Training camp 08/21/03.....

JOESAM2002 · 08-21-2003, 10:14 AM

Saints News

CAMP CONFIDENTIAL

Thursday August 21, 2003
Temperature: 88 degrees

Heat index: 94 degrees

Attendance: 150

In the spotlight: Left defensive end

Depth chart

No. Player Ht. Wt. Exp.

94 Charles Grant 6-3 282 2

98 Willie Whitehead 6-3 285 5

95 Greg White 6-3 268 1

Grant is the full-time starter after splitting time with Whitehead last season. The staff is confident Grant will emerge as a more consistent pass rusher in his second year. Whitehead is the first man off the bench and can also play tackle. White is a strong pass rusher, but he lacks the size to be an every-down end.

GET TO KNOW: B.J. TUCKER

Position: CB

Height/weight: 5-11, 188

Experience: R

Age: 22

College: Wisconsin

Hometown: Bayside, Wis.

Did you know: Tucker was waived by the Cowboys on Sunday. . . . He was hampered by a strained hamstring in camp. . . . Clocked a 4.42 time in the 40 at the National Scouting Combine. . . . Is a late bloomer who took over the starting job at right cornerback in his senior year at Wisconsin. . . . A West Africa native, he moved to Seattle from Sierra Leone in 1990. . . . He later moved to Milwaukee. . . . He also excelled on the Wisconsin track team, finishing second at the 2002 Big Ten Outdoor Track championship in the 100 meters. . . . Made 115 tackles (94 solos) with 21 pass deflections and five interceptions during his career. . . . Majored in legal studies at Wisconsin . . . Was a member of the National Honor Society at Nicolet High School in Bayside, Wis. . . . Full name is Baigeh Joe Tucker.

He said it: "One time, I don't know if (Coach Bill Parcells) knew at the time that my hamstring was hurting. The papers asked me if something was wrong with my hamstring, and I said, yeah, it bothers me a little bit. The next day he came and said he doesn't need me to give injury reports out to the paper. Just come out here and practice. He basically was saying 'don't feel sorry for yourself.' He has the mind-set that you're coming out here to work. Injuries should not be able to stop you. You've got to be able to work through it."

WHO'S HOT: DT Johnathan Sullivan has started to show flashes of the ability that convinced the Saints to select him with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft. Sullivan has impressed Coach Jim Haslett and defensive coordinator Rick Venturi with a couple of big plays in recent practices.

WHO'S NOT: Backup RB Curtis Keaton might be pressing too much while trying to impress coaches. He's among the leaders in blown assignments and dropped passes during camp. Keaton always plays hard and has a great attitude but has not been able to put it all together.

PLAY OF THE DAY: Safety Michael Hawthorne intercepted a pass from Todd Bouman during the two-minute drill at the end of practice. Hawthorne's play highlighted a strong performance by the defense.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Grady (Jackson) is a talented football player. He can do almost anything that he wants. I think his mind and his will needs to take over. When he puts his mind to something, then he can usually do it. If Grady doesn't want to be blocked in the National Football League, then I don't think there is anyone who can block him." -- Coach Jim Haslett.

INJURY REPORT:

DT Jovon Bush (knee)

DT Henry Ford (ankle)

S Corey Hall (hamstring)

LB Curtis Holden (knee)

DE Darren Howard (knee)

LB J.J. Jones (knee)

TODAY'S SCHEDULE: Morning, practice (shells), 9 a.m.; evening, practice (pads), 7:30 p.m. The morning workout is open to the public, weather permitting.

Compiled by Jeff Duncan

saint5221 · 08-21-2003, 10:22 AM

Glad to read something positive about Sullivan.Hope we see something out of him against the niners, it is early but we are counting on him in a significant way.

tweeky · 08-21-2003, 11:13 AM

Glad to read something positive about Sullivan.Hope we see something out of him against the niners, it is early but we are counting on him in a significant way.

I think we are blessed in that reguard because we now appear pretty deep at that position. We can afford some development time for this youngster without it hurting the team. What was a weak unit last year appears to be a solid unit this year.

Lost: Chase and Hand (no negative impact on DL)

Gained:
Jonathan Sullivan (Young elite stud in the making)
Henry Ford (Old stud, provides high quality leadership and depth)
Melvin Williams (A star is born???)

Returners:
Charles Grant, should be better (should become an elite stud).
Darren Howard, Same or slightly better (already an elite stud).
Grady Jackson, So far playing like the guy we had hoped for, and with a chip on his shoulder.
Kenny Smith, MUCH Improved over last year, at worst a major upgrade over Hand.
Willie Whithead, SOLID depth. Most teams would love a 2nd string DE (or DT) of this quality.

Overall we went from a (C-) crew to a (B+) crew with (A+) potential

saint5221 · 08-21-2003, 12:38 PM

Thats all fine Tweeky and I agree with most of those overall assessments but my point was Sullivan was not brought in to be developed slowly, he is a named starter and a high number one pick we traded up to get. That is a significant investment by this organization, it is early and I am not riding him yet ,just saying it is good to finally hear positive reports about him after his inital play and looking forward to seeing some better play out on the field.

[Edited on 8/21/2003 by saint5221]

08-21-2003, 10:14 AM	#1
JOESAM2002 1000 Posts + Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CRYSTAL BEACH TEXAS Posts: 4,100	Training camp 08/21/03..... Saints News CAMP CONFIDENTIAL Thursday August 21, 2003 Temperature: 88 degrees Heat index: 94 degrees Attendance: 150 In the spotlight: Left defensive end Depth chart No. Player Ht. Wt. Exp. 94 Charles Grant 6-3 282 2 98 Willie Whitehead 6-3 285 5 95 Greg White 6-3 268 1 Grant is the full-time starter after splitting time with Whitehead last season. The staff is confident Grant will emerge as a more consistent pass rusher in his second year. Whitehead is the first man off the bench and can also play tackle. White is a strong pass rusher, but he lacks the size to be an every-down end. GET TO KNOW: B.J. TUCKER Position: CB Height/weight: 5-11, 188 Experience: R Age: 22 College: Wisconsin Hometown: Bayside, Wis. Did you know: Tucker was waived by the Cowboys on Sunday. . . . He was hampered by a strained hamstring in camp. . . . Clocked a 4.42 time in the 40 at the National Scouting Combine. . . . Is a late bloomer who took over the starting job at right cornerback in his senior year at Wisconsin. . . . A West Africa native, he moved to Seattle from Sierra Leone in 1990. . . . He later moved to Milwaukee. . . . He also excelled on the Wisconsin track team, finishing second at the 2002 Big Ten Outdoor Track championship in the 100 meters. . . . Made 115 tackles (94 solos) with 21 pass deflections and five interceptions during his career. . . . Majored in legal studies at Wisconsin . . . Was a member of the National Honor Society at Nicolet High School in Bayside, Wis. . . . Full name is Baigeh Joe Tucker. He said it: "One time, I don't know if (Coach Bill Parcells) knew at the time that my hamstring was hurting. The papers asked me if something was wrong with my hamstring, and I said, yeah, it bothers me a little bit. The next day he came and said he doesn't need me to give injury reports out to the paper. Just come out here and practice. He basically was saying 'don't feel sorry for yourself.' He has the mind-set that you're coming out here to work. Injuries should not be able to stop you. You've got to be able to work through it." WHO'S HOT: DT Johnathan Sullivan has started to show flashes of the ability that convinced the Saints to select him with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft. Sullivan has impressed Coach Jim Haslett and defensive coordinator Rick Venturi with a couple of big plays in recent practices. WHO'S NOT: Backup RB Curtis Keaton might be pressing too much while trying to impress coaches. He's among the leaders in blown assignments and dropped passes during camp. Keaton always plays hard and has a great attitude but has not been able to put it all together. PLAY OF THE DAY: Safety Michael Hawthorne intercepted a pass from Todd Bouman during the two-minute drill at the end of practice. Hawthorne's play highlighted a strong performance by the defense. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Grady (Jackson) is a talented football player. He can do almost anything that he wants. I think his mind and his will needs to take over. When he puts his mind to something, then he can usually do it. If Grady doesn't want to be blocked in the National Football League, then I don't think there is anyone who can block him." -- Coach Jim Haslett. INJURY REPORT: DT Jovon Bush (knee) DT Henry Ford (ankle) S Corey Hall (hamstring) LB Curtis Holden (knee) DE Darren Howard (knee) LB J.J. Jones (knee) TODAY'S SCHEDULE: Morning, practice (shells), 9 a.m.; evening, practice (pads), 7:30 p.m. The morning workout is open to the public, weather permitting. Compiled by Jeff Duncan

08-21-2003, 10:22 AM	#2
saint5221 500th Post Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 598	Training camp 08/21/03..... Glad to read something positive about Sullivan.Hope we see something out of him against the niners, it is early but we are counting on him in a significant way.
saint5221 500th Post Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 598

08-21-2003, 11:13 AM	#3
tweeky 500th Post Join Date: May 2003 Location: South Alabama Posts: 779	Training camp 08/21/03..... Glad to read something positive about Sullivan.Hope we see something out of him against the niners, it is early but we are counting on him in a significant way. I think we are blessed in that reguard because we now appear pretty deep at that position. We can afford some development time for this youngster without it hurting the team. What was a weak unit last year appears to be a solid unit this year. Lost: Chase and Hand (no negative impact on DL) Gained: Jonathan Sullivan (Young elite stud in the making) Henry Ford (Old stud, provides high quality leadership and depth) Melvin Williams (A star is born???) Returners: Charles Grant, should be better (should become an elite stud). Darren Howard, Same or slightly better (already an elite stud). Grady Jackson, So far playing like the guy we had hoped for, and with a chip on his shoulder. Kenny Smith, MUCH Improved over last year, at worst a major upgrade over Hand. Willie Whithead, SOLID depth. Most teams would love a 2nd string DE (or DT) of this quality. Overall we went from a (C-) crew to a (B+) crew with (A+) potential
	Whether we agree or disagree; its all for Him.

08-21-2003, 12:38 PM	#4
saint5221 500th Post Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 598	Training camp 08/21/03..... Thats all fine Tweeky and I agree with most of those overall assessments but my point was Sullivan was not brought in to be developed slowly, he is a named starter and a high number one pick we traded up to get. That is a significant investment by this organization, it is early and I am not riding him yet ,just saying it is good to finally hear positive reports about him after his inital play and looking forward to seeing some better play out on the field. [Edited on 8/21/2003 by saint5221]
saint5221 500th Post Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 598

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