Payton shortens practice to keep players out of heat and humidity, but pleased with work

Saints shorten practice to keep players fresh

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Saints coach Sean Payton shortened practice by about 20 minutes on Thursday, trying to ensure his players are fresh for the Super Bowl.

Temperatures were close to 80 degrees when New Orleans began practice outdoors on the campus of the University of Miami. Players removed their shoulder pads for the last 40 minutes of the workout.

The Saints get two weeks to prepare for the game against the Indianapolis Colts, so Payton says he’s not so much concerned about limiting the length of practice as he is with how good his players look when they’re on the field.

“We’re in the second week now and we can do that,” Payton said. “It was a little warm out here. I think you have to be a little careful. Some guys would worry about getting all the plays in. All I was concerned about was getting good work in and we accomplished that.”

Reserve running back and special teams regular Lynell Hamilton did not practice for a second straight day but did some light jogging on his sore left ankle.

“He’s feeling better,” Payton said. “I’m hopeful of him playing.”

The Saints’ defense, which produced seven turnovers during two NFC playoff wins, worked on drills in which defensive players batted their way past two tackling dummies, then cut around a third before scooping up a rolling football.

For five minutes at the start of team drills, a sound system at the practice fields blared “Halftime (Stand Up & Get Crunk),” a Ying Yang Twins song that has become an unofficial Saints anthem at the Louisiana Superdome in recent seasons.

Crowd noise blared during some other drills.