Wednesday was third consecutive padded day, chippiness ensued for New Orleans Saints

'I don't know that I've ever been in a training camp where there's not some of that that goes on'

Jul 31, 2024 at 05:05 PM

John DeShazier

Senior Writer

CP-Chris-Olave-Training-Camp-1920-073124

Irvine, Calif. - As expected, the pads brought out the physicality and testiness of the New Orleans Saints. Wednesday's principal character was receiver Chris Olave , who got into a brief entanglement with cornerback Paulson Adebo , but also had words for and with other defenders throughout the day.

"Practice was a little bit chippy today, which isn't necessarily a bad thing," Coach Dennis Allen said. "I think our guys are competing. I didn't think the execution overall was as good as we needed it to be today, but that's kind of to be expected a little bit throughout training camp. You're going to have some of these days, so how do we respond and come back. I still think we got some things accomplished, I just don't think it was quite as clean as what I would have liked for it to be.

"We're in training camp. I don't know that I've ever been in a training camp where there's not some of that that goes on – in particular when you've had three straight days of padded practices against the same people. So, there's some of that that's to be expected, and obviously we can't let it get escalated because you can't do that in the game."

PRACTICE ADDITION

Just when it appeared that practice had ended Wednesday, it hadn't. Some players ran post-practice sprints on one field, while another group lined up for some work on offense and defense in what best can be described as an added team period.

"We've incorporated a little bit more of what I'm calling a 'developmental period,'" Allen said. "There's only so many reps that go in training camp. A lot of those reps are going to the 1s and the 2s, so some of the guys that are on the 3s aren't quite getting as many reps.

"So this is an opportunity, at the end of practice, for them to get 10 to 12 good, solid reps and develop some of these young players. That's the business that we're in. It's something that we're trying to incorporate this year. We'll see how many times we can do it, how much we can get out of it. It's an opportunity for some of the young guys – and some of the veteran guys that aren't working with the first or second group – a chance for those guys to get a few more reps."

TWO MORE INJURED

First, the good news – Olave practiced full Wednesday after leaving practice early Tuesday with an injured hip. But on Wednesday, linebacker Demario Davis (hamstring) was injured during one-on-ones and left practice early, and tight end Tommy Hudson also couldn't finish due to a hamstring injury. Receivers Cedric Wilson (groin) and Bub Means (shin) didn't practice, and center Erik McCoy was present but enjoyed a vet rest day and didn't participate in team drills. In McCoy's place, Lucas Patrick shifted from left guard to center and several players – Landon Young, Olisameka Udoh and Kyle Hergel – took snaps at left guard.

BRAVO ALONTAE

Cornerback Alontae Taylor was the star of the receiver-cornerback one-on-one drill. The sticky Taylor produced three consecutive stops before allowing a completion.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The team is off Thursday before returning for four consecutive practices – two in pads, one in shells and one in pads.

All-Access Photos: 2024 Saints Training Camp practice 7/31/24