WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Monday morning's soggy Saints training camp performance looked familiar.
Jan. 14, 2014 at CenturyLink Field.
Seattle 23, New Orleans 15.
Light precipitation fell at The Greenbrier for nearly two hours -- not enough, though, to cause so many fumbled snaps, dropped passes and overall, lack of focus, coach Sean Payton said.
"It was kind of sloppy," Payton said of his team's first rainy practice, more than the weather. "A lot of balls on the ground. Too much for my liking, or our liking. I thought the short-yardage period was the same way. Just OK. Probably one of our more flat practices since we've been up here.
"The weather's not that bad. We're going to play in weather like this."
The Saints (1-0) host Tennessee (1-0) on Saturday in their preseason home opener.
For a team eager to prove it can thrive outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Saints looked poised to repeat last season's failed feats, including a NFC divisional playoff loss at Seattle, a game which saw the offense halted by the Seahawks as much as constant downpours.
The miscues ranged from fumbles snaps and exchanges, intermediate passes less than 20 yards down field, even focus on defense with setting the edge.
Starting quarterback Drew Brees (oblique) watched practice from the sideline. Meanwhile, Luke McCown said the issues fall on the veteran leadership of the team, including himself, an 11-year pro, and fellow quarterback Ryan Griffin.
"There's going to be situations where we have to play in weather this year, and we've got to be able to handle that," McCown said. "This was our first taste of it at training camp, and there's no excuse for it."
This season, the Saints will travel to Pittsburgh in November, and Chicago in December, games which could determine not only their playoff status, but seeding. And until they are dethroned, the Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champions.
After Monday's practice, McCown said he, Griffin and several offensive linemen took about 20 extra snaps -- no towels, no gloves.
Rookie receiver Brandin Cooks didn't appear to be bothered by the weather. Not the way he -- again -- made the play of the day, turning another short catch into a sprint to the end zone, outrunning cornerback Keenan Lewis, who approached -- but didn't catch him -- from the opposite side of the field.
"We need to get that feel of (this kind of weather), and learn to adjust," said Cooks, who played at Oregon State. "We can't come out here like that. If it rains again, we've got to play better.
"I played in Corvallis. It rains like this all the time. These guys from down South; they don't really see this (often).
Last season's 26-24 win at Philadelphia marked the Saints' first road playoff win in franchise history.
The following week marked a forgettable trip back to Seattle, where the Saints also lost during the regular season (34-7 on Dec. 2). The Saints were unbeaten at home (8-0) during the 2013 regular season, but 3-5 on the road.
Monday's practice seemed like D j vu.
"I wasn't good enough today," McCown said. "I hope it rains tomorrow so we can do better."