Tag: Practice

Saints report multiple free agent tryouts at training camp

The New Orleans Saints tried out a group of five free agents after training camp practice, including four tight ends and WR Jake Lampman.

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The New Orleans Saints reported tryouts with five free agents following Monday’s training camp practice session, per the NFL transactions wire. And two of those names might be familiar to Saints fans.

Most notable is wide receiver Jake Lampman, who first entered the NFL on an undrafted free agent deal with the Saints back in 2016. The Ferris State alum began his rookie year on the practice squad but logged just 89 snaps on special teams before being released. He was quickly snatched up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the 6-foot-0, 205 pound wideout hung around for a few years.

Another former member of the Saints called in for the tryout was tight end A.J. Derby, originally a sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he joined the Saints late in the 2019 preseason but wasn’t able to crack the roster. Before that, he was traded several times, taking the field with the Patriots (4 games), Denver Broncos (15 games) and Miami Dolphins (6 games).

The other three tryouts were all new to New Orleans, and all play tight end. The group was rounded out by Ethan Wolf, Donnie Ernsberger, and Ryan O’Malley. They have combined for four regular season game appearances between the three of them.

So why all the interest in tight ends? The Saints have been without Josh Hill for much of training camp due to an unspecific injury, and he’s a valuable co-starter in the Saints offense. With two backups having opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rookie quarterback Tommy Stevens transitioning to the position, the Saints probably wanted to see if they could add someone more experienced to pad out the practice rotation. They haven’t signed anyone yet, but stay tuned.

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WATCH: Emmanuel Butler picks up where he left off at Saints training camp

Emmanuel Butler impressed again at New Orleans Saints training camp, bullying defenders while connecting with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill

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The darling of last year’s New Orleans Saints training camp was rookie wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, who made the jump from Northern Arizona to give defenders fits all throughout the summer. But an injury after an awkward landing in practice slowed him down, and he only suited up for one preseason game before spending the year on the practice squad.

That experience must have paid off, because Butler has quickly resumed his spot in the training camp highlight reel. The 23-year old stood out in one-on-one drills, outleaping Ceedy Duce (the safety formerly known as C.J. Gardner-Johnson) for a high pass from Jameis Winston. See it for yourself:

But it wasn’t the first time Butler outplayed Duce on Monday. He also connected with Taysom Hill on a route deep downfield, catching the pass in stride after having separated from No. 22. It’s a beaut:

We’ll see if Butler is able to play his way into the first-team offense and draw some targets from Drew Brees. It’s encouraging to see him doing so well in individual work, but his success in a bigger spot with the starting offense will do more to decide whether he makes the opening-day roster or spends another season on the practice squad.

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P.J. Williams thriving at safety and corner in Saints training camp

The New Orleans Saints are trying out P.J. Williams at both safety and slot cornerback in their training camp practices, where he’s thriving

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The New Orleans Saints value versatility on defense more than most teams, eagerly trying out players at different positions to best gauge their strengths and weaknesses. One training camp standout getting a look at a new spot is defensive back P.J. Williams.

Initially lined up outside as a cornerback, Williams settled into a role with the Saints as their go-to defender over the slot. But he’s also seen action at safety, and the Saints are making a point to get him more experience there. It’s a move Saints coach Sean Payton has been pleased to see Williams handle.

“Well I like the fact that he’s smart, he’s got good ball skills,” Payton said in his conference call after practice. “He had a caused fumble today and an interception today, so he’s one of those players that has good football I.Q., so it’s good to give him some additional work. He’s also taken snaps at playing in the nickel, he’s got some versatility.”

Those two takeaways are a great sign of things to come: Williams initially forced a fumble out of backup running back Dwayne Washington, which was recovered by defensive lineman Margus Hunt, before getting in position to snatch a tipped ball from wide receiver Juwan Johnson’s hands (that was thrown by Jameis Winston). Not a bad day in the office.

Williams has appeared in 50 games for the Saints since 2017 (including the playoffs), bagging 29 pass breakups and 4 interceptions, plus a pair of forced fumbles. He first stepped into the safety spot late last season when the Saints were short-handed after injuries struck Vonn Bell and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, so cross-training him now makes sense. The Saints don’t want to get caught in a tight spot like that again.

But it remains to be seen how often Williams will line up deeper in the backfield. Gardner-Johnson (now going by “Ceedy Duce”) is just as position-flexible as Williams and free agent pickup Malcolm Jenkins, so the Saints have to figure out the best way to portion out those snaps. If nothing else, it’s great to have a strong backup plan waiting in the wings should things take a hard left swerve.

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Promising Texas WR tears ACL during first scrimmage

Texas football suffered a significant loss on Sunday as it was confirmed that freshman wide receiver Troy Omeire tore his ACL.

This offseason has been a roller coaster for the Texas football program. Continue reading “Promising Texas WR tears ACL during first scrimmage”

Notre Dame Football: Injury Bug Bites Defensive Line

Notre Dame is only three days into fall practice but the injury bug has already started to make its unwanted presence around the football team. 

Notre Dame is only three days into fall practice but the injury bug has already started to make its unwanted presence around the football team.

Just over a week ago news came out that receiver Kevin Austin, who was expected to have a breakout season, broke his foot and will be out an unknown amount of time.

Then on the first day of actual practice this past Wednesday we got word that three players would go on medical scholarship as their football careers are over due to different injuries.

And Friday morning brought news that defensive lineman NaNa Osafo-Mensah will likely miss the entire 2020 season after injuring his knee in football related activities on Tuesday and having surgery to repair his lateral meniscus on Thursday.

Osafa-Mensah was a four-star recruit getting set to start his sophomore campaign at Notre Dame.  Osafa-Mensah played in two games as a freshman in 2019, recording a tackle against New Mexico.

Osafa-Mensah figured to be in a battle to make the second string on the depth chart as an edge rusher behind the likes of Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji.

Seahawks starter Chris Carson missing practice due to death in family

Seattle Seahawks starting running back Chris Carson is missing training camp practice due to a death in the family.

The Seattle Seahawks were without their starting running back on the first day of field practice on Wednesday. Chris Carson was missing due to a death in the family but his absence had been excused.

“Chris has got some family stuff going on that he’s had to take care of,” coach Pete Carroll said during his virtual press conference after practice. “Our hearts go out to Chris. He’s going through some really big stuff with family members that he is looking after and taking care of. He’s fine, and all that. It has nothing to do with Chris personally, physically or anything. But he has to do this, at this time, right now.”

Carroll did not give any further details as to who passed away or when Carson might return to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

“I’m not sure how many more days it’s going to be before he takes care of all of that business,” Carroll continued. “But they are trying to figure it all out. It’s back home too, so it’s a ways away . . . a couple things have happened.”

So for now, Carson will be with family and friends in Georgia as he takes care of those who need him most.

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Sean Payton has the perfect response to Cam Jordan being late for practice

New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan was stuck in traffic on his way to practice, and coach Sean Payton seized the moment on Twitter.

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Who among us hasn’t sat frustrated at a traffic light on our way into the office? That’s where New Orleans Saints all-star Cameron Jordan found himself on Wednesday morning, having been caught at a red stoplight while driving to the practice facility.

Jordan bemoaned his luck on Twitter, joking that the lights must know he’s due for his first day of real work on the practice field. Per the NFL’s new rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams are allowed to spend as much as 90 minutes of field work in helmets and shells on Aug. 12, but pads and longer practice times are restricted until Aug. 17.

“Don’t rush,” Jordan joked to the lights from his official Twitter account, “take your time.” The big defensive end recently turned 31, and knows the heat of an early August morning in New Orleans very well. So he knows better than his younger teammates what to expect.

What he may have not known is that Big Brother is watching; Saints coach Sean Payton replied to Jordan on Twitter with a jab, tactfully reminding him that, “Those lights not payin your fine!” for being late to practice.

It’s a great moment, and just the latest example of Payton embracing his online persona during the longer-than-usual NFL offseason. In all seriousness, though, there probably isn’t anything to worry about here. Something tells us the five-time Pro Bowler can skate by if he’s a few minutes tardy for warmups.

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Texas Football roundtable: Which Longhorn will climb the depth chart?

Longhorns Wire staff each select a player that they feel has the most potential to rise up Texas’ depth chart this offseason.

Amid all the uncertainty and misinformation surrounding the upcoming college football season, Texas has been holding their fall camp practices over the past several days.

At this point, the mindset of each football program has to be centered around preparing the players for any scenario. We’ve decided to take a step back from the negativity and focus on the positives that are coming out of fall camp thus far.

A few particular players have stood out to head coach Tom Herman early on whether it be for size, leadership, talent or the progression overall from the previous year.

While absorbing Herman’s recent comments, Longhorns Wire staff each chose a player that has a realistic shot of rising up the depth chart this offseason.

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Seahawks 1st ‘Training Camp Live’ practice set for Wednesday afternoon

The Seattle Seahawks first “Training Camp Live” practice session is scheduled for Wednesday. August 12 at 1:00 p.m. PT on Q13 Fox.

Wednesday marks the day Seattle Seahawks fans can finally watch their favorite players take the field this summer. Although all practices will be closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, 15 sessions will be streamed live from the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.

The series is being dubbed “Training Camp Live” and will be broadcast locally on Q13 Fox in the Seattle area. Seahawks fans around the world however, can stream the practices on the team’s website and via their social media channels.

Most sessions are slated to begin at either 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. PT. Here’s a look at the live practice schedule for this week:

Wednesday Aug. 12, 1:00-2:00 p.m. PT
Thursday Aug. 13, 1:00-2:00 p.m. PT
Friday Aug. 14, 1:00-2:00 p.m. PT

The complete schedule can be found here.

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Alvin Kamara on the challenges of practicing against Demario Davis

New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara was quick to talk about the challenges of practicing against All-Pro LB Demario Davis in training camp.

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Survey every NFL locker room around for motivational quotes, and you’ll probably find “iron sharpens iron” as a popular choice. That’s because it’s true, with teammates on opposing sides of the practice field doing their best to improve one another every day.

That said, it might be easier for the New Orleans Saints to step up the degree of difficulty in training camp than other teams around the league. With All-Pro talents like running back Alvin Kamara matching up against linebacker Demario Davis, that’s bound to happen.

Kamara credited Davis in a recent media conference call, praising the team captain for being such a great player — and a challenging opponent in practice.

“Man, first of all Demario is one of the smarter players I’ve played against and with,” Kamara said, careful to point out that Davis has the smarts to match his speed. He added, “He’s athletic, he runs better than some of the guys on offense, honestly. It’s hard, going up against him you’ve got to be on your A-game. There’s not a lazy play you can take against him because he’s going to take advantage of your mistakes.”

Davis was a fine player before he arrived in New Orleans; Kamara recalled facing off with him as a rookie in 2017, when Davis started for the New York Jets. But the 31-year old linebacker has stepped up his game since joining the Saints, and Kamara attributes that to keen film study. The Saints have had great success pairing Kamara with Drew Brees as a mismatch target who can line up all over the field, but Davis has worked hard to neutralize those advantages.

“He’s tuned into alignments,” Kamara continued, “Demario can sometimes in practice, he could tell what I’m running from just like the smallest little split that I take. He’ll call it out like, ‘Oh, he’s wide’ or ‘He’s close to Drew’ or ‘Watch him, he’s looking this way, he’s looking left, he’s looking right’ or just little things like he’s pointing everything out.”

Iron sharpens iron in the NFL, and the opportunity for someone as dynamic and versatile as Kamara to practice and train against someone as intelligent and athletic as Davis should do a lot to make both players better. They’re set up for even more high-energy clashes when the Saints begin practicing in pads next week.

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