The New Orleans Saints are one of seven NFL teams set to hold their three-day mandatory minicamps this week. This minicamp, marking the third phase of the team's offseason program, will give coaches a chance to see how the roster has progressed since the first slate of organized team activities were held two weeks ago.
Drew Brees and co. are all set for their mandatory June minicamp to be held this week.
These mandatory minicamps will focus more on execution,game situations and player meetings, in contrast to OTAs, which are geared more towards coaches teaching technique and beginning the developmental process of their rookies. Other than that, the only other main difference between OTAs and minicamps is that the minicamps are mandatory in nature, requiring the attendance of all veterans under contract.
The Saints will conduct two workouts a day over the three-day period, with a two-and-a-half hour session in the morning followed by an hour-long session in the afternoon. All three morning sessions will be open to the public. Below is the schedule for the minicamp:
New Orleans Saints June Minicamp Schedule
Tuesday June 10- 10:15am-12:45 pm; 3:30-4:30 pm
Wednesday June 11- 10:15 am-12:45 pm; 3:30-4:30 pm
Thursday June 12- 10:15 am-12:45 pm; 3:30-4:30 pm
The St. Louis Rams will not conduct a June minicamp. All remaining 24 teams will hold their minicamps from June 17-19.
Minicamp Limitations
Per article 22 of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, the following rules apply to this week's minicamp:
-Players may be on the field for a total of no more than 3.5 hours per day
-Players may participate in one practice for no more than 2.5 hours of on-field activities under Phase 3 rules
-The second practice may only be for the remaining portion of the players' daily 3.5 hour on-field activities and shall be limited to walk-through instruction only
-No organized team activities (including treatment and taping) may begin prior to 7:00am local time or end after 8:30pm local time, and players shall be given at least one hour for lunch and dinner each
-Players may only be asked to participate in Club activities for a maximum of ten hours per day including taping and treatment but excluding meal time.
Article 22 also stresses that no "live" contact work or use of pads will be permitted during the week.
63,000 Reasons To Attend
Keeping in mind that these are mandatory workouts, the players do have additional financial incentive to attend. Under the new CBA, players can be fined up to $63,000 for missing all three days($10,500 for one day, $21,000 for two days, and $31,500 for all three days). Before the reformed CBA was drawn up, fines for missing these minicamps were not nearly as significant. For example, according to ProFootballTalk, WR Brandon Marshall was fined approximately $10,000 for missing all three days of the Denver Broncos' mandatory minicamp during the 2009 offseason.
One Last Phase
With just one more slate of OTAs set for next week(June 16-19) this minicamp sets the stage for the final phase of the offseason, with training camp set to begin in late July. Other than Jimmy Graham, who is still unsigned with a pending grievance hearing to be held next week, most of the Saints' roster should be present at the team's facility for the minicamp. Brandin Cooks is still awaiting the conclusion of his semester at Oregon State, while Jairus Byrd will be held out until training camp as he recovers from minor back surgery.
Beginning tomorrow, players will undergo team-administered physical examinations before hitting the field on Tuesday. With the morning sessions open to the public, plenty of reports should trickle out of Metairie over the next few days. We'll be sure to bring you a full analysis later this week.