There was one noticeable difference at Wednesday's Saints practice, but you couldn't see it.
It came from the noise, with speakers blaring throughout each set of team drills as the offense and defense worked to acclimate themselves to the type of noise level they'll encounter in a game.
For the offense it's prep for hostile road atmospheres. On the defense, it's preparation for the noise that will come from their own fans in the Caesars Superdome when the other team is trying to execute on offense. Even if it was up-tempo music rather than screaming voices, both require non-verbal communication and some extra effort to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Both Dennis Allen and quarterback Jameis Winston said they were encouraged by how well the team communicated in that environment.
ATTIRE: Shorts and shells
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TAKING ATTENDANCE
It was a big day for returns after a heavy total of absences throughout the week, but many players were just spectators.
The only players on the roster not seen at all on Wednesday -- the final practice full before a matchup with the Chargers on Friday -- were WR Michael Thomas and TE Adam Trautman. Both players have missed all four days of practice this week.
A handful of players were seen Wednesday for the first time this week, but were on-hand as spectators. The players I spotted:
- RB Dwayne Washington
- OT James Hurst
- CB Marshon Lattimore
- LB Pete Werner
- LB Chase Hansen
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I'm also told Carl Granderson was spotted Wednesday morning, though he eluded my eyes. It's unclear how many of those players, if any, should be expected to play in the preseason finale later this week. The Saints have a walkthrough on Thursday, which is not open to the media. Dennis Allen wouldn't say whether quarterback Jameis Winston or anyone else would or would not be active, so it'll be another week of waiting and seeing.
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DA SHUTS DOWN ANOTHER SCUFFLE
One thing that's been clear the past few weeks after a series of fights to start camp: Enough is enough was the message from the team's new head coach.
By my count there have now been xx players sent off from practices for fighting:
- Trevor Penning
- Malcolm Roach
- Taco Charlton
- JP Holtz
- Jarvis Landry
But when another minor scuffle appeared to break out midway through Wednesday's work, the music shut off suddenly. In the silent facility, you could then hear Allen yelling to his team to "play [expletive] football!"
He ended his words with: "When the play is over, the play is over. Any questions?"
You could probably guess that nobody raised their hands. We came into this training camp wondering what we'd see from Allen when ugly situations arose. So far, he's made sure everyone remembers who the boss is. That's the way it should be.
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ANDY DALTON SHOWING SOME CRACKS
We've all been very complimentary of Andy Dalton this offseason, and for good reason, but as the intensity gets ratcheted up a bit there have been some clear reminders of why he's a backup.
The most notable came today when he overthrew Deonte Harris running alone up the right sideline. It's the type of ball you'd expect a starting QB to hit. He missed similarly on a deep shot to Rasheed Shaheed earlier in the day. The arm strength, while still good enough to get the job done, doesn't scream starting quarterback, either. Outside of experience, I'm not sure you'd rate Andy ahead of Jameis in any physical attribute.
And that's fine. Andy is 34. He was brought in to be a backup and he knows that. But I think we can shut down any conversation about a QB controversy before it begins. As long as Jameis is healthy enough to play, he's the starting QB.
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RASHEED HITS PAYDIRT
I really like what I see from Rasheed Shaheed, and that's saying something considering he hasn't even really returned a kick yet. But watching him move, you can see what makes him special. His fluidity isn't dissimilar to Chris Olave. He gets in and out of cuts well. He can stop and change direction on a dime.
Shaheed even caught his first touchdown pass of camp on a pass over the middle from Dalton.
Dennis Allen was asked Wednesday if we could expect to see Shaheed in his first preseason action on Friday, and he wouldn't commit one way or the other. As much as I'd like to see him out there, I can understand the hesitance.
I think the team has seen what it needs to see to want to keep Shaheed around on the practice squad, and hopefully for next season when they have to make a decision on Deonte Harris' contract. Right now, they're the only team that's seen that. If he shows off in a return role in the preseason spotlight, it might land him high on other teams' radars. The UDFA out of Weber State is unlikely to find a spot on this year's active roster.
It's not a coincidence that Saints special teams standouts are constantly getting scooped up by other teams. New Orleans emphasizes it, develops those players and uses that premier play to its advantage. Other teams know that and will gladly pay for a shortcut if you offer one. That could be the thought process going on around Shaheed this week.
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PAULSON NEEDS PICKS
Tyrann Mathieu was asked today what he thinks teammate Paulson Adebo does particularly well at cornerback. His answer: everything.
And the second-year pro has almost certainly been the MVP of camp practices, driving home just that idea. But there is one area I'd like to see him improve, and that's getting the ball back for his offense.
First thing's first: If you're harping about this, things are going pretty well overall. But two things have stood out the most throughout camp for Paulson. One is the number of balls he's gotten his hands on (I lost count at some point in the third week). The other is how few of those instances has resulted in a turnover for the defense.
Part of it is just bad luck, considering we saw him make one of the more spectacular picks you'll ever see in the most recent pro game he played. That should change over time. But if there's anything I'd like to see Paulson focus on, it's finding a way to turn more of those PBUs into INTs. Why? PBUs can change a drive, INTs can change the game.
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LUTZ COULDN'T LOOK BETTER
I can't imagine there was much lingering doubt after the 59-yard bomb he connected on against the Packers, but Lutz is very clearly up to full power.
I stopped counting at some point last week, but according to John Hendrix of Sports Illustrated his success rate in practice is 49-51. That's a clean 96.8%, the best free-throw shooters in NBA history couldn't even touch that mark.
It's hard to overstate Lutz's value to this team, particularly after last year. If you're looking for reasons this team will improve from 9-8, you can start with a guy who was responsible for 144 points during his last full season. I conservatively expect this man to be worth 2 wins by himself.
Oh, and did you know: Wil wears a football cleat on his left foot and a soccer cleat on his right foot.