Christmas in August doesn't really feel like Christmas in August if all the days leading up to August were like Christmas, too.
Decoded version: The New Orleans Saints' first training camp practice in pads may have been a big deal to some players, but Monday's work simply was another rung on the ladder for others.
"I don't know what the 'best day' means, but every day is the best day for me," edge rusher Carl Granderson said. "I like to compete. I hate when people say, 'When the pads get on, we're gonna see.' You should be doing that already, without the pads. So it's just another day at practice for me."
"(Left guard) David Edwards kind of came in today and was like, making a joke: 'Let's change everything because we're in pads,'" right tackle Taliese Fuaga said. "It's just one of those things, nothing really changes. Obviously, the contact is a little more, the banging, but nothing really changes."
The veteran view aside, there was a notable escalation of physicality for the Saints on Monday, especially for the offensive and defensive lines. For the first time since their last game, one-on-one drills provided the opening for imposition-of-will encounters. The technique work that has been the standard for months was paired with forcefully laying hands on counterparts whose objective was to keep an opponent out of the offensive backfield, or to create a way into it.
Coach Kellen Moore specifically paid attention to the offensive and defensive line one-on-ones.
"First day in pads, hadn't done it since January for a lot of these guys," Moore said. "So there's an acclimation process...I think there's a lot of stuff that needs to look a lot different, look better. But it's their first exposure to it and it's about taking steps each and every day through this thing.
"I think it's just a reminder of how far we have to go to get to where we want to go through training camp. It's one day of pads and there's a whole lot more, from the pad level, to the finish, to all the fundamentals and details that you kind of all of a sudden…pads go on and you kind of forget about some of the basics of football. All good learning experiences."
Fuaga said the time to build calloused toughness that is required, via padded practices and drills against edges like Granderson and Cameron Jordan, begins now. But Granderson admitted that Monday wasn't the first time he'd been physical with teammates this offseason.
"I mean, I've been putting my hands on people," he said, smiling. "It's just another opportunity to hit. Everybody was pumped up but we've still got to make sure we're doing our job assignment and execute."
An update on Ja'Lynn Polk
Receiver Ja'Lynn Polk was excused from two training camp practices before he officially retired Sunday. The Saints placed him on the reserve/retired list. The former second-round draft pick was traded from New England to the Saints in September 2025 after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in August 2025, rehabilitated the injury last season, but never played in a regular-season game with New Orleans.
"I'll let him handle (why)," Moore said. "But it was a personal decision. Ja'Lynn had great OTAs, great start to camp and I think he just felt like this was the best decision for him on a personal level. He did an awesome job through the entire process here the year-plus that we had him, so we'll continue to support him and love him."
