Saints' punter Thomas Morstead injured on first drive of game
 

The New Orleans Saints stepped out onto the field at Gillette Stadium tonight for their first preseason game of the 2010 season.

Drew Brees and the Saints chose to receive after winning the coin toss agfainst the New England Patriots.
After a quick three-and-out, punter Thomas Morstead came out and kicked a 45-yard punt. On the return though, Morstead made the tackle and went down hard.

Morstead appeared to slam his left shoulder or elbow into the ground and laid there for a few minutes.
He was looked at by trainers and just taken back to the locker room. More on this story as it becomes known.

UPDATE #2: Morstead appears to be done for the night. He came back out to the sidelines and was practicing catching snaps, but now they have hsi pads off and are wrapping his shoulder. Hopefully nothing was dislocated.
Update #1: Morstead has made it back out to the sidelines and is practicing catching snaps. Good sign.

New Orleans Saints' Thomas Morstead to undergo MRI exam today
Published: Friday, August 13, 2010, 12:23 AM Updated: Friday, August 13, 2010, 1:19 AM

FOXBORO, MASS. - Although it wouldn't become apparent until the game wore on, it looked as if the only New Orleans Saint who could tackle New England Patriots receiver/returner Julian Edelman on Thursday night was punter Thomas Morstead, and his stop was one the team wished he hadn't made.

Morstead made a clothesline tackle of Edelman at the New Orleans 19-yard line that ended a 40-yard punt return after the Saints' first possession of the game. On the play, Morstead's left arm got overextended, and he tumbled awkwardly when he hit the turf -- "like Gumby," he said afterward.

http://media.nola.com/saints_impact/...4f67_large.jpg

Morstead was on the ground for some time, attended by Saints trainers, and left the field. He returned in uniform with his left arm immobilized. While it looked serious, Payton said shoulder X-rays were negative and that Morstead said he was cleared medically to return, but the coaching staff elected to hold him out.

"It's sore, it's really uncomfortable moving it, so I've got an MRI (exam) tomorrow, " he said Thursday. "He had the angle on me, so I couldn't really run into him or push him out of bounds. So I just put my arm out there and, you know, took him down somehow."

Kicker Garrett Hartley handled the punting in Morstead's absence, a role he said he hadn't played since high school.

New Orleans Saints' Thomas Morstead to undergo MRI exam today | NOLA.com

Do we teach our specialists to tackle properly? I mean they should not have to make the tackles but a situation like this shows it would be good for the to work at it atleast a little; for their own saftey.

looked like he hit his funny bone.

I think he will be ok..But Hartley did good...lol...

I was impressed with the booming punts that Hartley made.

Hartley was good. Glad to see we have a pretty good back up