Ellis, Green shine in Saints scrimmage

By Randy Savoie  |   Sunday, August 03, 2008  |  Comments( 9 )

New Orleans Saints
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On a New Orleans team known for its high-octane offense, it was the defense that earned most of Sean Payton's praise in a 61-play scrimmage Saturday afternoon.

First-round draft pick Sedrick Ellis played with a freedom of spirit usually possessed only by rookies who do not yet know and have not been told about the dangers posed by the crafty, demented headhunters on the other side of the ball. The former USC star displayed a rare combination of strength, explosiveness and speed that Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, a former Trojan assistant and Ole Miss head coach, hopes is harbinger of things to come. The Saints' D-line has quickly adopted the personality of Orgeron, its gruff new leader, by sacking quarterbacks, stuffing high-paid running backs, and swatting away passes.

Ellis' steady pressure up the middle eschewed the importance of reporting to training camp on time. While tackling was off limits in Saturday's scrimmage, Ellis credited himself with two sacks.

"I think we did really well on the D-line," said Ellis. "We made some plays and got after the quarterback. We've got some wrinkles to iron out.

It feels good to make any plays out here. You're in the NFL now, not in college anymore. Whenever you get a chance to make a play to help your team, it always feels good. I think I personally had two sacks. I don't think they gave me one, but it was obviously a sack, in my opinion."

The Saints showed a new look on obvious passing downs by shifting defensive end Charles Grant inside next to Ellis, with Will Smith and quicksilver defensive end Bobby McCray on the outside. McCray, acquired from Jacksonville, is easily the Saints' fastest defensive lineman.

"I think we're improved on the defensive side of the ball from this time last year," said Payton. "That would be the one thing I could point to tangibly. We got some good pressure from the defensive line. You're not seeing the same mistakes and mental errors that you've seen in the past."

Former LSU star Skyler Green, waging an uphill battle to make the team as receiver/return specialist, caught a 46-yard bomb from rookie quarterback Tyler Palko and had the play of the day, returning a Taylor Mehlhoff kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

"I cut to the middle of the field, and when I see a crease I take it," said Green. "I saw the open field and I took it."

Quarterback Drew Brees looked as precise and collected as ever, connecting with sure-handed wideout Lance Moore in the seam for a 17-yard touchdown strike and finding Reggie Bush over the middle for a 10-yard score.

"Drew looked sharp," stated Payton. "He had a couple of drops (two by veteran David Patten) but responded well."

Fifteen year veteran cornerback Aaron Glenn looked as spry as a 25-year-old, collecting three passes defensed against the first-string offense. Glenn is in serious contention to start in the Saints' nickel package.

Meanwhile, newcomers Jeremy Shockey and Jonathan Vilma sat out the scrimmage as a precautionary measure.

"I'm sure there will be a couple of things we'll need to clean up," said Payton. "And there'll be some things I'm sure we'll be encouraged about. At the end of it all, it really isn't any more than a practice."

Training Camp: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
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