In two weeks time, the New Orleans Saints will take the field in an empty Superdome to open up the 2020 campaign.

Saturday, in an effort to help get the team ready for that day, head coach Sean Payton and his players made their way into the same empty Superdome for practice.

Without preseason games, Saturday was a chance for the younger guys to get a feel for what it is like to play under the bright lights, as well as a chance for everyone to get their footing in the new turf.

For quarterback Drew Brees, it's all pretty familiar. As he prepared for his 20th season in the n-fl over the summer, he worked on his arm strength to be able to throw a better deep ball was a point of emphasis. Although tough to determine without game reps, head coach Sean Payton has seen a difference.

"I thought he was sharp tonight. I thought we were overall as a practice pretty sharp tonight on both sides of the ball. I don't know specifically how I'd evaluate one practice versus the other. I think his decision making's been on point," said Paton. "We've tinkered with a few new concepts, but he's in really good shape. Yeah, at times I've seen him get the ball down the field maybe noticeably a little different than a year ago or two years ago. But I like the way the balls coming out. I think it's coming out on time and obviously to the right person in the right location. That's one of the great strengths of his."