2008-07-31 (Thur) Afternoon

>>>>In case you didn’t notice, Randy V. did make it to yesterday’s practice. His entry is directly below this one<<<<

>>>>For more pictures of today, click here: 2008-07-31 Afternoon

Not too terribly much to report because Payton let them go about 20 minutes early. It was about half sunny and half cloudy and really not that hot. Of course, at this point, 90 degrees might feel wonderful. The guys were in full pads.

Showed up during a long break, so without further ado…[*air horn*]

For this period they went 11-on-11 progressing down the field. While the rest of the team stood behind the offense from the starting point, they did not follow them down the field. However, the coaches along with a no-pads Shockey did progress with the line of scrimmage. But the biggest new wrinkle was a squad of referees. Interestingly enough, one was female. You’ve come a long way, zebra. I’m not sure if they were from the MHSAA, NFL, Arena League, or what.

Brees started off with an left out-route to Reggie that looked effortless from both standpoints. I joke about plies when they’re stretching, but a few plays later, Colston spun a mid-air 360 for a sublime sideline catch. The “ahhhhh” preceded the cheers. But Colston would later be denied by Jason Craft, who swatted a pass out of his hands with audible authority at the goal line. Regardless of last season, Craft has looked good during camp.

I guess I forgot another wrinkle, during this period, the QB went straight from Brees to Palko. I have no idea whether Brunell had been out all day or if they were just beefing up Palko’s reps. He hit a beautiful diving toe-dragger to Arrington on the left sideline, but the side judge did not hesitate in calling it out. Still, it was sweet. A few plays later Palko immediately rolled right, only to have to roll back around to the left. But Lance Moore was with him the whole time and caught the ball going into a barrel roll. A textbook example of throwing it at the receiver’s knees, so only he can catch it. A few plays later, Palko hit Meachum in the flat as soon as the ball was snapped; he took it straight down the sidelines for about 30 yards. Too bad Marvin Mitchell had a full head of steam and the perfect angle of pursuit. [*POW*] Both players flew to the ground. Meachum stood up much later than Mitchell. After two or three more plays, the team huddled. That was it.

During autographs, I got some nice shots of the DL for the first time. You will notice in the pictures, Cedric Ellis in a long-sleeve t-shirt next to Orien Harris (#92). You will also notice in the next shot he is carrying 4 sets of shoulder pads off the field. Welcome to camp, Cedric.

Autograph Honorable Mentions: Fujita for consistency of appearances, and Bobby McCray for being hi-larious.

Autograph Props: Randall Gay. While he may not have been in pads, he was absolutely the last person to leave the field. He probably signed for 25-30 minutes.