Sunday marked the ninth anniversary of the day Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer collapsed on the practice field because of heat stroke and died. Coach Sean Payton said Saturday evening the staff was prepared for the searing weather and closely monitored the situation.
"I think it was probably one of the hotter ones here, in New Orleans, but I think we probably had hotter ones in Jackson," he said, when asked if he could recall more blazing weather. Saints trainers took temperature readings of between 95 and 100 and put the on-field heat index Sunday at 119 degrees.
Was this one of the hottest practices you've ever experienced? Does it make it tougher?
"No, I think it's probably one of the hotter ones here in New Orleans, but Jonathan Vilma I think we had hotter practices in Jackson. We took six breaks just to make sure guys were keeping hydrated. You have to manage it. At some point at training camp you're going to have to fight through some weather like this and we were fortunate with some cloud cover. It doesn't make it tougher; I just think it's part of getting in shape in training camp, mentally and the challenge of focusing on your job when your body starts getting tired."
I know it's early, but after five practices, how do you think Troy Evans is doing?
"I think he's doing well. I think one of the things with Troy is that he is experienced and knows what to do. Obviously he is versatile because he plays so much in the kicking game. He is handling the snaps well, so he will be a guy we give a look to during the preseason. You know exactly what you are getting with him; he's very consistent that way."
It seems like every year there's a running back that kind of catches Darren Sharper people's eye. Can you talk a little bit about Chris Ivory?
"He's done that. He comes from a small school as a transfer. He went to Tiffin and transferred from Washington State. He's a guy that we targeted a little bit as the draft went on. Much like a few of these free agent running backs, we were able to sign him after the draft. I thought he stood out. He's done some pretty good things that were encouraging. He carries his pads well, he has good speed and he's big and put together well."
Does it give a guy like him hope that in the past you undrafted free agents have made this team at that position?
"I think so. I think that's one of our selling points when we are on the phone with them on that Sunday after the draft with him and his agent. We look closely at our roster and there are opportunities if you can prove yourself, so I think so."
How reliable of a receiver has Lance Moore become?
"It's one of his strong suits; you know what you are getting. He understands the Jeremy Shockey passing game, he understands how to run routes, and he has strong hands in traffic."
We saw you work a lot on special teams today. How valuable are your kickers?
"We feel like we have two young kickers, the punter and the kicker both. One of them was a rookie a year ago, Thomas Morstead, our punter that we drafted. And certainly, Garrett, we've had him now in his third year. We don't take that for granted, those are key parts to winning games."
You said you weren't sure if you were going to keep two active QBs and one on the practice squad, but it's pretty clear you are going to keep three, so one guy is going to be out. Does that make more pressure or more difficult for a guy like Sean Canfield to come in here when he feels like his margin of error is thin?
"I think looking around at the camps right now, you probably see competition like Drew Brees that. I don't think…we had one year where we went with three and then you kind of piece it together, pretty much guess that two of those three will make the roster. One might be a practice squad player, but I think like any other position here, there's competition and those guys want to play well. The games will help define that position for us, just like a lot of these other spots."
The New Orleans Saints will try to recapture their magic as they begin the 2010 season as defending Super Bowl champions.
Elsewhere, the Carolina Panthers begin life without Jake Delhomme under centre, the Atlanta Falcons try to improve their defence enough to make a playoff run, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to rebuild with youth across the board.
Here is a closer look at all four teams in the NFC South heading into training camp.
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