Black & Gold Preparing for the Season
After spending the first month and a half practicing in Irvine, California, the Saints have finally returned home to New Orleans, hosting their first open practice at Yulman Stadium in Tulane University.
The Black and Gold were greeted by a large crowd of fans, who stayed until well after practice to get autographs from the team.
As far as standouts from the practice, one was Charlie Smyth, a rookie kicker from Ireland who the Saints acquired through the NFL international players program. Smyth grew up playing Gaelic football and showed off his cannon of a leg during the field goal drills when he kicked a field goal from as far as 65 yards away. The 65-yard kick could've been good from as far as 75 yards, so the kicking drills, which are normally overlooked by fans, got the whole crowd cheering.
Another standout was Jordan Mims, a rookie running back from Fresno State in California. Mims led the Saints in rushing in their preseason loss against San Francisco. Mims' speed stood out in practice amongst the other running backs, causing him to be a threat in both the passing and the running game. With an already loaded backfield consisting of pro bowler Alvin Kamara and veteran Jamaal Williams, it will be interesting to see if Mims' play in practice translates to real playing time when the regular season starts.
Training
camp normally tends to benefit the defense as they are accustomed to seeing the
same sets from the offense every day. In Irvine, the Saints' defense dominated
the offense in most scrimmages, with the offense still trying to find its
ground in the new system. During the Yulman Stadium practice, however, the
offense stepped up during the two-minute drill scrimmage at the end of
practice. Derek Carr led the first team all the way down the field, throwing a
touchdown to tight end Foster Moreau with just under 15 seconds left in the
drill.
