Defense stars in morning practice
Written by Jude Young
Monday, 04 August 2008 12:42
Saints News
The defense continued to shine in the Mississippi heat for the New Orleans Saints during their Monday morning practice session at Milsaps College.
The the enarly two-and-a-half hour practice was staged on the stadium upper field at the complex where Jeremy Shockey took part in the first hour of the workout in pads before observing the rest of practice as a precaution. Jonathan Vilma also returned to practice today before spending the later part of the workout on a stationary bike.
The Saints spent a majority of the session working on goal-line sitations during both contact and non-contact drills including focus on the playaction passing. The defense was the stronger side through the drills.
For about 15-20 minutes, the team worked on the two-minute drill. Linebacker Scott Fujita showed off his athleticism by intercepting a Drew Brees' throw in the flat.
Aaron Glenn continued his solid play in camp including a nice deflection of a deep out attempt. Coaches say Glenn's play has been steady since the start of camp.
A troubling sign was the struggles of backup quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Tyler Palko when throwing deeper down the field. Both signalcallers displayed a lack of arm strength at times when passing over 20 yards.
Jamaal Brown upset coached with a false start penalty during one drill and was replaced by second-year pro Jermon bushrod at left tackle for the remainder of the activity. Bushrod has shown steady improvement throughout camp so far.
In special teams work, Skyler Green continued to standout at the team's best candidate for the the punt returner job. Adrian Arrington and Robert Meachem were both given opportunities to return kickoffs. Head coach Sean Payton noted that many others on the roster will have the opportunity to return kicks.
The special teams highlight of the day came when punter Steve Weatherford downed a punt inside the one-yard line drawing applause from fans braving the heat to watch the workout.
The Saints will have a lighter workout this afternoon as the club tapers off the intensity of practices in preparation for the preseason game Thursday at Arizona. This afternoon's practice is set for 4 p.m.
NOTE: Marques Colston, Devery Henerson, Tracy Porter, Josh Bullocks, Mike McKenzie, Hollis Thomas, Brain Young, and Josh Savage were all held out of the morning workout.
