Saints August 5 Practice Notes

The Saints held their 11th training camp practice Thursday morning and went indoors.

NEXT PRACTICE: The Saints will have two practices tomorrow. The morning session is outside, begins at 8:50 a.m. and is open to the public. The Saints’ second practice will be at 4:20 at the indoor facility and closed to the public.

SHOCKEY IS BACK: TE Jeremy Shockey returned to practice after sitting out with a knee injury. Head coach Sean Payton said he was encouraged by the six-foot-five tight end’s work on Thursday. "(Shockey) is doing well,” said Payton. “We are monitoring any soreness he might have but I was encouraged with how he worked today."

OFFICIAL VISIT: NFL officials were on hand participating in Thursday’s practice. Officials visit each team’s training came to talk with the team and front office. The officials will also call portions of practice like a real game. Payton said the crew would be at Saints camp for the next three days.

TWO-MINUTE EMPHASIS: Payton said the main emphasis of Thursday’s practice was working on the two-minute drill.

INJURY UPDATE: TE Tory Humphrey (hamstring), DB Tracy Porter (back), DB Patrick Robinson (hamstring), LB Scott Shanle (knee) and DL Jimmy Wilkerson (knee) all sat out of Thursday’s practice.

MALONE’S CREATIVITY: TE coach Terry Malone has led some creative drills throughout training camp. In a drill on Thursday, Malone tossed a football to wide receivers and tight ends while a manger held a flag in front of them. The manager pulled the flag right before the ball reached the Saint to work on the players’ quickness.

HARTLEY GOES YARD: Arguably the highlight of the day was the field-goal kicking portion of practice when K Garrett Hartley nailed a 60-yard field goal with about five yards to spare.

SECONDARY SHINES: The defense made several big plays on Thursday, including interceptions from DBs Reggie Jones and Leigh Torrence.

PORTER ANXIOUS TO RETURN: DB Tracy Porter observed RB Reggie Bush, WR Lance Moore and WR Courtney Roby catch punts in the punt coverage portion of practice. Porter said he was anxious to get an in-game opportunity to return a punt as he has not returned one since the preseason of his rookie year.