EOSB
Practice 1, Day 1, Training Camp Observations
Injury Report:
No news here is good news and for the Saints, it was all good news following the first practice. No new names to the injury list other than the four PUP (physically unable to perform) players and OL Matt Tennant, who has an excused absence.
WR Marques Colston (left knee), WR Robert Meachem (toe), LB Clint Ingram (left knee) and S Darren Sharper (left knee) are all on the PUP list. Colston and Meachem both went through a few drills Friday but not team. They were in shorts. Ingram brought his helmet but didn’t do much. And Sharper did nothing.
Heat Index (calculated from NWS numbers at MSY):
8:53 a.m. -- 96 degree at the beginning of practice
10:53 a.m. -- 99-100 by the end.
Standout:
WR Lance Moore gets this award for the first practice. The wide reciever who spent much of last season injured but came through with a big 2-point conversion in the Super Bowl started where he left off. He made catch after catch and when he came down after a big hit, held onto the ball.
Position battles:
With OLB Scott Fujita shoving off for Cleveland, the Saints are in need of a new OLB on the strongside. Troy Evans took the first snap of the first team session at the position, but no one truly lasted long. In fact, Jo-Lonn Dunbar also took snaps at the position with the 1’s.
At free safety, Malcolm Jenkins took most of the snaps at with the 1’s, but Usama Young also rotated in. Jenkins actually was involved in the play of the day, but more on that later.
Patrick Ramsey, who signed days before camp, took nearly all of the snaps with the second-team. Chase Daniel and Sean Canfield both switched up with the third-team.
And at defensive end, Bobby McCray and Will Smith were your ends, but Alex Brown also got plenty of work there.
Run Game:
RB Pierre Thomas held out for much of the summer, but that didn’t apparently keep him from staying hungry. On the first play of run drills, he bounced left and then ran over SS Roman Harper. The play elicited ooh’s and ahh’s from the more than 2,000 in attendance.
Team 1:
RB Reggie Bush went up the middle and the line was about as far as he made it.
On the next play, QB Drew Brees hit WR Lance Moore over the middle for 17-18 yards.
With the 2’s, QB Patrick Ramsey tried to connect with WR Rod Harper, but DB Randall Gay batted the ball down.
CB Patrick Robinson never got beat directly on a pass, but he whiffed on a Ramsey pass to TE Tory Humphrey as he tried to tackle the tight end.
Team 2:
1st and 10 – QB Brees hits WR Lance Moore in front of a lunging CB Tracy Porter for 10-plus yards
1st and 10 – Brees again goes for Moore, but on the opposite sideline. This time, CB Jabari Greer batted the ball away.
1st and 10 – RB Pierre Thomas took a handoff up the middle, cut back left and took off for a 10-plus yard gain.
1st and 10 – Brees checked down to RB Lynell Hamilton for 10 yards
1st and 10 – QB Patrick Ramsey overthrew WR Adrian Arrington, who looked slow
Random Team Notes:
LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar hit TE Jimmy Graham, causing a fumble
DE Junior Galette beat T Charles Brown off the edge, sacking QB Chase Daniel
QB Ramsey connected with WR Larry Beavers on a beautiful give and go, faking out S Reggie Jones on the play.
Ramsey then threw high to the sideline, but Graham climbed high and made the catch.
Play of the Day:
During the first team session, QB Drew Brees lined up at quarterback and saw something he liked. Unfortunately for WR Lance Moore, the timing wasn’t exactly perfect. Moore ran a route down the seam but Brees’ pass was high. Moore used every bit of his vertical to reach the ball and caught it, but because of how high he was, FS Malcolm Jenkins undercut him, causing Moore to do a complete back flip in the air. He held onto the ball upon landing hard on the ground, though.
Quote of the Day:
“Too much breeze. It needs to be hotter.” – DC Gregg Williams, speaking sarcastically on the morning heat.
