Today’s practice was closed to the public, apparently, for the benefit of the fans.  Except for the earliest drives, the offense was sluggish and inefficient.  Drew Brees looked fairly crisp, but seemed to wear down.  Unlike Jamie Martin and Todd Bouman, who are consistently overthrowing their targets, Brees is having some difficulty reaching his.  An example today was a throw on the run that most QB’s would have had to take something off of.  Unfortunately, the ball died before it could get there.  His arm is defiantly improving and he seems to be gaining confidence with each day, but there are still some throws where the injury’s effects are noticeable.  Reggie Bush looked sharp early, breaking long runs and catching screens.  His ability to cover large amounts of field in a short time really must be seen to be believed.  He did get some work split out as a receiver, but wasn’t really used that much.  Deuce was serviceable with the first unit, although he looks quite a few pounds over weight.  Travis Gordon, who is familiar with his physique in the offseason, says that it is not uncommon for Deuce to be as heavy as 250 during this time of the year.  Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth did not participate, allowing the other receivers to split time with the first, second, and third teams.  Jamal Jones continued his strong play and looked good at WR and returner.  He brought down a high pass with a leaping grab and took a wicked hit on the way down, but maintained possession.  “He made the team with that play”, said Mike Wallace, only half-joking.  Mike Hass was a reliable possesion receiver but, except for a streak route where he was overthrown, he did not show an ability to noticeably separate from defenders.  Marques Colston has an uphill climb to make this team, but the 6′4″ wideout from Hofstra used his large frame to create space and hauled in quite a few balls.  Devery Henderson was unsurprisingly erratic.  Zach Hilton had a nice endzone catch, using his large body to shield the defender.  However, Hilton’s poor blocking may make it difficult to get playing time.  To put it bluntly, the offensive line was dominated all day long.  No quarterback had much time in the pocket, regardless of what unit was on the field.  Especially troubling was the success the second and third team defensive lines had against the first team OL.  Brees seemed to manage the pressure best, with all other quarterbacks tieing for last.  Sacks were plentiful, as were tipped balls.  Adrian McPherson had an especially difficult time of getting his passes over the defensive line.  His performance today was indicitive of a player that has a ways to go before he can seen as a legitimate pro QB.  The most poignant problem with this team is a lack of depth and today that weakness was on display.  The dropoff in talent in a number of positions was apparent and, unless the team is miraculously healthy, will cause serious problems during the regular season.  This was the first scrimmage and it is far too early to write off this team, but the weaknesses shown today are real and will be difficult to remedy.