After a ramp up period, the New Orleans Saints will put on pads for the first time this offseason on Monday. Dennis Allen and Khalen Saunders both called this “real” football when speaking with the media after Saturday’s practice session.
Training camp battles such as Pete Werner-vs.-Willie Gay Jr. and the evaluations of young blockers like Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning will now come into a clearer view.
This is a sentiment Allen has spoken about with greater detail before training camp began. When asked about the figuring who will start along the offensive line, Allen told reporters when the pads come on “is where the true evaluation comes in.” He finds value in “being able to evaluate guys in pads, playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”
That value extends beyond offensive line. The Werner-Gay battle mentioned earlier is a great example. It’s impossible to get a true evaluation of anyone in the trenches without the physicality that comes with pads coming on.
Everything that has transpired thus far has laid a good foundation, but now, we get all of our questions answered. Real football is here.
