SmashMouth

SmashMouth

SmashMouth

SmashMouth

SmashMouth

SmashMouth

The Dude

I love the day by day threads.

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Different twists: Not a shock since New Orleans likes to use its safety a number of ways, but it was interesting to see Vonn Bell and Kurt Coleman both playing in the box with Marcus Williams deep during team drills. The Saints used this look last year, and it served as a reminder that the team will figure out how to get all three players on the field. But it will be interesting to see if there are as many snaps to go around with Patrick Robinson expected to cover the slot instead of a safety, which is how the team often handled it last season.

7-on-7 highlights: The offense got on a nice run during the 7-on-7 portion of practice, connecting on 16 consecutive passes before Jay Bromley batted down a J.T. Barrett pass to end the streak. It wasn’t as if the offense was airing things out, a lot of the passes were on underneath throws, and it’s easy to find open players when there is no pass rush. But the offense looked sharp during the period and deserve credit for the performance.

An attitude: The defense has set a goal to force two turnovers every practice. The group accomplished that goal with a De’Vante Harris interception and by forcing a fumble following a catch by wide receiver Keith Kirkwood. Creating turnover is all about mentality, and you can see veteran safety Kurt Coleman setting a tone. After plays finish, he’s still going after the ball trying to knock it away from offensive players. It is probably annoying and frustrating for the offensive players, but he is setting an example for how the defense should operate. Annoying and frustrating are good things during the season.

Showing growth: This time of year, the main thing for young players is how they grow from one moment to the next. So, it was good to see quarterback Taysom Hill bounce back after struggling a little bit during the first day of camp. Hill ran into trouble on Thursday when he tried to connect on a crossing route and threw it a little behind his receiver, which allowed a linebacker to tip the pass away, leading to an eventual interception. Hill threw a pass on what looked like a similar concept on Friday. After rolling out toward the sideline, he let the pass go and put it only where his receiver could make a play.

The battle continues: One of the best parts of camp last year was watching Marshon Lattimore and Michael Thomas go at it each day. That picked up where it left off on Friday, with Thomas potentially drawing first blood. The wide receiver got open on a slant route and took off running toward the end zone after making the catch. There was some debate among spectators about whether he would have been tackled or not in a live drill. So, let’s call it a catch for now.

Focus on kickoffs: A hefty chunk of practice was spent on kickoffs, which is significant since the rules will be different for the play next season. We dropped the ball on marking down everyone who was on the units. We did spot tight end Dan Arnold and wide receiver Eldridge Massington working as the upbacks. This is different from previous seasons when bigger bodies filled those posts. Among those returning kicks were running backs Boston Scott and Alvin Kamara and wide receivers Josh Huff, Ted Ginn Jr. and Tommylee Lewis.

Offensive play of the day: Veteran tight end Ben Watson showed he still has it when he went up the seam against Alex Anzalone to make a leaping catch over the linebacker. Watson might be 37, but he can still play. New Orleans is going to need him to keep proving it after signing him to fill the void at tight end this offseason.

Defensive play of the day: De’Vante Harris jumped what looked like a curl to tight end Deon Yelder for an interception during team drills. Those moments matter. The cornerback battle is going to be tight. A couple of big plays could be the difference for someone, but it is still too early to handicap where anyone stands beyond the top three. Another candidate for this would be Williams breaking up an intermediate pass to Alvin Kamara.

Special teams play of the day: Hill showed once again that he’s not your typical quarterback. He flew down the field during a kickoff drill and lit up cornerback Arthur Maulet on one play. The hit was loud. Good thing the cornerback was holding a pad.

Undercover hype: Defensive end Alex Jenkins showed up a few times. Working with the third-team defense, he batted down a pass and then showed up with a sack against J.T. Barrett. Imported from England last summer, Jenkins had a few nice moments during the preseason.

QB Stats during team drills*:

Brees 7-for-12 (8-for-16 overall)

Hill 4-for-7 (5-for-10, 1 INT overall)

Barrett 0-for-4, 1 INT (1-for-6, 1 INT overall)

https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orle...97fdf243c.html

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spkb25

First, I hope I'm wrong and that Sheldon is a probowl player for us. I don't dislike the kid and believe he is doing everything he can. That said, some on here, myself included, have said he has lacked production and that all the talk about how he was setting up other people was just hype. Well you can listen here and draw your own conusions. But again, I hope he kills it this season and proves me wrong