The New Orleans Saints returned to practice after an extra day of rest Thursday, though they’re still nursing some injuries as they head toward Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee), guard Jahri Evans (knee), tailback Mark Ingram (turf toe) and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (hamstring) did not participate in the team portion of practice.

Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis after missing the last two games. Also limited Thursday were defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin (ankle) and linebacker Ramon Humber (knee).

Evans suffered his unspecified knee injury last Sunday at Minnesota, but he came back in the game after being treated on the field. He said “more than likely” he will play Monday night and that he has been feeling better each day this week.

“Three days off definitely helped,” said Evans, who said he didn’t want to push the knee too hard on Thursday so he didn’t risk a setback.

Ingram has been out for the last two weeks, but he appears to be on the mend. He was suited up for practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury, though he didn’t participate in the full-team work.

Both Vilma and Ellis have been missing practice time in recent weeks to back off their injuries, but they’ve still been playing in games.

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NEW ORLEANS — Move over, Grover! One of the NFL’s top passers is heading to “Sesame Street.”

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is making a special appearance on Thursday’s episode of the educational children’s TV show. He visited the set a few months ago to record the segment, which co-stars the street’s furry red resident, Elmo.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Hot off his Thursday (Nov. 17) appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Drew Brees will appear on Monday’s (Nov. 21) episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” scheduled to air at 3 p.m. on WDSU. Brees’ wife Brittany will also appear.

Among the topics discussed in the pre-taped appearance will be the Penn State scandal, according to a news release by the show.

An excerpt:

Ellen: I have to get your thoughts on this. I don’t like even talking about it. This subject matter is so distressing. I have to get your thoughts on Penn State and what’s happening right now with that.

Drew: Yeah, it’s tragic. It’s horrible. It’s disgusting and its just heart breaking to think that was going on for a 15-year plus period potentially there. You really wonder how deep it runs. How long it was being potentially covered up and all that stuff. We’re going to let the legal process take its course and they’re going to get all that dealt with. I think what’s also so disheartening about it is the fact that it’s the exact opposite of what collegiate athletics and everything is supposed to stand for. It’s supposed to stand for coaches being mentors for young men. Helping to develop them into the leaders in our society. So to think that kind of stuff is going on or was and maybe this isolated incident there during this period of time. It’s just awful.

Ellen: It really is. To supposedly protect the image of a school or a football team all in the name of that. It’s just really, really sad and angering.

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Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees

The New Orleans Saints announced on their Twitter feed Monday morning that quarterback Drew Brees will appear on the ‘Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno on Thursday night.

Brees last appeared on the show in December of 2009, when the Saints were on their way to winning Super Bowl XLIV.

That’s all for today.

New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday after recovering from neck and chest soreness. That gives him a good chance of playing Sunday at Atlanta.

That’s key for the Saints since fellow cornerback Patrick Robinson appears more questionable with a stomach issue that kept him out of practice again Thursday. Coach Sean Payton did not specify what Robinson’s ailment is.

Receiver Lance Moore, meanwhile, missed practice Thursday with tightness in his hamstring. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma also missed practice again Thursday with his lingering left knee injury. The Saints appear as though they will rest Vilma for another week leading up to the Week 11 bye, though Payton said Vilma has not had any surgery performed. And defensive end Turk McBride missed practice with an ankle injury.

Tailbacks Mark Ingram (heel) and Chris Ivory (hamstring) remained limited in practice. Tight end John Gilmore (neck) also remained limited.

Left tackle Jermon Bushrod was back on a full basis after missing Wednesday’s practice with an illness.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Gotta run!.

That’s all for today.

The best thing about the New Orleans Saints’ 32-9 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night at the Superdome is that most of the guys wearing black and gold uniforms won’t be on the roster by the end of the weekend.

The Saints will cut down their roster from 79 players to 53 in the next two days as they turn their focus to next Thursday night’s riveting regular-season opener at Green Bay.

That game will be one of the marquee events of this NFL season, with a pregame concert kicking off the nationally televised showdown between the two most recent Super Bowl champions.

As far as drama goes, it will be everything this game was not.

The Saints’ exhibition season ended with a thud. With most of the starters watching from the sideline, the backups put on a sloppy display on offense, defense and special teams. They turned the ball over five times.

“Obviously with that many turnovers, you really have no chance to be in a football game,” said Saints Coach Sean Payton, who said a performance like that “eats at you” regardless of who’s on the field.

“It’s the miscues, it’s the sacks for a safety, it’s the interceptions and fumbles. Those things bug you,” Payton said. “Regardless of who’s playing, those are signs of sloppy play. Considering, I thought our defense battled and hung in pretty well.”

The most disturbing moments came when newly signed kicker John Kasay missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt wide left just before halftime and missed an extra-point attempt wide left in the fourth quarter. He later made a 38-yard attempt with 35 seconds left.

Although the 20-year veteran is clearly shaking off the rust after being signed three days ago, he is one guy the Saints will indeed be counting on against the Packers. Unless the Saints decide to sign a new kicker this week, Kasay will start the season as New Orleans’ kicker while Garrett Hartley is sidelined with a hip flexor.

Kasay made no excuses for his performance, saying he didn’t get the job done. Payton said he was glad that Kasay had the opportunity to end on a high note.

“I thought that third kick was critical,” Payton said. “I thought it was important for his own confidence. Look, he’s kicked in a lot of big spots, and a game like this might not seem important to a lot of people. But for that very moment in time, the veteran kicker who has missed the first two, it’s a very important kick. I was encouraged, and I was glade we had another opportunity to put him out on the field.”

Quarterback Sean Canfield played the entire game for the Saints and finished 29-of 39-for 249 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and a fumbled snap.

Canfield was unlikely to make the Saints’ roster regardless of his performance Thursday night, because the Saints usually keep only two active quarterbacks. But depending on how the Saints evaluate his audition tape, it could affect his chances of landing on the practice squad or heading into camp as their third quarterback next season.

“It was sloppy,” Canfield said of his own performance and the offense’s performance as a whole. “It seemed like every time we got something going that we would fumble or miss a snap, turn it over.

“We made some plays, made some throws, made some runs, hit them with a few screens. But you’re not going to feel good after a performance like that.”

The interceptions weren’t completely his fault. One of them was thrown right into the hands of receiver Montez Billings, who let the ball bounce up and into the arms of a waiting defender in the second quarter. The other one hit Adrian Arrington’s hands, though it would have been a difficult catch.

Billings’ drop further damaged his remote chances of making the roster. And he wasn’t alone.

It’s debatable how much the fourth preseason game matters for players trying to make the roster, since teams have a pretty good feel for players by this stage. But it was an ugly night for a handful of “bubble” players who didn’t leave a good last impression.

Tailback Patrick Cobbs fumbled and dropped a pass. Tight end Tory Humphrey fumbled. Guard Brian de la Puente gave up a sack in the end zone. Fullback Jed Collins took a bad angle on a 52-yard punt return touchdown by Tennessee’s Damian Williams.

Surely, there were countless other miscues that will show up on video – which is often referred to as a prospective player’s “resume.”

Arrington, who came back to make a terrific one-handed catch in the second half, knows the Saints have seen enough from him in the past three-plus years. But he said he still would’ve liked to step up bigger in this last audition.

“Of course you always want to do more. You want as many opportunities as you can get. But that’s how the game played out,” said Arrington

“I’ve never experienced a loss like that. So it didn’t sit well,” Arrington said. “When you turn the ball over that many times, it’s tough to come out with a victory. And it’s tough for players like me, because you don’t get as many opportunities out there.”

The brightest spot for the Saints was first-year tailback Joique Bell, who carried 16 times for 80 yards and caught six passes for 44 yards. And New Orleans finally got into the end zone in the fourth quarter when Canfield hit Billings with a 2-yard touchdown pass.

The rest of the play-by-play was painful for the Saints.

Their first nine drives resulted in a punt, a safety, a fumble, an interception, an interception, a failed fourth-down attempt and a missed field goal attempt, a fumble and a fumble.

The Saints played just one starter on offense — guard Carl Nicks, who made only a brief cameo before calling it a night.

Defensive end Will Smith, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, linebackers Scott Shanle and Will Herring, cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter and safety Roman Harper also played briefly for the Saints. But most of the night belonged to the backups.

That will change by next Thursday, when the Saints face the reigning Super Bowl champions. Payton said his primary concern after an inconsistent preseason is that his team is ready to play a smart, clean game.

“I think what wins games, it’s playing smart on the road, understanding the emotions of a game like that and handling those challenges, especially early in the game. That early wave of momentum, and being smart with the football,” Payton said. “Those are the things that we value and think are very important in winning games.”

•••••••

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

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New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and guard Jahri Evans are both expected to play in Saturday’s preseason game at Houston, despite being limited by knee injuries this week. Cornerback Tracy Porter won’t play, despite returning to practice this week from his own knee injury.

Evans did not practice Thursday for the second straight day after experiencing some knee swelling, but Coach Sean Payton said he expects Evans to play Saturday. Jenkins returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday but is also expected to play. Porter has been practicing all week, but Payton said the plan all along has been to hold him out for this game.

Payton listed cornerback Leigh Torrence (hip) and tight end Tory Humphrey (knee) as “questionable” after they didn’t practice Thursday. Ten other players have been ruled out for Saturday’s game: tailbacks Chris Ivory (foot, sports hernia) and Joique Bell (knee), linebackers Clint Ingram (hamstring), Ezra Butler (sports hernia) and Ramon Humber (quad), cornerbacks Johnny Patrick (knee) and Fabian Washington (hamstring), defensive ends Jeff Charleston (ankle) and Greg Romeus (knee) and defensive tackle Tom Johnson (calf).

Linebacker Jonathan Casillas and safety Chris Reis both missed practice Thursday due to the births of their children.

That’s all for today.

One more schedule change for the New Orleans Saints, this one a minor one – Thursday’s practice will be moved indoors, meaning it will be closed to the public.

Fans will still have access to Saints practices today and Wednesday, weather permitting, plus next week before the team moves camp to Oxnard, Calif., for a week.

It’s worth noting that those practices between Aug. 21-27 were scheduled to be closed to the public even before the Saints opted to move them out of town.

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The New Orleans Saints opened training camp Thursday sorting out a roster that will remain unsettled for some time but largely in shape and eagerly talking about football instead of fracas.

With a contentious labor dispute behind them, Coach Sean Payton and the team’s captains, quarterback Drew Brees and linebacker Jonathan Vilma, said practice will begin today as scheduled but sail quickly into uncharted waters.

That is because the Saints have not signed all of their free agents or draft picks, and because those unrestricted free agents the club has come to terms with can’t sign contracts until the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement is formalized by a reconstituted players’ union.

What’s more, it won’t be until Sunday or later that any Saints put on pads for the first time.

“We’re taking a pretty good workload and efficiently managing it as rapidly as we can,” Payton said. “It isn’t until next week, and we don’t know which day specifically the unrestricted free agents can join us on the practice field. That may or may not be about 15 players, so the challenge that brings you is a little, ÔHow do you practice? How do you begin practice?’

“Depending on when the rest of our players join our team, we’ll go back and pick it up and start again,” he continued. “I think more importantly than ever we’ve got to do a great job with managing our time and our snaps at practice. We’ve got to do a very good job at managing potential early injuries. I think it’s imperative we don’t try to hurry, that we install everything we have — slow down the pace a little bit, if you will, and then try to get a feel for where we’re at.”

That means that offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, wide receiver Lance Moore, newly acquired running back Darren Sproles and a bevy of other veterans will not take the field this morning.

The practice situation will be further complicated by the swollen rosters permitted under the new rules. Teams can have up to 90 players. The roster the Saints released Thursday night contained 70 names ready, with another 31 unsettled, and Payton hinted he did not expect the Saints to suit up 90 players for very long.

Brees said the unusual surroundings will require some adaptation.

“It doesn’t change my approach, other than there might be some young guys in positions that haven’t been there before getting significant reps,” Brees said. “Maybe you’re missing a guy or two on the offensive line, missing some guys in the secondary. So as you look at it, you understand that you don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle there yet.”

All those pieces that were expected Thursday, however, showed up, according to Payton. What’s more, almost all of them, “ran well,” during conditioning drills, Payton said. There were exceptions. Cornerback Tracy Porter and running back Chris Ivory “ran separately,” and Payton said neither of them will be practicing immediately. It seems Ivory has the longest path back to full health as he recovers from foot surgery.

“I’d guess he has at least a couple of weeks here,” Payton estimated, noting, “a few players,” failed their physicals.

Lynell Hamilton’s position could be shaky given the addition late Thursday night of running back Darren Sproles. Brees said Hamilton, who was second on the depth chart when he was lost for the season before the first 2010 preseason game, looked good Thursday.

Vilma said tackle Shaun Rogers, the team’s biggest offseason free agent pickup before the lockout, and linebacker Jonathan Casillas, a starter until his season was curtailed by a preseason injury, both looked ready to go.

Other players will probably also sit out the first few practices, which will be without pads and concerned chiefly with installing schemes. That means veteran players won’t miss much valuable time, and the intense competition will come some time next week when contact is introduced, Vilma said.

The Saints have their first preseason game Aug. 12 when they host the San Francisco 49ers.

“This is Ñ we’re on the fast track now, 15 days out before our first preseason game,” Brees said. “Obviously we understand that the main objective is to be ready to play our best football come Sept. 8 when we have to travel to Green Bay. But between now and then I think it’s just a process of every day getting through all the install, getting the young guys the reps (they need), who are potentially going to play significant roles on this team. Next week I think the competition really begins for a lot of guys at their position. But for now it’s really about getting a lot of young guys up to speed. You know, get out there and work through the kinks but look sharp.”

Vilma issued an unequivocal “yes,” when asked if he thought the work the Saints did as a team at Tulane in the offseason put them ahead of the curve in the NFL. What’s more, Vilma said the extraordinary attendance the Saints enjoyed at their unofficial offseason team activities means rookies and some other newcomers already have a working knowledge of the team’s schemes. Coupled with the veteran leadership and the fact the Saints have no major coaching changes, Vilma said he thinks the focus will shift quickly from installation to execution.

“I think that what we have done a great job of over the years is being able to regulate what the situation calls for,” he said. “If we’re in pads and it’s time to hit and get after it, then we will do that. If we’re not in pads, we take a step back and we focus more on the mental reps. I think that it won’t be much different.”

Overshadowed by the high-profile departure of Reggie Bush was the news defensive tackle Remi Ayodele and safety Usama Young agreed to terms with Minnesota and Cleveland. And cornerback Randall Gay, an LSU alum, learned Thursday he will be released, according to a league source, apparently a victim of the salary cap.

The Saints have gotten signatures from three of their draft picks and the top three Ñ first rounders Cameron Jordan and Mark Ingram and third rounder Martez Wilson Ñ are still negotiating. The Saints signed third-rounder Johnny Patrick, a cornerback from Louisville; defensive end Greg Romeus, a defensive end from Pittsburgh; and linebacker Nate Bussey from Illinois. 

There is the quick update of the day.

Posted: Friday, September 10, 2010, 12:15 AM

Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan breaks down the Saints’ 14-9 victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Posted: Friday, September 10, 2010, 12:15 AM

Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan breaks down the Saints’ 14-9 victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.

There is the quick update of the day.