<span style=""> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">July 30 Practice Report</span>
*During individual drills WR Marques Colston breezed down the sideline and as he looked back into the bright sun, casually reached up and made an effortless one-handed catch of a Drew Brees pass.
Highlights from one-on-one receivers vs. cornerbacks:
*CB Jason David knocked down a Mark Brunell pass intended for Lance Moore.
*CB Randall Gay forced an incompletion on a pass intended for Colston.
*CB Usama Young batted away a Tyler Palko pass intended for David Patten.
*WR Robert Meachem made a diving reception across the middle on a pass from Plako.
*CB Jason Craft knocked away a pass intended for Todd Blythe.
*WR Terrance Copper made a nice reception on an out route from Drew Brees.
*WR Marques Colston caught an in-cut from Drew Brees.
During special teams
*Long snapper Kevin Houser is the epitome of consistency. Houser rifles deep snap after deep snap back to the punters and holders with such consistency that it's easy to assume the ball will automatically get back there in due time, because it always does. NFL teams covet players like Houser, who fills his role and quietly goes about his business and is a great asset in the locker room. Long snappers seem to be taken for granted, but when one is struggling it can quickly change the complex of a game. Need a reminder? How about last season when the Saints traveled to Seattle and blocked a punt off of a slow snap and constantly harassed the punt and got in the kicker's head en route to 28-17 win.
Team Drill Highlights
*Brees to Lance Moore deep down the middle.
*Stecker for five yards before Young stops him.
*Randall Gay tightly covers Colston and forced Brees to throw it out of bounds.
*Charles Grant powering his way past blockers and appeared to have sacked Brees, who dumped a pass down to Reggie Bush.
*Sedrick Ellis in with the second team, running a stunt with DE Bobby McCray and forcing a quick throw from Mark Brunell. CB Usama Young dove and knocked the pass down in the outside. Young popped up and clapped his hands, clearly delighted with how things are going for him these days.
*Brunell and WR Robert Meachem connected on a perfectly timed route.
*CB Greg Fassitt defending a long bomb intended for tall receiver Todd Blythe in the end zone on a Tyler Palko pass.
*S David Roach met RB Lynell Hamilton in the hole for a short, short gain.
*Reggie Bush took a hand-off and blasted through the left side of the line for a 14-yard gain.
*Brees connecting with TE Mark Campbell on a quick hitter, who then followed RT Jon Stinchcomb's big block on Usama Young for a 26-yard gain.
*DT Antwan Lake getting into the backfield and sacking Drew Brees.
*Brunell hitting Meachem in stride behind the safety for a 50-yard touchdown.
*Bush once again following LG Jamar Nesbit and LT Jammal Brown for a nice gain up the left side.
*CB Jason David defended a pass intended for David Patten, alertly breaking on the ball and getting there a split second before the pass was complete.
*TE Billy Miller worked hard to get open in the back of the end zone and Brees lofted a perfect pass over the outstretched hand of S Roman Harper as Miller tip-toed and kept his feet in-bounds for the score.
*Bush darting up the middle untouched for a score on a delayed hand-off.
*CB Wally Dada trailed WR Adrian Arrington closely and defended a pass in the end zone.
*DE Bobby McCray batted down a Brunell pass. The 6-5 McCray is a tough player to throw the ball over with his massive wingspan.
*LB Marvin Mitchell deflected a pass in red zone drills and an alert DT Kendrick Clancy intercepted the ball.
*TE Mark Campbell caught a touchdown pass in front of rookie LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar and came back two plays later to score in similar fashion but in the opposite corner of the field.
