SmashMouth

Ryan Griffin is no longer a rookie and no longer a dark-horse candidate to back up Drew Brees.

Griffin passed for more than 100 yards in a strong performance Saturday in the New Orleans Saints' first training camp scrimmage, intensifying his competition with veteran backup Luke McCown.

Both reserves had extra opportunities in the scrimmage because Brees was sidelined with a left oblique injury. Saints coach Sean Payton said Brees was "day to day."

As for his backups, Payton cautioned that it was far too early to declare a leader in the No. 2 quarterback race and both contenders will have ample opportunities in the four exhibition games to come.

"Both Luke and (Griffin) are doing well," Payton said.

Griffin was undeniably comfortable in the pocket, accurate in his throws and sound in his judgement.

He's no longer making rookie mistakes, offensive tackle Zach Strief said, because he's no longer a rookie.

"Quarterbacks have a lot of information to process, and the less you're processing, the more that just comes naturally," Strief said. "You come up and see a defense and you know it; you're not thinking about what it is. The more that they can do, the more comfortable they are, the easier it is for them to make a quick read or quick decision. Obviously at that position in this league, that's the whole deal: How fast can you make the right decision?"

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