Four players missed practice for the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday — linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee), safety Malcolm Jenkins (neck), receiver Lance Moore (hamstring) and tight end John Gilmore (toe). Tailback Mark Ingram (toe) practiced on a limited basis for the first time in weeks.

It’s too early in the week to predict which players will be available for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, especially since the Saints are on a short week following a Monday night game.

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Posted: Wednesday, November 09, 2011, 9:18 AM

In this week’s episode of In Judy’s Kitchen, Times-Picayune Food editor Judy Walker shows how to make a delicious pulled pork roast using Coke as the main seasoning ingredient.

There is the quick update of the day.

The New Orleans Saints shifted running back Chris Ivory from the reserve/physically unable to perform list to the active/PUP list on Wednesday, opening the door to his possible return to action Sunday in St. Louis.

Coach Sean Payton said no decision has been made on whether Ivory or rookie Mark Ingram, recovering from a deep heel bruise suffered late in New Orleans’ 62-7 win over Indianapolis, will play against the Rams. If Ingram can’t go, however, Payton said Ivory would almost certainly be in the lineup.

“Yes, I think so,” Payton said. “Just think about that, though: If Mark couldn’t go, we’d go into the game with just two halfbacks.”

Although the Saints have indicated for some time that Ivory is fully healthy, he and Payton hinted it was only recently that the possibility of him returning became reality.

“Three weeks ago I think we were discussing him, and I would say probably for the last two games he would have been healthy and ready to play and certainly is now,” Payton said, adding one week to the “certainty” schedule Ivory offered in the locker room. “The challenges beginning today are getting acclimated to the football specifics. Not only did he take snaps with our offense, but he took a lot of scout-team snaps. The key is just getting into that football shape where he’s used to contact and used to doing some of the things regardless of rehab and conditioning that you can’t simulate until you play football. That’s the big thing.”

The Saints still have options regarding Ivory, who emerged as the club’s leading rusher in a breakout rookie campaign last year but who has also battled a variety of ailments in his brief professional career. Most recently, Ivory was put on the PUP list as he rehabbed first a Lisfranc matter with his foot and then a sports hernia.

The club has 21 days, which began Wednesday, in which to activate him or keep him in a kind of extended PUP status. After that, the Saints could put him on their 53-man active roster; assign him to injured reserve, which would end his season; or put him on the practice squad, an unlikely maneuver as it would open Ivory up to other teams that might be interested in him.

Despite his assorted injuries, Ivory said he has no intention of changing the slashing style that made him both vulnerable and a fan favorite. He said he has spent his down time since last season culling teammates and others for information on how to handle the body and minimize injuries. Last year, Ivory said he had followed a similar course when he dealt with cramps, an issue that arose in part, he believed, because he had never been taught countermeasures in college at Washington State and then Tiffin.

“It’s always in your mind — no one wants to get hurt, but to me it’s just a part of the game — you’re going to get injuries, you’re going to get nicks and bruises — it’s just all about how you take care of your body and what you do to fix those things that bother you,” he said. “I think the time that I’ve had off on the PUP I’ve kind of learned a little more just asking guys what they do after the games to keep their body feeling good and everything, so I kind of took advantage of that and kind of asked around in the locker room and found out a couple of things that they do to keep their body feeling good. So lately been getting a lot of chiropractor work and getting massages, try to get twice a week.”

At this point, he sees no serious obstacles to his immediate return.

“No, nothing is holding me back right now, but I’m still going to do all the little things, maintenance and massages and anytime I feel a little something I’m going to get it taken care of, but as of right now, no, there’s nothing holding me back,” he said. “Yeah, most definitely I could play, but like I said this whole week is going to play a big deal in whether I get reps this Sunday. Until then, take it day by day and just install as much as I can and learn as much as I can before the game starts.”

It is also not clear that Ingram, the team’s leading rusher with 329 yards and three touchdowns, will be ruled out of the Rams game. Payton said after the Colts victory that X-rays on Ingram were negative, and he reiterated Wednesday the door has not been closed on a quick return for the Saints’ second first-round selection in April’s draft.

“I think with him it’s day to day because really we’re just dealing with soreness and a bruise,” Payton said. “We’re dealing with that issue of just the pain and the swelling and those types of things. It’s not an ankle sprain. It’s the bottom of his heel. I think it’s day to day. I think tomorrow morning we see how he’s feeling, and we just keep tracking his progress.”

STRIEF RETURNS: The Saints also welcomed back to practice offensive tackle Zach Strief. Strief, a six-year veteran out of Northwestern, had won a starting job in training camp after the Saints released longtime tackle Jon Stinchcomb.

Then, almost as suddenly, Strief was stretched out on the Superdome floor in Week 3 against the Houston Texans, dealing with what appeared to be a potentially season-threatening knee injury.

Fortunately, it was only a ligament sprain. Strief’s participation was limited Wednesday, Payton said, but the tackle was clearly pleased to be back in the mix.

“It feels good to get out,” Strief said. “It was tough to kind of be in your own world and kind of lock yourself in a training room when everyone else is out practicing. It’s probably the best thing to do and the thing you should do to get back as soon as you can, but it’s not fun, and it’s not easy to do. Probably the most serious (injury) I’ve ever had. First time I’ve ever really done something substantial, and I was lucky it was as healable as it was. It didn’t feel good. … A lot of the time, there’s other stuff that goes, that gets involved. I think Coach Payton is a great example of that.”

Payton, who broke his knee and tore a ligament in a sideline collision at Tampa Bay two weeks ago, said he and Strief have spent considerable time together recently.

“I feel like he’s my neighbor since I see him every morning, afternoon and evening in the training room,” Payton joked.

It seems unlikely Strief will be activated for the Rams game Sunday, especially because backup Charles Brown has performed competently in Strief’s absence. That gives the Saints and Strief the luxury of not rushing his return.

“I think you’re always tempted, especially as a player, a competitor, you always want to go back,” he said. “But it’s a matter of being smart and doing the right thing.”

VILMA SITS OUT: While Strief and Ivory were welcomed back, linebacker Jonathan Vilma missed practice again Wednesday as he nurses his hurt right knee. Vilma has not missed any games, and his performances over the years prove he no longer needs to practice every day.

Still, Vilma said it rankles.

“God, the only thing worse than practice is watching practice,” he joked.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams also joked with his defensive captain. Early in practice, as Vilma sat on a bench with his leg elevated while the Saints went through their paces outdoors, Williams chided Vilma, asking him whether he needed any more shade, any more ice, if there was anything else the club could provide. Vilma replied with a crisp epithet.

“I don’t like to be bothered too much when I’m out there practicing, so I try to give them the same respect,” Vilma said later, when asked how he handles his captain’s duties with younger players such as Jonathan Casillas or Jo-Lonn Dunbar. “When I see them on the sideline, I might tell them one or two things they need to do, the main things, but outside of that I try to let them practice and play the game the way they would because that’s the way I want to be.”

One thing Vilma was pleased about, however, was the three turnovers the Saints managed to get Sunday against the Colts.

“I think it’s about getting around the ball, getting more hats to the ball,” Vilma said. “We’ve been leaving guys, really, selfish play honestly, defensively leaving guys one on one to make the tackle instead of having two or three guys to make the tackle. And I think we did a better job of that.”

INJURY REPORT: In addition to Vilma, Strief and Ingram, the following players were on Payton’s injury report:

Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (ankle) and Casillas (knee) did not practice.

Limited were tight ends John Gilmore (neck), David Thomas (concussion) and Jimmy Graham (ankle) and linebacker Will Herring (hamstring).

Defensive end Turk McBride (shoulder) was listed as a full participant.

•••••••

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.

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Posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 5:05 PM

Chris Ivory was allowed to practice on Wednesday, being upgraded to the active/PUP list. He talked afterwards about getting back out there.

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The New Orleans Saints soldiered on Wednesday, saying with one voice that although their general may be down, neither he nor the team are out.

Coach Sean Payton remained hospitalized through Wednesday afternoon as he recovered from Monday surgery to repair his shattered left kneecap and a torn ligament he suffered on the sideline in the team’s 26-20 loss to Tampa Bay last Sunday. Assistant head coach Joe Vitt, taking up the reins in Payton’s absence, said Payton was expected back at the team’s facility Wednesday evening.

Nevertheless, even with his body confined to an Ochsner hospital bed, Payton delivered an unequivocal message to Vitt and the Saints: Hold the line and don’t even whisper an excuse.

“You set your jaw, and you keep your eye on the target, and you move on,” Vitt said Wednesday. “So, hey, this is very, very unfortunate what’s happened to Sean. And I know there’s a lot of people in the league saying, ‘Boy, the poor Saints and yeah, yeah, yeah.’ No. There are 31 other teams out there that are glad that he got hurt, and he was in the hospital, missing practice, because they don’t want us to be successful. That’s just the truth. So, we need to move on and keep our eye on the target and keep our preparation meticulous and win a football game.”

Although a new layer of communications has been added with Payton outside the building, Vitt insisted there would be no loss of clarity.

“We reminded our whole football team — and Sean made sure I reminded our whole football team — that his absence early in the part of this week and really not knowing how much he’s going to partake in the latter part of this week is not an excuse to lose, is not an excuse not to prepare, because the excuses are out there if you want them to be,” Vitt said. “Our core players understand that. We just try to make sure with the newer players on this team it’s fully ingrained that it’s not OK to not give your best effort. It’s not OK to come close but lose a game because the head coach has a broken leg. There’s a personal accountability that comes with every coach and player, and we’re here to win.”

Payton had a computer in his recovery room, and he was in constant contact with members of his staff, in particular Vitt and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. Payton reviewed game film from his hospital headquarters, then sent Carmichael text messages with thoughts on first and second downs likely to be effective against Indianapolis, according to Vitt. The team will now move to third down in its preparations.

Those preparations include an attitude the Saints (4-2) are about to play a Colts team much closer to the one they faced in Super Bowl XLIV than the one currently languishing in last place in the AFC South with a winless record after six games. That, too, echoes the company line Payton would insist the team put out if he was moving from office to meeting room to practice field.

“I think the coaching staff is stepping up and doing a real good job,” said wide receiver Devery Henderson, one of only eight players to be with the Saints throughout the Payton era. “We’ll have a good enough team to adjust to those type of things. We know what he expects of us, and it’ll carry on to the field.”

Henderson said it didn’t feel that strange Wednesday.

“Actually, it really didn’t,” he said. “We went out there and got great work in. We kept our tempo up in practice, guys stepped up and took it upon ourselves to go out there and get everything done and pay attention to the little detail things. The guys are stepping up and doing a real good job in his place.”

From an offensive standpoint, the transition from preparation with Payton present to with Payton absent was more seamless than many might imagine, according to quarterback Drew Brees. That’s because he generally confers with Carmichael already on the sideline during games and because Carmichael already handles the offense during practice when Payton finds himself drawn to another aspect of the team.

“There are plenty of times in practice when he’ll say, ‘Hey, Pete, you’ve got it,’ and Pete will be calling it off the script or making adjustments,” Brees said. “The fact that Pete was the one giving me the play today wasn’t all that unusual, because we’ve done that many times before.”

In that respect, the Wednesday practice was sort of a blend between a recreation of what happened in Tampa and a dress rehearsal for Sunday night.

“This will be an adjustment, but then again when I do come to the sideline my communication is usually with Pete,” Brees said. “We’re looking over at pass pictures together. I’ll get up and talk with Sean a little bit, but a lot of the communication happens in the headset between Pete and Sean and then back to me. I think we have a good flow as far as how we communicate on game day, anyway, and a lot of it comes through Pete. I think the fact that it’s going to be Pete’s voice now and he’ll actually be relaying the plays to me, that won’t be all that unusual for me.”

On the other hand, Brees acknowledged it will be strange to go into the Indianapolis game with Payton high above the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a coaching booth rather than on the sideline. Payton has “a presence on the sideline that we all feel,” Brees said, and that ghost will have to be shaken loose.

Unless, and Brees smilingly declined to rule it out, Payton finds a “contraption” that would allow him and his repaired but still fragile left leg to be on the Superdome floor.

“There’s no question,” Brees said, laughing, when asked about Payton’s immediate return. “I’m envisioning some kind of hovercraft on the sidline, some kind of ‘Back to the Future’ hovercraft that he figures out a way back on the sideline.

“This is a process, and we’re all working our way through it,” Brees continued in a more serious vein. “His mentality is that he’s going to do whatever it takes to do all the things and be head coach.”

•••••••

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.

That’s all the news for today.

The New Orleans Saints sent an intriguing one-way signal Wednesday, hinting to reporters who cover the Jacksonville Jaguars that top receiver Marques Colston has been medically cleared and might play this Sunday.

Colston, who suffered a broken collarbone while making a diving catch in the closing minute of the Saints’ season-opening loss at Green Bay, returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis, according to Coach Sean Payton’s injury report. That Colston was at practice at all signaled a remarkable medical turnaround for the wideout, who was expected to miss at least four weeks.

Payton neither elaborated nor was asked about Colston’s upcoming status for Sunday’s game during his news conference at Metairie. Later, in a conference call with the Jacksonville media, Payton offered a cryptic remark that seemed to indicate Colston would play and that was published as a clear statement that Colston would play.

“Yeah, he was listed as limited, but he’s cleared,” a transcript of Payton’s words released by the Jaguars organization reads. “He’ll be up this week.”

In normal NFL parlance, “up this week” means a player presumably will be on the 46-man active roster. Players are not in that status unless they are expected to play and contribute.

Still, it is highly unusual for Payton to make a definitive pronouncement about the game status of a player popping up on the injury report, especially this early in the week. Like many in the profession, Payton is reluctant to reveal specific information about injuries.

Having been given such tantalizing bait, reporters in Jacksonville asked Saints quarterback Drew Brees about Colston’s return. Brees is generally forthright in his answers, but he is not the sort who divulges information the team considers proprietary, such as progress on a player’s recovery from an injury. His answer could be interpreted either way, depending on whether Brees took the question to mean Colston’s return to the practice field or, more specifically, whether the receiver will play against the Jaguars.

“It’s huge,” the transcript quotes Brees as saying when asked ‘about Colston’s return.’ “He’s a big part of our offense, a big part of what we do. Obviously I’ve got a ton of confidence in him, so I’m excited to have him back.”

Late Wednesday, the Saints front office appeared to side with the idea that Colston, who did not appear in the team’s locker room during its open period Wednesday, will play. When team officials were asked whether Payton could clarify his position, they said they would look at the transcripts but that “he told Jax media (Colston) is playing.”

Injury report: Beyond Colston’s recovery, the Saints have an ample injury report. Four starters did not practice: linebacker Jonathan Vilma (left knee), center Olin Kreutz (left knee), offensive tackle Zach Strief (right knee) and tight end David Thomas (concussion). In addition, sometime starter linebacker Will Herring (hamstring) did not practice.

Thomas, who said this is not his first concussion playing football, was reportedly somewhat lost after getting spun around on a fourth-quarter hit in the Texans game. He acknowledged it was deeply unsettling to “lose control,” but he said Wednesday he feels considerably better. Given the increased priority the NFL has put on head injuries, Thomas must be cleared by team doctors and an independent medical adviser before he can play.

Vilma’s status is unclear in the sense that he is at practice, stretching and participating in unit drills but is not involved in full team drills. His knee is not in a brace or heavily wrapped, but he was not active for the Texans game last week after a similar pattern at practice.

The Saints are particularly vulnerable at linebacker, where Martez Wilson, the team’s third-round draft pick in 2011, was also out Wednesday with a shoulder injury he suffered against Houston. Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (right foot) joined Colston on the limited list and has been battling a variety of ailments, as Payton noted last week. The Saints signed linebacker Ramon Humber, who was with the team earlier, Payton announced.

Payton listed the following players, too, but said they participated fully: cornerback Tracy Porter (calf), safety Roman Harper (shoulder), defensive tackle Tom Johnson (calf); wide receiver Adrian Arrington (left knee), defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin (right thigh) and safety Jonathan Amaya (left shoulder).

ON FAKING ISSUE: The subject of fake injuries has cropped up this season, beginning with the New York Giants’ ham-handed attempt to slow the Washington Redskins by having two defenders fall to the ground simultaneously with phantom ailments. More recently, the crowd and coaches at West Virginia made it clear they felt LSU was faking injuries to crimp the Mountaineers’ no-huddle offense.

The NFL commissioner’s office has warned teams against the practice since this season began. In the midst of the controversy last week, Dolphins running back Reggie Bush said that, in his days as a Saint, the team had a play on which players were supposed to feign injury.

Generally speaking, the fake injury crops up when a team is dealing with a fast-paced offense that does not give the defense time to catch its breath or substitute.

Payton denied Wednesday that such a ruse was in the Saints playbook.

“No, someone mentioned something to me last week, and we don’t fake injuries,” he said. “And I don’t think you can find a situation where a team has been in a hurry-up and all of a sudden guys have just fallen down. I mean, if you went back it would be pretty easy to do. That’s probably more frustration on a player’s part there.”

Transactions: Payton cleared up some of the transactions the club made since the Houston game. In reaction to Strief’s injury, the team signed tackle/guard Pat McQuistan. The club released defensive tackle Mitch King and put kicker Garrett Hartley on injured reserve. King was then signed to the practice squad, and defensive tackle Swanson Miller was released.

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.

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Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 4:01 PM

Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan gives his take on the state of the Saints as they begin preparation for therg game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

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New Orleans Saints receiver Lance Moore missed the team portion of practice again Tuesday as he continues to recover from a groin injury. Obviously that hurts Moore’s chances of playing Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, though Coach Sean Payton did not expand on Moore’s status.

The Saints will release one final injury report following their Wednesday walk-through, though chances are Moore will be listed as “questionable.”

Kicker Garrett Hartley also missed practice Tuesday, and he is not expected to play Thursday. Defensive tackle Tom Johnson (calf) and receiver Adrian Arrington (knee) were limited in practice Tuesday.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

The New Orleans Saints will resume practice today at their Metairie practice facility after spending much of last week working out in Oxnard, Calif.

The team is expected to make their first round of player cuts as they begin to select the 53-man roster. They must be down to 80 players today. The Saints will practice today and Wednesday and then play the Tennessee Titans at 7 p.m. Thursday in the final preseason game. The team’s starters aren’t expected to play much if at all.

NO HARTLEY UPDATE: The team did not update the condition of kicker Garrett Hartley, who suffered a right hip injury in the third quarter Sunday night.

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If the New Orleans Saints were playing a game that counted Saturday night at Houston, Coach Sean Payton no doubt would have had real concern in his voice Wednesday night.

As it was, he was left scratching his head at an injury list he first said was uncomfortably long but later insisted was about the norm for this point in training camp. Of the 90 players allowed on NFL camp rosters, the Saints had 16 miss practice Wednesday.

“It’s a bigger list than I’d like right now,” Payton said. “It seems like in the last two or three days, it’s gotten bigger.”

Several starters were among those who missed practice, including guard Jahri Evans, a Pro Bowl starter last season. Evans’ absence was a surprise, but Payton said the team backed off the six-year veteran who some rate the finest guard in the NFL because of some minor knee swelling. Evans is expected back on the field today, Payton said.

The depleted starting secondary didn’t cause concerns. Safety Malcolm Jenkins, who bruised a knee Monday, was slated to return today and is expected to play in the team’s second preseason game against the Houston Texans. On the other hand, cornerback Tracy Porter, who had just returned to practice Sunday after being held out of camp following offseason knee surgery, is less likely to play, although that’s not connected to his absence Wednesday.

“Tracy Porter, we sat today; that was part of the plan,” Payton said. “We’ll be smart. I don’t know if I’m going to play him in this week’s game, but he’s on schedule with no setbacks.”

The rest of the injured were a mix of contributors and newcomers, and their status for Saturday night’s preseason game was equally mixed. For example, running back Chris Ivory (foot and sports hernia) and rookie defensive end Greg Romeus (knee) remain on the failed physical list as they have all camp and will not be active.

Similarly, offensive tackle Alex Barron (knee), who hasn’t been on the field since the very beginning of camp, won’t play, nor will rookie cornerback Johnny Patrick (knee), who was hurt in the exhibition victory over San Francisco on Friday night at the Superdome but is expected back before the preseason ends. Also out will be running back Joique Bell (knee), linebackers Ezra Butler (hamstring, sports hernia), Clint Ingram (hamstring), Ramon Humber (quad) and defensive tackle Tom Johnson (calf).

Backup tight end Tory Humphrey also was on Wednesday’s missing list. His knee is swollen, and while Payton said it isn’t a serious issue, Humphrey is questionable to play against Houston.

Payton offered more hopeful riffs on other players on his long list, such as cornerback Leigh Torrence, defensive end Jeff Charleston (ankle) and wide receiver/kick returner Courtney Roby.

“Jeff Charleston, we’ll see how his ankle’s doing,” Payton said. “Leigh Torrence with his right hip is close. Malcolm Jenkins the same way. Courtney Roby with his left elbow should be fine.”

The Saints’ injury list has given many younger players a chance at playing time they might have never received, but the cost can be frustrating in terms of preparation for the regular season.

“You’re at that point in camp where you’re hoping to get these things treated and get these guys back on the field,” Payton said. “For a number of guys, it’s critical they get back out here, but at the same time, you have to be smart.”

Payton was asked if he thought the lockout had anything to do with the length of the Saints’ injury report, and he said no.

“I think this would be pretty standard right about now,” he said. “I always get on (team trainer) Scottie (Patton) when (the report) goes to two pages at our evening meetings. Recently, we’re at two pages, and I like it better when it’s just a page.”

‘YOU GOTTA TRUST’: When the Saints released tackle Jon Stinchcomb this week, quarterback Drew Brees noted that the offensive line required a tighter mesh than perhaps any other unit in football.

Unlike the defensive line, for example, blockers rarely shuttle in-and-out, so they are on the field for more snaps.

And, of course, they have to keep a quarterback upright and healthy.

So it couldn’t have been Brees’ favorite sight Wednesday afternoon: a starting offensive line that had three players on it who weren’t the same as last year. Center Olin Kreutz (rather than Jonathan Goodwin), guard Matt Tennant (rather than Jahri Evans) and tackle Zach Strief (rather than Stinchcomb).

To be sure, that’s not a bunch of guys over their heads — Kreutz and Strief have close to two decades of NFL experience between them. But it does mean the meshing is still, as the coaches would have it, “a process.”

Tackle Jermon Bushrod said it has gone about as well as could be expected.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Offensive line is all about playing together. Obviously, you’re up there as an individual, but at the end of the day, it’s all about playing kind of like one heartbeat. Just knowing where guys are going to be in certain protections. You gotta trust the guy beside you.

“We’re getting there; I think that we’re getting there. The more we come out here and practice and take more snaps together, the better off we’ll be. When you’ve got new guys in your rotation, especially at center, they’ve got to kind of get you a place-type deal. But Olin’s coming along great. It’s unfortunate we had to lose Goody, it’s unfortunate we had to lose Stinch, but it’s just another test for us, and we’re ready for it.”

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.

That’s all for today.

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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 number one overall pick, defensive end Cameron Jordan, hit the practice field for the first time Wednesday and said he was pleased with the results.

New Orleans plays more of an attack defense as opposed to the read-and-react scheme he used at Cal, but Jordan said he likes the new format. The biggest task now is getting acclimated to the various formations.

There was some speculation Jordan was better suited to a 3-4 than a 4-3 defense, but Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and the team’s scouts dismissed that as idle chatter. In fact, Jordan’s brains and skill set make him an ideal fit for Williams defense, which prizes athletes who can play at more than one position.

Jordan said Wednesday that he expects to see action at both defensive end and tackle, and Williams said it should not come as a surprise if there are also formats in which Jordan doesn’t take a down stance.

“It’s definitely going to be a good fit for me in the next couple of days or so,” Jordan said.

With Jordan’s arrival at camp, the Saints now have all six of their 2011 draft picks under contract. All of them are playing, too, with the exception of defensive end Greg Romeus, one of the team’s two 7th round picks, who is still recovering from major knee surgery.

“It was kind of a quiet, antsy anticipation,” Jordan said of the contract negotiations that concluced Tuesday. “I was in my apartment, just jogging around because there is no couch. My couch comes in three weeks.”

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.