Saints Training Camp Day 16 Notes and Observations

The Saints and Chargers got together for their first joint practice on Thursday, as I focused solely on the offense during Day 16.

COSTA MESA -- The Saints and Chargers held their first joint practice session on Thursday from the Jack R. Hammet Sports Complex. The weather was outstanding, as we got to see the two teams in action. Ross Jackson focused in on the defense today, while I specifically honed in offense. So, expect Ross' recap soon. Here's all of my notes and observations from Day 16 of training 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 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15

Saints Training Camp Notes and Observations from Day 16

ATTENDANCE

The Saints had several players return from injury, and we'll discuss that shortly. However, among those not spotted on the day included Taysom Hill, Tre'Quan Smith, Landon Young, Jesse James, and Lynn Bowden Jr. Cesar Ruiz and Rashid Shaheed were present for practice, but only in their jerseys. Ruiz was doing work off to the side. 

Kendre Miller, Kirk Merritt, Lucas Krull, Andrus Peat were among those who returned to practice. Peat and Demario Davis were among those working off to the side. Miller was in pads, which was a great sign, wearing a brace on his right knee. None of these players participated in team drills, but Krull did get work in 7-on-7's.

STARTING LOOKS AND MORE

For the Saints offense, they had an offensive line of Trevor Penning, James Hurst, Erik McCoy, Calvin Throckmorton, and Ryan Ramczyk in walkthroughs and for first-team reps. The second grouping included Lewis Kidd, Nick Saldiveri, Max Garcia, Tommy Kraemer, and Storm Norton. Later on, we did see Garcia flip to right guard and Alex Pihlstrom run at center.

Defensively in walkthroughs, we saw a nickel look for the Saints. They ran with Cam Jordan, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, and Carl Granderson on the line. Pete Werner and Demario Davis were at linebacker, with Bradley Roby in the slot. Alontae Taylor and Marshon Lattimore were on the outside, while Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu were at safety.

1-ON-1 DETAILS

Tons of reps here, with all three Saints quarterbacks throwing these. It was highly entertaining, to say the least. The biggest takeaways would include Chris Olave making people look silly after his first rep.

Some light work for 12 pic.twitter.com/lfPOhgNv3P

— NOF (@nofnetwork) August 17, 2023

• Michael Thomas vs. J.C. Jackson (Carr) - Complete, middle inside for intermediate gain.
• Chris Olave vs. Asante Samuel Jr. (Carr) - Incomplete, comeback route right side. Drew flag on the play.
• Kawaan Baker vs. Tiawan Mullen (Carr) - Complete, middle intermediate hookup.
• Jontre Kirklin vs. Michael Davis (Carr) - Incomplete, curl route short. Pass breakup for Davis.
• Bryan Edwards vs. Cam Brown (Haener) - Complete, short in route.
• Juwan Johnson vs. Ja'Sir Taylor (Carr) - Incomplete, in route short. Pass breakup.
• Keith Kirkwood vs. Mark Webb Jr. (Carr) - Complete, intermediate corner route left.
• A.T. Perry vs. Deane Leonard (Carr) - Complete, comeback route deep.
• Chris Olave vs. Asante Samuel Jr. (Carr) - Complete, fade route right for a touchdown. Olave was also held on the route.
• Michael Thomas vs. Derwin James (Carr) - Incomplete, middle.
• Kawaan Baker vs. Michael Jacquet (Winston) - Incomplete, fade route left.
• Juwan Johnson vs. J.T. Woods (Winston) - Complete, intermediate in route.
• Jontre Kirklin vs. Amechi Uzodinma (Winston) - Incomplete, out route left. Kirklin came down with the catch, but had a foot out of bounds.
• A.T. Perry vs. Tiawan Mullen (Winston) - Complete, post middle short. Nice juke by Perry to get free. 
• Shaq Davis vs. Raheem Layne (Winston) - Complete, back shoulder right side for a deep gain.
• Bryan Edwards vs. Matt Hankins (Winston) - Incomplete, side right out.
• Keith Kirkwood vs. Michael Davis (Winston) - Complete, short left in.
• Jontre Kirklin vs. Tyler Baker-Williams (Winston) - Incomplete, in route intermediate. Pass was high.
• Chris Olave vs. J.C. Jackson (Carr) - Complete, short inside route.
• Michael Thomas vs. Derwin James (Carr) - Complete, short inside route.
• Juwan Johnson vs. Michael Jacquet (Carr) - Complete, out and up route middle for a touchdown.
• A.T. Perry vs. Deane Leonard (Carr) - Complete, slant right inside.
• Shaq Davis vs. Cam Brown (Winston) - Incomplete, post middle. Overthrow.
• Kawaan Baker vs. Tiawan Mullen (Winston) - Complete, inside middle intermediate.
• Keith Kirkwood vs. Amechi Uzodinma (Winston) - Incomplete, end zone post route. Pass breakup.
• Chris Olave vs. Asante Samuel Jr. (Carr) - Complete, inside middle.
• Bryan Edwards vs. Matt Hankins (Winston) - Complete, back shoulder right side.
• Foster Moreau vs. Raheem Layne (Carr) - Incomplete, short middle. Pass breakup.
• Jontre Kirklin vs. Michael Jacquet (Haener) - Complete, comeback lef short.
• Juwan Johnson vs. Ja'Sir Taylor (Carr) - Incomplete, inside short. Pass breakup.
• Michael Thomas vs. Derwin James (Carr) - Complete, inside middle. Thomas cooked him on the route.
• Keith Kirkwood vs. A.J. Finley (Winston) - Complete, out right side for intermediate gain.
• A.T. Perry vs. Deane Leonard (Winston) - Incomplete, sideline left short. Pass breakup.
• Juwan Johnson vs. J.T. Woods (Carr) - Incomplete, fade route right end zone. Credit Woods for a nice pass breakup here.
• Kawaan Baker vs. Raheem Layne (Haener) - Complete, inside short.
• Chris Olave vs. Asante Samuel Jr. (Carr) - Complete, touchdown post middle.
• Jontre Kirklin vs. Amechi Uzodinma (Haener) - Complete, fade left for a touchdown. Kirklin lost him on the route.
• Shaq Davis vs. Mark Webb Jr. (Winston) - Incomplete, fade route right end zone.
• Foster Moreau vs. Tiawan Mullen (Winston) - Complete, left sideline short. Flag was thrown on Moreau for offensive pass interference.
• Bryan Edwards vs. Matt Hankins (Carr) - Complete, slant middle.
• A.T. Perry vs. Amechi Uzodinma (Haener) - Complete, back shoulder left sideline deep.

7-ON-7 DETAILS

Derek Carr (4/4)

• Complete, Chris Olave comeback right short (Michael Davis).
• Complete, Alvin Kamara flats left short (Kenneth Murray Jr.).
• Complete, Kawaan Baker curl left short inside left (Asante Samuel Jr.).
• Complete, Jimmy Graham sideline right for intermediate gain (Derwin James). Great catch by Graham on the play.

Jameis Winston (2/2)

• Complete, Bryan Edwards on check down underneath right (Amen Ogbongbemiga).
• Complete, J.P. Holtz on drag route right to left for short gain (Mark Webb Jr.).

Derek Carr (3/4)

• Incomplete, Alvin Kamara on a wheel route right intermediate area (Blake Lynch). Lynch had a nice pass breakup.
• Complete, Jimmy Graham on a crossing route left to right for intermediate gain (Derwin James).
• Complete, Juwan Johnson on an underneath route left with YAC (Eric Kendricks/Asante Samuel Jr.).
• Complete, Michael Thomas on comeback route for intermediate gain (Asante Samuel Jr.)

Jameis Winston (2/2)

• Complete, Lucas Krull seam route right for deep gain (A.J. Finley/Tyler Baker-Williams).
• Complete, J.P. Holtz sideline left flats for short gain (Amen Ogbongbemiga).

TEAM DETAILS

I charted 26 passes for Derek Carr, and he went 18/26 on the day, while Jameis Winston was 12/18. Here's how each period looked with the breakdown for each quarterback.

TEAM DRILL NO. 1 (CARR 2/2, WINSTON 1/1): Carr's work in team started with him hitting Jamaal Williams in the right flats for a short gain. Williams got an inside carry left on the next play and got stuffed. Carr tried Michael Thomas on the comeback route in the intermediate area on the next play, and drew a flag for defensive pass interference by Asante Samuel Jr. Alvin Kamara finished the first series off with a nice run inside.

Jameis Winston then came in, handing the ball off to Kamara on the left side for a stretch play. He kept the next one and scrambled right. He gave Kamara another handoff before rotating back with Carr.

Carr came back in to hit Juwan Johnson on a curl route right, and then handed off to Jamaal Williams on back-to-back plays. He got stuffed short off the left side on the first play, but then had a much better carry on the second play off the same side.

Winston came back in for two plays, handing off to Darrel Williams for the first play on an inside short gain, and then found A.T. Perry for a nice hookup off the right sideline for an intermediate gain.

TEAM SERIES NO. 2 (CARR 5/7, WINSTON 1/2): Carr's next series after a some Blake Grupe field goals saw him hand off to Kamara on the first play that resulted in a tackle for loss. His next play saw him go out of the pocket and throw the ball away. Carr was then picked on his next play in an attempt to find Juwan Johnson off the right sideline. The ball sailed some and the two were not on the same page. Derwin James made the easy pick. Carr's next play saw him try Chris Olave on a deep fade route right. He got a hand on it, and illegal contact was called on the play. 

Winston's first play saw him handoff to Jamaal Williams for a short gain off the right side, and then saw him try Foster Moreau deep off the left side. The pass sailed a little.

Carr came back in to rotate, hitting Jamaal Williams on consecutive plays in the flats for short gains. He then hit Michael Thomas over the middle on a crossing route for an intermediate gain, and followed that up by connecting with Chris Olave on a short route off the right side with some additional yardage after help from Keith Kirkwood. The play design was a nice one.

Winston came back in for two more snaps, handing off to Ellis Merriweather inside for a short gain, and then finding J.P. Holtz off the left sideline for a short gain.

TEAM SERIES NO. 3 (CARR 3/4, WINSTON 4/6): This situation was more of a down and distance one. 

Carr's first play saw him give the ball to Jamaal Williams inside for a decent gain, and then a false start penalty happened to back them up some. Carr found Juwan Johnson in the flats for a short gain, and then went back to him on third down on a beautiful hookup off the right side for a first down. Williams got another inside carry and made a nice cutback to get into the second level. Carr then found a wide open Alvin Kamara in the flats to get a decent gain. We had another false start penalty on the team, and then Carr was flushed right and threw the ball away on the ensuing play. The final play saw Carr find Kawaan Baker on a comeback route for a good gain, and there was defensive pass interference on the play. 

Winston put together a nice drive and got the team into the red zone. He started with a short hookup on an out route to the right side to Shaq Davis. He couldn't get him on the seam route on the next play, which would have been a good gain. He found Kawaan Baker on the sideline for the first down on the next one for an intermediate gain. Winston then handed off to Ellis Merriweather inside for a short gain. Winston then had a deep connection inside to A.T. Perry. He threw a few strikes today. He then gave handed off to Merriweather, who went outside for a short gain. His final play was a pass down the right seam for Jontre Kirklin that didn't connect.

TEAM SERIES NO. 4 (RED ZONE - CARR 2/3, WINSTON 1/3): Here's the sequencing and situation for each quarterback.

Derek Carr (1/2)

• 20-yard-line: Complete, flats left to Jamaal Williams. Nice hit on the play by Chris Rumph.
• 14-yard-line: Inside handoff to Jamaal Williams for a short gain.
• 7-yard-line: Coverage sack, looked like it was Khalil Mack.
• 4-yard-line: Throw into the dirt.

Jameis Winston (0/1)

• 15-yard-line: Darrel Williams run right.
• 6-yard-line: Incomplete, Shaq Davis fade right end zone. Nice pass breakup by Cam Brown.

Derek Carr (1/1)

• 20-yard-line: Inside handoff short middle to Jamaal Williams.
• 15-yard-line: Carr pulled it down to run, but it looks like it went down as another coverage sack for Los Angeles.
• 8-yard-line: Complete, angle route middle to Alvin Kamara to the 2.
• 4-yard-line: Kamara run right for touchdown.

Jameis Winston (1/2)

• 12-yard-line: Thrown out of bounds, Winston was hurried. Ellis Merriweather closest around.
• 8-yard-line: Complete, inside middle touchdown to Kawaan Baker.

TEAM SERIES NO. 5 (CARR 5/9, WINSTON 5/6): This put each quarterback in two-minute. It's unclear as to what the situation exactly was, but my best guess was that it was to set up a field goal for Grupe at the end of the half. There was 1:42 on the clock.

Derek Carr (5/9)

• 1:42 - Complete, intermediate crossing route over the middle to Michael Thomas.
• 1:20 - Incomplete, middle curl route intended for Juwan Johnson. Throw at his feet.
• 1:15 - Complete, drag route right to left to Juwan Johnson with YAC for an intermediate gain.
• 0:54 - Complete, angle route middle to Jamaal Williams.
• 0:49 - Incomplete, deep right fade intended for Chris Olave. No one was around.
• 0:43 - Complete, underneath left side to Michael Thomas for an intermediate gain.
• 0:28 - Incomplete, fade left side intended for Michael Thomas. Pass was way over his head.
• 0:22 - Complete, curl left to Juwan Johnson.
• 0:04: Spike.
• Field goal by Blake Grupe looked good to me from 50-52-yard range.

Jameis Winston (5/6)

• 1:42 - Complete, middle seam route to Foster Moreau for intermediate gain.
• 1:24 - False start by the offense.
• 1:24 - Complete, deep sideline out on the right side to Jontre Kirklin.
• 1:08 - Complete, inside middle route to Bryan Edwards. He took a decent hit on the play.
• 0:46 - Complete, sideline out route right to Shaq Davis for intermediate gain.
• 0:41 - Complete, sideline right short to Jontre Kirklin.
• 0:28 - Spike.
• 0:25 - Inside handoff short to Ellis Merriweather.
• 0:03 - Field goal good by Blake Grupe.

GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

• Fielding punts early in practice included Chris Olave, Jontre Kirklin, Ugo Amadi, and Adrian Frye.
• Not that it's uncommon, but today saw Kevin Carberry work exclusively with the interior offensive line with Jahri Evans there as well. Doug Marrone worked with the tackle group.
• Dennis Allen was working exclusively with the defense today.
• I thought Trevor Penning had a pretty solid day in pass protection.
• Officials were in attendance today, and it's the first Saints practice we've had it.
• I'll be handling the defense tomorrow, while Ross Jackson will be watching the offense. We expect both sides to be better than today after watching film and making adjustments.
• Michael Thomas looked really good today. He seems like someone who is trending in the right direction.
• Kawaan Baker had his best day of practice of all training camp. The wide receiver battle between WR4-WR6 will certainly be interesting.
• By my count, I had Blake Grupe going 3/3, 3/3, 2/3, 1/1, and 2/2. I will note that some of these are questionable because Grupe was kicking into a way smaller goal post. It was half the size of a normal one, so the margin for error was smaller. One kick was wide right, so we'll count that. However, the one he tried from 53 yards out hit off the right post. So, yes, in theory it was no good, but if that was a normal goal post, I don't know that I could say the same. They also called his long attempt in the 50-52-yard range no good, but it had the distance and cleared the goal post.
• If for some reason you haven't listened to me for months, buy Chris Olave stock, that is all.