Saints Training Camp Day 12 Notes and Observations

Wednesday's Saints training camp brought us some situational football and heavy doses of Jimmy Graham and Taysom Hill.

METAIRIE -- The Saints started Wednesday's practice indoors and then moved outside to finish things out with some fans in the stands looking on. The team wasn't fully padded on the day, but it still brought up some good action. Here's our notes and observations from Day 12 of camp.

TRAINING CAMP RECAPS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | What We've Learned

Saints Training Camp Notes and Observations from Day 12

ATTENDANCE

Among those not spotted at practice included Tre'Quan Smith (groin), Rashid Shaheed (groin), Demario Davis (calf), Koda Martin (ankle), Andrus Peat (quad), Jesse James (groin), and Lucas Krull (tailbone). Newly signed tight end J.P. Holtz was in No. 86, and Koda Martin was waived/injured.

STARTING LOOKS AND MORE

The Saints rolled out what we believe might be their starting lineup on the offensive line entering the season, and their unofficial depth chart supported that. From left to right, their line consisted of Trevor Penning, James Hurst, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, and Ryan Ramczyk. We'll see if that continues to be the case, but Peat is working his back from a quad injury. The second grouping included Landon Young, Nick Saldiveri, Max Garcia, Mark Evans II, and Storm Norton.

Defensively, the Saints showed a 4-3 base look with Cam Jordan, Malcolm Roach, Nathan Shepherd, and Carl Granderson on the line. Zack Baun, Pete Werner, and D'Marco Jackson were at linebacker, with Alontae Taylor and Marshon Lattimore on the outside. Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu were at safety. Secondary rotation on the line included Tanoh Kpassagnon, Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders, and Payton Turner.

7-ON-7 AND TEAM

Defensive grouping to start: Pete Werner, Tyrann Mathieu, Alontae Taylor, Nephi Sewell, Marcus Maye, Ugo Amadi, Isaac Yiadom

Derek Carr finished 4/4 after taking five reps in his series. The first play was supposed to be a pass to Alvin Kamara, but Carr took off after good coverage by the Saints. Nephi Sewell and Ugo Amadi did a nice job covering Kamara. Carr came back to hit Jimmy Graham up the right seat for a nice gain working against Zack Baun. He then found Taysom Hill in the flats near the right sideline for a short gain. 

Michael Thomas got the next grab for an intermediate gain on a crossing route with Alontae Taylor and Bradley Roby trailing. The final play was a sideline hookup to Taysom Hill that was put in a perfect spot near the left sideline with Johnathan Abram and Zack Baun around him. It was absolutely one of the best passes of the day.

Jameis Winston finished 3/4 on his series, starting with a hookup to J.P. Holtz underneath for a short gain. He hit Bryan Edwards on a hitch for the next play for a short gain, working against Paulson Adebo. The lone incompletion was just a bit off target, as he had Keith Kirkwood up the left seam for a deep gain, beating D'Marco Jackson and J.T. Gray. It's one of those that could have benefitted from letting the play develop just a fraction longer. Winston's series ended with a short connection to Jimmy Graham on a curl.

Jake Haener went 0/3 during his work, targeting Troy Pride in all three reps. He tried a quick pass out to the flats to Jontre Kirklin that was dropped, and then tried a rollout play to the right to hit A.T. Perry near the sideline in the intermediate area, but there was good coverage on the play by Pride. The final pass was again to Kirklin near the sideline, but Pride had a pass breakup.

TEAM SERIES NO. 1: These were primarily runs and inside, but Carr did attempt one pass on his series. Things started with a short run to the right side with Kendre Miller. On the pay, Nathan Shepherd looked like he got the best of Trevor Penning on the rep. The next play was a halfback flip to the right that saw Ryan Ramczyk out front to handle Alontae Taylor with ease. It was a short gain that was stopped by D'Marco Jackson. The next play was a short inside run with Jamaal Williams that was stopped by Carl Granderson. The lone pass came after Carr was flushed out left and tried Keith Kirkwood for an intermediate hookup to the left, but it was overthrown.

Winston's series saw him handoff to Kendre Miller to start for a short gain. Williams also had a short carry inside to the right on a delay that was stopped by Ryan Connelly. Winston then went into the gun and flipped it out right to Kirk Merritt that saw Connelly and Niko Lalos combine a tackle for loss. Ellis Merriweather got the final carry of the series, but was stuffed inside.

Haener went to Merriweather on the first play with an inside zone run for a short gain, then followed that up with a stretch play to Kirk Merritt on the left side that saw him get to the second level. Kendre Miller got the next attempt outside left that saw Niko Lalos make the stop. Merriweather got the final carry inside on a stretch play that was stopped by Adrian Frye and Lalos.

TEAM SERIES NO. 2: The second set of team was a lot more promising in terms of action. Derek Carr ended up starting his series by hitting Jimmy Graham on a curl route. Graham ended up catching all six of his targets on the day. Jamaal Williams tried a run to the left on the next play that was blown up by Khalen Saunders for a loss. Kendre Miller got the next carry left that saw Pete Werner have a pretty nice hit in the process. Carr then went play action on his last play that was a nice hookup near the ride sideline to Chris Olave for an intermediate gain with Alontae Taylor and Lonnie Johnson Jr. around. 

Jameis Winston started his series with an inside zone to Alvin Kamara was saw Malcolm Roach get in the backfield to cause a tackle for loss. Chris Olave once against had a nice play after Winston went play action and hit him on a comeback route left for an intermediate gain with Isaac Yiadom and Johnathan Abram around. His next pass attempt was to James Washington, who ended up dropping the pass just off his hands. It was a nice throw and put in a tight window by Winston with Nephi Sewell and Paulson Adebo in the area. The final play was one of the best of the day, as Bryan Bresee appeared to have perfectly timed the snap to blow up the play from the interior and force a Winston fumble.

For Haener's series, he completed both of his passes. The first play was a hookup to Jake Bargas in the flats for a short gain. He tried Kirk Merritt on a stretch play left, but Jack Heflin forced a tackle for loss. His second pass attempt was a completion to Lynn Bowden Jr. off a boot right for a short gain. The last play was a toss left to Kendre Miller that went for a nice gain, as it had Lewis Kidd out in front making some nice lead blocks.

TEAM - END OF GAME SITUATIONAL

The last bit of work we saw was situational football, as the Saints were down 30-28 and had 1:15 on the clock to try to setup a game-winning field goal attempt. Here's how the sequences played out.

Derek Carr (3/7)

• 1:15 - Completion, left short to Jimmy Graham
• 0:59 - Incomplete, deep right sideline to Chris Olave. Alontae Taylor had excellent coverage on the play.
• 0:53 - Incomplete, flats left to Jamaal Williams on a swing play.
• 0:48 - Incomplete, intended for Chris Olave. He was flushed right after pressure from Carl Granderson and Nathan Shepherd. Granderson beat Trevor Penning.
• Illegal substitution called on the defense, fresh set of downs for offense.
• 0:41 - Complete, curl right to Jimmy Graham for intermediate gain, Marcus Maye and Marshon Lattimore around him, tough to say who he was assigned to.
• 0:28 - Complete, side right short to Jimmy Graham (Zack Baun).
• 0:22 - Carr run right for small gain.
• 0:16 - Complete, intermediate curl hookup to Taysom Hill (Alontae Taylor).
• 0:06 - Spike.
• 0:06 - 45-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.

Jameis Winston (4/6)

• 1:15 - Incomplete, curl right short to Taysom Hill. Alontae Taylor had a pass breakup.
• 1:11 - Complete, curl right short to Taysom Hill (Lonnie Johnson Jr./D'Marco Jackson)
• 0:57 - Complete, flats right to Taysom Hill for intermediate gain (Ugo Amadi)
• 0:51 - Complete short middle to Taysom Hill (J.T. Gray/Nephi Sewell)
• 0:36 - Complete, short left to Adam Prentice (D'Marco Jackson)
• 0:18 - Incomplete, deep right sideline to James Washington. Paulson Adebo looked to have a pick here and tried to get it, as Washington wasn't around the ball.
• 0:10 - Run short left by Ellis Merriweather (D'Marco Jackson).
• 0:04 - 49-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.

Jake Haener (5/6)

• 1:15 - Complete, curl right short to Shaq Davis (Ty Summers).
• 1:04 - Complete, crossing route left to right for intermediate gain to Shaq Davis (Adrian Frye).
• 0:49 - Complete, right short to Foster Moreau.
• 0:36 - Complete, sideline left to Shaq Davis for intermediate gain (Adrian Frye).
• 0:30 - Complete, flats right to Jimmy Graham. Niko Lalos had a pressure.
• 0:12 - Throwaway, right side.
• 0:08 - Run short left by Kendre Miller.
• 0:04 - 47-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.

GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

• By my notes and count, here's how the quarterbacks are in training camp, as the passing is based on team drills only. Derek Carr is 64/94 (68%), Jameis Winston is 58/89 (65%), and Jake Haener is 51/71 (72%).
• Dennis Allen said that he feels this interior line is a lot more athletic compared to the previous years. Khalen Saunders talked about the chip everyone is playing with because of the players not being known behind Cam Jordan. He referred to the interior guys as 'Dancing Pandas'. Saunders also said the heat has put him in great shape and even voluntarily ran sprints at the end of practice.
• As we mentioned the other day, we've seen Demario Davis and Andrus Peat around the facility, so there's reason to be optimistic there. Peat was doing some workouts while the team was practicing, which is a good sign on him getting back onto the field.
• It's next year, but there's a real possibility that Saints training camp moves from Metairie. It's not related to the heat, but more about the renovations going on around the team's facility. We'll see.
• One of the Saints-Texans joint practices is supposed to be inside the Superdome, but it is a closed practice to the public.
• Pete Werner said that it's been weird not having Demario Davis around, talking about the energy he brings to the room and practices. Werner is handling some of the defensive call responsibilities, as well as D'Marco Jackson.
• Blake Gillikin handled punting on the day. Here's his unofficial hang times: 4.35, 5.13, 5.09, 3.40, 4.04, 4.38, 4.34, 4.09, 4.40, 4.48, 4.63. For those who don't know, the team moves the punts up every play after starting from deep inside their own territory. Gillikin spoke after practice about how he dealt with injuries last year, and also made it a point to call Taysom Hill the best personal protector out there.
• Punt returners on the day were Keke Coutee, Lynn Bowden Jr., Ugo Amadi, and Alontae Taylor. 
• Wil Lutz was money today, making three kicks from 40+ when the team was down 2 and made it down the length of the field to simulate putting the game on the line. He had a solid day at 9/9 and improves 41/44 for training camp. Lou Hedley was the holder.