The New Orleans Saints have a big trip ahead of them, which made Tuesday's afternoon practice feel more like a sendoff than anything else.
The team had another busy day of situational work, with the first-team offense looking sharp in another 2-minute drill. Next up is a flight out to L.A. for a pair of joint practices with the Chargers.
TAKING ATTENDANCE
There was a short Demario Davis sighting before practice, but he didn't participate in any drills. Still, it's a positive development for a guy that this team really doesn't want to be without.
Here are the players I didn't see at all at today's session:
- WR Tre'Quan Smith (groin)
- WR Michael Thomas (rest)
- WR Rashid Shaheed (groin)
- RB Kendre Miller (knee)
- RB Kirk Merritt (hamstring)
- LB Demario Davis (calf)
- OL Landon Young (knee)
- LG Andrus Peat (quad)
- TE Jesse James (groin)
- TE Lucas Krull (tailbone)
- DE Cam Jordan (rest)
It's a lot of names, but only a handful are particularly concerning at this stage with three full weeks left before the start of the regular season. The best update came for the rookie Miller, who suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener against the Chiefs. Head coach Dennis Allen said he'd be traveling with the team out to L.A. and there's a chance he gets into the game on Sunday, though that feels like a longshot.
Cesar Ruiz (shoulder) and Taysom Hill (oblique) left early on Wednesday. The injury for Ruiz is something that came out of the preseason opener. Neither injury is believed to be significant.
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PERRY IS CONFIDENT
I've written a good bit about A.T. Perry in my observations to this point, so it's only fair that I point to his progress. We all saw what he did against the Chiefs with 6 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. He had another impressive moment today as he beat Marshon Lattimore downfield for a big gain on a perfect ball from Derek Carr.
The hands still feel a bit like a work in progress. Perry spent a few days earlier in camp working without gloves, and that was something he did to get used to catching the ball at the NFL level. It's a bit different without the stripe, and the pace is certainly a step up. We've seen the drops get fewer and farther between, but he did have one on a high ball (but a good ball) in the end zone. He got up for it easily in the back of the end zone, but it ticked off his hands and fell to the floor. There's work left to do, but the progress is clear from where he started and that's nice to see.
NICKNAME ALERT
Shaq Davis is a big man with long limbs, but it does feel like he's still figuring out how to use it at this point. That's why the nickname I heard from Jimmy Graham today felt right on the nose. After Davis went down in the back of the end zone after an impressive catch (but one that he only got one foot down on) he appeared to land on the ball and stayed on the turf for several minutes. As he came back to the sideline looking no worse for wear, Graham dropped: You OK, Bambi? ... I'm paraphrasing a bit.
Davis is another player who looked really solid in the preseason opener and he's fun to watch. Now we know what to call him.
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TYRANN GETS IT DONE
The Saints' star safety just has a way about him. He always seems to be in the right place, and that was the case today. Jamaal Williams caught a pass on what looked like an angle route and looked primed to get into the end zone, but that's when Mathieu came through with a clean strip just shy of the goal line. It's the type of play that we didn't see enough of last year. On the other end ... Jamaal isn't going to like that bit of tape. A perfect example of the give and take when it's team on team.
PENNING IS GRINDING
It's been tough to get a read on Trevor Penning's performance. He's been lining up against Carl Granderson all throughout camp, and I'd say he's lost a fair number of those reps. That said, he looked really solid on his two series in the preseason opener. The second-year pro has some obvious learning points to get through, and it feels a bit like the familiarity with Grando isn't helping. I'm curious to see how he looks against pass-rushers with less of a book on the big man on the left side.
DARREL IS HERE
The latest addition to the Louisiana contingent was in the building on Wednesday, wearing No. 34. He didn't have a massive impact, but it was impossible to miss the ear-to-ear grin from the Marrero native as he caught passes in his new jersey. He was also getting in a bit of an extra job after every rep (i'm guessing he's still working into shape). I'm still a big Ellis Merriweather fan, and he had a nifty one-handed grab of his own during practice. That'll be an interesting split to watch over the next few days out in L.A.
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