Saints running back Alvin Kamara returned to practice yesterday as contract talks between his agent and the team continue. Coach Sean Payton says he expects Kamara will be with the team for the season opener, despite reports New Orleans are willing to trade Kamara for a first-round pick.

The Saints will have a full go scrimmage today as they are eleven days away from the season opener against Tampa Bay. Coach Sean Payton says with no preseason games, they need to work on getting players on and off the field…
cut 16 (20) “…eliminated”
And the Saints will have to prepare for Leonard Fournette. The former LSU star is signing with Tampa Bay after he was released by Jacksonville.

ULM’s Mike Collins admits the timing is not great, but he’s decided to step down as the Warhawks defensive coordinator. ULM is set to play its first game on September 12th against Army. But Collins says it’s been an emotional and physically-draining year for him and he just can’t provide his players with what they need. Collins is a former head coach at ULM and he’s served as an assistant on head coach Matt Viator’s staff since 2016.

Viator quickly found Collins’ replacement as he promoted linebackers coach and former Northwestern State head coach Scott Stoker to defensive coordinator.

The Daily Advertiser’s Tim Buckley reports that U-L Lafayette wide receiver Brian Smith broke his hip and he’s the fourth Cajuns receiver to suffer a major injury this offseason.

The House Education Committee will meet at the State Capitol tomorrow to discuss the prospects of playing high school football and other prep sports this fall. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine will be there as well.

A Monroe Senator calls on high school football families to hold their local superintendent’s feet to the fire and support firm start dates for contact practices and the season. Matt Doyle has more…
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara returned to practice today after missing several workouts because he’s reportedly seeking a new contract. Owner Gayle Benson was also at practice today. It was reported last week that she tested positive for the coronavirus.

Is LSU defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin taking a gamble by opting out and not playing this season? Shelvin could be a first-round pick next year if he has a solid season in 2020. But since the Lafayette native is not playing, NFL scouts will have a lot of questions about him. Coach Ed Orgeron says Shelvin could have been a dominant player for the Tigers this season…
cut 18 (25) “….us proud”
And Orgeron admits there are one or two more players who may also opt-out. LSU has lost 33 players from last year’s national championship team and only has about 70 scholarship players.

The Saints say they’ve received state approval to have fans at their second home game of the season, a Sunday night match-up against Green Bay on September 27th. Governor Edwards says he feels comfortable with the team’s plans on fans entering the stadium and remaining socially distant during the games…
cut 19 (17) “…do that”
City officials have yet to approve the Saints plan. Mayor LaToya Cantrell says her administration would make a decision at the proper time.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara will reportedly show up at practice today after missing several days as he’s seeking a new contract. There were some reports that the team is interested in trading Kamara for a first-round pick, but the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports cooler heads have prevailed.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says he respects the decision made by receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin to opt-out of the 2020 season. During a zoom press conference, Coach O said he doesn’t want anyone to opt-out, but everyone’s situation is different. Orgeron told the rest of the team, next man, up
Cut 16 (19) “…deal with it.”
Orgeron says there could be one or two more players who will opt-out.

Game times have been announced for the first few games of the season. LSU will kick-off the season at 2:30 on September 26th inside Tiger Stadium against Mississippi State. The season begins on September 12th for La Tech and U-L Lafayette and both teams have 11 AM kick-offs as Tech is at Baylor, while the Cajuns visit Iowa State.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says he respects the decision made by receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin to opt of the 2020 season. During a zoom press conference, Coach O said he doesn’t want anyone to opt-out, but everyone’s situation is different. Orgeron told the rest of the team next man up.

And Coach O provided an update on the offensive line. It was reported last week that all but four were quarantined because of COVID-19. Orgeron says the whole o-line was back at practice yesterday…
cut 20 (26) “….because of that”

The Saints have told season ticket holders they’ve received state approval to have fans at their second home game of the season, a Sunday night match-up against Green Bay on September 27th. The team says they are still not sure how many fans will be allowed inside the dome that night.

ULM has resumed football activities after shutting preseason camp down for a week and a half because nine individuals within the program tested positive for the coronavirus. Coach Matt Viator says it felt good to be back with his team again
Cut 16 (18) “…really good.”

It was announced today that LSU’s season opener against Mississippi State will kick off at 2:30 on September 26th. The Ragin Cajuns and La Tech start their seasons on September 12th. Both teams face an 11 AM kick-off, U=L Lafayette is at Iowa State, while the Bulldogs are at Baylor.

LSU’s season opener against Mississippi State on September 26th will kick off at 2:30 and CBS will televise it. The Tigers will appear on CBS three times during the ten-game Conference-only schedule. The other two, LSU’s trip to Auburn on October 31st. That will be a 2:30 Kick-off too and CBS will televise the Alabama game on November 14th. A 5 PM kick-off for that game.

Another starter from last year’s national championship team will not participate in the 2020 season. Defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, a potential first-round pick, has decided to opt-out. That leaves LSU with just five starters back from 2019.

Louisiana Tech also has a kick-off time for its season opener against Baylor on September 12th. It will be at 11 AM on Fox and the Bulldogs game against Southern Miss next week will kick off at 6:30 on ESPN two. The Cajuns season opener versus Iowa State on September 12th will also kick off at 11 AM.

ULM has resumed football activities after taking an eleven-day break because of multiple coronavirus cases among the program. Not only has the team battled a COVID outbreak, Hurricane Laura also caused a lot of damage in the Monroe area, including to Malone Stadium. But Coach Matt Viator says the players are keeping a positive attitude…
cut 18 (20) “….to work”

Meanwhile, Cajuns Coach Billy Napier doesn’t feel good after his team’s march for racial justice and equality stopped at the Lafayette Police Department. Napier is frustrated over the number of police shootings but also recognizes…
cut 20 (12) “…our community”

LSU star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is reportedly opting out of the 2020 college football season so that he’ll be fully healthy for the 2021 draft, where he’s expected to be a top-five pick. Chase’s departure means Terrace Marshall Junior and Racey McMath will be LSU’s top two receivers. Football analyst Mike Detillier says there are young wideouts who will also be asked to step up
Cut 15 (13) “…Jontre Kirklin.”

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette has been released by the Jaguars. Fournette had some good and bad times at Jacksonville and ended up rushing for 2,631 yards and 17 touchdowns in 3 seasons. But management has also expressed concerns about his attitude and behavior.

Believe it or not, we are 13 days away from the Saints season opener in Tampa Bay. Coach Sean Payton says with the start of the regular season right around the country, it’s more important than ever to avoid any COVID-19 cases…
cut 17 (14) “…understand that”
The Saints have placed running back Dwayne Washington on the reserve COVID-19 list. Washington participated in practice on Saturday, but just because a player is put on this list, doesn’t mean a player has tested for the positive the virus. It could be that the player believes they were exposed or it could be the result of a false-positive test result.

ULM will resume football activities today. The team has had limited workout time over the last ten days because they had nine positive COVID cases within the program. ULM’s season opener is September 12th at Army.

It appears wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s brief but spectacular career at LSU is over. Kevin Barnhart has the story…
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Auburn returns to practice today without 16 players. Nine of them tested positive for the coronavirus and contact tracing has put seven others in a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

ULM resumes football activities today after holding limited workouts over the last ten days after nine positive coronavirus tests.

The Saints practiced in the Superdome on Saturday night and during the seven on seven-period, Quarterback Drew Brees connected with wide receiver Michael Thomas on a couple of long passes. Coach Sean Payton says it appears Brees’ arm strength is stronger this year…
cut 18 (16) “….of his”
The Saints have signed defensive ends T-J Carter and Anthony Lanier the Second along with linebacker Wynton McManis. McManis played the last three seasons in the Canadian Football League. Lanier was with the Chargers last season, while Carter is an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky.

Today is the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, and former LSU Tiger Austin Nola has been traded from Seattle to the San Diego Padres, who have the third-best record in the National League.

Members of the LSU football team marched through campus today as the players say its time to stand up for racial justice. This week we’ve seen several sports teams hold demonstrations in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man shot in the back seven times in Wisconsin by police officers in Kenosha.

Today, LSU football players gathered outside of Tiger Stadium and marched to the university president’s office where they spoke with interim president Thomas Galligan. In a post on Twitter, Galligan thanked LSU student-athletes for speaking up and the university stands with them against racism and inequality. U-L Lafayette also held a march to protest social injustice.

Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson has tested positive for the Coronavirus. Saints spokesperson Greg Bensel says Benson has developed some symptoms but is doing fine and recovering at home.

There are reports the Big 10 may start its football season around Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, LSU is four weeks away from its season opener against Mississippi State. The SEC announced today that if there is a season, only essential personnel will be allowed on the sidelines, so that means no on-field band performances.

The Conference USA announced game times for their football games this season. The Bulldogs league opener against Southern Miss on September 19th will kick off at 6:30 on ESPN-plus. The home opener the next week against Houston Baptist will kick off at 6 PM, so will the next home game on October 10th versus UTEP. A game time for the September 12th season opener against Baylor hasn’t been announced. That will come from the Big 12.

The NBA playoffs will resume tomorrow as there will be three games, starting with the Bucks versus the Magic at 2:30. It was Milwaukee who started the sport team boycotts when they decided not to play on Wednesday.

Nine NFL teams canceled their practices yesterday as players used that time to discuss the large societal issues that face our country. This type of movement from professional athletes started in the NBA, who had a second straight night of no games in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake Junior, a black man shot seven times in the back in Wisconsin.

The Saints practiced yesterday but had a sticker with Jacob Blake’s name on the front of their helmets. Coach Sean Payton says they didn’t talk about canceling practice, but they wanted to do something…
cut 30 (24) “….for it”
The NBA playoffs are expected to resume soon.

ULM’s season opener against Troy on September fifth has been postponed to December fifth. Last Thursday, the Warhawks suspended football-related activities after COVID-19 testing confirmed nine COVID-19 positive cases. Football activities were canceled yesterday because of Hurricane Laura. Athletics Director Scott McDonald says they came to the realization that their student-athletes would not have sufficient time to prepare for a game on September fifth. The Warhawks new season opener is September 12th versus Army.

Hurricane Laura did damage to athletic facilities at McNeese State. The school’s new basketball sustained damage, a new video board at Cowboy Stadium was also damaged, along with the press box at the football stadium.

The SEC announced that women’s soccer and volleyball will have a shortened fall season where they will play games and matches against other conference opponents. Those sports will also compete in the spring as well as the NCAA has decided to move fall championships to the spring.

The Saints practiced indoors today as Hurricane Laura passed by the team’s training facility to the west. The Saints had stickers with Jacob Blake’s name on it and placed the stickers on their helmets. Coach Sean Payton says the team wanted to do something after several NBA teams decided not to play their playoff games last night in response to the police shooting in Wisconsin that has left Blake paralyzed…
cut 30 (24) “…for it”

It looks like the NBA playoffs will continue this weekend. NBA players gathered inside the bubble last night and discussed ending the season, but ESPN reports the players are looking at resuming the playoffs.

ULM’s season opener against Troy on September fifth has been rescheduled for December fifth. It was last Friday when the Warhawks paused football-related activities after a round of COVID-19 tests produced new positives. The team was set to initiate return-to-play protocols yesterday, but the campus has been closed because of Hurricane Katrina. ULM Athletics Director Scott McDonald says they came to the realization that their student-athletes would not have sufficient time to prepare for a game on September fifth.

Despite a report that LSU has only four offensive linemen available, because the rest either tested positive for COVID-19 or quarantine, the Tigers held a practice at their indoor facility. The school has not confirmed or denied that report.

Governor Edwards has extended Phase 2 coronavirus restrictions for two more weeks until September 11th. So what does this mean for high school football who plans to begin its season October 8th? Many coaches agree the season could still start on that date if the state can move into Phase 3 after this two-week extension concludes.