Let the battles begin

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jul 23, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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But that’s not unusual. Healthy competition at every position is what coaches like to look for in training camp, and Saints third-year coach Sean Payton is no exception.

So when the first whistle blows at 8:50 a.m. to start the first of 29 practice sessions under the unforgiving Mississippi sun, here are five position battles sure to be worth watching for the next three weeks:

1. THE BATTLE FOR THE THIRD RECEIVER SPOT: This one should be fun with 2007 first-round draft pick Robert Meachem vying to earn the job after, by all accounts, a solid spring and summer. Meachem was behind when he got to camp last season because of knee surgery and never caught up, but he appears ready to battle Devery Henderson, Lance Moore and Terrance Copper to be the third man on the field along with starters Marques Colston and David Patten. Henderson, Moore and Copper have experience, but each has been plagued by inconsistency. Meachem’s combination of size and speed will work in his favor if he stays healthy.

2. HOLLIS THOMAS VS. SEDRICK ELLIS FOR STARTING DEFENSIVE TACKLE SPOT: Thomas has been a two-year starter since joining the Saints, but for the third straight year he will probably be overweight and out of shape for the two-a-day grind of camp. Because of his weight and chronic asthma problems, it usually takes him several weeks to get football ready. Ellis, the seventh pick of the draft, worked extensively with the first-team defense during minicamp in late May and in organized team activities. As a result, it may not be much of a battle for the job unless Ellis, who’s amazed teammates with his strength and explosiveness, struggles when the pads go on.

3. RANDALL GAY AND TRACY PORTER VS. JASON DAVID AND JASON CRAFT FOR THE STARTING CORNERBACK JOBS: This may not be much of a battle either as Gay, the former LSU standout who was signed during free agency, and Porter, a second-round draft pick, held the upper hand during the spring. With Mike McKenzie expected to be limited in training camp after having ACL surgery in late December, Gay and Porter will have a chance to establish themselves. David started opposite McKenzie last season, but his struggles were well-documented after the Saints gave up 32 touchdown passes.

4. JOSH BULLOCKS VS. KEVIN KAESVIHARN FOR STARTING FREE SAFETY SPOT: Bullocks has been a three-year starter with 43 starts, but he had off-season knee surgery which gave Kaesviharn a chance to get more time with the first unit. Bullocks has exceptional speed, but he’s been inconsistent in coverage and has been late getting over to help out on the deep balls. While Kaesviharn isn’t as fast, he appears to have better ball instincts and may be a better option to cut down on the number of big pass plays allowed.

5. MARTIN GRAMATICA VS. TAYLOR MEHLHAFF FOR THE KICKING JOB: Payton was extremely complimentary of Gramatica after he nailed all five of his field-goal tries while filling in for Olindo Mare at the end of 2007, but Gramatica should get a challenge from Mehlhaff, a sixth-round draft pick. Mehlhaff made 50 of 65 career field-goal attempts at Wisconsin, but his strong suit is kickoffs where 128 of 287 kicks went for touchbacks. If the coaches don’t think Mehlhaff can handle the field-goal duties yet, his strong left leg might still earn him a job as a kickoff specialist.