McCray thankful he didn’t let his pride prevent a second chance with the Saints

So far, so good for McCray’s second chance

METAIRIE, La. — Whatever anger, disenchantment or betrayal consumed Bobby McCray when he was unexpectedly and unceremoniously released by the Saints in June, the veteran defensive end kept it mostly to himself.

“If you let your emotions out, the majority of the time it can hurt you,” said McCray, who wound up re-signing with New Orleans a week before training camp opened.

“So if you got something (upsetting) going on, just try to keep it inside, don’t let everybody know. Go in the bathroom and punch a hole in the wall and scream and curse and come back out and move on.”

McCray’s decision to keep any hard feelings private and maintain a constructive relationship with the Saints paid off. Not only is the quick, 6-foot-6 pass rusher back with the defending Super Bowl champions, he is also sharing first-team practice snaps at left end with Alex Brown.

“There’s nothing but great things going on at that left end position because of the competition that’s going on,” defensive line coach Bill Johnson said. “Alex Brown’s done a good job. Bobby’s done a good job. And we’ve got about three weeks here to do a lot of evaluation to see how this thing comes out. But however it turns out, we’re going to have some depth and be better on our defensive line than we were this time last year.”

In 2009, Charles Grant was the starter at left end, opposite Will Smith on the right side, with McCray rotating in, often in passing situations. Grant, however, injured his triceps in Week 17 and missed the playoffs.

McCray, who had appeared in every Saints regular season game the past two years, started all three of New Orleans’ playoff games. During the first of those starts, he made his mark on the postseason with a crushing block on Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner during an interception return.

When Grant was released last winter, McCray’s spot on the roster only seemed more secure. Then the Saints went on the free-agent market and signed Brown, a former Chicago Bears starter, and Jimmy Wilkerson, a former Tampa Bay lineman who plays end and tackle.

During offseason training sessions and minicamp, McCray continued to work with the first team, and hardly expected to find himself unemployed five weeks before training camp.

“It definitely came out of the blue,” McCray said.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the decision to waive McCray was not a negotiating ploy to get him to take less money. He said the Saints initially intended to move on without him.

McCray, however, preferred not to move on with his career outside of New Orleans, and made that clear in calls to coaches and the front office.

“We talked,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t much to say except, ‘Let’s see how it plays out.’ And everything that was said to me was with a positive attitude.”

Brown, a friend and former college teammate at Florida, said McCray is “not a very vengeful person.”

“He’s a professional and he understands the business side of it,” Brown said. “Look at our competition. We’re friends, but we understand when we come out here between the lines, we’ve got to compete. So it’s not a big deal.”

Now it’s up to McCray to validate the Saints’ decision to let him come back and help defend their title.

When practice ended on a hot Friday morning, McCray was among the last players to head for the locker room, choosing instead to stay on the field and work one-on-one with assistant defensive line coach Travis Jones.

McCray said he won’t take his second chance for granted, and relishes the opportunity to again be teammates with his old friend Brown.

“I’m very happy,” McCray said. “I got my teammate that I’ve had since 1999 in Florida. Me and him got some great things that we can do together. With Will Smith and our tandem, we’ve got a great ability to create some havoc this year.”

Notes: The Saints added veteran WR Mark Bradley to the roster and waived WR Matt Simon. … CB Tracy Porter returned to action after missing two practices with back spasms, while CB Patrick Robinson (hamstring) and LB Scott Shanle (strained left knee) sat out. … New Hornets coach Monty Williams and Hornets president Hugh Weber were special guests at Friday’s morning practice. Williams caught a few quick passes launched from a machine, similar to a drill receivers and defensive backs run. … The Saints on Saturday will hold a scrimmage at 11 a.m. Central time that is open to the public. Coach Sean Payton said all four quarterbacks — Drew Brees, Patrick Ramsey, Chase Daniel and rookie Sean Canfield — are expected to play.