Fleur-de-Links: June 28, 2011

TWEETS:

SAINTS:

Who gets hurt the most if the Saints season doesn't start on time? | NOLA.com
Who has the most to lose?

Top 5 Superdome Plays
(Jon note: MUST WATCH link of the day)

Saints QB Drew Brees Will Be In Top 10 On The NFL's Top 100 Players List | Who Dat Dish
Saints QB Drew Brees Will Be In Top 10 On The NFL's Top 100 Players List

Brees, Manning hope to avoid franchise tag in new CBA | ProFootballTalk
Previously, we've speculated that the named plaintiffs in the Tom Brady class action could seek the same benefit that the named plaintiffs in the Reggie White class action received -- a career exemption from the franchise tag.

Brees in NFL Network's Top-10 Players of 2011
(Jon note: Woo hoo!)

Saints Nation: Pete Prisco of CBS Sports Releases Top 50 Free Agents | January

Detroit Lions - NFL | New Orleans Saints make guard their priority position | The Detroit News
NFL teams consider themselves lucky when they draft a player past the third round and he turns out to be Pro Bowl material. The Saints have done it twice.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

Roughly 100 rookies don’t show up for rookie symposium | ProFootballTalk
The NFLPA* is doing a terrific job by holding their "Business of Football" sessions, their own version of the annual NFL rookie symposium which was canceled by the lockout. Unfortunately, they can't make attendance mandatory.  Roughly 100 rookies are expected to sit out.

NFLPA* tells rookies: Wait a year before spending money | ProFootballTalk
Many NFL rookies make more money in the year they're drafted -- at age 21 or 22 -- than they make in any other year for the rest of their lives. And many NFL rookies spend the money they make that year as if they can count on making that much money every year for the rest of their lives.

Tomlinson calls summer "boring" without Rex Ryan | ProFootballTalk
One of the most interesting aspects of last summer in the NFL was the presence of the always entertaining Jets coach Rex Ryan on Hard Knocks. And Ryan doesn't just make things interesting for the fans.

Report says T.O. is considering retirement, Rosenhaus says "premature" to say Owens is done | ProFootballTalk
It would be a surprise if Terrell Owens wasn't at least considering retirement following news that he tore his ACL this offseason. That's exactly what Owens is doing, according to Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, who reports that T.O. has told "several people" he's thinking about hanging them up.

LABOR PAINS:

Report: NFL and players commit to four straight days of talks | ProFootballTalk
Following weeks of pleas for more face-to-face talks between the NFL and NFLPA* representatives, the two sides have agreed to work a little harder this week. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the two sides will meet for four straight days this week in Minneapolis.

Owners and players won’t be in Minnesota | ProFootballTalk
Well, we have a twist to the news that the NFL and NFLPA* will be meeting for four days in Minnesota this week. No owners or players are expected at this round of talks, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network.