Right guard Cesar Ruiz has wisdom for three possible New Orleans Saints offensive line starters

AsylumGuido · 07-25-2024, 05:51 PM

One thing we can all agree on is the importance of the offensive line to the Saints' success.

Right guard Cesar Ruiz has wisdom for three possible New Orleans Saints offensive line starters

Jul 25, 2024 at 04:33 PM

John DeShazier
Senior Writer

Irvine, Calif. – Cesar Ruiz can proffer wisdom that's as sage as any 25-year-old can to the players who possibly will be the three new starters on the New Orleans Saints' offensive line, because the right guard has been each of them.

Ruiz has been the first-round pick expected to come in and start as a rookie (left tackle Taliese Fuaga), and the pick who experienced an early injury (right tackle Trevor Penning and left guard Nick Saldiveri).

He has been the pick who changed positions from college before he took an NFL field (Fuaga was a right tackle in college and is at left tackle for New Orleans, Ruiz played center in college and moved to right guard with the Saints), and the pick who didn't play to his level of expectation early (like Penning, who also experienced a position change this offseason, from left tackle to right tackle).

So the 2020 first-round pick understands what possibly may have crossed the minds of Fuaga (first round, '24), Penning (first round, '22) and Saldiveri (fourth round, '23).

"My biggest advice to them is, the extra time that you do – you hear a lot about, 'Spend extra time in your playbook' – but that extra time on the field after practice, that extra time having one-on-one with us as players, that benefits you a lot," Ruiz said Thursday, after the Saints completed their second training camp practice at the University of California, Irvine. "It benefited me a lot when I was here with (former Saints left tackle) Terron (Armstead). That one-on-one time is a big deal.

"But I just kind of tell them, don't get down on yourself out here. We're in practice, you're going to make a mistake but just learn from it. Don't repeat the same mistakes. But all those guys are doing well, they're stepping up to the plate playing their positions well right now."

Ruiz didn't have a normal offseason assimilation to the Saints due to Covid restrictions, so missing a game with an injury as a rookie may have resounded more. Penning was injured in the preseason as a rookie and missed his first 11 regular-season games, and Saldiveri was sidelined by a calf injury for OTAs entering his first year and played in just four games last year.

"Obviously, we're all anxious to come out here and play," Ruiz said. "That's what everybody is trying to do. But (injuries) are out of your control. All you can control is how you recover from those and how you bounce back from those.

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07-25-2024, 05:51 PM	#1
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,472	Right guard Cesar Ruiz has wisdom for three possible New Orleans Saints offensive line starters One thing we can all agree on is the importance of the offensive line to the Saints' success. Right guard Cesar Ruiz has wisdom for three possible New Orleans Saints offensive line starters Jul 25, 2024 at 04:33 PM John DeShazier Senior Writer Irvine, Calif. – Cesar Ruiz can proffer wisdom that's as sage as any 25-year-old can to the players who possibly will be the three new starters on the New Orleans Saints' offensive line, because the right guard has been each of them. Ruiz has been the first-round pick expected to come in and start as a rookie (left tackle Taliese Fuaga), and the pick who experienced an early injury (right tackle Trevor Penning and left guard Nick Saldiveri). He has been the pick who changed positions from college before he took an NFL field (Fuaga was a right tackle in college and is at left tackle for New Orleans, Ruiz played center in college and moved to right guard with the Saints), and the pick who didn't play to his level of expectation early (like Penning, who also experienced a position change this offseason, from left tackle to right tackle). So the 2020 first-round pick understands what possibly may have crossed the minds of Fuaga (first round, '24), Penning (first round, '22) and Saldiveri (fourth round, '23). "My biggest advice to them is, the extra time that you do – you hear a lot about, 'Spend extra time in your playbook' – but that extra time on the field after practice, that extra time having one-on-one with us as players, that benefits you a lot," Ruiz said Thursday, after the Saints completed their second training camp practice at the University of California, Irvine. "It benefited me a lot when I was here with (former Saints left tackle) Terron (Armstead). That one-on-one time is a big deal. "But I just kind of tell them, don't get down on yourself out here. We're in practice, you're going to make a mistake but just learn from it. Don't repeat the same mistakes. But all those guys are doing well, they're stepping up to the plate playing their positions well right now." Ruiz didn't have a normal offseason assimilation to the Saints due to Covid restrictions, so missing a game with an injury as a rookie may have resounded more. Penning was injured in the preseason as a rookie and missed his first 11 regular-season games, and Saldiveri was sidelined by a calf injury for OTAs entering his first year and played in just four games last year. "Obviously, we're all anxious to come out here and play," Ruiz said. "That's what everybody is trying to do. But (injuries) are out of your control. All you can control is how you recover from those and how you bounce back from those. Read the rest here ... Crusader, leilung and SmashMouth like this.
	“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill