blacksaint

Inside Slant
Posted 8/13/2007



NOTES, QUOTES

—After splitting first-team reps with incumbent starter Hollis Thomas early in training camp, newcomer Kendrick Clancy moved into the starting lineup last week at nose tackle.

Clancy, who was signed by the Saints on June 7 after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals, moved ahead of Thomas based on Clancy's play in the Saints' exhibition opener in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 5. While he played well, Thomas hasn't helped himself by being overweight.

"(Clancy) played pretty well," Payton said. "There's a reason Hollis has got a weight (to make), and when he's that much above the weight, it's hard for him to be effective. Clancy played pretty well last weekend and I want to take a look at him.

"He hustled to the ball," he added. "I thought he was active and he made some plays down the field."


—J.R. Bishop, Payton's high school coach and his first mentor, and Dick Dullaghan, who has run a series of football camps with Bishop in the Midwest for 33 years, visited the Saints' camp this week.

The two spent seven days with the team, sitting in on meetings and taking in training camp practices as well as the exhibition game with the Bills.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I wanted to see that energy and I thought we had that early on. The execution on both sides was pretty crisp. I don't like the fact that we lost the game. I don't like the fact it was sloppy in the second half with penalties. I don't like the fact we had (two) turnovers." — Saints coach Sean Payton on his team's improvement in a 13-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Sean Payton continued to tinker with his roster last week, trying out several players and making changes as needed — mostly because of injuries.

Payton's offensive line had become thin because of injuries, which forced him to make a move to have enough bodies available for Friday night's exhibition game with the Buffalo Bills.

Center Jeff Faine, tackle Jammal Brown and guard Dave Yovanovits were sidelined by injuries, which would have left them with 11 healthy linemen for the game. So the Saints signed former Harvard standout Nik Sobic to give them some flexibility.

—NT Kendrick Clancy has taken over as the starter for Hollis Thomas, partly because of his play and partly because Sean Payton continues to have concerns over Thomas' ongoing weight problem.

—SS Roman Harper started in the team's second exhibition game against Buffalo after being held out of the exhibition opener. Harper experienced soreness in his left knee in the first week of training camp.

—WR Terrance Copper, who started four games a year ago when Joe Horn was injured, took over as the third receiver in the three wide-receiver set when David Patten was sidelined with a turf toe.

—WR/KR Lance Moore continues to make strides in his bid for a roster spot, moving up the depth chart when Patten was injured. He is also a candidate to be the starting kickoff returner.

—RB Aaron Stecker was also deep on kickoff returns last week as the Saints look for a successor to Michael Lewis, who was released in June.

BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Jason David vs. Fred Thomas for starting RCB spot — David seemed to have moved ahead of Thomas in practice late last week and got the start in the game with the Buffalo Bills. He finished with three tackles and broke up one pass. Thomas, who may continue to get some reps with the first-team defense, had four tackles.

OTHER BATTLE FRONTS: Eric Johnson vs. Mark Campbell for starting TE job — These two have split reps with the first-team offense and Johnson got the start against the Bills after Campbell started the exhibition opener last week. While they're battling for the starting spot, both will see lots of action as Sean Payton uses an extra tight end a lot.

Tyler Palko vs. Jason Fife for third QB — Palko struggled early in training camp, but made some strides last week and played the final three quarters against the Bills. While he threw two interceptions, he has looked more composed and confident than Fife in throwing the ball in camp.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WR Terrance Copper — After splitting reps with David Patten as the third wide receiver early in camp, he came on last week when Patten was sidelined with a turf toe injury. Copper, a four-year veteran who started four games last season, made catch after catch in practice and perhaps solidified his spot in the nickel offense with four catches for 48 yards in the Saints' 13-10 exhibition loss to the Buffalo Bills.

ROOKIE REPORT: WR Robert Meachem (first round) is still having trouble with drops, but made a nice over-the-shoulder catch on a fade route for a two-yard TD in last week's game with Buffalo. ... CB Usama Young (third round) has impressed the coaches with his cover skills and leaping ability, but is still working with the third-team defense. ... G Andy Alleman (third round) moved up to the second-team offense last week along with T Jermon Bushrod (fourth round). ... RB Antonio Pittman (fourth round) had 10 carries for 23 yards and caught one pass for 24 yards in the game with the Bills. ... CB David Jones (fifth round) and LB Marvin Mitchell (seventh round) are getting reps with the third-team defense.

INJURY REPORT: DT Brian Young has started doing some drills with trainers on the side as he continues to rehab his fractured right foot. He expects to be ready for the season opener on Sept. 6.

—LT Jammal Brown left practice with a bruised bone in his right knee on Aug. 7 and is expected back this week.

—WR Devery Henderson injured his hamstring in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills and will likely miss a few days of training camp.

—C Jeff Faine missed the game with the Bills because of a strained calf, but should return to practice this week.

—SLB Scott Fujita should be back on the field this week after missing the game with the Bills because of a bruised heel.

—WR David Patten missed practice time last week with a turf toe injury and his return is unknown.

—DE Rob Ninkovich has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will be sidelined at least two more weeks.

—WR Jamal Jones, who missed nine practices with a sore knee earlier in training camp, is out again after returning for one practice. The timetable for his return is unknown.

—G Dave Yovanovits was sidelined last week with a knee injury and his return is now known.

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