Carr Impresses in First NOLA Practice

By Ross Jackson

In their highly-anticipated return home, the New Orleans Saints took the field in front of a few thousand adoring fans at Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium.

The team started its day lightly with some stretching, individual drills and routes on air. That was a stark contrast from camp in Irvine, Calif. where they dove straight into team drills on multiple occasions.

But the slow build did not take long to escalate. The team focused their 7-on-7 drills early in their own territory before moving to the red zone. That is where the majority of the practice’s fireworks took place. Quarterback Derek Carr marched the offense straight down the field into the end zone.

The big moment: Derek Carr leads touchdown drive in 2:00 simulation

With 1:58 left on the clock, the Saints offense started from its own 35-yard line. Carr went 8-of-10 including a touchdown pass to tight end Foster Moreau. The drive also included a big gain thanks to a defensive pass interference penalty on a pass down the left sideline intended for wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr.  

Carr also completed passes to three other receivers. Jordan Mims, a fellow Fresno State Bulldog, hauled one in down the left sideline. The play began with Carr and Mims talking in the backfield, Carr looking to instruct the running back on how to attack the play. The conversation paid off as Mims beat linebacker Demario Davis down the left sideline for what would have been a big gain. It was an impressive catch by the back who continues to catch eyes.

The touchdown pass to Moreau came on a crosser by the tight end at the goal line. Carr bought time with solid protection and found his former Raiders teammate for six. A big celebration ensued. 

Rookie kicker Charlie Smyth knocked in the extra point with ease. More on his impressive night in a moment. For now, the other drills.

7-on-7s in own territory

Carr went 5-of-6 here with connections to wide receivers Chris Olave and Equanimeous St. Brown, do-it-all weapon Taysom Hill and running back James Robinson. 

Second-year quarterback Jake Haener went 2-of-3 including a great pass to rookie wideout Bub Means on a post route. He then connected with Kevin Austin Jr. on the left sideline before missing A.T. Perry on the right sideline thanks to a defensive holding call on cornerback Kaleb Ford-Dement. (Officials were present for the practice.)

7-on-7s in red zone

Carr went 5-of-6 again starting with three short passes in the flats. He would then find tight end Foster Moreau in the end zone for one of the pair’s two touchdown connections on the evening.  Carr also found Means in the back corner of the endzone for another scoring strike.

Rookie passer Spencer Rattler took the other share of red zone seven’s going 2-for-3, completions coming short of the endzone. Both appeared to be quality decisions.

Team drills from own 25

Carr took the first series, as usual. After a stretch run to the left by Hill, Carr connected with wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr. with Shemar Jean-Charles draped in coverage over the middle of the field. Robinson took a run to the right for a modest gain and then caught a short pass in the flats to follow. Mims, who continue his impressive evening, then took a run to the right side where he was gobbled up near the line of scrimmage.

Haener took second-team reps for the evening, three plays worth of action. He first completed a pass to tight end Mason Fairchild on a play action bootleg. The pass was caught in the intermediate area on the right side. Undrafted rookie running back Jacob Kibodi took a short run to the right, led by fullback Adam Prentice. Finally, Haener and St. Brown could not connect in the intermediate left area of the field. Safety Johnathan Abram looked like he may have gotten a finger on the ball as it passed over the second level. Even still, his positioning disrupted the catch.

Carr reentered. That drive began with a stretch run for Hill to the left, but safety Will Harris Jr. was quick to the scene. Landon Young, who was lined up at left guard for this series, was flagged for a false start on the second play. Carr then went 1-for-4 on his final reps which included a throwaway.

He left one behind Olave on an out route, then immediately placed it on the money for St. Brown on another out-breaking concept. Carr then overthrew a shot down the right sideline for Olave. The duo looked to be out of sorts in their timing throughout the evening.

Rattler then took a quick three-play series himself. Kibodi had another nice run putting quite the juke on Ford-Dement for extra yards. Rattler then hit Mims in stride on a drag route that created big yardage. He finished the drive with a scramble, which are always blown dead early in practice environments.

Team drills from the red zone

Carr started off the period 2-for-2 after a run by Williams on the right side. Carr then completed a pass to Olave before connecting with Mims underneath. The veteran quarterback looked completely under control.

Haener took the field for another three plays, two of which were runs by Kibodi. An underneath pass to Robinson followed, and he may have been able to fight his way into the endzone. The play was ruled down at the one on a nice close by linebacker Khaleke Hudson.

Carr re-assumed the mantle to wrap up red zone drills throwing a touchdown to St. Brown off of a play action bootleg. He again missed Olave with a pass just out of reach in the back corner. Carr wrapped up his red zone situational work with another incompletion to St. Brown on a well-placed pass in the back-left corner of the end zone. Abram was in coverage and accidentally stepped on the back of the receiver’s leg. That may have disrupted the connection, but the contact was not intentional. 

Rattler’s 2-minute drill

This one did not go as well for Rattler. The rookie quarterback was given the same situation as Carr, 1:58 on the clock starting from his own 35-yard line. On his first pass, Rattler placed it too high for Austin Jr. who still wrangled in the catch. He followed that up with a near interception thrown directly to Ford-Dement. There was clearly some miscommunication between Rattler and his intended receiver, Stanley Morgan Jr.

After a couple of manageable connections and taking what the defense gave him, he would place a nice pass over the middle for Austin Jr. Unfortunately for Rattler, the pass careened off of the receiver’s hands and straight up into the air. Ford-Dement was in position to reel it in for an interception, ending the drive and the evening.

Attendance

• Some important returns: running back Alvin Kamara, tight end Juwan Johnson, rookie tackle Taliese Fuaga, cornerback Paulson Adebo, safety Ugo Amadi and tight end Michael Jacobson all returned at some capacity. Amadi, Davis and Jacobson participated in team drills and/or 7-on-7s with the rest were on a limited basis.
• Defensive end Chase Young was not at practice Tuesday night, but head coach Dennis Allen said that he only missed for personal reasons. He clarified that the reason was positive, but declined to comment on the specifics, leaving that for Young to share at a later time
• Other players not spotted at practice: Rashid Shaheed, Marshon Lattimore, Kendre Miller, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Rico Payton (shoulder), Isaiah Stalbird, Jaylan Ford, Monte Rice, Nick Saldiveri, Trajan Jeffcoat, Mason Tipton, Dallin Holker, and Mason Fairchild.
• The Saints welcomed a new face, cornerback Joejuan Williams, who wore No. 10 in practice.

Charlie Smyth’s impressive day

The kicker competition wages on, and Smyth made quite the impression in front of the hometown crowd. The Irish kicker went 8-of-9 including two massive kicks from 60 and 65 yards out. The kick from 65 would have easily been good from more than 70.

Yardage breakdown

Makes: Two extra points, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65

Miss: 55

Quarterback stat lines

Derek Carr: 24/33 with 5 touchdowns (plus one incomplete negated by DPI) 

Jake Haener: 4/6

Spencer Rattler: 6/9 with 1 interception

Includes stat lines from both 7-on-7s and team drills.

Emptying the notebook

• Offensive lineman Oli Udoh took snaps at right tackle with the first team today in place of Trevor Penning. This is the first time such a move was made with the first team offensive line. Allen said after practice that Udoh is a guy that the team has been able to get a better look at throughout camp after missing the other offseason activities and he has done some good work that they want to see more of.
• Allen only believes that center and right guard are the solidified positions on the offensive line. While he acknowledges that they feel good about Fuaga at left tackle, left guard and right tackle will continue to have competitions throughout this week.
• Punt returners: Ugo Amadi, Cedrick Wilson, Tyrann Mathieu and Chris Olave
• Kick return tandems: Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams, Jordan Mims and James Robinson, Alontae Taylor and Jamaal Williams, Samson Nacua and Kaleb Ford-Dement.
• Juwan Johnson says he has a compilation of about 200 plays from his five years of NFL experience thus far that remind him he is “that guy.” He calls it his “I’m Him” collection which includes cut ups from both games and practices. A great way to stay motivated.
• The Saints fans in attendance brought a ton of energy. It was a special moment for safety Roderic Teamer. The area native and Tulane grad was given a chance to return to his former homefield in the practice. He will get to venture to his newest homefield on Friday with practice being held at the Caesars Superdome. He has only played one game in his professional career in the Dome so far.
• Tickets are still available to attend Friday’s practice in the Superdome. Click here for more information.
• The Saints will practice back at their team facility on Airline Drive in Metairie on Wednesday for the first time since mandatory minicamps.