New Orleans Saints players prepares well for OTAs

Jenkins, who is entering his third season as a starter in New Orleans' defensive backfield, said the Saints are hungry to begin on-field preparations for their 2012 campaign.

"It's totally different," Harper said. "There are a lot more eyes on the ball, not as much (man-on-man defense), and (we're) just trying to make plays on the ball. I'm looking forward to it. We're still going to pressure. We're still going to get after the quarterback Titleist 910 D2 Driver like we did. The more we'll get to work with it, the more comfortable we'll be with it."

The veteran safety was among several Saints players who enjoyed one more relaxing round of golf during the Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic at the Chateau Golf and Country Club, capping a tumultuous offseason for the team. The Saints will begin OTAs Tuesday, which will stretch through July 14. They will be the first on-field practices without franchise quarterback Drew Brees and Coach Sean Payton, who has been suspended for the season for his role in the team's bounty scandal.

Jenkins and Harper agreed that Brees' absence might lead to an atmosphere more conducive to learning a new discount golf clubs defensive playbook.

"I forgot the hearing was last week," Jenkins said. "I think everyone has just been moving on and focusing on things that are coming up like the OTAs. I don't think anybody is thinking about that stuff."

"It becomes a lot more relaxed when you don't have Drew out there making the plays that he does," Jenkins said. "We'll be able to learn quickly what we can and can't do in that defense."

Harper said that new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has already introduced major changes to the playbook in a departure from former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's Mizuno MP-69 Irons suspensions of several current and former Saints players, including defensive end Will Smith and linebacker Jonathan Vilma, were the subject of a NFL grievance hearing conducted in New York last Wednesday. Jenkins, however, said that Saints players have put the issue out of their minds.

"It's been a long offseason, and I think where we're most comfortable is on the field," Jenkins said. "That's where we get peace from all of this and take our first steps moving on to the new season. I think guys are excited to take a step in a new direction."