SmashMouth

Sean Payton mentioned shortly after future Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey joined the New Orleans Saints how much football still really means to the 16-year veteran.

Fullback Erik Lorig paid the price Sunday morning for testing Bailey's fire.

Lorig hauled in a pass from Drew Brees in team drills and stiff-armed Bailey. The mild-mannered Bailey didn't take too kind to having his facemask raked and twisted by Lorig.

"I kind of take it personally when a guy sticks his hands in my face," Bailey said. "He tried to stiff-arm me. I'm not going to hurt him. I don't know why he did that. So I just had to make him pay somehow so the best way is getting the ball from him."

Bailey shrugged off Lorig's paw and threw a right hook right at the football. Lorig stood no chance at protecting the ball as Bailey jarred it loose. The ball appeared to be heading out of bounds when Rafael Bush made a diving, one-handed save to throw the ball back over his shoulder. Bailey snatched it out of the air and took off down the sideline.

"Bush, I was not expecting that from him," Bailey said. "I didn't see him coming. All of a sudden the ball is back in my face again, I just got my head up and caught it and then we got the turnover."

It's another indication that Bailey has more than just "something left in the tank." It's the constant phrase surrounding Bailey at this point of his career. Especially after a foot injury sidelined him in Denver last season and his release from the team followed shortly after the Broncos lost Super Bowl XLVIII.

Saints coach Sean Payton justified the signing by saying the foot injury slowed Bailey down rather than old age and Bailey's play on film in 2012 was outstanding.

Judging by what I've seen from Bailey this offseason, he seems to be the favorite to win the starting job at cornerback opposite Keenan Lewis. Bailey has seen all of his playing time with the first-team defense through three days of training camp rotating practice reps with Patrick Robinson.

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