Saints training camp: 5 questions we want answered

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We’re less than two weeks away from when the New Orleans Saints kick off training camp New Orleans Saints Hoodie , which starts with the rookies reporting on July 18th and veterans joining them on July 25th. While this period of waiting figures to be painful (or a relief to some), we can’t help but wonder a few things when camp kicks off. Here’s a few questions you may or may not have for the black and gold.Who will distance themselves in the backup quarterback race?Drew Brees, who turned 39 in January, enters as the unquestioned leader and starter for the Saints offense in 2018. While that comes as no shock to anyone, the biggest question many are asking is who will be the backup to Brees? With the strong play of Brees, it has always made me a strong advocate of not having more than two quarterbacks on the roster. Last season was quite the anomaly due to the emergence of Taysom Hill, who became a key part of the special teams.While Hill might be an early favorite to land the backup role, he’ll have to keep fending off free agent pickup Tom Savage. Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett has shown some promise, but he’s also shown that he’s a rookie and still has some learning to do. A good camp from Barrett could make things interesting, but this battle should come down to Savage vs. Hill.Which running back will get dibs behind Alvin Kamara?With Mark Ingram set to serve his four-game suspension to open the season, it should be the Alvin Kamara show. That in itself will be interesting to see, but the one-two punch Ingram and Kamara gave the Saints offense in 2017 was quite a spectacle. The thought of Kamara handling 20-25 carries per game doesn’t sound too appealing unless you’re a fantasy football player that owns him.This opens the door for the likes of Jonathan Williams, Trey Edmunds, Boston Scott, and potentially the recently added Terrance West to claim some playing time in the backfield. Out of the bunch, West’s veteran experience could help him in this battle, but only time will tell. Edmunds and Williams were both on last year’s squad, and Scott has had some early flashes that give him buzz for making everyone’s way too early 53-man roster predictions.The portions are there for the taking, and there’s a good chance that at least three of these backs make it to Week 1.Who will be this year’s camp hero?Corey Fuller, Darius Victor, and Adam Bighill were just some of the names to make noise in training camp sessions last season Cheap Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , but that is almost meaningless. It’s fun to see it happen, because a player goes from having little to no shot to make the roster to jumping on final roster predictions because of practice. There’s nothing wrong with calling out hard work, but pumping the brakes on a player from being a training camp sensation would be advised. See how they perform in real-time game situations before buying into the hype.How much impact will Marcus Davenport have?The buzz is real when it comes to the team’s first rounder. Davenport downplayed the minor procedure on his thumb he was set to have at the conclusion of mini camp, and was still out there making plays and participating if you needed any reassurance. Davenport has had some real tests facing left tackle Terron Armstead, which has only made him get better.Unlike other seasons, the Saints are pretty stacked at defensive end. At least it sounds promising on the surface with Cameron Jordan set as one bookend and Alex Okafor, Trey Hendrickson, and Davenport opposite of him with Al-Quadin Muhammad and George Johnson in the conversation.When will we see some key staples return to action?New Orleans is facing a few concerns for their roster when it comes to training camp. Perhaps the most glaring would be left guard Andrus Peat, who is said to be on track for a camp return. In case you forgot, Peat exited the playoffs in a horrible fashion after breaking his fibula against the Panthers in the Wild Card Round, and in turn had to have surgery.Peat is just one example the Saints have, as other players like Alex Okafor (Achilles), Cameron Meredith (ACL), Cam Jordan (foot), and Trey Hendrickson (undisclosed) are ones to watch out for. For anyone worried, Marcus Davenport (thumb) seems like he’ll be just fine. Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan remembers all too well the last time New Orleans entered a season with a lot of hype.The Saints seemed like a good bet to make the playoffs for a fifth time in six seasons back in 2014. Instead, they stumbled to a 7-9 record in what became the first of three straight frustrating, sub-.500 campaigns before they won the NFC South last season."Everyone's going to talk about potential. Everyone's going to talk about, 'on paper,' how good we look," said Jordan http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-alex-okafor-jersey , an All-Pro in 2017 with a career-high 13 sacks. "We've been here before. We've seen this a couple years ago, when we looked great on paper. Paper doesn't play Sunday."The schedule seemingly sets the Saints up to win a season opener for the first time since 2013 this Sunday, when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.New Orleans has nearly all key players back from a squad that came within a "Minnesota Miracle" of advancing to the NFC title game. Now the Saints are eager to move on from the 61-yard Vikings touchdown they gave up on their last play of last season.The Bucs, by contrast, are coming off a five-win campaign that extended their decade-long playoff drought and must play without starting quarterback Jameis Winston, who is serving a three-game suspension .Oddsmakers have made the Saints one of the most heavily favored NFL teams — by more than a touchdown — in Week 1."We recognize what kind of a football team New Orleans has," Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter said. "We're going to go out there and do everything we can to give it to them on Sunday."And why not? The last time these teams met, in their 2017 regular season finale, the Bucs won in an upset.Here are some key subplots that will play out when the Bucs and Saints renew their divisional rivalry:PREMIER MATCHUP: Bucs receiver Mike Evans is one of three players in NFL history — along with A.J. Green and Hall of Famer Randy Moss — to have 1,000 yards-plus receiving in each of the first four seasons of a career. Evans figures to be covered by Saints cornerback Marshawn Lattimore, last season's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year."I look forward to the matchup," said Evans, who was suspended one game last season for a blindside hit on Lattimore.Bucs quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, starting for Winston, doesn't sound inclined to look away from Evans just because of who is covering him."When you have a guy like Mike Evans, he's going to get his balls," Fitzpatrick said. "There is nobody that I am really going to shy away from, no disrespect to anybody, just because the talent level Mike has."SUSPENDED STARTERS: Each team is coping with the suspension of a prominent offensive player.The Saints are without Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram, their leading rusher last season with 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was suspended four games for use of a banned substance. That raises the possibility that Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara will play more snaps Youth Ryan Ramczyk Jersey , but Kamara was careful not give away anything on that front."The way our team is trending, we're an unselfish group," Kamara said. "If my touches are low, then it is what it is, if that's what we have to do to win."Winston begins a three-game suspension stemming from an eight-month NFL investigation that concluded he touched a female Uber driver inappropriately in 2016."At this point, it's like any other injury that a guy's out for three weeks," Koetter said.ROSTER TURNOVER: One of Tampa Bay's top priorities was revamping a pass rush that produced a league-low 22 sacks a year ago. In addition to acquiring former New York Giants star Jason Pierre-Paul in a trade , two other new starters on the defensive line — Vinny Curry and Beau Allen — signed as free agents after helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Defensive coordinator Mike Smith said Pierre-Paul had a good training camp and has been everything the Bucs expected in terms of his drive to learn the scheme and make it tough for coaches to sub him out."The guy doesn't want to come off the field," Smith said. "He's a guy that's played, when's he's been healthy, 90-plus percent of the snaps on defense. That is unheard of a lot of times in the NFL."The Saints spent the bulk of their efforts in free agency trying to improve a defense that ranked 17th, bringing in linebacker Demario Davis, safety Kurt Coleman and cornerback Patrick Robinson. Meanwhile, receiver Cameron Meredith is expected to make his debut for an offense that ranked second a season ago, while tight end Ben Watson returns after a couple of seasons with Baltimore.GOOD RATINGS: Saints quarterback Drew Brees had a 121.1 passer rating against the Bucs last season, his best rating against any team in 2017. But Brees quickly dispenses with the notion that he has Tampa Bay's number."We know how competitive this team is regardless of what their record said last year," Brees said. "They've got a lot of really good players on defense. They went out and made some pretty significant moves through free agency and in the draft."It's going to be a tough, tough test."AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall contributed to this report.
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