2023 Saints OTA Thread
 

Organized team activities scheduled for three weeks from May 23-25, May 30-June 1, and June 5-8.

Participation isn’t mandatory until the minicamp scheduled for June 13-15, at which point the team will break for the summer until training camp begins in late July.

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We very soon get to see what we have on our hands.

:popcorn:

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Right now all I have is time on my hands!

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Bump ...

Saints OTAs: What to Watch For and Storylines

FYI, this is voluntary but some of these guys (Payton Turner, Ruiz, Roach, etc) need to be there.

This is the time for Team bonding. See Chiefs, Niners & Eagles OTA's.

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Ruiz needs to show us that last years growth can be reproduced and expounded upon. Payton Turner may as well clean out his locker if he doesn't show up for OTA's. If anyone needs to establish a rhythm it's him. Roach will be there because he wants that starting spot opposite Cam Jordan. Last years team was noncommittal. This years team needs to be heavily committed.

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If I'm not mistaken the Eagles had several players miss some OTA's last season.

Observations From Eagles First Open OTA

ED KRACZJUN 3, 2022 5:56 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA – It was the Eagles’ first open practice of the offseason on Friday.

It didn’t last long. About 50 minutes.

Even as abbreviated as it was, there was some buzz. It was, after all, a chance to see some individual drills as well as some seven-on-seven.

Attendance was far from 100%.

Some of the players not on the field – and remember, OTAs are optional – were offensive linemen Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata. Perhaps they were of attending the wedding of their OL teammate Brett Toth since Toth is supposed to be getting married this weekend.

Also not on the field were receivers Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, and Zach Pascal. On the defensive side of the ball, Haason Reddick and Fletcher Cox were absent.

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Lol, I wouldn't go that far with Turner :p.

Roach is a rotational player (hence the Saints brought him back on a 1 year FA deal) & now has competition.

One thing in his favor though is that he was reliable in 2022.

We shall see. Camp awaits :bng:

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Overrated IMHO. Let's not forget what this actually is. From the article:
It's one thing if this were a new coaching staff installing a completely new scheme with new players. But honestly...

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5c/38...9ae58f6760.gif

There's only a single mantra for the Saints this time of year: DON'T GET HURT!

SFIAH

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Health is obviously the main thing. But I can’t think of an advantage (to the team or individual) to NOT being there. Team building, setting a good tone for younger players, etc…there are advantages to being around teammates IMO. When you are trying to rebound from a losing season I like seeing players showing up as a fan.

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Attitude reflects leadership.

Like I clearly stated in my earlier post, it's completely voluntary however it does well to get a head start with team bonding, strength, conditioning, etc.

Brees, Cam, DD, Mathieu, Morested, Harper, etc were/are the usual suspects at these OTA's.

MINDSET.

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Where there's Smoke, there's fire!

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Hope to see a lot of this ... Carr to Moreau!

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The Saints are taking it easy with the ramp up for certain players. Sounds like Dr. Matt Rhea at work. Our soft tissue issues have been the lowest they have been in years.

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Updated jersey numbers

0 - Ugo Amadi
1 - Alontae Taylor
5 - Blake Gillikin
11 - Bryan Edwards
22 - Rashid Shaheed
24 - Jonathan Abram
26 - Eno Benjamin
27 - Isaac Yiadom
28 - Lonnie Johnson Jr.
30 - Jamaal Williams
72 - Storm Norton
82 - Foster Moreau
89 - James Washington
91 - Jabari Zuniga
92 - Tanoh Kpassagnon
93 - Nathan Shepherd
99 - Khalen Saunders

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It was a losing season that was almost 100% driven by injuries. The needs of fans to see team building doesn't override the fact that the Saints need healthy players for the season.

Any player that isn't absolutely 100% injury free right now can come and watch OTAs from the sidelines. There's nothing that going to happen in the next month that's going to define the 2023 season for the Saints other than injuries. I'm just being honest when I say that right now I personally don't want to hear anything other than DON'T GET HURT!

I'll sing a different tune for training camp. More work is required then. But still keep an eye on the injuries. That is what has devastated the Saints for the last 3 years.

SFIAH

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These aren’t contact drills, and nobody is advocating for injured players to participate. I’ve heard interviews where QBs have said it’s helpful to learn receivers tendencies on routes and receivers learn when and where to expect the pass on their breaks. That comes with practice and repetition. Are you saying it’s better not to practice?

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It is better not to practice if a player isn't 100% ready to go. For example, Salderveri is a rookie and needs the practice. But he has a calf injury. He was on the sidelines, exactly where he should be for the moment.

Practicing in shorts in late May has minimal reward and a moderate risk in OTAs. Every season we see a player tear an ACL or pop an Achilles in OTAs. Don't think that because there's no contact that there's no risk for injuries. And especially for players who are coming back from injuries.

I need to see players on the field in November, December, and January when the games actually matter. Not in a glorified practice in May. The specific players listed in the initial post, Turner, Ruiz, and Roach, are no longer snot-nosed rookies that need reps. They are veteran players of which 2 of the 3 have had injury issues in the past. So, just like Ram, Davis, Mattieu, MT13, and others who were not on the field yesterday, it isn't critical for them to be practicing right now. This isn't the last week of training camp with the season starting next week.

Staying healthy for as long as possible is the #1 goal. And if that means not practicing in May, then so be it.

SFIAH

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Did you miss where I said “ nobody is advocating for injured players to participate.”?

It sounds like you are arguing just to argue. I agree that we want to avoid injuries. I agree that no players with health questions should participate.

But we have a new QB throwing to (mostly) new receivers for him. Just like pitchers throw to catchers early in spring training, QBs and receivers work on their timing running pass routes. If you think Carr is not gaining experience, throwing to Olave, Thomas, Johnson, Hill etc by participating in these drills then fine. I disagree. I think they are learning basic trends about how they work best together.

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80 of 89 players are there for OTA’s. Voluntarily practices.

Very encouraging to hear 👍.

IMO w/DCarr under center, the spotlight in 2023
could be our TE group.

Getting JJ & Moreau more involved will be a plus.

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I am arguing that nothing is more important than remaining healthy. You simply do not want to recognize that any day that a player is out on the field is another chance for that player to be injured.

Just to be short, I'm going to be damn mad if any of our starters get injured during OTAs or mini-camp as even a single injury blows up any supposed progress made from practice.

SFIAH

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This is something we've really been missing.

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I guess :rolleyes: ... today's league is getting to be so soft.

NFL approves putting ball on 25-yard-line following fair catches on kickoffs

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So let’s just skip OTAs, training camps, and all preseason and just roll 46 guys out there week one who have never practiced together. What could go wrong? 🙄.

And prepare to be mad cause someone is gonna get hurt. It’s part of the game. So is practicing together and doing reps to form a cohesive team.

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Look at Rich stirring the pot between Ruiz and Olave! He’s a nut.

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If you haven't noticed, that's pretty much what a lot of the league is doing. Many teams around the league are only having structured practices during training camp, sitting starters for preseason games, of which there is now even one less than before and only rolling folks out Week 1. Did you notice that teams will carry 90 until the final cut this year. There's a reason for that.

You and I have a fundamental disagreement. You believe that teams get better by practicing. I believe that teams do better when they remain healthy during the season. 17 games + playoffs is a long haul in a season for players. They don't get any favors extending that 3 months more just to practice. That's just 3 months more wear and tear before the season actually starts.

I'm not sure why you cannot see that all the practice in the world isn't going to matter if key players are sitting on the sideline injured during the season. Now if a player gets injured during the season, well thems the breaks. But risking injury going full go in minicamp, or training camp, or preseason games, when absolutely nothing counts is borderline insane, especially for veteran starters that the team is absolutely going to need when the games start to matter.

I worry most about the skill players. While QBs are pretty much playing pitch and catch, backs, receivers, and DBs, even in shorts, have a significant risk of a setback.

I'm not sure why you think these professional grown men who have been playing this game full time since they were kids somehow forget how to run a route, catch a ball, or defend a receiver? There's going to be plenty of time in training camp to get acclimated to the speed of the game and get the timing down.

I now understand why the players union fought so hard to make the OTAs voluntary. Without those protections, there are some who would expect everyone to come out in May and grind like it's playoff time in January.

You can keep your practices in May. I'd rather have healthy players ready to play during the season.

SFIAH