There's no way to sugarcoat it, Jameis Winston had a rough start to things on Saturday as he kicked off his 7-on-7 work in front of the fans out in Metairie.
It started with a ball targeting Deonte Harris that was left a bit inside, with CJ Gardner-Johnson driving on the ball for what would've likely been a pick-6. On the very next play Bradley Roby jumped in front of Chris Olave for what would've been a pick-6 of his own.
When asked about the rough start after the day, head coach Dennis Allen focused on the positives.
"I thought he responded the next two plays, and I told him that on the field. That's what you've got to be able to do," Allen said. "This game's not a perfect game played by perfect people, and there's going to be mistakes that are made, and how do you respond? I thought he did a nice job of responding."
That bounce-back performance began with a ball over the middle that was snared by Adam Trautman, then followed up with a dart to Olave as he created space on a comeback route up the right sideline.
Later in the day it was Jameis taking advantage of a mistake by the defense, airing it out to Olave for what would've been a 60-yard touchdown as he streaked wide open on the post.
The Saints secondary is playing lights-out thus far, and interceptions will happen. As I wrote in yesterday's notes, Jameis still appears to be dialing things in a bit, and that's OK. But with Week 1 now over, it'll be important for him to take positive steps forward and execute in drills. I have a suspicion that once Michael Thomas gets going in those team drills, Jameis life in the passing game will be a bit easier as well.
Related
Oh, and I can't say this strongly enough: This isn't a quarterback competition. Andy Dalton played well again today, and that's nice to see. It's always good to have confidence in the backup, but we're not keeping score here. This is Jameis' team. As long as there are no health concerns, there's no QB debate.
WHO WASN'T THERE?
Michael Thomas was present for the initial walkthrough and stretch, but he then left the field for what Dennis Allen said was a planned day off (to the chagrin of many-a-fan in attendance).
LB Pete Werner and TE Juwan Johnson continued to get work in off to the side. DE Marcus Davenport was out on the field, but it didn't appear that he was getting any conditioning work in Saturday morning.
Tyrann Mathieu continues to be away from the team for what has been described as a family issue. Allen said Saturday there is no official timeline for when he is expected to return.
Bryce Thompson left the field early on Friday with what Allen said was a heat-related issue, and he was again not out there on Saturday. Taysom Hill was also absent as he works back from a rib injury.
Related
OLAVE'S BIG DAY
The Saints' top draft pick has been involved in all four days of practice, but he had yet to put in a statement performance. That changed on Saturday.
The speedster was targeted early and often, nabbing catch after catch and showing the elusiveness and route-running savvy that we've been hearing about all along. His long touchdown came on a busted coverage, but you've still got to take advantage. He and Jameis Winston did just that.
There have been a notable absence of downfield shots by Winston thus far, and those will come eventually. What Olave showed this morning was the ability to have an impact at all three levels.
TJJ BOUNCES BACK
Tony Jones Jr. is another player who was in need of a bounce-back from a rough showing. He certainly did that on Saturday.
Showcasing the vision and burst that landed him a spot on the roster a year ago, he weaved through traffic for a long run that will help erase the memory of those two drops in the previous day's session. He's still likely got an uphill climb to make the roster.
UDFA Abram Smith continues to show his impressive blend of speed and power. I expect he's a player that will flash even more once the pads come up and the physicality is ratcheted up a bit. That happens on Monday.
CAN JAHRI IMPACT CESAR?
Now a Saints coaching intern, Jahri Evans knows a thing or two about playing the guard position. He predicted a breakout season for Cesar Ruiz when we spoke with him on Friday.
That tutoring is underway, and Ruiz's progress will be interesting to watch this season. The way Evans can break down concepts is impressive, and it's not difficult to see him being a full-time coach in the NFL before long. The Saints are lucky to have him back in the fold.
WIL LUTZ IN MID-SEASON FORM
The beauty of Wil Lutz's career to this point has been the fact that you never had to spare an extra thought for whether you'd trot him out to kick in a pressure-packed situation.
The 28-year-old looks like his old self after missing the entire 2021 season, knocking through all 7 of his field goal attempts on Saturday, the longest from 51 yards. If the kicking game can again be a weapon, the Saints will be all the better for it.
LUCAS KRULL'S TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
The talent and athletic profile of UDFA tight end Lucas Krull continues to stand out, but so has his tendency to shoot himself in the foot with silly mistakes.
Earlier this week he earned a tongue-lashing from Dan Roushar after an alignment mixup. Today he false-started and was pulled from a rep during team drills. Mistakes happen, and he'll have a chance to correct them. But it'll be an element to watch. It's already a difficult road to making the roster as a UDFA at any position, and repeated technical mistakes make that climb even steeper.
Related
THE HEAT IS TOUGH
A new head-coaching tenure has seen a lot of the same in terms of how practices are run, but there are also some minor differences that can be spotted. There have been no one-on-one reps to this point (which disappoints me because those are always fun to watch). The action has also been up-tempo and typically a bit shorter than in past years.
There has also been no reprieve from the elements yet, and that seems to be taking its toll. Gardner-Johnson specifically was a player that left practice early on Friday, and was spotted heading into the cooling truck (or whatever it's called) early on in the day. He returned, but I think it's clear the first-year head coach is looking to make sure his players can hack it in the heat. I think that's the right approach early in camp (though I still want to see those one-on-ones).
Also, shoutout to Corporate Realty for sponsoring the media cooling tent. As a sweats-way-too-much person, I can't express enough how much that helps us spoiled media members survive the heat.
GOOD JOB, FANS.
I never cease to be amazed by just how many fans brave the heat to watch the home team practice in August. And it was clear their presence made an impact. The effort is always there from the players, but there was clearly some added juice.
The fans always bring the juice. You love to see it.