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Soup of the Day Blog 3
by Mark Campbell, NewOrleansSaints.com
Friday, July 25, 2008 - 2:55 PM
Our first three practices are in the books. It is hot as my mother’s kitchen during Thanksgiving. I tried to hide from the sun. I believe I have actually figured it out the best way to try to get a bit of a break from the sun. With an eagle eye, I discovered we have some rather large men on this team. They are a great source of shade. With that in mind, I strategically placed myself next to the big boys.
Speaking of the big boys, the first few days in full pads. Enough said. The first day with pads was extremely intense, not only because everyone is excited, but also because we’re fresh. There is some “popping” going on every play starting with a 9 on 7 (9 players on offense and 7 on the defense) that was ferocious. Mix full pads with speed, power, and heat makes it important to stay hydrated.
Hydration is a huge factor for us. Our trainer, Scott Patton, talked about it for at least two hours in our opening meetings. I don’t think I could drink any more than I did, and I still lost 7 lbs by the end of practice. It’s also important to use the “down time” we have in-between practices. This means I ate and drank properly, but most importantly, I got half way through “Raiders of the Lost Arc”. It gives me an hour to relax my mind and to get ready for the second practice.
Our second practice generally consists of more of a passing emphasis. As usual, Drew Brees was sharp today. The guy is amazing. He competes as well as anyone I’ve ever been around. Whether it’s our first practice or one-hundredth practice, he’ll give you everything at the highest level possible. He has an attitude I would tell everyone to emulate. Put it this way, I would love for my son to be like him. He would be a good man, an all-pro quarterback, and rich.
Those are some nice descriptions any of us would like to have bestowed upon us. Anyways, it was a fantastic start. It’s just that…a start. We have high standards to build off of. Let’s just hope we can get some cloud coverage this afternoon.
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