ScottyRo

Young's improvement is all in the wrist
Defensive tackle has surgery to alleviate pain
Saturday, August 06, 2005
By Benjamin Hochman
Staff writer

Brian Young made more tackles last season than any Saints lineman except Charles Grant, though grabbing an opponent hurt like Monday mornings.

So the defensive tackle had surgery on his right wrist this summer -- the fourth time in three years -- and he is convinced that his scarred wrist is revived and sturdy.

"They took the plate out, put screws in, and it's doing well. It feels much better than it has the last three years," said Young, who joined the Saints as a free agent last season after spending the previous four with the St. Louis Rams. "I'm able to use my hands a lot better, which makes me more effective against the run."

Young is ecstatic about the Saints' defense, which got off to a horrendous start last season but played well in the final four games, all victories.

"We have only gotten better this offseason," Young said. "We're playing like we did at the end of last season. . . . We're getting to a point to where we know how we have to practice and what to expect from our team."

And the coaches know what to expect from Young, who made 86 tackles last season.

"Brian Young is our disrupter. He makes things happen inside," Coach Jim Haslett said. "He goes 100 miles an hour all day, and he is a guy who is going to run to the ball no matter what. He's a guy we're trying to get everyone else to play like. We'd like to have 22 of those type of guys."

BENTLEY ROLLING: When asked the difference between center LeCharles Bentley this camp and last camp, Haslett was blunt.

"Night and day," the coach said about the fourth-year player out of Ohio State. "He's making calls, you don't see the ball on the ground, and he and (quarterback) Aaron (Brooks) have a great relationship with the snap."

Though Bentley was a Pro Bowl alternate last season, he struggled after moving from guard to center. Bentley had missed the offseason workouts before 2004, which Haslett said contributed to his rusty play.

HEBERT, COMPLETE TO . . . HORN? For about 15 minutes near the end of Friday's morning practice, former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert played catch with Saints receivers Joe Horn and Donté Stallworth. Hebert, a local radio personality, showed he still is the "Cajun Cannon," zipping passes to the Saints' top two receivers.

"I was very surprised. Bobby can still throw that ball," Horn said. "I told him I want to see him in the old-school quarterback challenge."

OPEN HOUSE: The Saints' 7:30 p.m. practice Monday will be only open to season-ticket holders. The evening will feature rally rags for the first 4,000 fans, interactive games for kids and a half-hour autograph session with players and coaches on the field following practice.

HE SAID IT: "Talman (Gardner) right now is the hottest receiver in camp. He is. He is having a hell of a camp. But you have to be consistent and end the way you start." -- Horn on Gardner, who is competing to be the Saints' No. 3 receiver.

http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index...9534162390.xml

I didn't know that Young was second on the d-line for tackles. That's not too bad though I hope this year he and Grant are 1-2 on the team for tackles rather than just on the line.