, but they're young at receiver - Times-Pic

STC - Day 2/Practice 1 - WWL

Reggie Bush rests knee at afternoon practice - Times-Pic

Saints "Electrician" wired different than most - WWLTV

"Most people in America don’t eat goat," Charleston said, his mouth turned up in a grin and his eyes darting back and forth between the two reporters standing near him.

"But it’s actually pretty good. Down here you eat alligator and everything like that. Up in Oregon, we eat goat."

-Jeff Charleston

"I’ve always been a guy that during camp, I’m the only one running on my own and doing stuff like that," Charleston said. "I saw him and said, ‘You know what, I can be that guy who goes in and takes it a little easy and feels no pressure at the end.’ I’ve never been that guy.

"I told Charles, ‘I’m going to work with you every day. I’m going to push you a little harder. I’m going to have something for us to do.’ "

-Jeff Charleston

"He comes to me now and says what are we going to do? If he says that, he’s got the will and the want to be in the best shape. I know I’m not in the best shape right now. That’s what we’ve got camp for. I’m trying to get him in the best shape he can be in."

-Jeff Charleston

"I dreamed about games like that," Charleston said. "I always wanted to get a two-sack game in. That was the best feeling in the world. That night, nobody could say anything to me."

-Jeff Charleston

"The guys around me, I’m developing a lot better relationships," Charleston said. "Last year, I came in the fifth week. Who is this guy? Where’d he come from? I’m pretty much liked by most people I’m around, but nobody knew who I was.

"It was kind of hard coming in the fifth week. I’m the new guy. I didn’t say much and let my actions speak for me."

-Jeff Charleston

"I know what it’s like to go and work for every two weeks and get a normal pay check," Charleston said. "I know what it’s like. I don’t want to go back. Anytime I think this sucks, I think about that. I think I could be a man in the crowd wishing I was here."

-Jeff Charleston

"I’ve been to Houston. I lived in Atlanta for awhile," Charleston said. "New Orleans has its own flavor. I like it. This is my kind of people. I went on a gator tour, went out on the swamp boats.

"Our bye week is gator season. And I want to go hunting for gator.

-Jeff Charleston

The NFL Network's Steve Wyche talks about the Saints

New Orleans Saints training camp video log (Aug. 1, 2009)

Jeremy Shockey on offseason workouts

Sean Payton Q&A

From the New Orleans Saints official website after this afternoons practice.

Opening Statement:

"Just a couple of practice notes: Kendrick Clancy we held out this afternoon with some back spasms and I held Reggie Bush out just to keep his knee from getting aggravated; he's doing fine. With tomorrow's ‘B' schedule, which is really one practice in the afternoon, we expect everyone to be full go except for Adrian Arrington."

Did Bush's knee have some swelling or anything?

"No, it's really one of the things that we wanted to do with the two-a-day schedule with him, just to keep that from coming up."

Any news on the Malcolm Jenkins negotiations?

"Nothing that I'm aware of."

Do you think that the fact that #13 and #15 have signed will expedite the process?

"Hopefully. That's what you look for, the clump around them. But certainly nothing new that I'm aware of."

Gregg Williams said yesterday that the culture that you've established here was part of what brought him here and that you come from coaching background that places importance on that. Does that come from Bill Parcells?

"There have been a number of people that I've been fortunate enough to work for that helped mold what I would eventually become as a head coach and certainly Bill would be one of those figures. That was one thing that he stressed - the importance of having the right locker room and having the right mentality in the locker room. That's something that we pay close attention to. It's something that's not easy and it's something that you have to continue to work on or it can go the other way quickly. Collectively as a staff, as an organization, we take that into account very seriously in the selection of players or the signing of players as to how they're going to fit in this team. I think that is important to winning football."

So you think that really makes a difference?

"No question. I've said before and credit to New England, if you just pay attention to who's winning, typically those teams have very good cultures; the ones that are winning on a consistent basis."

Heath Evans said that he saw it as much when they lost as when they won. Is that the case?

"No question. It's easy when you win. It's the culture when you hit the bumpy roads that come with the 16-game regular season."

Anthony Hargrove said that the team is kind of like a "big brother" to him. When you have a culture like that, can afford to take a chance on a player like Hargrove?

"I think you can. Once it's established, I think you can. But it has to be the right player because we've seen cases where maybe there has been a team with a real good culture and yet the individual wasn't able to fit in. When that happens, then there's probably not a lot of places that individual is going to fit in. I think you can."

Have you seen such feistiness before in the second day of practice as you did today?

"The only concern that I have is that we have to be able to learn to practice without the full pads on. I don't want to lose a player. That hurts us to start the season. But I think they've been competitive; I think they're practicing hard and I think their intent is good. Those are some of the things that you want to see."

What does it say about a guy like Jeff Charleston that he's willing to stay after practice to work and run with Charles Grant?

"Every once in a while you come across a player that finds a way to catch your attention, and he's one of those guys. He's one of those throwback players that knows that his effort and his intensity and all those intangibles have to be at a high level for him to have a chance and he understands that. He's a player that knows who he is, and that's a good thing in our league."

What are your views when dust-ups like those happen?

"It's a little bit more challenging when two of them break out at the same time. But there's that five to ten-second period where hopefully then it's controlled by the team and I think even in that case today, you saw ultimately the team take care of it."

Do you like to see a good scrap like that?

"Like I said, I like the competitive nature of the way we're practicing. We just want them to be careful and not do something stupid."

What kind of things do you expect from Pierre Thomas this season?

"He's knows the offense very well. We expect him to be a big contributor as a running back for us - it's that simple. We expect him to be a guy to get a lot of carries. The key is staying healthy for him, but he runs with good pad level. He's a guy that doesn't take a lot of minus-yardage plays, which is a big plus for him and he's very reliable in protection."

So he needs to take another step forward since he's in year three now?

"The key for him is just the consistency in regards to his injuries, just being able to stay healthy and stay on the field."

Do you like his weight to be where it is right now?

"Yes. I think he's at a good spot right now. When you look at him, I think he's carrying it well. I'm always mindful or cautious of guys that play skill positions that put on weight. I think you have to be careful there, but I think he's playing at a comfortable weight right now."

What have you seen from Tracy Porter so far in these first few days?

"It is early, but he's a guy that is smart. He has real good ball skills and he's taking reps at punt returner as well and he can run well. He's right there in the mix. He did some good things a year ago."

When you look at receivers and cornerbacks, what is it about their feet that is important?

"So much of the game is start-and-stop. If your ability to start and then stop and then start again is better than your opponent's, then it gives you an edge. Conversely, if you struggle in transition - if when you stop it takes you a while to get back started again, then it becomes a challenge for you and you're behind a little bit. That quickness and agility is a key component to this game because there's so much of it that takes place on every play."

Pierre Thomas said that he'd like to recreate something like what Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister had in 2006. What are your thoughts on that?

"I think he's anxious and I think he is certainly ready to take on that role. Now we go through the process of preparing him for that. I said earlier that in the group as a whole, there are some interesting players that we have to do a good job of evaluating. When you talk about the Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton, the P.J. Hills and Herb Donaldson, I'm anxious to see all of those guys. It's hard to get them all work. You'll see in practice that we'll start clumping two or three of them in a nine-on-seven and not try to give each one of them two reps but try to give one of them a little bit more work. That gives us a better chance to look at those players."

Sean Payton Q&A

From the New Orleans Saints official website after this mornings practice.

Opening Statement:

"I don't know that there were any injuries to report. There were a couple of upset stomachs;Jammal Brown had a little bug and that was about the extent of it. This afternoon we'll go outside again, which is a little bit contrary to the normal schedule, but we'll be out here again in the afternoon battling through it."

Does Jammal have a flu bug?

"I don't know if was that or a little bit of the heat, but he should be fine."

Would you say that Lance Moore and Adrian Arrington are both limited still?

"Lance I would say got a little more work in one-on-ones and seven-on-seven. Adrian, with the hamstring, it's really us monitoring it every day. With Lance, his lower body is fine and he's doing real well. With Adrian we just have to get his hamstring right before he gets back out."

Anything to report on the Malcolm Jenkins contract front?

"No, nothing new."

You've always had an elder statesman type in your receiving corps since you've been here. This year they're a younger bunch but still experienced. Did you not need the older presence this year?

"We're pretty comfortable with the group that we have. We're spending time evaluating some of the younger guys, but I think the reps that Marques (Colston) has had, Devery (Henderson), and even Lance Moore and Robert Meachem for that matter - those guys have had a lot of work. A couple of the other free agents that we signed have been around for a while like - Paris Warren - but we'll see. Those guys have had a lot of reps. I don't know that purposely it worked out that way or if it was just a matter of where we were with the roster."

Did you feel like you needed to have that older guy those first couple of years?

"I don't know that specifically. We had veteran experience with a guy like Joe (Horn) our first year and Terrance Copper had some experience, but he wasn't that old. It really comes down to production. It's a group that works pretty hard and it's not a high maintenance group like it can be sometimes."

How has Marques looked to you?

"Pretty good. This is his first full work. All of these guys are carrying their pads for a second day now, so really it's a process that takes place to get used to that. So far he's doing well."

We've seen Jonathan Casillas watching with the ones the last few days. Is he someone that could make an impact?

"He's one of the young guys that is clearly going to be evaluated both in the kicking game and at linebacker. We felt like there were some things in the spring that he was able to pick up on. He started a little late because of his injury, but he has some promise so we'll see."

Is that similar to what you've done with Marvin Mitchell?

"A little bit."

How do you feel about your backup quarterback situation?

"I feel good about it. We have experience there obviously with Mark Brunell. Joey Harringtoncame off of what we thought was a pretty good year in Atlanta the year we acquired him. Our job is to make sure that both of those players are mentally and physically ready to go in at any time and I think they understand that. That's the nature of the position; that's the challenge of the position sometimes. That being said, it can't slow down progress. We're still coaching those guys and not taking anything for granted. They have to be ready."

Would you say that the #2 quarterback job is open?

"We talked about it in the spring that those guys are competing for that. More than just that spot, there are a number of jobs that are open. We'll have plenty of time in the preseason to evaluate these guys in the games."

Is that a coach's nightmare, to lose a guy at such a key position?

"It's certainly one of the things that you're always guarded against and you're hopeful that it doesn't happen. But I think that also is a little bit of the reality of the game that we play. You don't know what position it will come at - these suspensions for instance on two guys right off the bat if they hold up. The key is preparing the whole roster and not just the front line guys."

What kind of offseason has it been for Pierre Thomas?

"Pretty good. He has been healthy; he has his wrist back; his hand is feeling pretty good. I think his weight is at the right spot and that he's in real good shape."

Last year he had 160 offensive touches and 12 touchdowns. Do you see his touches going way up this year?

"We'll see. He's certainly one of the guys that will be in the mix for runs and plays other than that. He's a guy that's consistent. There's something to be said for knowing exactly what you're going to get from a player and that's one of his assets."

Does the fact that you didn't bring another veteran running back in say something about the confidence you have in Pierre Thomas, Lynell Hamilton and Mike Bell?

"There is a group behind Reggie (Bush) and Pierre that is going to be really interesting to evaluate. Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton and then P.J. Hill and Herb Donaldson - there's a group of guys that we have to get a handle on in the next four weeks as to where we think they fit and they'll get a lot of work. Not just in practice, they'll get a lot of work in the preseason."

When Casillas wasn't drafted and you guys were looking at bringing in free agents, what was it about him that caught your eye?

"He had a draftable grade. What typically happens when you finish the seven rounds is that there are a few magnets that stand out above the others because of the grade that you had on them and you start there. There were two concerns with him - one being the injury problem and not being able to work out at his pro day and that left a lot of people skittish and then there were a few incidents on campus there that also did that. That being said, when you saw him play there were some things that excited you so we were excited to sign him as a free agent."

Are you still as excited after having him in here?

"Yes, definitely."

Do you get encouraged when you see the guys that were drafted around Jenkins get signed?

"Yes. When you start seeing the guys in front and behind, then you're hopeful that the process speeds up. What you don't want to see is two or three days turn into a week or a week-and-a-half. Now you wait and you hope that we can get this thing resolved quicker than later."

After three practices, can you give out a grade on which unit - offense or defense - has gotten the better of the other so far?

"I don't think we talk about that. We're able to see the tape and what's important is to evaluate each segment in its separate phase. First off, you have three different groups that are going against each other, but I think as you watch practice - and there's an ebb and flow to practice - typically my experience with camp is that the key is the consistency aspect of it all. A lot of times you'll see one better in one session and then the next group play better in the other session, but it's still early. The competition aspect of it is healthy and it's good."

Gregg Williams said that the defense won both practices yesterday.

"Is that right?"

How is Usama Young making the transition from cornerback to safety?

"He's doing well. He had a good offseason we felt. He was one of the pleasant surprises. When you make a move from corner to safety like that there is a lot that's involved in it. He has picked things up pretty quickly and we're excited about where we're at."

Is it too early to say that there's a renewed sense of urgency with this defense?

"I think we're seeing a lot of things that are positive, and yet we have a long ways to go both offensively and defensively. I don't really buy into picking up where you left off, for instance, as it pertains to the offense. We have a lot of work to do. In 2006 we had a pretty good year offensively and then in '07 we really struggled in the first four weeks of the season. You have to start right from the beginning with the fundamentals, whether it's your veteran players or your young players. You can't take anything for granted. We have to be able to as a team play a complementary game and hopefully we're able to do that."

Have you noticed a different culture around the secondary this year?

"From a personnel standpoint it's different. There are a lot of new faces in the secondary and they're adjusting to the new scheme well. I see guys that are in position and I think we also have better depth than we have in years past so you're seeing some pretty good competition. You can take the cornerback position for instance. As you try to put all those hats in order, there's a lot of work to be done yet for evaluation of those players. That has all been encouraging."

You had talked about a list of needs and wants going into the offseason. Was improving the secondary high on that list?

"It was one of them. The cornerback group was one of them and I think we have to have better play than we did a year ago."

Have you noticed different safety play from Roman Harper with Gregg Williams here?

"He's had one of his better offseasons, if not his best offseason. We're anxious to see his progress. He's a guy that we think can be an impact safety for us and we have a lot of time to get a peek at him."

Is it maturity or the influence of Gregg's defense?

"It's probably a combination of a number of things. He was in position last year a number of times to make some plays and hopefully he is able to do that this year."

Is Adrian Arrington's recovery on schedule with you guys?

"It has probably lingered a little longer than we expected. With the hamstring we would have hoped he would have been ready to start camp, but those are kind of tricky. The worst thing we could do is hurry him back and have a setback. The best thing is to get him healthy and get him out there, but he's probably a little bit behind schedule."

Are you reducing reps at this camp because it is more of a veteran team?

"I think to some extent. I also think that the amount of work we have gotten in the offseason has allowed us to do that. We have a lot of players back know our system now. It's still training camp, so I still believe in the two-a-day routine. I still believe in the grind."

Is it less of a grind this year?

"We're just trying to keep them a little fresher. The roster limit has changed the last two or three years so we have to be flexible with that."

Has the culture of this team changed since you first brought them up in Millsaps?

"I think to some degree they know what to expect. I think that there's still a formula that never changes. I go back to the offseason, the reps and work we had, allows us for instance to be 20 minutes shorter on our p.m. practice yesterday."

Would you have not done that in Jackson?

"Probably not in that first year."

Any noticeable progression in Sedrick Ellis going into year two?

"He's doing well. He's in shape."

Sean Payton Q&A

From NewOrleans.com after yesterday afternoons practice.

Opening Statement: This P.M. practice is scheduled a little bit different than it has been. We're not on the field quite as long for a couple of reasons. I thought the first day went pretty well. The guys were moving around. I think you could see the work in the offseason right now. I think they're in pretty good shape, having the opportunity to come in here; we made that decision this afternoon with some of the rain. Our plan tomorrow is to be outside twice and we'll go from there.

Q: If Jo-Lonn Dunbar plays well enough do you look at him as a potential starter?

A: I think all these guys are competing for playing time. He's a young player that we like. We think he's going to make a big impact for us on special teams and for snaps. He's a guy that's pretty smart and has a pretty good grasp of what we're doing. For him in this second year, how many snaps he can get, not only in the kicking game, but does he figure in on defense? We're looking at all these young guys right now and trying to get them work and the preseason will be important.

Q: Can you discuss how much comfort level you have with Pete Carmichael Jr. as your offensive coordinator?

A: A lot. Pete handles all the quarterback meetings with Joe (Lombardi). Pete sits in on all the installs. He's involved in the installs. He handles the staff. Today for example, practice is ending, the staff is meeting at the hotel and Pete's running the meeting. I'm not there. That happens a lot. He's done a great job. He came here from San Diego with a pretty diverse background and each year he's done a great job with not only working with the quarterbacks specifically, but working with the group in general. He's had two opportunities to leave as a coordinator and to his credit he's stayed with this system and this offense. He's a huge asset for me and he is very talented.

Q: What is his role on game day?

A: His role on game day is on the sidelines he'll work hand in hand with the quarterbacks as they come off, communicate with Joe Lombardi. They'll go through the pictures with Drew (Brees) and the quarterbacks and really be my voice or ear in the passing game with my thoughts each series. I have a lot of trust in him. He works very hard at it, is very diligent and very thorough. He's done a great job.

Q: When you made a change in offensive coordinator what convinced you Gregg Williams was the guy?

A: You first look at the body of work that's important. He had a track record that was coincidental and for a number of years I had experience in going against him. Then in the interview process, you saw his passion for what we were wanting to do. I think the combination of what he wants to implement, his past success, his ability to come in and play a key role from a leadership standpoint and get those guys up to speed, all of them factored in.

Q: What did he do in that interview that convinced you to hire him?

A: It was a full day of meetings. It's hard to point to one thing, but it's easy to point to a lot of things, which I did. But, I think when he left we felt comfortable that if we were able to secure him...He had a number of teams interested...If we were able to get him on board and the search was going to stop there and fortunately it did.

Q: How long did you have to wait to be able to hire him?

A: It was probably six days after the interview, maybe a little less than a week. He went up to Green Bay, came back and then we spent some time on the phone and got it done.

Q: Even if you didn't work with him personally, did you talk to people who worked with him?

A: I talked to a number of guy, various coaches, and various players. Mark Brunell was with him in Washington. The linebacker that I had in Dallas that is now in Miami at Washington. I talked to assistant coaches. I talked to other coaches that had been with him and much like you would if you were signing a player you do homework. All those things factored in.

Q: Did the game against Washington in 2006 and their defense's performance against your offense make an impression?

A: That was just part of it. That was one game. There have been a number of games that made an impression over a period of time.

Q: How do you think your offense has responded to the increased intensity?

A: Good, we get challenged. It's helpful for us. You come out here everyday you're challenged to hold onto the football the right way, you're challenged to pickup blitzes and anymore this game is about applying pressure to the quarterback. How you get it, whether it's a four man rush or applying pressure, the ability to change his comfort level is critical in terms of forcing turnovers and bad decisions. From that aspect, he's really been good. They've done a good job defensively so far of creating pressure.

Q: Are there any individuals that have impressed you today?

A: Mike Bell did a good job and made some good runs. I thought defensively there were a number of players that got their hands on balls. I think a lot easier after two, three four days, after a week, where you start to see guys make repeat performances. Overall, knock on wood, we were healthy today, guys seem to be flying around. The offseason work from a football standpoint or the football x's and o's helps us he a lot in the first day or two because we give them a lot and their ready to pick it up in the first day or two. We have a long way to go. Fortunately we have time on our side to evaluate and make proper decisions.

Q: How much did Jonathan Vilma work?

A: Pretty much the same, about two thirds of what (Scott) Fujita and (Scott) Shanle or one of those first line guys would do, not just quite as much, but similar to this morning.

Q: Is Jeremy Shockey healthy?

A: He's in good shape. He's injury free, he's moving around well. It's good to see him running the way he's running.

Could the Grant/Smith Suspensions be the Best Thing to Happen to the Saints?

Saintsational — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:00:19 -0000

It seems pretty inevitable that the league is going to suspend both Charles Grant and Will Smith for the first four games of the 2009 season. It's not official yet but it will be. So we might as well start looking toward the future and get on with our collective lives. But what can we expect from the entire scenario?

I have no idea. I'm not going to even pretend that I have any clue. But it's fun to speculate and use our imaginations while thinking positive thoughts. MtnExile has already brought up the interesting point that these suspensions might very well be the kick in the pants both Grant and Smith need. That would be great, but I'm more concerned about what life will be like for those first four games without them.

I have always thought it interesting that the Saints offense has been arguably better the last two years when they were without Reggie Bush. On the surface, it just doesn't make sense. How could a team be better without one of its best players? It's possible because other factors change as a result. Play calling changes. Predictability changes. Chemistry changes. All of these things mix together and sometimes, unlike New Coke, the new formula is better than the original. So all of this begs the question: Could the defense be better without it's two best (read: highest paid) players, Charles Grant and Will Smith? Could this be one of those instances of addition by subtraction that I discussed not too long ago?

Obviously it's an unanswerable question but it's a good topic for discussion. The Saints have known all off-season that these suspensions were imminent and prepared accordingly. They've added Paul Spicer and Anthony Hargrove to play along with capable backups Bobby McCray and Jeff Charleston. As much as Grant and Smith may have fires lit underneath them when they return, any of those four guys may be equally pumped at their chance to prove themselves in the interim. Never underestimate the determination of a player with a lot to prove (see: Pierre Thomas; Lance Moore). And here is another question to think about: Would Gregg Williams keep Smith and Grant on the bench if it was best for the team? If the defensive improvement proves immediate and they're playing lights out from week one, do you mess with that after four games?

Certainly lots to think and talk about.

Saints 2009 Position Battles: Defensive End

Saintsational — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:00:13 -0000

Today we examine the last of the position groups on the defensive side of the ball: the defensive ends. Last years line was blamed for not getting enough pressure on the quarterback while having to deal with nagging injuries all season. With Gregg Williams now driving the bus, fans are expecting to see more pressure from the edge. But who will be invited to ride that bus?

A quick look at your New Orleans Saints defensive ends:

Player	Height	Weight	Age	Experience
Will Smith	6'3"	282	27	6
Charles Grant	6'3"	285	30	8
Bobby McCray	6'6"	260	27	6
Paul Spicer	6'4"	295	33	10
Josh Savage	6'4"	276	28	4
Jeff Charleston	6'4"	265	26	3
Rob Ninkovich	6'2"	255	25	3
Jermey Parnell	6'6"	278	22	R

Due to the large amount of money invested in both Will Smith and Charles Grant, making this team is a sure thing for these two. No need to even really discuss this matter. Whether or not they're worth it is another question altogether but hopefully they'll remain injury free and blossom under Gregg Williams' new system.

Bobby McCray was arguably the most productive defensive end on the Saints roster last season, leading the team in sacks with a total of six. McCray was a quarterback-seeking missile under Gibbs' vanilla defense so it will be fun to watch what happens now that he is in a blitz-happy scheme. With all that in mind, Bobby is a good bet to make the team for sure.

Free agent acquisition Paul Spicer was signed this off-season and should help add some depth on the line. The veteran may also slide to the inside if needed, making him that much more valuable. Regardless of where he plays, Spicer will make this team unless something goes horribly wrong.

The remaining players left battling it out for a spot will have to fight and claw their way onto the 2009 Saints roster. Jeff Charleston was the most productive of the bunch last season and actually contributed significantly. Josh Savage was also with the team in 2008 but was used very sparingly. Ninkovich never played a down while on the Saints practice squad last year and will be lucky to achieve the same feat for a second year in a row. Undrafted free agent rookie Jermy Parnell, though impressive in size, is doubtful to make the team. The good news for all four of these players is that if suspensions get handed down in the Starcaps case they have a good chance of seeing the field at least for four games.

The floor is now open. Will there be any surprises here when training camp opens? Can we expect more pressure this year from these players? Will Charles Grant and Will Smith earn their fat contracts this season?

Poll

Which defensive end will surprisingly make the team this year?

Josh Savage

35 votes

Jeff Charleston

210 votes

Rob Ninkovich

102 votes

Jermey Parnell

72 votes

None of the above

40 votes

459 votes | Poll has closed

Panthers 33 @ Saints 31: Making the Grade

Saintsational — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:00:06 -0000

Quarterback

A-

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Drew Brees	30	49	61.2	386	4

Here I am again trying to find more words to adequately express Drew Brees' greatness and here I am again, coming up short. You all voted him as the games MVP so he deservedly receives an A. But I have to drop it down a bit because of the interception. All in all though, this guy is the New Orleans Saints.

Running Back

C

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Rushing				Receiving
	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Deuce McAllister	8	40	5.0	0	5	41	8.2	0

Deuce actually ran the ball well on the rare occasions he actually got the chance. I still haven't forgotten about that dropped pass though. But Payton was pretty much in pass-mode with Brees and never really got a ground game established. Certainly not enough to be a threat to the Panthers on Sunday so I can only give the running game a C here.

Receiving

B+

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Receiving
	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Marques Colston	7	123	17.6	1

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Receiving
	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Lance Moore	8	91	11.4	2

We have rarely seen big games from both of these guys on the same day but that's exactly what we got this weekend from Colston and Moore. It's also interesting to note that Brees spread the ball around to eight different receivers as is customary. Jake Delhomme, by comparison, only used three. I'm a tough critic and still think the drops are too prevalant so I only gave them a B+.

Offensive Line

Even though the line did a pretty good job holding off Julius Peppers and not letting him dominate, Brees get sacked twice and was hurried often - more than usual for this unit. Zach Strief came in often for support. Mediocre. Congrats to these guys though for breaking the franchise record for sacks allowed.

Defensive Line

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Will Smith	1	3	4	0	0	0	0	0

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Jeff Charleston	2	1	3	0	0	0	0	0

Pure crap. They got no pressure on Delhomme and left him an "inordinate amount of time" says Payton. The only sack of the day came from Scott Shanle...a linebacker. I know they are battling injury but these guys have to be better.

Linebackers

B+

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Jonathan Vilma	12	1	13	0	0	0	0	0

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Scott Fujita	4	2	6	0	0	0	0	0

As they have been all season, the Saints linebacking corp was the best and most consistent aspect of this defense. Vilma had an awesome game running all over the field. Scott Shanle made the Saints only sack of the game but it came at a great time.

Secondary

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Roman Harper	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0

vs CAR / 12.28.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Randall Gay	8	0	8	0	0	0	0	0

Like the defensive line, these guys played like crap. Don't let the above stats fool you. The only reason Harper and Gay racked up so many tackles was because the Panther running backs got to the second level so often.

Special Teams

Sean Payton said himself in his press conference that Hartley didn't look great on kickoffs this Sunday. But it's Skyler Green's untimely fumble that really screwed the pooch for the special teams unit this week. That's why these guys get such a bad grade.

Poll

What grade would you give the Saints performance?

A

1 votes

B

13 votes

C

16 votes

D

7 votes

F

3 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

Saints 42 @ Lions 7: Making the Grade

Saintsational — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:00:06 -0000

Quarterback

A

vs DET / 12.21.08	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Drew Brees	30	40	75.0	351	2	3	-3	-1.0	0

We knew Drew would light up the Lions. Good to see him look more like he did earlier this season. Just another typical day at work for the most amazing quarterback in the league. Good luck to Drew next week. I will be counting every yard. He also needs just one more different receiver to catch a touchdown pass to break the record for most receivers with a touchdown catch in one season.

Running Back

A-

vs DET / 12.21.08	Rushing				Receiving
	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Pierre Thomas	13	77	5.9	1	3	26	8.7	0

vs DET / 12.21.08	Rushing				Receiving
	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Deuce McAllister	9	61	6.8	1	1	6	6.0	0

I didn't want to give these guys the full A because after watching the Giants running game last night I see how good a running game can be, but for the Saints their performance on Sunday was pretty good by comparison. Also, this was Detroit so everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Deuce's big day was certainly a pleasant surprise however.

Receiving

B+

vs DET / 12.21.08	Receiving
	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Marques Colston	9	99	11.0	2

vs DET / 12.21.08	Receiving
	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Devery Henderson	2	96	48.0	0

Colston had his first two-touchdown game of the season and Devery filled his role as a big play specialist. Drew threw for 351 yards so you know the guys on the other end did a good job. Still not perfect though as Shockey dropped an easy one, failing to get his first touchdown as a Saint, and Lance Moore has been hiding out lately. Moore and Colston never seem to put together good games on the same day.

Offensive Line

These guys played pretty well yesterday. I don't think Drew ever even had to hurry a throw. The O-line is still on pace to break the record for fewest sacks allowed in a season. And with the running game finally looking decent I am starting to think these guys weren't the problem earlier in the year. Also, only one false start penalty by Jon Stinchcomb.

Defensive Line

vs DET / 12.21.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Jeff Charleston	1	0	1	1	9	0	0

I'm a little disappointed with this unit. If ever there was a game where these guys should have dominated it was this one. I would have expected more than just 2 sacks from our line. I know they can do better and I refuse to settle. Where are you Will Smith?

Linebackers

B+

vs DET / 12.21.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Scott Fujita	6	1	7	0	0	0	0	0

vs DET / 12.21.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Jonathan Vilma	4	4	8	0	0	0	0	0

A typical day at the office for our linebacking corp. Fujita and Vilma both find themselves toward the top of the defensive tackles sheet. These two are both turning out to be as dependable as Brees for a good game.

Secondary

vs DET / 12.21.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Josh Bullocks	8	2	10	0	0	0	0	0

vs DET / 12.21.08	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
	Solo	Ast	Total	Sacks	Yds	Int	Yds	IntTD
Roman Harper	3	1	4	0	0	0	0	0

Josh Bullocks must have been fired up to play against his brother because he, amazingly, led the team in tackles this week. He also wasn't responsible for any mind-numbing big plays. Harper had a nice game and was laying the lumber on a few guys. He also missed an easy chance for an interception. Can't forget Usama Young who had his moments also. Still, it's the Lions!

Special Teams

Skyler Green set the tone with his great kick return. Fortunately, we never had to see much of Pakulak or Hartley. This grade is based mostly on Hartley and his solid job of putting the ball in the end zone on kickoffs this Sunday.

Poll

What grade would you give the Saints?

A

21 votes

B

11 votes

C

8 votes

D

0 votes

F

4 votes

44 votes | Poll has closed