Kellen Moore is trying to strike a balance.
The New Orleans Saints coach, like every other head coach in the NFL, has been tasked with preparing his team for the regular season — all while keeping them healthy enough for when the games finally start.
So, on one hand, Moore has had no problem with sending the Saints out for practice around noon in the grueling sun for this week’s mandatory minicamp. What’s wrong with a bit of heat helping build character?
But on the other hand, Moore has been careful to limit the team’s actual workload. Notably, the Saints have yet to participate in live 11-on-11 action, instead sticking to 7-on-7 drills. When the team does do 11-on-11 work, it has solely been in a walkthrough, slow-paced setting — with no helmets.
That’s by design.
“Obviously, we’re trying to limit the physicality and put these guys in a really great position to be ready to rock and roll come training camp,” Moore said. “This is really a building block, and we just keep growing as we get into training camp.”
Even though league rules permit contact this time of year, teams are allowed to conduct 11-on-11 drills starting in Phase 3 of the offseason, which began May 20 for New Orleans.
By focusing on 7-on-7, Moore said he feels the sessions can still be competitive. He told reporters players are still getting a “ton of reps” because the Saints incorporate two periods of 7-on-7. Slowing down to a walkthrough pace later on in practice allows for more teaching to occur, Moore said.
Are the Saints an outlier in this regard? Without having access to all 32 teams this time of year, it’s hard to tell. But based on a quick polling of other beat writers from various outlets, the Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles — Moore’s last stop — incorporate full 11-on-11 work, while some, such as the Washington Commanders and the Los Angeles Rams, don’t put as much of an emphasis on it before training camp.
“I think it just keeps guys healthy,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said. “Last year we were doing 11-on-11 every day and guys were dropping left and right, so everybody’s been healthy, knock on wood. (We’re) protecting our bodies but still being able to compete on some level. We still get to see a ton of coverages from coach (Brandon) Staley and what they’re doing over there.
“So it’s making us better every day. They’re not making it easy. Yeah, no 11-on-11 yet, but we’ll get there during camp.”
Here’s what else stood out during Day 2 of mandatory minicamp:
Rattler responds + Kool-Aid pops
Because there has yet to be live 11-on-11 action, perhaps we can’t read too much into the quarterback competition at this point. But in any setting, it’s encouraging to see quarterbacks respond from a down day — and that’s exactly what Rattler did Wednesday.
After struggling a day earlier, Rattler was crisp and effective against the Saints’ starting defense. While he went 11 of 16, his accuracy still stood out in key moments — particularly on a corner route to Dante Pettis.
Compared to rookie Tyler Shough, Rattler was also sharper in the red zone. The ball seemed to fly out faster, and though Rattler had back-to-back incompletions on his second set of reps, those breakups were largely due to a strong performance from Kool-Aid McKinstry.
The second-year cornerback had a standout day, nearly picking off Rattler thanks to incredible recognition of a pass that was intended for wide receiver Cedrick Wilson.
Kicker fun
Charlie Smyth reminded everyone why he was — and is — such a tantalizing kicking prospect, crushing a 61-yard field goal with plenty of room to spare. Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert, taking in practice, remarked that the kick could have been good from 70, and he didn’t appear to be wrong.
The rub with Smyth, however, is his consistency. Though he wowed with his big leg, Smyth missed a 49-yarder as he finished his day 5 of 6. If he wants to unseat incumbent Blake Grupe, he’ll have to improve in that area. Grupe went 6 of 6 on Tuesday, and he hit his own 61-yarder in the process.
And if neither kicker is available, the Saints might have a legitimate fallback option: Safety Justin Reid. In a fun sequence, the safety — who served as an emergency kicker in Kansas City and Houston — hit an extra point and barely missed a 44-yard attempt after Smyth’s session.
Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux also tried his hand (leg?) as a kicker, but in his case, the attempt didn’t even get off the ground.
Attendance
Rookie safety Jonas Sanker missed practice with a minor injury, Moore said.