Saints trade future draft choice for New England TE David Thomas.

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2009/09/new_orleans_saints_reportedly_2.html

Anyone think we shoulda just claimed Leonard Pope off waivers instead of trading another freakin’ draft pick for Thomas?

Times-Pic post, the Saints now have two open roster spots (after the acquisition of Thomas) to fill due to suspensions to Smith, Grant, and Hartley. Looks like they may be looking at a couple other new players.

The wise veterans for the DL apparently didn’t have enough to stay on the team. I guess the fact that Hargrove was such a pleasant AWESOME pick-up that we didn’t need them.

I voted for Demario as the biggest surprise, but I’m not all that strong in my feelings about my vote since he hadn’t been mentioned very much in practice reports, and not at all in preseason game reports.

will we find out who they manage to move to the practice squad?

have kept Waters, I like his motor and thought he fit in well with GW’s attacking scheme. After looking at the roster, I see how that would have been difficult… Glad to see we kept Johnthan Casillas.

Think its a bad move,agree on needing a TE,but they kept Robey and Harper? Duh?

though there’s probably a bajillion little fast guys out there. Biggest surprise is probably Leckey making the team after Friday night’s performance. Why do you keep him over Bennett, who can play two positions? I’m hoping that’s temporary. Ortega will probably be waived and resigned every other week again this season, as they shuffle new players in. Ayodele looked pretty good Friday. Why isn’t Sobomehin mentioned? Was he cut or put or IR?

3 full time DE’s on the squad, 4 if you count Hargrove.
AA was hurt too often. He can impress all he wants during practice, but he’s always hurt, he is of no use to us.
Harper can return kicks and catch, making Roby expendable.
I trust the powers that be.

I thought there were quite high hopes for him. Did he come into camp out of shape? GW likes versatile DL players, maybe he also was not very versatile. If he had developed into a beasy like Ellis, that would have been awesome. I was really hoping that could happen.

yet at least. Check this out:

Saints defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant will apparently remain on the active roster until a federal appeals court rules on their case against the NFL. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said the league has not placed the players on the reserve-suspended list yet, so the team is preparing as if they are eligible, for the time being.

“We’ll be prepared either way,” said Loomis, who said the league has not offered the Saints any timetable for making a decision this week.

per this T-P article.

spicer didn’t look very good in the preseason; especially glad rod harper made the squad—he wanted it bad. wish joey had made a better case for himself…. also i was high on casillas since before the draft, so i’m stoked he made it too

our lack of DT-depth is concerning, but our back up DEs are so good who really cares.

 i can’t believe the season starts in like 5 days—these roster cuts make it feel way more real

is probably on the phone with his fiancee right now:

“I was running with the first team last week and then all of a sudden, I’m out of a job. I know baby, I’m as perplexed as you are. Don’t worry, I’ll be a household name in the UFL soon enough. No, not just our household. Yeah, I’m at the Greyhound station right now. Oops, gotta go baby, driver’s honking.”

Maybe they should have at some of Grant’s contract, kept Arrington and picked up some journeyman DE. Or, cut Troy Evans and signed Zach Thomas or someone else as a backup if they could get him cheap. They should have found a way to keep Arrington unless they can keep him on the practice squad. Ditto for Pressley. Also, that Leonard Pope idea sounded good.

represent three more Pey-Loo draft picks down the tubes.

are these players automatically eligible to get picked by other teams, or, in the case of younger players, do we have the right to sign them to practice squad first? How about the three spots that may be occupied by suspended players- shouldn’t we be able to fill them with others – maybe Spicer or Pressley- or could we lose them in this interim period? anyone know about this “exemption thing” that the Eagles are using so Vick doesn’t count towards the 53 man limit??

Under the current NFL Practice Squad Rules, any player who is under contract on a scout team is free to sign a player contract with any team in the league, without compensation to the franchise whose practice squad he is a member of. However, the signing must be completed at least six days before the signing team’s next game (10 days in the case of a bye week).

Pressley’s eligible for the practice squad, Spicer isn’t. The exemption is actually a reserve-suspended list, meaning that neither would be eligible for that.

But wouldn’t Grant-Smith-Hartley be eligible for that same exemption list/status?

also, if a player is on the practice squad / scout team- and some other team offers him a contract, would the team he is currently practicing with have the option to better the offer? I would think usually that player, being a member of that particular organization, would divulge the presence of an offer and then the practice squad team he is with would have the option to try and sign him so as not to lose him. ?? Does that happen? Something tells me practice squad players usually stay put with that organization during that season, but I am not sure.

Matt Bryant of Tampa Bay. Payton eventually wants to collect all 32 kickers, so here’s another one he can add to his collection.

Tyler Palko is available again. So is David Patten.

Jeff Garcia is available. He may be a better option than Brunell…but I don’t think I could stand watching his little-girl throwing motion in a Saints uniform, even if he does toss a score.

Let’s see…Dominic Rhodes is available…Alex Smith is available, if we want another tight end (maybe San Francisco can sign him and have a competition with Alex Smith to see who is the better quarterback…I’m betting on Alex Smith)…Corey Ivy, Rod Hood, and Deltha O’Neal are all out of work now, for those who still need to change their pants every time another cornerback becomes available…

Who else?

This guy tried like every position to get on the team. How did he not find a place on the roster? Has he tried center yet?

Two QB’s seems a little risky to me.

on Saints official website—

Those that have agreed to terms to the practice squad are WR Adrian Arrington, G Tim Duckworth, CB Danny Gorrer, RB P.J. Hill, T Jermey Parnell, DT DeMario Pressley and WR Matt Simon.

Glad to see AA, Gorrer, Hill, Parnell, and Pressley didn’t get snatched up by anyone else—good to know their potential is still there for us (esp AA and Pressley in terms of draft choices)