K Major

FYI ..

It's raining in Metairie at the moment.

K Major

Lightning folks ...

The practice moved inside for today.

AsylumGuido

I cannot disagree with that at all. Not only with Ruiz, but with Thomas and Winston, as well. They all cannot truly prove anything until the real football starts with the regular season. However, that doesn't make good reviews any less encouraging, don't you agree?

By the way, here's an article mentioning Marrone's impact on Ruiz' hopeful improvement.

Here's why the Saints are optimistic about what's possible with Cesar Ruiz in Year 3

For Ruiz specifically, the lack of a normal offseason has been one of the most commonly-used explanations for his uneven performance since the Saints spent a first-round pick on him, right next to him being a college center learning how to play guard.

But what if “not having an offseason” was actually getting at the truth behind Ruiz’s inconsistent play, rather than being a handy excuse?

Offensive line coach Doug Marrone, who is working with Ruiz for the first time this season, put it this way: The first years of a player’s NFL career are the most crucial for development.

“Those players within that first few years that missed the offseason, that missed a lot of that, they do a great job of working with other people, but they’re not working with their coach,” Marrone said. “They’re not working against schemes. They’re not working against guys that are moving.”

Since April, Ruiz has been receiving that technical, hands-on training with the Saints coaching staff, and he’s gotten his first real chance at putting that tutorial to work in a typical summer NFL calendar with Organized Team Activities and minicamp practices.

And maybe the player that emerged on the other side is one who is truly, noticeably better.

“Cesar’s done a great job,” Saints guard Andrus Peat said. “He’s probably made the most improvement out of anyone. I think he’s made huge strides.”

Peat is not the only one who’s saying that about Ruiz. Some Saints coaches are also excited for what’s in store for the right guard in Year 3. They’ve seen the intelligence and the explosive athleticism before, but now they see someone who is starting to put all those traits together.

One of the things Ruiz has done differently this year than in years past is to trust himself to try new things — sort of like a field test with his techniques. It’s required a different level of confidence.

“Not being confident in playing the game, being confident in trying things,” Ruiz said. “... If I’m going to go out there and do something, don’t think about it, just do it. That’s something I’m doing a lot in this camp, building confidence in different techniques.”

It’s helped that he’s had a chance to work with Saints Hall-of-Famer Jahri Evans, who once strung together five consecutive All-Pro seasons as a player. Evans joined the Saints staff as a coaching intern this offseason, and has worked closely with Ruiz, who plays Evans’ old position.

Ruiz smiled when Evans was brought up in an interview question.

“I’ve basically just been a literal sponge,” Ruiz said.

When he’s not actively playing, Ruiz can often be found peppering Evans with questions or getting one-on-one lessons in technique.

Evans’ hands were one of his greatest attributes as a player. He used them violently, and he described how opposing players would alter their usual game to avoid getting caught up in Evans’ mitts.

Now Evans is trying to pass that trait on to Ruiz.

“Striking with your hands, not just placing them, but striking them and having force behind your hands,” Ruiz said. “That’s one thing Jah’s been working on with all the guards. With that comes a lot of different things, too, you’re able to do a lot more things when you have that force in your hands, you’re striking guys and able to give them a good punch.”

Ruiz has finally gotten the opportunity to learn and grow under the Saints’ supervision this offseason. Now he just has to show he can apply that knowledge on the field.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

K Major

FYI ...

Ceedy Deuce is back at practice today (as expected).

SmashMouth

Tis the season of daily showers. They can be in the AM or PM. These showers are what keeps the temps down, although the humidity is inescapable. My backyard projects have me dripping wet in no time.

SmashMouth

SmashMouth

SmashMouth

K Major

Landon ... come on, don't let Turner do you like that .

K Major