07-31-2007, 06:30 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,302
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Rookie Young makes strong first impression
NOLA.com: Everything New Orleans
Quote:
Rookie cornerback Usama Young made up for lost time with an impressive debut at Saints practice Sunday.
Young, a third-round draft pick from Kent State, missed the first three days of training camp after injuring his left quadriceps a couple of weeks ago. But he came back strong, highlighting his day with a nifty interception during team drills in the afternoon practice.
"It felt real good. I've been sitting out just waiting to get out there," Young said. "Anybody who goes through the treatment, they don't want to be doing it. Sometimes, it can be tough just sitting out looking at everybody having fun playing football."
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Young, 6 feet, 190 pounds, said he didn't have his usual burst Sunday, but his speed and athleticism were still noticeable.
He was not invited to the NFL combine in February, but he shot up most teams' draft boards when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds and had a 43-inch vertical leap at his pro-day workout.
For the interception Sunday, he made a quick move to step in front of receiver Devery Henderson on an out route, snagging the throw from Jamie Martin.
"It was good to see him back in the mix," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "It was good to see him at full speed."
Young performed the team's mandatory conditioning tests Saturday before he was cleared to practice. He said he might have to run them again to hit his target times, but he's not worried about his physical abilities.
"For the most part, it's worried about being behind," Young said. "They go through stuff in the meetings, but it's different out there on the field. You can mentally take it all in, but there's nothing like being out on the field taking reps."
OVER THE 'HUMP': Sunday may have been the sloppiest day of practice so far. But Payton said that's typical on the third day of training camp -- especially considering the Saints installed their multiple-receiver packages on offense and nickel package on defense.
"By and large, I thought the third day was good," Payton said after the afternoon practice session. "This is usually a hump day in regards to fighting through it. But I thought we got something out of it."
Payton seemed less impressed with the offense after the morning session. He said there were problems with some of the route running and protection, and the fatigue was noticeable.
The result was a lot of incomplete passes.
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Rookie Young makes strong first impression
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