The first day of Saints training camp finished up in the traditional way, with offense and defense lining up for sprints -- also known as "gassers" -- to put a bow on a successful practice.
But one thing was unusual: Dennis Allen was lined up running them as well, as were a host of other Saints coaches.
Why? "I got challenged," Allen said. "So let's go. Let's compete."
The challenge came from Marshon Lattimore, whom Allen ran next two for the sets of sprints.
"So, I ran them," Allen said, "and did better than some of them, just so you know.”
He didn't beat Lattimore, Allen made clear, because that'd have been a problem for a few obvious reasons. And he wasn't exactly in a position to trash talk.
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"I was just trying to breathe," Allen explained.
The Saints kicked off their annual camp on Tuesday with an abbreviated, 90-minute session. The team will be back out at the team facility in Metairie for a session that stretches an extra 15 minutes on Thursday, followed by a full, two-hour session on Friday for the first practice that is open to fans.
Whether the coach joins in for more sprints remains to be seen.
“The biggest thing in training camp really is, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel right now, it’s pitch black," he said. "Guys just need to put their head down, come to work every single day, focus on what they need to get better at, and if you do that and trust in that process, the results come.”
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