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.

Saints kicker Will Lutz will reportedly miss the next eight weeks because he needs surgery to fix a core muscle injury. Coach Sean Payton says it’s an injury that got worse last week, so they decided surgery was the proper way to go…
cut 30 (10) “….little different”
After trying out some kickers, the Saints have reportedly signed former Cowboys kicker Brett Maher. In 2019, he was just eight of 13 on attempts from 40 yards and beyond.

After a report that said Saints receiver Michael Thomas ignored calls from the Saints during the offseason to see how his injured ankle was doing, Thomas posted this message on his Twitter account. “They tried to damage your reputation, you saved theirs by not telling your side of the story.” Payton had no comment when asked about the social media post.

For LSU to have a big season, the Tigers defense must be much better than it was last year when it allowed 35 points a game. Senior linebacker Damone Clark says the new coaches on the defensive staff, including defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and linebackers coach Blake Baker, are good at instilling confidence in you…
cut 18 (17) “….different”
And LSU wide receiver Kayson Boutte has a message for fans as new COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in Louisiana and the Tigers home opener is a month away…
cut 20 (06) “…for everybody”

Saints kicker Will Lutz needs surgery and will likely miss the start of the regular season. ESPN reports there’s optimism he will not miss too many games. Coach Sean Payton usually doesn’t talk about injuries, but gave some insight on what’s ailing Lutz…
cut 29 (09) “…right away”
Multiple reports say Lutz could miss the next two to three months.

LSU Quarterback Max Johnson says he’s not changing his mindset just because he’s been named the starter due to an arm injury to Myles Brennan. Coach Ed Orgeron is disappointed Brennan is unable to compete and Johnson says he was looking forward to the competition too…
Cut 16 (14) “…throughout the season.”

COVID is still an issue as college football teams begin preseason camp. Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz says after dealing with several COVID outbreaks last season, he’s hoping for a more normal season this year
Cut 19 (19) “…Mississippi State”

LSU’s live mascot Mike the Tiger has been vaccinated and the barricades surrounding his habitat on campus will come down week. LSU Vet school spokesperson Ginger Guttner says the barricades helped Mike practice social distancing.
Cut 11 (11) “…his visitors”
Guttner says an animal health company called Zoetis donated the vaccine.

Saints receiver Michael Thomas put out a not so subtle tweet saying “They tried to damage your reputation. You saved theirs by not telling your side of the story.”  Which could center around him delaying his surgery which will now force him to miss the start of the season.

Ian Rappoport is reporting that Saints kicker Will Lutz is being evaluated for a potential core muscle surgery that could keep his out for an extended period of time.

With Fall camp underway, Tiger fans are eager to find out who will crack the team’s starting lineup.  LSU’s defensive line should be a strength, because several starters are back and there’s a lot of depth. After recording 5.5 sacks last season, defensive end Andre Anthony is entering his fourth season and says the D-Line has grown as a group…

Cut 18 (20) “your brother

La Tech has a big battle for starting quarterback. Austin Kendall has transferred in from West Virginia, sophomore Aaron Allen made two starts at quarterback last season. JD Head saw a lot of playing time against Georgia Southern and Luke Anthony continues to recover from a bad leg injury. Holtz says it’s too early to draw any strong conclusions…

Cut 20 (23) “as well”

College football is mourning the death of longtime Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, who passed away after a bout with pancreatic cancer at the age of 91.

Former LSU guard Alan Faneca and New Orleans native Peyton Manning were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame yesterday. Former Southern receiver Harold Carmichael who played 13 seasons in the N-F-L, mostly with the Eagles was inducted on Saturday with his 2020 classmates.

Preseason camp is underway for college football teams and yesterday the LSU football team was in pads for the first time. Coach Ed Orgeron says he wants LSU’s offense to be similar to the record-breaking one they had in 2019. Starting Quarterback Max Johnson says offensive coordinator Jake Peetz will call some plays to match his athleticism…
cut 17 (17) “…bit different”

College football is mourning the death of longtime Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, who passed away after a bout with pancreatic cancer at the age of 91. ULM coach Terry Bowden says he could not have asked for a better personal mentor than his father. Bobby Bowden won 377 games.

COVID is still an issue as college football teams open preseason camp. Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz says after dealing with several COVID outbreaks last season, he’s hoping for a more normal season this year
Cut 19 (19) “…Mississippi State”

Former LSU guard Alan Faneca and New Orleans native Peyton Manning were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame yesterday. Former Southern receiver Harold Carmichael who played 13 seasons in the N-F-L, mostly with the Eagles was inducted on Saturday with his 2020 classmates.

A group of All-stars from Lafayette is heading to the Little League World Series as the Lafayette team defeated a squad from Colorado 11 to 0 in Waco, Texas. The Little League World Series will begin in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 19th.