Although her New Orleans home was spared by the storm, damage to her neighbourhood and the local school prompted her to move temporarily to Atlanta. She has rented out her house, so when she returns periodically she stays at her mother's house - but only upstairs since the lower level has been gutted due to flood damage.

Players signed autographs after practice. Brees was the first one there, jogging to the ropes the moment practice ended. Horn was the last to leave, having to be coaxed away by team officials.

While most players live west of the city, where storm damage was more cosmetic than catastrophic, some players have returned needing new places to live.

Offensive lineman Jammal Brown, the Saints' top draft pick last season, lost his eastern New Orleans house to Katrina. He plans to try to fix it up and sell it. For now, he lives on the west bank of the Mississippi River and is looking to buy a house north of Lake Pontchartrain.

While dealing with all that, he also must learn a new position, with new coach Sean Payton switching him from right tackle to the left side, an important change because it's Brees' blind side.

Payton said some players have been distracted by issues with home repairs or fights with insurance companies, but he was ready to accept those challenges.

''From a coaching standpoint, it's about measuring what kind of condition they're in right now, where we're at in each position group, but for this city ... I think there's a little bit more to it,'' Payton said.

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