luke johnson

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneJust about all the players the New Orleans Saints cannot live without were safely tucked away on the sidelines by the time the opening kickoff signaled the start of the 2018 preseason finale.Thursday (Aug. 30) belonged to everybody who still had...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv2WUp6uduc&feature=youtu.beBy Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneBefore he ever saw the field as a quarterback, Taysom Hill had already impacted the New Orleans Saints' 36-7 preseason win against the Los Angeles Chargers in a couple different...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneCOSTA MESA, Calif. -- The location was different and so were the uniforms and the stakes, but Drew Brees and Philip Rivers were reliving the old days in a way, having a shared competitive experience on the same practice field.Just like all those...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayunePick a New Orleans Saints practice, any practice, and watch No. 13.Watch the singular effort devoted to every repetition, no matter if it is a walk-through or a head-to-head matchup against the Saints' top corner. Watch the way he punctuates...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneThe chosen euphemism for the New Orleans Saints defense this preseason: Build the house brick-by-brick.The name of this game is not victory, but progress. Each successive week is a chance to construct a unit that will be ready when the games...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneBen Watson hears the jokes all the time, especially from the youngsters in the New Orleans Saints tight end position group.Rookie Deon Yelder got a laugh when he informed Watson early in training camp that his parents were not that much older...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is upset with his wide receiver play.Among the things bothering Payton is the most basic part of playing the position -- starting the play out precisely where they are supposed to be. It has been an issue for...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneA mistake-ridden first half sunk the New Orleans Saints in Friday's 20-15 preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals.The Saints committed four turnovers in the first half, all of which came with quarterback Taysom Hill directing the offense. Only...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneWho is going to suit up? When the Saints first team units lined up in Jacksonville in last week’s preseason opener, they did so without a few high-profile players, most notably quarterback Drew Brees (9) and defensive...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneThe alarm trills to signal the start of a new day, and the wonder hits Devaroe Lawrence fresh again.How did the turbulent path he wandered in his early years wind its way to Auburn University?How did he find such a landing spot as he did with...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneOne of the best parts about being Nate Wozniak, according to Nate Wozniak, is the nicknames.They come easily for the New Orleans Saints' rookie offensive tackle, because it is not often a player comes around who towers over the rest of the large...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneIt is not a good thing when efficiency, or lack thereof, is measured by the time allotted for concessions consumption.Yet here is New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton describing the Jacksonville Jaguars' opening drive against his first-team...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneJonathan Williams caught himself saying roughly the same sentence three or four times in the span of a few minutes and apologized."I know I'm like a (broken) record player and keep repeating this," Williams said. "But I keep working. I'm trying...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneTrain hard for a few days, take a rest day, get back on the field, get on a plane and repeat.The routine did not change much for Jayrone Elliott after the Dallas Cowboys released him in September last year. He stayed on schedule and in shape...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneJACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Taysom Hill, a missile off the edge, nearly got his hands on a Jaguars punt in the New Orleans Saints' preseason opener.He was on the field for the opening kickoff, too, in one of the chase positions out on the edge of the...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneQB Taysom HillThis will be the first legitimate look at Taysom Hill (7) in a Saints uniform — as a quarterback, at least.Hill has almost exclusively played special teams for the Saints since they acquired him off waivers from the Packers last...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneReleased earlier in the day after failing a physical, wide receiver Brandon Coleman was not present for a practice under the lights at Yulman Stadium with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night (Aug. 5).But coach Sean Payton did not rule out a...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneDan Arnold's position switch this offseason came with a dream of a mandate from New Orleans Saints tight end coach Dan Campbell."'Eat everything in front of you,'" Arnold recalled Campbell saying to him.Playing tight end in the NFL required...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneThe New Orleans Saints have options at safety.Through the first four days of training camp, they have mixed and matched the back end of their defensive backfield with a rotation of Marcus Williams, Vonn Bell and offseason addition Kurt Coleman...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneJust because the New Orleans Saints paid a pretty penny to get him on their roster does not mean 2018 first-round pick Marcus Davenport gets a pass from the typical NFL rookie orientation.Saturday (July 28), that meant Davenport carried the...

By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-PicayuneThere is not supposed to be much room for optimism after tearing things like Achilles tendons, especially not for players who are in the midst of a breakout season that also happens to be a contract year.And yet, there was New Orleans Saints...