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LA COSTA -- In-N-Out it wasn't.
But when Saints rookies were invited to a Louisiana crawfish boil, well, you go son.
Quarterback Sean Canfield went, swallowed hard, and survived.
"I forced about six of them down," said Canfield, a former Carlsbad High star. "I mean forced."
Canfield is getting his arms -- and his mouth -- around New Orleans. Drafted in the seventh round in April, Canfield is absorbing the humidity and just what the Saints mean to their boisterous boosters.
"It's different,'' Canfield said last week while attending the NFL's rookie symposium at La Costa Resort and Spa. "That crawfish boil was my first real taste of the spirit of the fans and their enthusiasm for that team is like no other."
He mentions how spirited Corvallis was for Oregon State, where Canfield earned All Pac-10 honors last season. But Saturdays there can't hang with any day in the Crescent City.
"Oregon State was a college-like atmosphere and geared toward football,'' he said. "But (it's) nothing like New Orleans, especially after coming off that Super Bowl."
Like there's nothing akin to politely choking down crawfish. Remember to smile and say, "Can you please pass the butter?''
"We had that, and there was sausage and corn,'' Canfield said. "They put it in this big trough; it wasn't the prettiest thing, but it wasn't too bad."
Neither are the Saints, who feature Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees at quarterback.
"I'm looking to start," Canfield said, nearly suppressing a grin for a second or two.
It appears Chase Daniel and Canfield will vie for No. 3 quarterback spot, with the Saints likely to sign either Patrick Ramsey or Josh McCown later this month to be the backup.
"Whatever my niche on the team is, I don't know yet; we'll form that in training camp,'' Canfield said. "I'm dedicated to making the team a better team whatever way that is."
That he shares meeting rooms with Brees is neat.
When Canfield helped Carlsbad win the 2002 CIF San Diego Section Division I title, the Lancers had their championship rings presented to them by Brees, then the Chargers' starting quarterback.
And both Canfield and Brees have resurrected their careers after suffering a torn labrum that many feared would end their dreams.
"I'd be lying to say there wasn't a doubt," Canfield said of his future after a getting hurt in 2007. "Injuries are the worst thing an athlete, a competitor, can go through. You can't do anything about it but take a lot of mental reps."
Three years later, Brees found few flaws after watching Canfield during the Saints' offseason workouts.
"I've been impressed with him,'' Brees said. "I think he has picked up the system pretty well. He's making quick decisions; he's delivering the ball accurately; he's getting in and out of the huddle. He's doing all the things that you want a young quarterback to do. He's creating a tempo and a rhythm and playing with confidence.
"He's a pretty low-key, mild-mannered guy, but I like what I've seen from him so far."
Canfield's association with Oregon State coach Mike Riley, the ex-Chargers coach, also pointed his compass toward New Orleans. Canfield's education in running Riley's pro-style offense and Riley's reputation with the Saints were pluses.
It helped lead Canfield to a 20-minute interview with the Saints at the NFL combine, where no other club sought a meeting with him.
Then the draft's third day arrived, and so did Canfield's family and friends. About 50 of them huddled around a TV, waiting and waiting and waiting.
"It was a stressful day,'' said Canfield, who was selected with the 239th overall pick. "After the fifth and sixth rounds, I wanted to go hide in my room."
But New Orleans and Canfield were joined, which fostered a North County Mardi Gras. Whatever NFL voodoo lies ahead will be determined.
"You're always looking, and there's no exact science to finding that guy who you feel can win for you in this league, so you're looking always to develop,'' Saints coach Sean Payton said. "Sean's somebody that when it came to selecting him, we felt that he had some of those characteristics that are important to play in that position."
In New Orleans, that includes consuming your fair share of crawfish.

www.sportsshooter.com/johnjcoleman

" Anyone can take a picture Only a Photographer can take a photograph "

CheramieIII

Good attitude and you'll get used to the crawfish.

SmashMouth

Good start for sure ... when is training camp again?

voodooido

I really would rather keep these 2 then sign someone. Brees is a healthy qb and these 2 could learn ALOT from Brees. Not to mention saving cap room.

Rugby Saint II

He'll learn to love them.....