New Orleans Saints: The First Week in Camp

The New Orleans Saints opened up their training camp this past Friday and are ready to start defending their Super Bowl title in the upcoming season. There haven’t been a lot of changes to the team since they beat the Colts back in February so you wouldn’t think that there was much to worry about right?

Well there always is with any NFL team starting up their season again.
The following is a look at some of the happenings in Saints training camp during the last few days and what some of these things mean for the long term goals of the team.

Saints Sign All Rookies

The Saints signed all of their draft picks just before camp opened so they have a full squad heading into camp. Getting all of their rookies signed was important because the Saints may need to rely on a couple of them to play (or even start) early in the season.

Who will backup Drew Brees?

The Saints let veteran quarterback Mark Brunell walk this offseason leaving very little depth behind starting quarterback Drew Brees. The question now is who is going to back him up?

The Saints have, in camp, at the quarterback position veteran journeyman Patrick Ramsey, second year player Chase Daniel and rookie Sean Canfield. Ramsey has experience but hasn’t really played for a few years while the other two guys are young and very inexperienced. If Brees was to get hurt, things could get very messy in New Orleans at the quarterback position.

Missing Shockey

The Saints didn’t have tight end Jeremy Shockey in practice and fans are starting to get concerned. However he is back practicing and looking good. The word is that he has some soreness in his knee and needs some time to rest and recover. Team officials state that it’s just soreness and nothing more serious for their starting tight end.

How Hot is it?

Saints training camp has been a hot affair for players and fans so far this summer. The Saints had to close practice on recently because of the intense heat. The heat has been as high as 98 degrees at times with heat index reaching 110. The Saints are playing it safe so that they don’t have any problems with players or fans getting down with the heat. They moved practice indoors.

Injury Update

Aside from Shockey, the Saints had several more injuries that are important to keep an eye on. Robert Meacham and Clint Ingram have some minor aches and pains but are starting to participate more in practice. Heath Evans, Marques Colston and Darren Sharper had yet to practice (as of Monday) due to lingering injuries. It’s not known when they will be back in the lineup. DeMario Pressley was kept out of action as well due to back spasms.

The Finish Line

The Saint’s camp continues on and so far the team as a whole has looked pretty good. As long as they don’t suffer any major injuries in camp, this team should be poised for another big season.

Stay turned for additional training camp news and notes in the coming days.