blacksaint

Posted by John DeShazier
August 16, 2007

Marques Colston shouldn't be worried. Neither, for that matter, should any of the Saints receivers. Country music star Kenny Chesney simply is stepping away from his night job to engage in a little fantasy football camp, courtesy of his friend, Saints Coach Sean Payton.

The two have been friends for several years, and Payton will allow Chesney, 5 feet 6, to suit up in shorts, a jersey and cleats and run routes with Saints receivers in today's hour-long, light workout at Paul Brown Stadium.

Chesney played wide receiver as a youth in Tennessee. Probably, those kids didn't throw quite as hard as Drew Brees.

"If he wants to come out and run some routes with the big boys, I'm not gonna take it easy," Brees said, smiling. "I'm just gonna give it to him like I give it to Colston and Reggie (Bush) and everybody else.

"(Payton) said this guy wants the jersey, the cleats, everything. He wants to come in and run the routes that the New Orleans Saints receivers run. So if that's what he wants, then he's gonna get the same balls that get thrown to the New Orleans Saints receivers."

THE QUIET MAN: Cincinnati receiver Chris Henry, a Belle Chasse native, is practicing with the team as the No. 3 receiver. However, because Henry has been suspended by the league for at least the first eight games of the season for violating NFL policies, he is not considered "on the team." Thus, he is not permitted to speak to media.

Henry was arrested four times in a 14-month span, resulting in two benchings by Coach Marvin Lewis and a two-game league suspension, before Commissioner Roger Goodell issued an eight-game suspension for this season.

"He's fine," said Bengals receivers coach Mike Sheppard, who coached quarterbacks (2002-04) and was offensive coordinator (2005) for the Saints before joining Cincinnati this season. "First of all, as I know him, I think he's a better kid than the decisions he has made so far, and that's encouraging. That gives you some positive feeling about his future.

"I'm just hoping that he can make good decisions between now and when the commissioner sees fit for him to be able to come back. He's a good player. He's a young kid who's a really good player. Hopefully, he'll continue to make better decisions and give himself a chance, because if you can't do that, then you can't play in the league."

GONE, FORGOTTEN:Saints linebacker Brian Simmons makes the nine years he played for Cincinnati sound more like nine months, or nine days.

"I'm happy with the team I'm on," said Simmons, who started 115 of 121 games he played with Cincinnati. "What happened in the past is in the past. We move on. They made the decision they felt they had to make."

Simmons, in fact, conceded to having no particular special, warm feelings upon returning to his former professional home, for two practices against the Bengals on Thursday and a preseason game against them Saturday night.

"I don't look at it as preparing for the team I used to play for," he said. "I'm preparing for the opponent we have."

COOL FRONT: One of the enticements of the Saints coming to Cincinnati was the opportunity to practice in cooler conditions than they have in Jackson, Miss., where the heat and humidity leave innocent bystanders standing in pools of sweat.

Cincinnati, though, is experiencing its own heat wave. According to the Weather Channel on Thursday, the temperature was 93 degrees for the afternoon practice, with a heat index of 97.

Still, though, to a man the Saints found the climate it preferable to Jackson, where 93 can feel like 110 and the humidity can feel like a weighted vest.

"This is what they call a heat wave?" defensive end Will Smith asked.

"It's a little bit cooler (in Cincinnati)," Payton said. "You get acclimated. I think our players felt like it was a little bit of a break."

A little bit? Saints players acted as if it was the equivalent of working out in an indoor facility.

"If you can make it through a camp in Jackson, Miss., you can make it anywhere," safety Kevin Kaesviharn said.

THE FIRST TIME:Thursday was the first time in the Bengals' 40-year history that the team practiced against an opponent in training camp.

"The situation has to fit," Lewis said. "You'd probably like to do it a day before we're doing it, in respect to a preseason game. We wouldn't be able to do it in Georgetown (Ky., where the Bengals hold training camp) because we don't have the adjacent fields, and you need to have the adjacent fields in order to work."

EXCUSED ABSENCE:Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson missed the morning practice in order to attend the funeral of a family member. He rejoined the team for the afternoon workout.

Chesney ready to mix it up - New Orleans Saints Beat - Times-Picayune NFL - NOLA.com

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