1. Trying to Beat the Heat
Late July in New Orleans is not a pleasant place to be weather-wise, especially when you're preparing for an upcoming NFL season. Friday, July 30 was no exception. Despite hazy sunshine early during practice and a bit of a breeze, the humidity reared its ugly head kicking heat indexes to the century mark at the end of practice. Saints Coach Sean Payton made mention after practice that Friday was bit more sluggish and not as crisp as Thursday's indoor opener at the Oschner Sports Performance Center but despite the heat solid work was put in. Since Saturday's practice is back outside with the fans in the stands, the players should be a little more acclimated to their surroundings.
2. Football Anyone?
Chris Hogan a two-time Super Bowl champion, has spent nine years in the NFL. But after the 2020 season Hogan, a standout lacrosse player at Penn State, found himself without a team so he decided to play in the Premier Lacrosse League this offseason. That is until the Saints came calling, and brought him back to the league. Hogan made the play of the day on Friday high-pointing a ball thrown by Jameis Winston 20 yards downfield and securing the grab, drawing cheers from the crowd. Two plays later, he made a sliding catch on a deep crossing route thrown by Ian Book. If Hogan continues to make plays like that, it will be be hard to keep him off the field. He already has the experience, and Friday we saw he still has his hands.
3. Staying Late
As mentioned earlier, it was a hot one Friday out on the practice field. The hottest part of the day was during player media availability post practice. The majority of the team was in the cool comfort of the locker room 20 minutes after practice ended but not Winston. He remained on the practice field working on his footwork and his accuracy. Winston has had a very solid first two days of camp. By my count he has thrown one incompletion during team drills, and that one Friday could be argued it was because of pass interference by Ken Crawley on Jalen McCleskey. It's still very early, but Winston seems to be at ease in his position, and watching him work late after practice verifies that hard work translates to the field.
