Today we continue with the second half of our in-depth analysis of last weeks pre-season game against the Bengals. Here we go.

Saints Defense First Drive

• After Mehlhaff finally boots one into the endzone for a touchback the Bengals start from their own 20 yard line. Their first play is a run to the right side. Randall Gay makes a nice tackle coming in for support as the play only gains 3 yards.
• Another run up the right side and Chris Perry hits a big hole and gains 13 yards for the first.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, now the quarterback, tries the left side but Harper and Porter are all over it. Nice coverage. Very un-Jason David like.
  
• The Bengals then try a run up the middle but Fujita does a great job stuffing it at the line.
  
• On third down Fitzpatrick completes one to Chatman who is in the gap between the line of scrimmage and the secondary. Vilma brings him down from behind just shy of the first down. Bengals punt.

Review: Glad to see the defense still looks good after the half. The run defense wasn't so hot but, and I can't believe I am going to say this, the pass defense came through for us. I think Vilma has been looking pretty good but he just does a lot of things that don't usually get noticed. I'm a fan. I think it would be safe to buy his jersey.

Saints Offense First Drive

• Saints take over at their own 28. Sit back and relax, because the Pierre Thomas extravaganza is about to begin. It starts with Thomas to the right side for 5 yards. The O-line (Nicks, Bushrod, Lehr, Strief) does an awesome job of making room and they actually force their will on the Bengals plowing them all to the right side. Had Reggie been out there, he might have actually cut it back to the left side and been gone, as there is no one there. I am starting to wonder if maybe the problem with the run game lies completely with the first team offensive line. 
• Brunell throws a quick one to the right to Meachem for 4 yards.
• Third down and two tight ends. Pierre tries the right side, gains the first down, sheds a tackle and spins away from a second before being taken down for a gain of 14.
• Play action. Brunell completes one over the middle to Terrance Copper. Pierre Thomas does a great job blocking in the backfield and keeping Keith Rivers away from Brunell. The kid does it all.
  
• They give it to Thomas again up the middle and he gains 9 yards after avoiding one tackle. To be fair, the tackling looks weak.
• Brunell is forced to roll left and overthrows Copper in the endzone on what seemed like an improvised play.
• Third and 1 as Pierre cuts it back to his right and up the middle for 4 yards and the first.
• Brunell hurrys a throw to Pierre Thomas who is covered. Pass incomplete.
• On second down Thomas takes it up the right side. He eludes one tackler, barely keeps his knee from hitting the ground, then fumbles the ball as he spins and falls down. Bengals recover.

Review: Ugh. Not that I think the fumble will really cause Payton any distrust, but everything was looking so good. Had that fumble not occurred, I think all Saints fans, myself included, would be up in arms about letting Pierre start and referencing this very drive to make our point. If Pierre is always going to fight to stay on his feet, then he needs to remember to hold on to the ball tight. Regardless, the drive looked good. Pierre looked better. By the way, I love it when Pierre uses his hand and puts it on top of a defenders head to push him out of the way as he passes him.

Saints Defense Second Drive

• Cincinnati gets the ball deep in their own zone. Perry tries the right side. Lance Schulters comes in and makes the nice stop for only 3 yards. Then proceeds to take a stupid 15 yards Uneccesary Roughness (classic movie) penalty.
• First and ten now from the Bengals 23 yard line. Chris Perry tries the left edge and guess who comes in with the nice tackle and the stop for no gain. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It's Jason David!
• Fitzpatrick completes short over the middle for 4 yards. Troy Evans makes the quick tackle.
  
• Third down and Fitzpatrick throws a short  incompletion to Kenny Watson. Chris Reis was all over him with great coverage. Bengals...you know. Skyler Green gets nowhere on the return.

Review: This was actually a good showing for the defense, minus the penalty, particularly the secondary. They showed great run support on two plays and tight coverage on another. After going through this game in depth, I think this defense looked even better than everyone is giving them credit for. It was solid all around. Even Jason David. I am very impressed.

Saints Offense Second Drive

• Palko checks into the game now and starts from the Saints 33. The first play is a short dump off to Pierre Thomas over the middle for 5 yards. No hesitation going back to Thomas after the fumble.
  
• Palko checks down to Thomas on a flare to the left. With plenty of room to work with and nice blocks from Matt Lehr and Tim Duckworth, Pierre turns it into 25 yards up the sideline. He does that hand on helmet thing to another would be tackler. Watch for it, its funny! It's almost like he uses them for more speed as he pushes off of them.
  
• Meachem shows off his running ability on a reverse. He gains a respectable 13 yards.
• Palko takes too much time in the pocket and is sacked by Keith Rivers.
• 2nd and 18 as Palko completes a short one over the middle to Thomas for 3 yards.
• Palko tries Thomas again on a short dump off. Not much doing.
• Mehlhaff nails a 45 yarder. He then kicks a blooper to only the Bengals 16 yard line. He is visibly upset as he walks off.

Review: More awesomeness from The Flying Frenchman. The drive just stalled at the end as Palko couldn't find anything downfield. This offensive line deserves some credit for working hard and looking pretty solid out there. None of Thomas' success would exist without some good play from those guys. Mehlhaff shows some inconsistency. I don't think it is looking as good for Mehlhaff as it once was.

Saints Defense Third Drive

• After a false start, the Bengals have 1st and 15 from own 30 yard line. Jeff Rowe now takes over for the Bengals and tosses one quickly to the right. Aaron Glenn, looking great in run support, wraps him up quickly for a gain of only two.
  
• The Saints line flush Rowe out of the pocket and forces him to scramble right and throw it away.
• Rowe tries over the middle on a crossing route but Glenn is on top of him and breaks it up which is good because the Saints sent eight guys in to rush and didn't have much help in the secondary. There had to be someone else open downfield that Rowe just didn't see. Bengals punt and Skyler Green lets it bounce before fielding it and losing 4 yards. Not pretty.

Review: Gotta love three and out. More straight up solid play from the defense. This drive was all Aaron Glenn. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Glenn makes this team. He looks better and better every week. I don't think he will start but its great to know he's there. Honestly, seems like you take away Jason David, and this secondary doesn't look half bad. We should probably give it a little more time and observation though.

Saints Offense Third Drive

• Saints start from their 12 yard line and Palko throws a quick pass to Meachem to the right. He gets six yards as the defender drags him down by his pants, ala the Coppertone girl, as Meachem refuses to go down.
  
• Next is a hard run up the left side by Lynell Hamilton for six yards.
• Palko completes a pass to Lance Moore for 14 yards.
• 1st and ten now, as Palko throws a bad pass nowhere near Terrance Copper that almost gets picked off.
• Lynell Hamilton takes it up the middle for 7 yards. He looks very powerful. End of third quarter.
• On third down with 3 to go Hamilton takes it again, this time to the left side for 4 yards, picking up the first.
• Palko throws an interception on a deep pass intended for Terrance Copper. The throw was into double coverage.

Review: It would have been nice to see this drive continue. Hamilton was looking pretty impressive. As bad as I feel for Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker, I will feel even worse for Lynell Hamilton who will most likely not see any playing time with this team though he looks pretty good. I can't find anything in Palko to get excited about.

Saints Defense Fourth Drive

• We have to pick up this drive from 3rd and 7 since the broadcast team favored doing some piece on how Fujita would make the best Olympian over showing us the first two plays of the drive. And what a wonderful place to pick up from, as we're just in time to see the dynamic duo of Jason David and Josh Bullocks get beat on a 9 yard pass that keeps the drive alive. They were both right there and still couldn't make a play! How much longer must we suffer? Even on a night when everyone else is looking great, these two manage to suck. Who are we going to make fun of after Payton hopefully cuts these two?
• First down now and a short completion to the right side for three yards.
• Another Rowe pass to the right for 10 yards as Craft is no where near his receiver.
  
• After a Kenny Watson run for only two yards, Rowe dumps it off over the middle for 9 yards and a first down.
• On first down now and Bobby McCray shoots through the gap and gets the sack for -8 yards. I can't say enough about how fast he is.
  
• Rowe completes a short dump off to Kenny Watson but the Saints react quickly and McCray and Harris stop it for -1 yards.
• More pressure from the line again as McCray, who is forced to take the long route behind the quarterback, doesn't give up and eventually beats his man deep in the backfield and gets to Rowe to disrupt the pass. Bengals punt.
  

Review: I think this drive is very telling. This was the Bengals longest drive of the night play-wise. Bullocks, Craft and David, who all saw a lot of time in the Saints secondary last year were all out there against the third team and still having trouble. What does that say? Bobby McCray saves their butt however as he was a monster on the last three plays. Can't wait to see what he brings this season.

Saints Offense Fourth Drive

• Saints start at their six. Hamilton runs for two yards.
• Palko looks good as he avoids a safety and shows some nifty moves eluding would be tacklers and running for 9 yards. A personal foul call takes the Saints to their 32 yard line.
• After a botched snap, Palko fires a bullet to the right side for Buck "Naked" Ortega for 17 yards.
• Hamilton then makes a short three yard catch on the left sideline.
• Palko goes to the left side again and finds Meachem for 7 yards and a first down.
• The Bengals' Angelo Craig notches a sack for -4 yards. Duckworth failed to pick up LB Corey Mayes who broke through the line, caused disruption and barely missed the sack himself.
  
• A draw to Hamilton up the middle for six yards.
• Palko, looking solid on this drive, fires another rocket, this time to Todd Blythe, over the middle for a gain of 15.
• After scrambling left Palko throws a short 6 yarder to Hamilton. Holding on Bushrod.
  
• 1st and 20 now as Palko throws another dump off to Hamilton who has room to turn it into 16 yards.
• Palko throws two straight into tight coverage. The first one should probably have been picked off.
• Saints go for it on fourth down but Palko is forced to scramble to the left and throw it away.

Review: After a nice start to this drive by Palko, the Bushrod penalty and some poor passing decisions kill it. Tyler is just too inconsistent for my taste. A couple of nice hard passes mixed in with poor decisions and botched snaps. That's just not gonna cut it. Bushrod has been the culprit on quite a few penalties this pre-season and really needs to fix that.

Saints Defense Fifth Drive

• Carson Palmer's younger brother Jordan comes in to lead the charge. First play is a run up the middle for a gain of two.
• Palmer completes a short one to the right but Chris Reis is right there to bring him down quickly.
  
• Scrambling left, Palmer gets the needed 2 yards for the first down.
  
• He follows that play up with an interception to Lance Schulters to end the Bengals night. Jason David, whose receiver it was, was behind the play, but Lance, probably figuring David wasn't going to do anything, decided to jump the route and pick it off.
  

Review: Good sign from Schulters. Maybe he is the help this team needs over the top. He was very aggressive on the interception as Jason David stood there and watched. Literally!

Saints Offense Sixth Drive

Nothing important to report about the final drive. Lynell Hamilton runs for 2, 3 and 3 yards to run out the clock.

That does it. I was very happy with the teams performance after watching the game the first time. Having taken a closer look I have to say I am ever happier. There were a lot of good signs and we can only hope that this is a better representation of what we can expect from the defense and the team in general this season.

Sedrick Ellis

Obviously we should expect that today will be all about him and how he looks out there. For his sake, he better look pretty sharp out there. Ed Orgeron's reputation is also slightly on the line. He has been vouching for this kid since day one. The five-year deal is reportedly worth $19.5 million guaranteed.

Jeremy Shockey

Do we have a possible problem on our hands? He spent most of yesterday evenings practice on the sideline after injuring himself on a passing play.

Shockey dropped a pass and said to a Saints official on the sideline immediately that "that might be it," talking about it being the end of the evening for him. He said it was a groin pull, and a trainer soon came over. - Times-Pic

Not sure what his status is at this point, but this wouldn't surprise me at all. You could add him to the ever growing list of injured players. One of the downsides of having the powerhouse that is Shockey is that he is very injury prone. This one really doesn't seem too serious. I would think the media would be making a much bigger deal if it was.

Bob Stoops

A few people, including the reporter doing the live blogging for Fox 40, was quite confused and a little upset about the Oklahoma coach's presence at training camp this morning. What the heck was he doing here?

"Our policy always to college coaches is that our camps have always been open, and we encourage it, " Payton said. "Well, if college coaches aren't coming, that means they're not really interested in studying what you're doing, so that's not a good thing." - Times-Pic

Punting Battle

This is a position battle I didn't think  would even need to be discusses. Steve Weatherford is pretty solid and he was pretty much the Saints MVP of the first half of last season, being the only consistent talent on the team. Waylon Prather has been creating a bit of a buzz with his funky, weird kick that he does by kicking the nose of the ball giving it backspin like a kickoff. Weatherford has been respectable in his own right.

Kicking Battle

Gramatica was reported to be the winner of the day as far as the kicking battle is concerned. He nailed all of his kicks out of the end zone on the kickoff drill, knocking  them further than Mehlhaff, who is known for his distance. I still think Mehlhaff will win this one, though today makes me a little uncertain. With some fans already upset about wasting a draft pick on a kicker, Payton will lose even more favor if the pick gets cut and winds up being a waste.

More random notes from camp:

• The morning was very uneventful. Boring walk through's and special teams work.
  
• Todd Blythe returned to practice this morning.
  
• Aaron Stecker looked good in special teams drills. No surprise there.
  
• Reggie Bush continues to show commitment. He stayed a few minutes after practice for more work.
• Devery Henderson and Tracy Porter are expected to miss a week of practice. At least.
• Lance Moore, surprisingly, had a few drops in the evening and didn't look so great.
• Jason Craft and Chris Reis knocked the crap out of Lance Moore simultaneously high and low for the biggest hit of training camp so far.
• Arrington isn't showing signs of slowing down.
• Chris Barclay needed to be carted off the field last night. No word on the seriousness of the injury.
  
• Usama Young has continued to step it up and looks great. The secondary on a whole seems improved.
  
• Tyler Palko threw back to back bombs to Skyler Green and Todd Blythe for  the plays of the day.

Just your luck. It's more of me! This time talking with the guys at Pigskin Podcast. I come in toward the middle. Joel and Brian were awesome and I had a lot of fun doing this. For general football info, you should definitely check out their site. Thanks to those guys for having me. Disclaimer: Man, I can freakin' ramble on!

More pictures of yesterday from the Clarion Ledger.

Here's an audio clip of the guys from Sports Talk speaking with the big man himself, Sean Payton.

 SportsTalk - Sean Payton

More video's for you guys. Again, they are from Cox Sports TV.

Here's more on the Sedrick Ellis signing from WWLTV.com.

"It’s about time," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. "It took a little longer than it should have. It is what is it is. We’re glad he got it done and glad he’s in the fold.

"We’ll see what kind of shape he’s in tomorrow afternoon."

"These are complicated contracts," Loomis said. "It’s not like the old days when it was like, ‘Hey, here’s the signing bonus check and here’s what you’re making.’ There’s a lot of things the rules create and the magnitude these contracts makes."

More quotes from Mickey Loomis on the Sedrick Ellis contract from The Advocate.

“There were some structural issues and some difference in opinion as to the structure of the deal. It probably shouldn’t have taken this long and I’m disappointed in that. But I’m excited that is done and agreed to.”

“It (the holdout) is going to set him back, he’s got some catching up to do,” Loomis said. “He’s missed 12 practices, so that’s a lot of catching up to do.”

The Times-Pic must have read what I said about Bobby McCray yesterday, because they now have their own article about the new guy.

"I knew they had an All-Pro end (Will Smith) and one who had just gotten a big contract (Charles Grant). I knew they didn't give all that money to them and then not use them. But I came here to make plays, nothing else. If I make plays, everything else will take care of itself."

"They told me that I wouldn't have to worry about covering the running back or dropping into pass coverage. I liked that, " McCray said. "We have a lot of keys to this defense, with the new guys coming in and the ones we have."

"I've done it before, " McCray said. "I started my first four years in Jacksonville. I can play on those downs, too."

"I'm going to go out every day to make plays, " he said. "Sure, everyone saw what the Giants did. That's the reason I'm here. I have play-making ability."

Here is what linemate Will Smith said.

"Bobby gives Charles and me a chance to come out, and we couldn't do that, " Smith said. "He can really rush the passer, and he gives us a chance in a nickel situation to come in with Charles and me and Sedrick Ellis, when he gets in here, to really get after the quarterback.

"The coaches told me we were going to do something with our depth on the defensive line. That's kind of broad. It could have meant defensive tackle or defensive end.

"With Bobby, we've added to our depth. We haven't had (first-round draft pick defensive tackle) Sedrick (Ellis) in, but we saw what he could do in the OTAs. We know what (tackles) Hollis Thomas and Brian Young can do. We have plenty of depth so that we can keep after the quarterback."

Speaking of Bobby McCray, here is a video from Mike Nabors and Cox Sports TV with an interview with the man himself. I swear, I talk about someone and then everyone else starts talking about him. I am so cool.

Haven't  heard about this guy much so far. The Sun Herald had a piece about safety Kevin Kaesviharn.

"I try not to get in that mix," Kaesviharn said. "That's for the coaches to decide. Obviously I have a role that I'm playing out there and the better I do, the more confidence they'll have putting me out there. I plan and prepare to start and that's all I can do. I let them do the rest."

"Obviously I feel very capable that I can play and you've got to feel that way," Kaesviharn said. "But like I said, it's their decision to make and I'm going to continue to go out there and play hard every day and get better and just see what happens."

Yet another "getting to know you" type article from the Times-Pic. This time around, its about Skyler Green.

"I've just been working hard at it, and hopefully that opportunity comes, " said the receiver/return specialist, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2006 and has since joined the Cincinnati Bengals and now the Saints. "And when it comes, I won't let it get away from me."

"The numbers are a little bit better on special teams, " said Green, who is lower on the receiver depth chart. "But I think I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing and worry about Skyler and let things fall into place.

"I think I still have a little bit in the tank. But I'm definitely going to lay it on the line and show the coaches that I still have it."

Our defensive line is going to be sick! That's all I'm going to say. The Advocate has an article about our d-line including some quotes from the members of said d-line.

Hollis Thomas

“We’re leaner, but it’s not like we’re not meaner,” said Thomas, who reported to camp weighing substantially less, according to him, than last season. “We’re just trying to become a unit that’s a force to be reckoned with.

“We did some good things last year, but obviously, it wasn’t enough to get us where we need to be,” he said. “We need to be the catalyst in this game of football and for the Saints to try and get where we want to go.”

“I feel a significant amount of difference in my endurance and my ability to be out there more and run a little bit faster,” said Thomas. “Obviously, without the weight, comes quickness.”

Charles Grant

“The pressure and sacks are going to come,” Grant said. “One of the problems last year was we started 0-4. Nobody comes back from that. If you start 0-4, you’re playing catch-up all year.

“So the key is to start fast. If we do, we’ll get a lot of sacks because we’ve got the guys to get it done.”

Will Smith

“I think we can be good. Our opportunities are unlimited,” said Smith, a Pro Bowl pick in 2006. “They know what me and Charles can do, and we know what Bobby can do. Hollis and B.Y. (Young), we know they can make plays. So, we think our success can be unlimited.”

Bobby McCray

“It’s a great thing to have all four of us out there,” McCray said. “You never know who’s going to be in there. We have a lot of guys we can mix into the rotation.

“That will be good to keep the guys fresh because we’re going to try and dominate offensive lines,” he said. “We’ll keep rotating players in and pound them and pound them.”

Three reasons we will be much better on the line:

1. Coach O
2. Much more depth and talent added
   
3. Players are in shape, came in under weight and are significantly more serious

Here is another one for the gamblers out there. Its from Sports Memo. If you like getting your sports info from Vegas bookies, check it out.

On paper, at least, this team probably deserves the respect they’ve been getting both in the national media and the betting markets.

New Saints coach Ed Orgeron aka "Coach O" speaks in this Clarion Ledger article. When Coach O speaks, you listen.

"ATTA BAY-BEE! WAY TO WORK! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! THAT'S WHAT WE WANT! NOW LET'S DO IT AGAIN! JOG, DON'T WALK!"

That's it. That's all he said. I'm just kidding...sort of.  Read the article if you want more.

There will be no practice this morning, only the afternoon session.

Thanks for those of you who listened to what I had to say and started FanPosts and put up FanShots. It will pick up eventually. Keep up the good work.

The Saints are practicing as we speak at Jackson Memorial Stadium. I guess since I have nothing else to do, I will update live as news comes out of training camp.

Fox 40 is, of course, doing their live blogging thing on the offense and defense.

Offense

7:34 p.m. Although they were going just half-speed, Marques Colston just made a ridiculous one-handed catch. The guy has bear claws for hands.

7:50 p.m. Lance Moore has had two uncharacteristic drops early in these drills.

8:16 p.m. A stagnant crowd just erupted as Deuce found a hole on the right side and burst free into the open field. Oh yeah, we're in 11-on-11 drills right now.

8:21 p.m. Aside from the little things that Adrian Arrington has to learn, one thing I can say for sure: he has incredible hands. Double-A just made a tough catch on a ball thrown behind him in a crowd of three defenders.

8:31 p.m. Yes, most exciting play on special teams so far in camp. They just executed a fake field goal in which holder Steve Weatherford completed a pass to Jamar Nesbit and he took off in a plod of glory.

8:53 p.m. A new wrinkle to these full offense vs. defense drills, they are adding down and distance to each play. Intensity is pretty high, Lance Moore got blasted by David Roach on an incomplete pass.

9:07 p.m. After throwing an incomplete pass on a rollout to the left, Brees shouted in disgust. You don't normally get that kind of outward emotion from him.

9:13 p.m. Play of the practice. Tyler Palko lofted a 50-yard pass to Skyler Green who made a nice over the shoulder grab. Green has the speed to burn people deep, he just needs to be more consistent holding on to the ball. As soon as I write that Palko drops another bomb to Todd Blythe for a TD, good little run for the third teamers.

Defense

7:59 PM Payton is resting Jonathan Vilma this evening, Vilma is with the linebacker corp walking through some drills

8:21 PM The defense hasn't looked very good in the 11-on-11 drills so far. I can't recall having seen more than one incompletion yet from any of the three QBs.

8:57 PM Marquies Gunn is trying to make his presence felt with the second team 'D'. He used a nice little move to get around his blocker and then forced QB Mark Brunell's to throw the ball away. Pressley just joined the tam a few days ago to replace rookie DE Demario Pressley who just got put on Injured Reserved.

9:06 Usama Young just broke up a Brunell pass. This guy is having a really good couple of days, and the coaches seemed to be impressed. He just needs to keep it up.

The New Orleans Saints official website is also getting in the game and live blogging also. Here are the highlights of some of their observations.

The offense and defense are going to start working against each other in different groups right now. On one end of the field the receivers and defensive backs will get some work against each other, while the running backs and linebackers take on each other, while the one-on-ones between the o-line and d-line work in the corner of the field.  Reggie Bush catches a pass in the flat and turns on up field for a long gain.  Te Billy Miller makes a nifty catch along the far sideline.

Aaron Stecker hauls in a pass in the flat on a dead run and gets to the corner, and then RB Pierre Thomas catches a quick in cut across the middle and shakes free from linebacker Marvin Mitchell.

CB Usama Young meets Pierre Thomas at the line of scrimmage on sweep.

*CB Jason Craft stops Barlclay at the lie of scrimmage on a stretch play.  Barclay flew to the corner, but Craft was flying equally as fast.

*QB Tyler Palko scrambles out of the pocket and hits Lynell Hamilton for a 10-yard gain. 

The special teams dedicated portion of practice is extremely crisp. Three things stand out to me:  K Taylor Mehlhaff hit a 46-yard field goal with what look like a 3/4 punch shot that flew right down the middle of the uprights. Mehlhaff has a short, quick approach to the ball and it jumps off his foot.  Secondly, the Saints return men in the punt game have all field punts very cleanly tonight. Not a bobble in sight.  Thirdly, P Steve Weatherford hit a 55-yard punt that was flew out of bounds at the one-yard line in a perfect coffin corner punt.  Special Teams Coordinator Greg McMahon will be pleased with this practice session, I am guessing.

DE's Charles Grant and Will Smith converge on Brees for what would have been a sack. They both pull up before actually hitting him.

Brees just misses on a long bomb to WR David Patten. Credit Jason David with tight coverage.

RB Chris Barclay attempts to make a tough comeback reception along the sideline, but lands awkwardly as he reaches back for the ball and crumbles. He reaches for his left knee as the trainers race towards him. RB Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister hustle over to him to lend support.  Barclay is helped to the bench where head trainer Scottie Patton tends to him.

Arrington almost makes a diving reception but Reis doesn't allow the pass to be completed. On the next play, Arrington gets loose down the middle in hauls in a 25-yard pass from Brunell.

Out of what looks a like rugby scrum, RB Pierre Thomas emerges for a nice gain. Where have we seen that before?

Brees and Terrance Cooper hook up for a 35-yard gain in two minute drill and on the next play the QB fires a perfect pass into the corner for David Patten, who hauls in the pass against the second string defense.

Here is the Times-Pic's summary of the evening practice.

Here is another update from Fox 40. This time they let us know what's going on with the defense.

9:07 AM CB Mike McKenzie (currently on the physically unable to perform list) arrived on the practice field with a knee brace. Coach Payton said in Tuesday's presser that McKenzie is day-to-day.  

9:33 AM The coaches have the DBs working out right directly in front of the fan bleachers. McKenzie'sworking out with no pads, but looking mobile, not too slowed down by the knee.

9:53 AM Johnathan Vilma looks to be at full speed working with the second team defense. He didn't run in yesterday's workouts, but looks okay today.

9:55 AM In his Tuesday presser Payton said they'll be competition at almost every position, including the secondary. WR Lamar Moore just reached over fourth string corner Greg Fassit to grab a pass that got the fans pretty excited. Good for Moore, not good for Fassit, who's one of the guys battling for some playing time.  

10:25 AM Looks like Vilma has remained on the second team 'D' for th entire morning practice.

10:37 AM Former Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron looks to be fitting into his new role as Saints defensive line coach pretty well, even without rookie holdout Sedrick Ellis in camp. Right now he's working Charles Grant one-on-one.

10:43 AM  SACKS!!!! Don't need to remind anybody that the "D' had some trouble getting to the QB last season. Well, Rookie DeMario Pressley (NC State) was showing off some speed in practice, splitting two tackles enroute to the QB. Just drills, but hopefully that's a sign of good things to come from the rookie. The crowd seemed to think so.

10:56 AM CB Jason Craft just let an easy pick slip through his fingers. Next play, S Charles Reis let one get away as well. I'm not suprising anyone by stating this: secondary needs work.

11:00 AM Kickers and Punters on the practice field working out alone.

There is a ridiculous amount of news to report today, so I am gonna make you jump over. This will also allow those fantasy football virgins and newbies to check out Stujo4's nice little introduction to flea flicker and fantasy football basics.

Continue reading this post »

The Saints have finally started the process of signing their 2008 draft choices and the first was yesterday when the Saints and DE DeMario Pressley agreed to a deal. The Times-Pic broke the story. No details on the contract other than the fact that its for 3 years.

And so it begins.

Can Arrington make the cut? (Photo Source)

The Times-Pic also had this article, which gives us their attempt at predicting the final 53 man roster. As expected, the most interesting decisions came at the cornerback and receiver positions.

Just missed:

CB Jason Craft was the hardest guy to project because he could wind up as a starter or a casualty. If McKenzie is healthy, though, I don't see six cornerbacks making the roster. Veteran Aaron Glenn is in that crowded mix as well.

WR Adrian Arrington has been very impressive so far, but I think he'll start out on the practice squad because of the numbers crunch. I think QB Tyler Palko goes back to the practice squad as well.

DT Kendrick Clancy didn't make my list, but he could easily beat out Thomas, Lake or Pressley.

Not sure I agree with Arrington, but someone has to go. I think its a little too early to really be picking who will make it, but this was all done in fun. What do you guys think about it? Is Arrington in or out? Is Craft in or out?

Right here you can find a position by position breakdown and analysis from CBS Sports in preparation for training camp. Not really too much new here.

Another article on former Saints center Jeff Faine and his new team, this time from the Orlando Sentinel. They are really excited about him down there in FLA aren't they? This was a funny part about Jeff Faine and Chris Hovan talking smack to each other on the line in seasons past.

"There definitely were some words passed between the two of us during those games -- and a lot of it from my end," Faine said recently. "But it was good. I enjoyed it. And I bet he enjoyed it, too."

"We looked at each other, kind of smiled, and basically both said, 'OK, what the [expletive],' and shook hands," Hovan said. "The guy is a warrior, and I'm glad he's my teammate now."

You can find two photo galleries here and here from the Manning Passing Academy courtesy of the Lafayette Advertiser. Many of them are actual students. I have posted some of them in the FanShots. There you can also check out a photo of Kim and Reggie from their day at Six Flags.

It's that time of the week again (actually this is normally Monday's bit). Time to play coach. Payton that is. Which players would you keep at the cornerback position for the start of this season. You can choose four, five or even six I guess, depending on how many you think they will carry. This is a close race and the field is wide. Here are the choices:

• Randall Gay
• Jason Craft
• Tracy Porter
• Usama Young
• Aaron Glenn
• Greg Fassitt
• Mike McKenzie
• Anwar Phillips
  
• Jason David
• Jerametrius Butler

Tough one. Let's hear what you guys have to say! Extra points if you beat Stujo4 to the punch for first comment.

Today was the first of five practices this weekend of Saints minicamp. The New Orleans Saints official website had the rundown of today's events. Here are their observations.

*CB Jason Craft started the proceedings by not falling for a full-speed deke by WR David Patten and blanketed the receiver down the sideline and preventing the receiver from catching a deep pass.

*MLB Mark Simoneau met RB Pierre Thomas in a hole at the line of scrimmage.

*WR/KR Skyler Green, a former LSU standout, showed strength and speed by getting away from CB Anwar Phillips in a drill and coming up with a reception.

*Reggie Bush displayed that he has returned to form after battling a troublesome knee late in the 2007 season and displayed quickness, speed and power during numerous situations. Bush took a hand-off and bolted between a hole opened by Jahri Evans and Jammal Brown and was on the third level of defense in a split second and off to the races.

*Just a few plays later, Bush swept to the right, picking up a block from tight end Mark Campbell and jetted down the sideline for a long gainer.

*RB Aaron Stecker, in 9-on-7 drills, read the blocking and the flow of the linebackers and cut behind the left side of the line with a powerful run, finding the open field.

*Rookie WR Adrian Arrington made a nifty sideline reception on a pass from Drew Brees.

*Bush took a pitch and instead of sweeping right, bolted through a hole in the middle of the line and raced into the secondary, showing a few high-speed moves along the way.

*CB Usama Young, wearing a new number (#28), leaped high into the air and knocked a pass away from rookie WR Carlos Robinson.

*WR Marques Colston displayed his patented over-the-middle of the field prowess by snaring a pass in tight coverage.

*Rookie DE Jeremy Geathers, who Head Coach Sean Payton has described as having good speed off of the corner, pounced on a Lynell Hamilton fumble.

*Bush got to the edge on a quick pass out of the backfield and outraced pursuing defenders down the sideline, picking up several key blocks from Billy Miller and Marques Colston along the way.

*WR Terrance Cooper making a sideline reception after finding a hole in the zone coverage as two defenders nearly made the play.

*A few plays later, Moore hauled in a long bomb from Brees after the Saints dialed up a trick play that fooled rookie CB Tracy Porter. After the play, new Saints secondary coach Dennis Allen, a no-nonsense customer, pulled Porter aside to instruct the rookie what to look for so that the lapse wouldn't occur in the future.

*Patten made a great grab in traffic on a comeback route.

*CB Randall Gay knocked down a pass intended for Colston.

*QB Mark Brunell hooked up with WR Lance Moore for a sensational play. Moore made a leaping catch at full speed down the middle of the field with two defenders in the vicinity to haul in a laser-beamed dart from Brunell that picked up 35 yards.

*LB Jonathan Vilma appeared in his first team drills, and snared Bush across the middle on a crossing route. Vilma said afterward that he is pleased with the progress from his knee surgery and is thrilled to be back in the team drills.

*To begin the afternoon session, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal addressed the team and offered them works of encouragement for the upcoming season.

I'm glad they give us all this information, but I wish they would stop sugar-coating it. This is why we get our hopes up every year only to be let down. Tell us who really sucked today. Tell us who missed assignments, dropped passes (Devery?) and was out of shape.

Here is the new video from David Gladow of the Times-Pic. This one is about the Charles Grant situation. Gladow should really stick to writing because his on camera personality leaves much to be desired. He really frightens me.