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Posted by By Jimmy Smith, Staff writer
August 14, 2007

Coach Sean Payton announced his quarterback rotation for Saturday night's game at Cincinnati and it includes recently signed free-agent Matt Baker but not Tyler Palko or Jason Fife.

Drew Brees will start, be replaced by Jamie Martin, then Baker gets the mop-up duty.

"I'd like to play Drew a quarter and get Jamie in there with the first group and finish the half," Payton said after Tuesday morning's practice. "We'll start the second half with Jamie and play Baker the rest of the way, somewhere in the third quarter or fourth."

In practices this week, Fife has taken very few snaps on the field, an indication that the coaching staff knows what he can do and his limitations. Palko has evidently moved ahead of Fife on the depth chart, and playing Baker allows Payton to get a handle on just what Baker can do in game circumstances.

Payton said he likes Baker's strong arm, and also liked his workout for the coaching staff a week and a half ago before he signed. "I'm anxious to see how he functions in a team setting," Payton said. "He seems accurate and has some poise about him, but again until you get him in there and get him a chance to get into the huddle, play for a while, you learn a lot more."

--Palko had his right ankle taped outside of his shoe when he came onto the practice field Tuesday morning, but it didn't appear that the wrap was because of an injury. It was primarily a special teams walkthrough, but quarterbacks did throw to receivers and Palko didn't appear to be favoring the foot.

--This may be a totally incorrect observation once cuts are made, but it appears that rookie linebacker Marvin Mitchell, a seventh-round choice from Tennessee, and free-agent linebacker Desmond Sims from Arkansas, will make the final roster. Both players are always standing with the rest of the first-team defense during early practice walkthroughs. They're there, obviously, for a reason.

--Wide receiver David Patten, who has missed practice time, and last week's exhibition game against Buffalo because of a turf toe injury, was back working Tuesday morning and running without showing any effects from the injury. Same cannot be said for Jamal Jones, whose sore knee still keeps him on the sidelines.

--One unusual note: during the team walkthrough, on one play, defensive end Will Smith dropped back into pass coverage. He may have been compensating for a teammate not being in the correct place, or perhaps it's a defensive wrinkle.

--While the special teams were going through their drills Tuesday morning, the five quarterbacks were forced to run pass routes and throw to themselves, to stay loose until the period ended and the receivers could re-join them.

--It appears that tight end Eric Johnson, signed in the offseason as a free agent after spending his entire career with San Francisco, may have now developed a bond with Drew Brees. They seem to be working well together, and Brees seems to be aware of where Johnson is in the pass-route progressions.