All Aboard, Saints Complete 1st Day of Training Camp

On Tuesday Morning Saints 1st round Draft pick WR, Robert Meachem was signed to a 5 year contract. Every Saints Rookie is now signed, everyone is ready to be in camp and focus solely on getting ready for the 2007 Football Season.

Thursday, July 26th the Saints begun their first day of Training Camp. Sean Payton and Strength & Conditioning Coach Dan Dalrymple opened up with a Conditioning Test, which consisted of Three 300 Yard shuttle runs, with 2 minute breaks in between. Offensive Line/Defensive Line must time in 60 seconds or under, Big skill players Linebackers, Tight Ends must time in 58 seconds or under, and the Speed guys..Wide Receivers, Running backs...etc. Must tiime in 56 seconds or under. Coach Dalrymple stated the most impressive group he watched run today was the "Big Skill" players and specifically commented on OLB Scott Fujita. "I don't know if Scott broke a sweat today, he's just a machine." Said the coach.

In his opening Press Conference Coach Payton briefed the general Health status of the team. Brian Young has a fractured foot and has a 6-8 Week rehab time. The Saints expect Young back for the start of the season. Usama Young has a left quad strain and was held out of running, he's expected to be back by Sunday. Jon Stinchcomb has a left groin strain, while Jamar Nesbit is battling a stomach virus both are expected to be back tomorrow. Will Smith had a little tightness in his hamstring and was held out of afternoon workouts as a precautionary measure. Coach Payton was encourage by the Physical state of the team and he was pleased with everyones weights, and times. "It was probably the best that I've seen that test run. These guys all finished. By and large everybody made their times. That was encouraging."


Payton continued to stress starting over, rather than picking up where the team left off, and stated tomorrow the team will run 2 Full Pad Practices. You can read about the rest of the Press Conference here. Saints Official Website, News Conference.

Quote of the Day - ( Sean Payton: When asked about the recently sported T-Shirts with the Slogan "Earn It") "Our marketing department hung it in my locker so it was free and I wore it. I think this is the ad campaign that they're going to be running but we are in an “earn it” business and each year you have to earn it. I’ve been part of so many teams that weren’t picked to do well – in New York in 2000 we went to the Super Bowl and last year we had some success – and I’ve been a part of some teams that were picked to finish strong and underachieved and didn’t finish as well. I think the message is that each year you have to earn it and there is a fine line in being 12-4 or 8-8. We have to do the little things well and we have to earn it. So it fit and I put it on.”