LSU starting Quarterback Max Johnson says the Tigers offense needs to address some communication issues after the defensive line reportedly had its way in the team’s first scrimmage of preseason camp…
Cut 16 (15) “…work on that”
LSU is 18 days away from its season opener against UCLA.

After a day off yesterday, the Saints return to the practice field today as they get ready for preseason game number two versus Jacksonville on Monday. It was a good preseason opener for running back Tony Jones Junior who had 120 yards from scrimmage in the loss to the Ravens…
cut 28 (17) “…next week”
Jones played in one game last season after finishing his college career at Notre Dame in 2019.

The Ragin Cajuns are ranked 23rd in the AP preseason poll. It’s the first time U-L Lafayette enters a season ranked in the Associated Press’s top 25. Coach Billy Napier says his team will have 12 opportunities this season to prove they should remain ranked…
Cut 19 (14) “…its potential”
The Cajuns will open the season by visiting 21st ranked Texas.

The Pelicans are reportedly close to bringing back back-up shooting guard Josh Hart. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi says Hart is on the verge of signing a three-year, 38-million dollar contract with New Orleans. The 26-year-old averaged nine points and eight rebounds a game last season and is also known for his defense.

The Pels play their final Summer League game tonight when they take on the Timberwolves at 6:30 in Las Vegas.

Two Louisiana teams are in the preseason A-P Top 25 poll. LSU is ranked 16th, while the Ragin Cajuns are ranked 23rd. U-L Lafayette faces Texas in the season opener on September fourth. The Longhorns are ranked 21st.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says the Tigers defensive line played well in the team’s first scrimmage of preseason camp on Saturday. Strong play from the defensive line means the o-line didn’t have as good of a day. Orgeron has confidence new offensive line coach Brad Davis will have the group ready for the season opener…
Cut 17 (28) “…in camp”

After one Saints preseason game, Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston are still locked in a tight battle for starting quarterback. Both Q-Bs threw an interception in Saturday’s loss to the Ravens. Hill’s I-N-T came when Ty Montgomery stopped his route…
cut 19 (28) “…those things
Michael Thomas was at the game, a sign the relationship between the star wide receiver and the franchise is improving. Thomas was catching passes before the game from Winston, but Thomas had a walking boot on his surgically repaired left ankle. Coach Sean Payton says Thomas is ahead of schedule in his rehab.

Two Louisiana teams are in the preseason A-P Top 25 poll. LSU is ranked 16th, while the Ragin Cajuns are ranked 23rd. U-L Lafayette’s season-opening opponent, Texas is ranked 21st. Alabama is ranked number one, followed by Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas A-and-M.

LSU’s defensive line had a good showing when the Tigers held their first scrimmage of preseason camp on Saturday. Coach Ed Orgeron says the play of ends Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye highlighted the day…
Cut 16 (16) “…pass rush”
Orgeron says starting cornerbacks Derek Stingley Junior and Eli Ricks did not compete in the scrimmage, because of what Coach O calls camp injuries. Stingley may not participate in practice at all this week.

Saints Coach Sean Payton says All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas is ahead of schedule as he rehabs from offseason ankle surgery. Thomas was at Saturday’s preseason game, a sign the relationship between him and the franchise is improving. Thomas was catching passes before the game from Jameis Winston, but Thomas had a walking boot on his surgically repaired left ankle. Winston says it was still great to see Thomas at the game…
Cut 20 (13) “…my night”
The Saints have until 3 PM tomorrow to reduce their roster from 90 to 85 players. There are reports running back Stevie Scott, defensive end Noah Spence and cornerback Prince Amukamara have been told of their release.

The Pelicans beat the Warriors 80 to 79 in overtime to go 4-and-0 in summer league action. First-round pick Trey Murphy had 22 points.

The Saints are off today following a light practice yesterday that came on the heels of Saturday’s preseason opener in which New Orleans turned it over six times in a 17-14 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens. Coach Sean Payton is not happy with the six turnovers…
Cut 18 (16)”..you know.”
Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston both put up similar numbers. Winston looked good running the two-minute offense late in the second quarter. It was highlighted by a 33-yard pass play to Juwan Johnson, who had two catches for 71 yards. Defensive end Marcus Davenport was active and rookie Zack Baun had five tackles in 31 snaps. Former Notre Dame standout Tony Jones Junior rushed had 82 yards rushing on seven carries. Jones had an 18-yard touchdown run.

LSU begins its second full week of preseason camp today and All-American cornerback Derek Singley could miss this week with what Coach Ed Orgeron calls a minor camp injury. Several players have missed time with minor injuries, including cornerback Elias Ricks and running back Tyrion Davis-Price. Coach Ed Orgeron admits all of the injuries are a bit concerning…
cut 29 (29) “…of injuries”
The preseason A-P Top 25 football poll comes out later today.

The Pelicans beat the Warriors 80 to 79 in overtime to go 4-and-0 in summer league action. First-round pick Troy Murphy had 22 points.

Full capacity will be allowed at Saints games this season, but fans will have to show their vaccination card or verified digital proof of vaccination. If you are not vaccinated, then you’ll have to have a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within the prior 72 hours to attend games. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says showing proof is a better option versus capacity restrictions….
cut 11 (07) “….mandatory”

The Saints preseason opener is tomorrow night in Baltimore against the Ravens. Coach Sean Payton says the plan is to play both Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill and they’ll both play the following week, but they’ll switch on who will start. Payton is not expected to make a decision on a starting quarterback until after the second preseason game.

The Saints have also signed defensive lineman R-J McIntosh off of waivers from the Giants and played wide receiver Jalen McCleskey on injured reserve.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says senior defensive lineman Glen Logan has a broken foot and will miss an unspecified amount of time. Orgeron says it will take awhile to heal and he’ll return sometime during the season. Meanwhile, Coach O says running back Tyrion Davis Price and right guard Chasen Hines will return to practice on Monday. Orgeron also said there’s only one player on the team who has not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says they will not encourage or discourage student-athletes to get vaccinated. But if a team is unable to play a game, because of too many COVID cases that contest will go down as a forfeit.

The Pelicans have announced their 2021 preseason schedule. New Orleans will open exhibition play on October 4th at Minnesota. They will play one preaseason game in New Orleans, on October 6th against Orlando. And the Pels have a summer league game today at 5 PM against Cleveland. New Orleans is so far 2-0 in Summer League action.

With star wide receiver Michael Thomas not practicing as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, second-year pro Marquez Callaway has emerged as one of the Saints top performers during this training camp. Quarterback Taysom Hill says Callaway takes advantage of his opportunities
Cut 18 (16)”..left off.”
Callway caught 21 passes in 11 games last season.

Ty Montgomery has been looking to make the team as a wide receiver, but he had to be carted off the field yesterday after suffering an undisclosed injury.

Jameis Winston connected with Deonte Harris on a long touchdown pass play during team drills. While Taysom Hill was just one of six in team drills. New Orleans is at Baltimore for a preseason game on Saturday.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Bill Napier says newly inducted Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning spoke to his team recently. Napier says it was good for the veterans to hear Manning discuss what it takes to win a championship….
cut 19 (17) “…played on”
U-L Lafayette is ranked 23rd in the coaches poll, first time they’ve been ranked in a preason poll.

It’s been a long week for first year ULM coach Terry Bowden. His father Bobby Bowden died on Sunday and Terry returned to Monroe for practice on Monday. Terry will go back to Florida on Friday as the former Florida State coach will lie in honor at the Florida State Capitol Rotunda and then lie in repose at F-S-U’s Athletic Center. A public funeral service for Bobby Bowden will be Saturday on the campus of Samford, his alma mater.

Despite the massive uptick in COVID cases this month plans are still on for 100 percent capacity at Tiger Stadium a month from now for the home opener. There’s currently an indoor mask mandate in place in Louisiana. Director of Strategic Media for LSU athletics Cody Worsham says if there are other COVID mitigation measures put in place by the governor, the school will follow them
Cut 7 (11) “…they leave”
Worsham says 98-percent of the football players have been vaccinated.

At Saints camp, wide receiver Ty Montgomery was carted off the practice field with an undisclosed injury. Montgomery was heading into his second season in New Orleans and his eighth year in the NFL. He’s primarily been a running back, but this season he was looking to make the team as a receiver.

The LHSAA has sent a memo to schools telling them that if they are not able to play because of too many COVID cases, they will have to forfeit that contest. The high school football season kicks off the first weekend in September and the state features two of the best quarterbacks in the nation, St Thomas More’s Walker Howard and Newman’s Arch Manning. Howard and the Cougars cruised to a state title last year and he appeared on Tiger Rag Radio to talk about the challenges of winning again…
cut 18 (16) “…to go”
Howard is committed to LSU, while Manning is uncommitted heading into his junior season. Arch says he’s enjoyed the recruiting process…
cut 20 (14) “…the season”

Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson has retired, ending an eleven-year NFL career. Robinson had a chance to start at corner for the Black and Gold, but Coach Sean Payton says Robinson felt deep down inside that this was something he should do. New Orleans is searching for a starting corner opposite Marshawn Lattimore and Payton says it’s still a priority….
cut 27 (07) “…here”
Ken Crawley has worked with the first team and veterans Prince Amukamara, Brian Poole, and rookie Paulson Adebo are also competing for playing time.

According to the Advocate, 19 LSU players were missing during the portion of the practice viewed by the media. Standout cornerbacks Derek Stingley Junior and Eli Ricks were among those not present. Coach Ed Orgeron says running back Tyrion Davis-Price is dealing with a regular camp injury.

LSU is ranked 13th and U-L Lafayette is ranked 23rd in the preseason coaches poll which was released yesterday. Alabama is ranked number one ahead of Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia.

The LHSAA released a 12-page memo to schools yesterday discussing COVID. Despite the rising number of cases and COVID hospitalizations, even among younger people, the association is confident schools can work with local health officials so the fall season can happen. Also, the memo says if a game is canceled because of COVID, it will go down as a forfeit for the team who does not have enough healthy players.

St. Thomas More Quarterback and LSU commit Walker Howard goes into the season as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. Howard says his focus is on bringing S-T-M a third straight state title…
cut 17 (10) “…championship”

Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson has decided to retire, ending an eleven-year NFL career. New Orleans used a first-round pick on Robinson in 2010 and he played his first five seasons in the NFL with the Saints. He also spent time with the Chargers, Colts and Eagles and returned to New Orleans for the 2018 season. He played in 12 games last year for the Black and Gold and had a chance to start this year but told Coach Sean Payton this morning he’s had enough. Payton admits he was surprised…
cut 15 (15) “…he felt”
Robinson’s retirement opens the door for veterans Ken Crawley and Prince Amukamara to fill the starting cornerback role opposite of Marshon Lattimore. The Saints have also signed kicker Brett Maher, who will fill in for the injured Will Lutz, who is expected to miss at least two months. Maher kicked for the Cowboys in 2018 and 19, making 74-percent of his field goals.

A storyline at LSU’s preseason camp is the number of young wide receivers on the Tigers roster. Chris Hilton Junior, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas, and Deion Smith. Kayshon Boutte broke out towards the end of his freshman season last year and he’s impressed with this freshmen class of wideouts…
cut 19 (18) “….do it all”
The preseason coaches poll was released today and LSU comes in at number 13. The Ragin Cajuns are ranked 23rd, just ahead of Coastal Carolina who comes in at number 24. U-L Lafayette finished 2020 ranked 16th in the country. Alabama is ranked number one in this preseason poll followed by Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia.

LSU’s defense was historically bad last year as the Tigers allowed 492 yards a game, the fourth-worst in F-B-S football and 35 points a game, which was the second-worst in major college football. During the offseason, LSU hired defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, linebackers coach Blake Baker, and defensive line coach Andre Carter. Senior linebacker Jared Small says the new coaches have connected well with the players

Cut 17 (21) “throughout the building”

Also, receiver Kayshon Boutte  has a message for fans as new COVID cases and hospitalizations are on the rise and the Tigers home opener is about a month away…

Cut 20 (06) “for everybody”

The New Orleans Pelicans’ 17^th pick in the recent NBA draft Trey Murphy scored 26 points in his summer league debut while draining six three pointers in the Pels 94-77 win over the Chicago Bulls.  Murphy also showed off his athleticism with a number of dunks, including an alley-oop late in the game.

Also, rookie Herb Jones did a little bit of everything for New Orleans last night as he finished with six points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.  The Pelicans recently selected Jones with the 35^th overall pick.

In college football news, Stats Perform FCS preseason Top 25 poll has two Louisiana schools in the rankings with Southeastern Louisiana coming in at 15 and Nicholls State sitting at 22^nd.  Southeastern will be lead offensively by quarterback Cole Kelley, who won the Walter Payton player of the year award last season, which is presented to the best player on the FCS level.

Nicholls will once again be led by Zachary native and former LSU signee Lindsay Scott, who accounted for 24 touchdowns last season.