METAIRIE, La. — Drew Brees walked up to the line of scrimmage early Sunday, taking a snap during the New Orleans Saints’ pre-practice walk-through.

Though the play was only at quarter-speed, the quarterback received a resounding applause from those in attendance at the Saints’ first training camp practice at home since returning from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

For the first time since Aug. 1, when Brees strained a left oblique muscle, he fully participated in a practice.

“I’ve been taking it very slow, very deliberate,” said Brees, who sat out six practices and two games and was limited in two other practices. “No use in rushing something that could get worse. I wanted to make sure it was all good. I’m still not 100 percent, but I hope that by Saturday I am.”

While Brees had pegged the Saints’ game Saturday night at Indianapolis as his date to see his first game action, coach Sean Payton wasn’t setting any timetable.

“I think our plan is that he’ll be able to (play),” Payton said. “Like I said earlier, I want to make sure that we’re not looking at the date ahead of the injury.”

Brees hasn’t missed a start due to injury since coming to New Orleans in 2006.

He owns NFL records for passing percentage in a season (71.2 percent) and completions in a season (468) and is the only quarterback who has thrown for more than 5,000 yards in a season four times.

Brees played through a sprain of a medial collateral ligament in 2010.