camp intensity

Vince Lombardi had a saying that you could say laid the approach foundation for modern football. "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."

Dennis Allen and the Saints have worked hard this summer to live by that. The intensity of training camp was evident this summer, and Tyrann Mathieu, who knows what a championship effort looks like, believes this is the most intense training camp the team has had since he got here three years ago.

“Definitely was harder practices, just way more demand too," Mathieu said. "I think every day was intentional. I think defensively too they were putting a lot on us, just to be who we are every day. I feel like the last couple of years we’d kind of pick and choose when we wanted to be a good defense or when we were going to be dominant. I think every day we were practicing and wiring our brains to just be dominant at all times.”

After holding training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie for the last seven seasons, Allen and the organization decided to move camp to California at the University of California, Irvine. In previous years, the team often had to transition from outdoor practices to the team's indoor facility due to lightning warnings while training in Metairie. On top of that players would often have to take frequent breaks to cool down and hydrate to prevent cramps during practice.

A benefit of having camp moved to California was the weather. But it wasn’t just sunny 70-degree days on the West Coast, this year’s camp was demanding, without any wasted steps. Nathan Shepherd and Derek Carr told NewOrleans.Football that this training camp was a challenge and that the team will be better for it.

“I really feel that DA (Dennis Allen) did his best to challenge us, physically and mentally,” Shepherd said. “So if you were to ask a lot of guys, not just the players but even the coaches themselves, they will tell you from a physicality standpoint what was demanded of us was a lot. We talked as a group and we’re like, ‘Hey we can let this break us down or we can let this build us up.’ We have the roster and everyone here has been through the fire, iron sharpens iron, we’ve been refined and we’re going to keep refining through the season.”

Carr felt the same way.

“I think our whole team was just more demanding,” Carr said. “The leaders were more demanding of ourselves, of each other. I think everybody was on the same mindset. I don’t think it was us (leaders) pulling anybody in any direction, I think we were all headed the same way. It was definitely intense and definitely demanding.”

The distance was an adjustment period the team was away from their families, homes and fans for a month. While at UC Irvine the team grew closer because it was just them with each other. Mathieu feels that it was beneficial to bring the team together. “I think anytime you go away as a team, you leave a lot of distractions behind,” Mathieu said. “You’re really able to focus on your teammates. Even after practice, just eating lunch and all of those moments kind of required us to be together, so that was definitely beneficial in my mind.”

Carr felt it was also a way for the team to grow together but admitted he missed practicing in front of the fans.

"I think anytime you can get away with your team there’s nothing else to do except hang out with each other," Carr said. "You get to know each other, you spend more time together and those bonds last forever. We missed our fans and it was weird at practice not having them and camp, that was new but when it comes to growing together as a team."

The Saints are set to begin their promised 17-week road to making the playoffs for the first time under Allen. The foundation has been laid in California now they have to build on that foundation on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Shepherd feels that the buy-in and time spent at UC Irvine are the beginning of the next chapter.

"We just finished two chapters, offseason and training camp, Shepherd said. "I love how the team has come together, I love how everyone has been here, working day-in-day-out. One of the most challenging camps we’ve been through and guys really pulled through and did everything that they can. So now it’s time to maximize off that foundation we built and guys are excited to be in the building so it’s been great energy, guys are excited for Sunday.”

There might not be perfect in modern football. The game is too messy, the talent is too spread out. But this group of Saints seem bought in and are trying to do whatever they can to be the best version of themselves when the season begins on Sunday.