After a week away from the Blog, Christi and I are excited to be back and continue our blogs on Saints Training Camp. We hope that we get a chance to hear from you on your thoughts about the upcoming football season!

Well the Saints spent the weekend in Canton, Ohio and left with more questions then they arrived with... most notably on the defensive side of the ball. Granted it's only one pre-season game and the starters barely played a quarter, but for a team that signed several defensive players for depth and up-grades in the secondary and at linebacker, they sure looked like they weren't on the same page. On their first possession the Steelers went right down the field for a touchdown, highlighted by a 50-plus yard play-action pass. Once again Fred Thomas looked a step-slow and a step-behind, but he plays with great effort and I'm not counting him out. I'm sure the coaches and players will learn a good deal from their film-study of the game and work hard at improving, but things sure looked similar to last season.

Don't worry though... it's only the first week of August, and Gary Gibbs and his defensive staff are doing a great job with their unit. It takes time for players to find chemistry and effectively communicate on defense, and one game (or drive for that matter) doesn't mean anything this time of year!

The team returns to the practice fields tomorrow for two practices, the first at 8:50 in Veterans Memorial Stadium and then in the afternoon at 3:40 PM on the Millsaps Fields. Again, the practice times are subject to change by 15 to 20 minutes (and so can the fields they use based upon condition.)

Don't forget... the home pre-season opener comes on Friday night in the Superdome against Buffalo - expect to see more playing time for the starters on both sides of the ball! It should be a blast!

Christian