OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have turned a week on the California coast into the minicamp they never got.
The Saints used their six-day sojourn away from the Louisiana humidity to hold long, intensive practices in Oxnard, forcing players to focus on their work by removing them from home. The coaching staff is using the extra time to install everything that would normally get done during pre-training camp workouts, trying to make up for the work lost to the NFL lockout.
Quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton already see significant progress this week, particularly in the Saints’ newcomers and rookies.
The Saints will wrap up their week in Oxnard on Saturday with a walkthrough before boarding a flight to Oakland for Sunday’s exhibition game against the Raiders.
