By Jay Harris
So how is Tuff doing so far as a New Orleans Saint?
Well, to make a short story long...
During preseason drills last year, as a Miami Dolphin, Tuff intercepted a pass from fellow 2007 rookie John Beck and returned it for a touchdown. Following the play, then-Miami coach Cam Cameron called practice and brought the team together for instruction. Coach Cameron told the team that Tuff had made a great play but because the offense was practicing under a scenario where the defense was protecting a lead late in the game, the best thing Tuff could have done would have been to take a knee after intercepting the pass so as to not give possession back to the opposing team.
One year later, Cam Cameron and Tuff Harris are no longer in Miami but
the latter is still returning interceptions for touchdowns in practice and the
latest comes at the expense of a 16-year veteran and three-time pro bowl
quarterback...
Enter the 2008 New Orleans Saints training camp, which began on Wednesday, July 23rd on the campus of Millsaps College, an NCAA Division III school which has served as the location for training camp each of the past two seasons. Right now, the team is busy practicing twice a day with no scheduled days off until Sunday, August 3rd.
During a scrimmage in last Friday's morning practice, former Packer, Jaguar, and Redskin quarterback Mark Brunell (who is competing for a back-up role with the Saints) was leading the offense in team drills and had a pass intended for tight end Jeremy Shockey picked off by Tuff and returned 50 yards for a touchdown. The Saints coaching staff called it the "play of the morning." Hopefully, we can call it a sign of things to come.
Tuff was signed by the Saints to a three-year, non-guaranteed contract on May 27th. New Orleans is serious about giving Tuff a good look at safety as well as special teams and it appears as though the first Crow NFL player is certainly up to the challenge.
"I feel pretty good about everything," Tuff said in a recent phone conversation with Crownews.net. "I had a hip stinger in practice but am holding up pretty well. I have gained about 5-6 pounds since camp started. The weather is warm but I hear that it hasn't been as hot as in year's past down here, and we did feel the effects of the hurricane that hit the coast of Texas recently. But overall, I feel good."
Among the interesting tidbits in training camp is the fact that veteran Pro Bowl cornerback Aaron Glenn signed with the Saints from the Jaguars a few weeks before Tuff did this past spring and will be competing for a roster spot along with Tuff. Glenn was drafted by the New York Jets, Tuff's favorite NFL team as a child, back in 1994 -- a year in which Tuff played for a Clifford Singer-coached Lodge Grass junior high team that once traveled to Lame Deer for a game in which no two Indian players had the same helmet-jersey-pants color combination.
During the same Friday practice Tuff got the interception, Aaron Glenn
and Tuff worked together to bring down wide receiver Lance Moore after
a short reception. The Saints coaches have commented that Glenn looks exactly the same as when he did in 1994. Luckily, the same cannot be said about Tuff.
The Saints will travel to Glendale, Arizona to open the 2008 NFL preseason with a August 7th game against the Cardinals. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Keep checking back with Crownews.net for all the latest news and updates on Tuff's run with the Saints.
Jay Harris is Tuff's slightly older, slightly less athletic brother.
