Halo

The New Orleans Saints got some good news on Wednesday even though it was still very hot outside for the morning practice. After going down with a wrist injury on Tuesday, Pierre Thomas had X-rays taken and they were thankfully negative.

Coach Sean Payton explained to the media exactly how things turned out.

"The X-ray was negative, like we thought yesterday. We expect to have him back sooner rather than later."

When asked if Thomas would be out any specific length of time, Payton responded with, "No, just soon. I think within the next couple of days."

Practice Update: Thursday morning's practice will now be held indoors meaning it is closed to the public.

Darren Sharper, Clint Ingram, and Robert Meachem continue to sit out of practice on the Active PUP list. Meachem does participate in walk-throughs from time to time.

Jeremy Shockey sat out a fifth straight practice while Scott Shanle was out for his third in a row; both with knee issues. Payton said they are both day-to-day and it's just making sure they are rested well enough before coming back.

Will Smith lost his starting defensive end partner when Charles Grant was let go at the end of last season, but there are a few names in the mix to take over the vacant spot. Alex Brown and Jimmy Wilkerson are battling it out with a returning Bobby McCray for the starting position.

Payton made sure to let all know that no-one has locked it down just yet.

"We’re rotating a few guys through there. Jimmy Wilkerson is getting out and getting snaps now and of course Alex and Bobby McCray. The good news is that we have some depth and some flexibility so we’re getting a look at all of those guys and we’ll be able to do that more once we get into the preseason games."

Through the first almost week of practice, I've noticed a lot in Wilkerson and see him getting into the backfield quite often during 11-on-11 drills. My gut instinct tells me that Brown has the advantage for the starting spot, but there's still a long way to go before the regular season starts.

For the first time in the past three days of practice, Drew Brees and the Saints' offense stepped it up and were the ones that shined brightest on the field. The defense has been looking good lately knocking down a lot of passes (especially Roman Harper), but today it was the offense that looked more up to game speed.

Brees completed every single pass during red zone drills and certainly is enjoying having Marques Colston back on the field. Running backs Lynell Hamilton and rookie Chris Ivory are looking good again as Thomas sits out, but they are still having some issues holding on to the ball. Ivory had yet another fumble to add to his running total while Hamilton had two.

Coach Payton said that a few guys had some hamstring tweaks during practice including Tory Humphrey and rookie Patrick Robinson. I noticed Tracy Porter standing around a bit as well and Payton said that they decided to hold him back near the "latter half of practice with some back spasms."

When it comes to who will step into Mark Brunell's spot as Brees' back-up; there really still isnt' a front-runner as of yet between Patrick Ramsey, Chase Daniel, and Sean Canfield. None has overly impressed so far, but Coach Payton feels there are plenty of reasons for that.

"So far they’re handling it well. There’s a lot being thrown at them, not only from an offensive install standpoint but also what they’re seeing defensively. I’m pleased. There’s a lot of room for improvement. In Patrick's case it’s really his first exposure to what we’re doing. Chase is a year into it now and then you look at Sean, who’s just a rookie; those guys are going to get a lot of reps in the preseason."

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Rugby Saint II

I'm still hoping that Ramsey will get it together before preseason. It would be great to see him get comfortable early and have a good preseason.

dizzle88

i know our D is good at taking the ball away, but the RB's really need to get their act together when it comes to ball security. I wanna see these guys get on the field, but don't wanna be anxious because theres a possibility of the ball popping out. Show us something in preseason guys.

Danny Cox

Ivory has shown so much in camp so far and I'd hate to see him lost to another team somewhere and end up succeeding like I'm sure he can. But dude really needs to make sure he holds onto the ball. That is the only flaw I can see with him so far. While it's a BIG one, if he could that under control then he'd be well worth keeping around.

strato

So Danny this Ivory kid is lookin good man?....man i hope he gets that fumblelitis in check...lets leave that to A.P..lol...is he outplaying Hamilton?...i cant wait till the preseason...

st thomas

thanks for all that good info danny c. the thing is and we all know payton you put the ball on the ground to much and your done.

homerj07

I am glad PT is not hurt bad

SmashMouth

hmmmmm .. no feedback on Daniels ..... yet Ramsey is struggling and sucking wind ....

Danny Cox

Daniels honestly hasn't looked too impressive either which upsets me. My honest hope was that he'd have a good camp and beat out Ramsey for the back-up, but the way they're both going...I'm willing to bet the veteran gets it.

Payton said this afternoon that the back-ups would get a lot of preseason work so it'll be fun to see how they perform in game situations as opposed to practice.

QBREES9

I want to see Chase play against the Patriots.