New Orleans Saints fans should be counting down the days not to just the first practice of training camp - Friday, July 25 - but the first padded practice, Saturday, July 26. It's very hard to judge the progress of offensive and defensive linemen during the offseason workouts because the players aren't in pads and there's no hitting.

But fans who show up July 26 - and to practice after that - will get to see the big men up front do their thing. The Saints enter the 2014 training camp presented by Verizon with a largely veteran offensive line. Tackle Zach Strief and guard Jahri Evans will anchor the right side while second-year tackle Terron Armstead and veteran guard Ben Grubbs will handle the left side.

The big unknown is whether second-year man Tim Lelito will win the starting center position or if Jonathan Goodwin, a member of the Saints' Super Bowl team, will get the nod. No matter which player starts fans who are fortunate to attend training camp practices should spend time focused on the tough work put in by the offensive linemen.