We've got a lot to get to this morning so let's not waste any time. Below is the first half play by play analysis for your digestion.

I believe he dropped this one.(Getty Images)

Saints Offense First Drive

• After an average return to the 20 yard line by Skyler Green, the Saints take over. First play is from the I formation and its a play action fake. Nobody picks up the rusher from the right side at the line and Karney has too far to go to get to him in time. Drew makes a sweet sidestep to avoid getting rocked by Robert Geathers (yes, that is Jumpy Geathers nephew) then Brett Favre's it to Karney. Eight yards out of what should have been a costly sack.
  
• Brees to Colston's ridiculously long outstretched arms. First down.
• Brees has plenty o' time to hit Billy Miller over the middle. Protection is great.
• Bush tries between the tackles and it looks like he has a tiny hole to squeeze through but he gets tripped up while doing it.
• Another Brees to Colston hookup over the middle for 15 yards. He also had Deuce to check down to.
  
• Drew blows a sure touchdown to Patten when he overthrows him in the endzone. Looks like they were supposed to meet in the corner but Drew makes the bad throw.
  
• Brees and Colston connect yet again on a a quick curl but the defender is all over Marques, gets a hand on it and the ball falls out of his hands. No catch.
• On third and 10 the throw is to Colston...again. Drew threads the needle between two defenders and Colston catches then drops it after taking a shot. I believe this was the play in which Colston is injured.
  
• Saints settle for a Gramatica field goal.

Review: For the most part the offense looks sharp. This could have easily been 7 points instead of 3. Drew will certainly work out those kinks with his receivers by week one. Colston looks very uncharacteristic with two drops that are normally sure catches for him. It's going to be a long season if Colston starts imitating Devery and comes down with his very own case of the drops. Personally, I wish the Saints wouldn't put Colston in dangerous situations, like going over the middle, during meaningless pre-season games.

Saints Defense First Drive

• Evidence that this defense plans on turning things around are seen on their first play from scrimmage. Cincinnati starts on their own 31 and kicks things off with an end around to the left side as Tracy Porter breaks free of his blocker and gets a hand on the ball enough to jar it loose. The Bengals recover but its a great sign for the rookie and this unit.
• The Bengals try running up the middle but there's nothing there. Clancy and Grant on the tackle.
• After a false start penalty its third and 16. Palmer has good protection and decides to go deep. McKenzie makes a diving leap and appears to make the amazing interception but couldn't trap it as it winds up hitting the turf. It doesn't matter though because Who Dat Nation now knows that MM is here to stay and everything appears okay.
• Bengals punt away. They have no idea this will be their theme of the night.

Review: Hopefully, in the near future, we will all look back on this one drive and say, "That was the drive that turned it all around." The two positive aspects were the excellent play of rookie Tracy Porter and the healthy return of Mike McKenzie. This unit had not one but two chances to force a turnover. Thank you sir, may I have another.

His big catch.(Al Behrman, AP)

Saints Offense Second Drive

• Saints take over at their 35. Deuce tries the left side but only gains a yard.
• After Meachem is called for a false start, his number is called and Brees hits him deep on a 54 yard pass. Meachem needs to come back to the ball and makes the necessary adjustments.
  
• From the 15 yard line now and Deuce catches a screen pass for 7 yards.
• Only a yard for Deuce on the next play.
  
• On third and 1, two tight end set. They give the ball to Stecker who looks like he is shot out of a cannon, gets tripped up and tries to stumble over the goal line but he's a yard short. He does get the first down.
  
• Next play and there are three TE's out there, Campbell, Miller and Ghent. It's a play fake and a toss to the back of the endzone to an open Ghent.

Review: Saints are just making it look easy. This offense continues to be a well oiled machine. Meachem has the play of the drive with his 54 yard catch. This is a great sign that he is for real and that first pre-season game was not just random luck. Ghent probably won't even make the team so with the eventual addition of Shockey, this team should be even more potent in the red zone.

Saints Defense Second Drive

• Bengals begin at their 24 yard line and start with a run to the left side. Kendrick Clancy brings him down from behind.
• Bengals then try the middle and its, guess who, Clancy with the stop.
• Third down now and the Saints are in Nickel. Bengals have four WR's on the line. Shanle has to pick up the fourth receiver , Utecht, in the slot as Palmer makes a nice throw and finds the TE over the middle. Shanle immediately takes him down.
• First down now and its a quick swing pass in the flat. Fujita does a great job containing and the Bengals only get 3 yards.
• Clancy notches another tackle when the Bengals try to run up the middle.
• Third down and Palmer is working out of the shotgun. Saints bring the blitz, Shanle is the extra man and he shoots right through the middle of the line untouched. Carson barely gets a throw off to no one. More punting.

Review: Another pretty solid looking drive for the defense. Kendrick Clancy was all over the field on this one. He's made this team, no doubt, and he is also a huge help in stopping the run game. Some pretty good play from our linebackers as well. Fujita and Shanle both stepped it up. One of the more important things to note is who I am not talking about, and that is our secondary. Nobody getting burned or caught out of position and on the one complete pass this drive, Shanle was the man in coverage. Much of that improvement is due to good pressure by the front seven. It certainly helps the guys behind them.

Saints Offense Third Drive

• Reggie Bush returns Cincinnati's punt for 14 yards and appears to hurt himself on the play.
• From their 23 yard line on first down and Patten catches a seven yard pass on a crossing route.
• Reggie heads to the left side, cuts it back up the middle and finds only two yards.
  
• Stecker gets the call for the dirty work on 3rd and 1 and gains five as he shoots up the middle with lightning quick speed again.
• Deuce tries the middle on first down and only gets 2 yards.
• After Brees and Miller can't connect on a ball thrown slightly behind Miller, Brees tries the left side and finds Henderson for 11 yards and the first down. It would be Henderson's only catch. End of the first quarter.
• More of Deuce up the middle for only 2 yards. Stecker follows that with only a yard.
• The play stalls after a short pass to Patten fails to get the first down.

Review: This was where the offense started to look poor. Deuce, Reggie and Stecker both had little to work with as the O-line just can't seem to open up holes for them like other teams do. If this continues, it may not matter who the running back is as victory will have to come through the air. I hope Drew's arm can handle it one more year. Right now, Stecker is the most impressive back on the field and he looks so darn quick.

Saints Defense Third Drive

• Bengals start from their own 14 yard line. Palmer throws a quick swing pass to Antonio Chatman on the left side. Shanle isn't quick enough to contain him but Porter makes a nice tackle by releasing from his blocker and wrapping up Chatman's legs. 9 yards.
  
• Pretty much the same play as last only it's to Utecht and to the right side. Pretty much the same result too, as Shanle isn't fast enough to get to him (even farther this time) and McKenzie must leave his man to make the tackle. 11 yards.
  
•  Now it's a blitz from the Saints and Kaesviharn runs into the backfield untouched on the left side. Palmer tried to escape but KK catches him from behind. Sack.
• Palmer dumps it over the middle to Chris Perry for 6 yards.
• 3rd and 10 for the Bengals and the Saints bring more pressure. Vilma, the late man, breaks through the line and is right in Palmer's face as he barely gets the pass off. Perry is the intended receiver but Roman Harper, with great coverage, is all over. Guess who has to punt.

Review: Some good and some bad on this drive. Once again, the dink and dunk short stuff hurt us in the beginning and their fast receivers were able to take advantage of our not so fast linebackers. Those are the plays that are gaining significant yardage and doing the most damage. Hopefully, opposing coaches do not read this blog. I think it is safe to assume they don't. The defense picks it up however with some good pressure and the Bengals are stalled yet again. This defense is looking fairly impressive.

Saints Offense Fourth Drive

• Saints take over from their 30. A defensive holding call later and they start from their 36.
• It's a nice 38 yard pass to a wide open, sure handed Devery Henderson but Jammal Brown is called for holding and it's like the catch never happened.
• Saints try and start one more time on 1st and 20. Stecker takes the hand off and tries the right side. Still nothing for him to run through. In fairness, the Bengals linebackers did a great job reading the play and zeroing in. Keith Rivers looked very nice on this play taking down Stecker.
  
• Brees gets the pass off just in time as the pressure was on and he gets taken down. It's a great throw down the right sideline for Lance Moore. Moore is blanketed but still manages to make the grab. Love this guy. Credit is due both to Lance and Drew.
  
• Drew tries the right side again, this time to David Patten. More pressure as Drew has to hurry and Rivers nearly sacks him. Patten is well covered and the pass is not great.
• Only one yard gained by Stecker on a screen pass to the right side.
• Saints can't convert on third down as Brees tries for a well covered Billy Miller. It was Johnson, a linebacker, on Miller so the matchup was in the Saints favor but Miller can't come back to the ball in time. Saints punt.

Review: Another stalled drive for the Saints high powered offense. The Bengals stepped up their defensive play on this series and looked pretty good applying pressure. Saints fans got a good look at Keith Rivers who could have very well been the Saints first round draft pick this year and he looks pretty darn good.

Saints Defense Fourth Drive

• Bengals from their 12 yards line. Chris Perry has nowhere to go up the middle as Clancy makes yet another big stop for the run defense.
• Next it's Palmer trying the right sideline Holt but McKenzie is right there in great coverage and times his hit perfectly. Holt can't bring it in.
• Third down now and the line applies some good pressure as Palmer dumps it off over the middle to Perry in wide open space in the flat. Fortunately, Shanle does a great job closing in and the play only goes for 5 yards on what could have been much more. Punt.

Review:  Three and out. Can't beat that. Clancy looked good. McKenzie looked good. Shanle looked good. Period. Still really worried about the short yardage passing over the top and the YAC, but if our linebackers can close in like Shanle did, then we should be okay.

Saints Offense Fifth Drive

• Saints have it at their 40 and start off with a Brees pass to Lance Moore down the left sideline for 35 yards. Moore has to stretch and reach to make the grab. I honestly think Henderson doesn't make that catch. The announcer again agrees with me by saying, "He just catches everything it seems thrown his way."
  
• Deuce tries the right side but only gains one yard. No holes.
• Brees tries Patten but there is a communication error as Patten turns inside and Brees throws outside. The ball is almost intercepted.
• Third down now and Brees looks for Henderson right on the goal line. You know what happens. Granted the Bengals had some pretty good coverage, but when he has the ball in his arms and against his chest, he should come down with them.
• Payton decides to go for it on fourth down needing nine yards. Much like the very first play of the game from scrimmage, Drew shows some great footwork and eludes a untouched blitzer, making him miss, as he shovels it off to Moore for a yard. While it wasn't the needed nine yards, Brees' athleticism stopped it from becoming -9 yards.

Review: This is the third drive in a row that the Saints offense has not looked up to snuff. The running game is still non-existent, Henderson is doing his usual ball dropping and I don't know what was going on with Brees and Patten but they just couldn't seem to get on the same page. The only consistent person on these last couple of drives has been Lance Moore.

Saints Defense Fifth Drive

• Great pressure from the line on the Bengals first play from the 23 yard line as Antwan Lake gets himself a sack for -8 yards.
• More good pressure as Shanle comes in off the left side and almost reaches Palmer in time. Instead he gets the short dump pass off to Utecht as Vilma and Porter, who are right there, look very weak in tackling and can't grab him. The play goes for 10 yards.
• It's 3rd and 8 (it's always 3rd and 8!!!) and Chatman runs an out right on the right sideline. This is the same play we saw the Texans carve Jason David up with last week. This time it's Randall Gay doing a poor job in coverage and the Bengals gain 19 yards for the first down. Ugh! These are the most frustrating.
• Perry tries the middle and is met by a flying Roman Harper in the hole. Nice hit.
  
• Palmer tries deep down the field as Shanle, again, runs into the backfield untouched and almost gets to him. Porter is on the coverage, and unbelievably, draws the offensive pass interference call. Nice coverage.
  
• 2nd and 17 now and Palmer throws it underneath on another dump off to Chris Perry that gains eight yards.
• Palmer throws over the middle for Jerome Simpson but Aaron Glenn is right there for the immediate tackle and only 6 yards. Bengals...punt.

Review: Shanle looks hungry in this game. Twice this drive he was in the backfield quickly, forcing the quick pass and nearly coming away with sacks. Aaron Glenn also looked reliable again. I do hate to see those 3rd and longs get converted, especially when it's our secondary to blame, but they were very few and far between in this half so it's fair to say there is definite improvement. More short underneath passes that turn into significant yardage. Not the best series for the defense but they again manage to force the punt.

Stecker deserves more touches. (Getty Images)

Saints Offense Sixth Drive

• Saints are deep in their own zone on their eleven yard line. Brees' night is over as Brunell comes in with under two minutes remaining in the half. His first play he takes a sack for -6.
• Stecker runs twice in a row, both for 7 yards. Three and out.

Review: Well this drive wasn't great at all. Stecker, however, looks so darn good. Again, he is so quick and his feet are always churning. It does look like he has some larger holes to run through than Deuce and Reggie before him, but not by much. Stecker's talent and hard running style are probably equally the reason he is breaking off bigger chunks of yardage.

Saints Defense Sixth Drive

• Not much time left in the half as the Bengals take over from their 36 yard line. The first play is a short pass underneath to Utecht. Vilma is there but Utecht makes a quick cut inside to get past him. Vilma slaps his hands in frustration.
• After a spike by Palmer to stop the clock, the Saints bring the pressure on 2nd and 10. Kaesviharn, again untouched, shoots into the backfield from the right side. It is McCray coming in later who puts the finishing shot on Palmer. This was the hit that caused the infamous bloody nose.
  
• False start on the Bengals.
• On third down, Perry gets eight yards on the right side. Not enough for the first as the Saints call timeout and the Bengals are forced to punt one final time this half. The crowd boos as the Bengals walk off the field.

Review: If you have a tight end playing against the Saints this season in fantasy football, make sure he starts. Tight ends have looked pretty good against our defense these last two games. On the positive side, I don't know whether the Saints defensive players just played harder or Gibbs decided to get a little more exotic with the blitzing schemes, but the pressure tonight was vastly improved and it was from all angles.

That does it for the first half. All in all, as stated earlier, I think we have to be happy with this performance. There were some bad plays on both sides of the ball, but that is to be expected every single game. The larger picture is what's important and on Saturday night, the larger picture was a much improved defense. There was a little bending but absolutely no breaking.

Let's hear what you guys think!

The team has off today as they make their way back to Metry. Having gotten a clearer picture of just what this team looks like, I thought what better time to throw out another attempt at predicting just who will make this team of 53 and who wont. This, of course, is meant to spark conversation and your input is welcomed and awaited. Where did I go wrong and where did I go oh...so...right? Let us all know what you think about who makes what will inevitably be the greatest Saints team of all-time.

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

Here is my thinking on some of this:

• Brian Young's health concerns me. If it continues to be spotty, the staff may say to hell with it and go with one of the other talented options in Antwan Lake and Orien Harris.
• I went with Reis over Roach at safety.
• Yeah, I went with six receivers. Copper and Moore both contribute on special teams. Skyler Green was so close I practically flipped a coin for this one.
• I only went with one fullback. We should expect better blocking from our tight ends. Maybe keep another fullback on the practice squad in case Karney is injured.
• Jason David is still around. I just don't think the coaches are going to give up on him. I don't really feel we have seen enough from Tracy Porter, but I gave him a shot anyway.

For a good laugh, compare it to my roster prediction back in May. Also check out  how much nicer looking my tables have become. We've come so far.

The floor is now open. Take it away.

One more practice this morning then its off to Arizona. Here are a couple of links to get your through the morning before I so kindly hook you up with a practice update later today.

Payton tells us his plans for the game tomorrow in regards to his starters.

"We typically try to break it into three phases," Payton said. "This first game usually involves somewhere around a quarter. It's easier to say plays than quarters, because the offense might have 21 plays in the first quarter, or the defense might have a certain amount of plays in the first quarter, so more importantly how much time are they getting, how many snaps are they getting." - Times- Pic

I love these Sports Talk audio clips. Here are Jon Stinchomb and Jahri Evans, respectively.

NFL.com has five things they have been keeping their eye on during training camp and we should look for during the game tomorrow.

Scouts, Inc. has broken down all 32 offensive lines and ranked them. The Saints got a pretty decent ranking, coming in at the number nine spot.

The Saints allowed a measly 16 sacks last year despite Drew Brees' 652 pass attempts. Brees, who is exceptional at feeling the rush and getting the ball out quickly, deserves some of the credit, but obviously, his protection was exceptional as well. However, the Saints didn't do nearly as good a job opening holes for the running backs, who averaged just 3.7 yards per rush. This stark contrast obviously puts a ton of pressure on Brees and the Saints' passing game, but that group has stepped up quite well. Still, to be an elite offense, New Orleans is going to have to run the ball with more consistency. Jammal Brown is one of the top left tackles in the league, but the Saints lost Jeff Faine to division rival Tampa Bay. Jonathan Goodwin, who is bigger and more powerful at the point of attack, will take over at center, but overall, this is a downgrade, and Faine's nasty edge and leadership will be missed. Keep an eye on underrated RG Jahri Evans. He has a chance to develop into one of the best guards in the game today.

Another article about Meachem. This one is from The Advocate.

“This is a very exciting moment for me,” he said. “This game is going to be very important because I want to make plays and show the coaches that this is what they drafted as the No. 1 pick last year.”

The article also reminds us about the love affair that has blossomed between Meachem and Patten.

Getting to know you article from the Sun Herald on Scott Shanle.

"The way '06 went, we kind of caught lightning in a bottle and everything we did went right," Shanle said. "I think going into '07 we took that for granted and that things were going to go the same way.

"After one year, we should be better in '07 and thing didn't happen that way. So I think this year, we're going to learn a lesson from 2007, which wasn't fun at the time, but if I can learn a lesson from it, it'll help this year."

"My first year coming here and getting thrown into things, thrown into the fire, it was just a kind of thing that I was playing about 100 miles an hour and I knew I was going to make mistakes," Shanle said. "I really made more plays doing it that way.

"Last year, I understood the system better, but I think I got to the point where I was overthinking and trying not to make any mistakes. It led to not making as many plays."

"I knew even when Dan was on the roster, there were still things I knew I had to improve - open-field tackling, being more physical in the running game and just getting back to the things I did well in '06," Shanle said. "I knew if I did those things that I'd be confident that I'd be the starter and have a chance to prove that on the field."

Reggie Bush's third cousin has high aspirations.

Question of the Day: Where are you watching the game from tomorrow night?

I would like to start off today by talking a little business. This is the part where I get all serious. Sorry for those of you who have been here a while, please be patient. With the Shockey trade and the start of training camp, CSC has seen quite an increase in traffic. In fact, double. Being a fairly new community in comparison to other SB Nation sites, I am making a concerted effort to grow this community and increase participation. That is really what this is all about. Though this is considered a blog, SB Nation has provided us with something that is much more than that. Though I provide you with probably every single tidbit that is ever written about the Saints in any given day, literally, this is not just a place to come to find links. Its also not a place for you to come to just listen what I write. If people came here to read what I wrote...well, they just wouldn't come. CSC is for all of you to come share your feelings, questions, experiences and knowledge about the Saints and get more of that in return. I will be the first to admit I have not been as engaging as I know I can be and I am going to try and make a better effort with that. But this website also gets infinitely better when you guys get involved.

When we first started, I wrote sort of a tour of this site and you can now find that tour here, or on the left sidebar under sections. Though some of the things may have changed around, that will give you a general idea of some of the features here on CSC. The most important thing for you guys to know are the FanPosts and the FanShots. The FanPost section is basically like a message board. Actually, its cooler. You guys can use them to start topics that YOU want to discuss. Want to know whats up with Roman Harper and his neck? Put it up in a FanPost. Incredibly pissed off at at the fact that two players were injured on one play yesterday? FanPost that s***! And the rest of you put in your two cents. If you particularly like a FanPost, Recommend it. When a FanPost gets 4 Recs. it goes toward the top. Thats how this thing works. The best thing about the FanPosts and all comment threads on CSC for that matter...they are auto-refreshing. That means you don't need to hit your refresh button. Comments just magically appear on your screen when someone else makes one. Oh, and by the way, if I like what you write in a FanPost, I can choose to put it right up on the front page in all its glory for everyone to see. The same goes for the FanShot section, only the FanShots are just for quick pictures, videos, audios, links, quotes, whatever! So if you've got some time on your hands, volunteer yourself and put up some of those training camp pictures I keep giving you the link for. We can never have too much Shockey. Finally, the other great thing about CSC are the game day open threads. Anytime the Saints have a game, there will be what is called an "open thread." When the game starts, stop by CSC and chat with other Who Dats about the game. Live! And again, with auto-refreshing comments, it's reads just like a chat room!

Of course this only works if we all stop lurking, do our part and make this fun. There is power in numbers. It's cool that I update this site fairly often and give you guys fresh stuff to read, but its even cooler if there are also new pictures and videos posted and a new topic to discuss in the FanPosts. that some of you guys add. The more the merrier and everyone's opinion is valid...unless you like Aaron Brooks.

I also ask that if you like what you are seeing here, help us grow and spread the word. Tell all your friends and share this site as much as possible.

Also, in case any of you missed this, you can still register to win a spot to play in CSC's Fanhouse fantasy football league against other Saints fans and take a shot at beating me! You won't, but you can at least try. It's free so you have got nothing to lose!  Register here! Winners will be notified by email at the end of the month, so hurry up and register. Check out my original post here. Some of you have gotten personal emails to join the league and not signed up yet. If you think this might be you, check your SB Nation email and make sure to check Spam/Bulk Folder.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

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Here we go again for another round of fun in the sun with the boys in the black and gold. The usual offense and defense reports from Fox 40.

Offense

4:36 p.m. Also just noticed that David Patten is in just his shorts and jersey. Patten has been full force in every practice so far, not quite sure the reason for the change this

4:52 p.m. I'm watching the receivers try to get off the line against the DB's. Here's a look at most of the wide-outs. Marques Colston dominates his guy. Robert Meachem looked pretty good getting clear. Terrance Copper and Lance Moore both got held up pretty good at least once. Adrian Arrington was decent, but not great getting separation.

5:05 p.m. So is the progress of Robert Meachem: as soon as we see something good from him he drops a pass right in his chest in a drill where their are no defenders.

5:10 p.m. We're also seeing Lance Moore take some snaps with the first team offense. Moore just made a nice catch on a comeback route.

5:37 p.m. More on that intensity theme, Adrian Arrington just caught a pass and although they aren't tackling, he got popped pretty good by Jason Craft.

5:47 p.m. Switch to special teams work and in kick returns it's still Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker back deep with the first unit, with Thomas looking like the main return guy.

Defense

4:56 The DBs are out here jamming the receivers. McKenzie and Marques Colston were going against each other, and  the fans around me loved that! From my angle (not a great one) it looked like Colston got around him.

5:33 Defensive end Will Smith just got into it with one of the offensive lineman. It looks like they just got wrapped up after the play, but it took a couple of their teammates to split them up.

5:37 WR Adrian Arrington just had a nice grab and then got nailed by Safety Chris Reis right after the catch. The hit had the entire crowd saying  "ooooooooh"

Larry Holders notes on the afternoon from his blog.

The Times-Pic has an article with info from the afternoons practice as well.

Here is the Clarion Ledger's pictures for the day.

The New Orleans Saints official website had a couple of interviews. Below are the transcripts. All are must reads.

Transcript of Sean Payton's press conference

Transcript of interview with Chris Reis

Also check out a video interview with Roman Harper the Saints website has up in their multimedia section.

Here are two audio clips from Sports Talk today. They both discuss the days events.
 New Orleans Saints - Saints Training Camp
 New Orleans Saints - Saints Training Camp

More from Fletcher Mackel of WDSU. This time he's got a video interview with the man himself, Mr. Dulymus McAllister. Check it out.

The daily video review from Day 5 of training camp, brought to you by Mike Triplett and John DeShazier of the Times-Pic.

Here is a cool diary entry from Jonathan Vilma done for the Times-Pic. It is similar to the blog that Mark Campbell is doing for the Saints official website. Definitely cool, as it gives us a little personal insight and shows us a side we don't normally get to see.

I decided to get a place in the warehouse district. A lot of guys recommended that for me, being 26 and single with no kids. There are some great restaurants, some great eating around there and some good nightlife. At the same time, I felt being in New York that I always took great pride in knowing when to go out and when to stay in. I know where to draw the line. I went back to Miami for the last month before camp started, so I'm still just getting settled.

The Clarion Ledger had a quick piece about the cornerbacks looking very good this morning.

"The ball kept on coming to my side," Young said, "so I kept on having a chance at it."

Makes sense to me. This is really good news for Saints fans. The cornerbacks looking good? Someone better make sure hell hasn't frozen over yet.

Here is an article from WWL about the guy everyone loves to hate...Jason David.

"It’s special," David said of his 11-month-old daughter Jastel. "A lot of people, even though they don’t have kids, they come home to a wife or a pet or something else. You’ve got to find things that make you happy no matter what’s going on in this world.

"No matter what’s going on, find things that make you happy and excite you and keep you smiling."

“That’s always good,” he said. “That always takes your mind off what’s bothering you. Nothing like coming home to your little girls and seeing her smile at you.”

"My first four years in the league, I’ve never entered training camp as the penciled in starter," David said. "When I was in Indianapolis, my rookie year I was competing for my spot. My second year, I was competing with a first-round draft pick. My third year, I was competing with a second-round draft pick."

That's it for now. I will try and add a few updates and links as the evening wears on, so you may want to keep checking back.

Welcome to another episode of "As the Knee Turns." In this episode, our main character, Deuce, suffers a minor setback and must miss morning practice to have an MRI taken. As bad luck would have it, at that very moment, the Oakland Raiders were cutting ties with running back Lamont Jordan, leaving everyone, including the Saints front office to wonder if Jordan was really what this team needed and whether Deuce would be forced to make an early exit. Luck was on our hero's side however, as his MRI results were negative and Jordan declined an offer, and he was able to make a triumphant return to the practice fields that very afternoon, never knowing how close he had come to being replaced. Don't miss the next episode of "As the Knee Turns," when cornerback Mike McKenzie's recovery takes longer than expected and Jason David sleeps with his wife.

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We all know about the draft pick signings so I will just start with the rest of the news.

Well, its official. Tom Benson is now the head honcho over at WVUE. The Times-Pic had the quick story.

After two months, the Federal Communications Commission has approved Tom Benson and his Louisiana Media Company to officially take ownership of WVUE-TV, which is Fox 8, it was announced today.

"This is a proud day for me, and a good day for the city of New Orleans," Benson said. "It's important to keep major employers in this city owned by local people - I believe that is a key factor in rebuilding our area. And WVUE will be a completely independent entity from my other businesses. We have a very good management team there, and they will operate independently as such with no pressure or agenda placed upon them."

It is ridiculous how many training camp/team analysis type articles there are out there. They come out of the woodwork from all types of websites. Everyone's an expert.

Here is one from EndZoneBuzz.com.

New Orleans Saints

Why They Might Win the Division
Drew Brees still leads the attack at QB and they have a plethora of receiving weapons. New Orleans also added Jonathan Vilma to the linebacking crew, and Sedrick Ellis at defensive tackle, to play next to their two talented defensive ends in Will Smith and Charles Grant.

Why They Might Not Win the Division
Right now, RB Reggie Bush is a good slot receiver, and nothing more. He simply has to become a more effective runner out of the backfield in order for them to truly excel. And that secondary which was so hideous last season is still a major concern.

Yet another look into training camp. This one is all the way from Arizona at AZCentral.com.

New Orleans Saints (7-9)

Veterans report: July 23

Site: Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss.

Fan access: Free, most practices open to the public; 504-733-0255

Key changes: The biggest addition was LBJonathan Vilma to man the middle. The Saints also traded up three spots in the draft to select DT Sedrick Ellis at No. 7. C Jeff Faine left as a free agent for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. CBs Randall Gay and Aaron Glenn, signed in free agency, add depth.

Key issues: There's uncertainty in the backfield with RB Deuce McAllister coming off two knee surgeries and Reggie Bush's inability to show he can be the featured back. At cornerback, who will start opposite Mike McKenzie, who is recovering from knee surgery and may not be ready to start himself? Ellis and newly extended DE Will Smith are cogs along the line, but DE Charles Grant has off-field issues. And they must decide between sixth-round pick Taylor Melhlaff and Martin Gramatica at kicker.

ESPN has a question for the Saints heading into training camp.

Do the New Orleans Saints realize how important it is to get Sedrick Ellis into camp?
Ellis, New Orleans' No. 1 pick in this year's draft from USC, has value because he finally gives the Saints a big-bodied defensive tackle who can eat up blocks and free up DEs Charles Grant and Will Smith. Grant and Smith were consistently double-teamed last season because opposing offensive lines had no respect for the Saints' rotating bodies inside at DT. The Saints still have question marks at cornerback and they're not going away any time soon, but it is amazing how pass-rush pressure can suddenly make mediocre corners better football players. With an offense well-equipped to bounce back, Ellis and the Saints' D-line could be the key to the whole season.

I agree with this one. I would love to see the Saints get Ellis under contract this week, but I am afraid he and Tracy Porter will be the last two to sign.

The Sporting News ranked the top ten offensive tackles in the league. Fortunately for us, and Drew, the Saints own Jammal Brown was on that list.

7. Jammal Brown, New Orleans Saints. If not for his struggles early last season, he might be rated higher here. In his defense, he is still adjusting to his move to left tackle, but he came on strong in the second half of '07. Drew Brees rarely gets sacked, and Brown is a big reason why. He's also a dominant run blocker, which would be more prominent if the Saints get a healthy back to attack between the tackles.

Speaking of Drew, SignOnSanDiego.com (I always think of Anchorman) had an article about Drew and his feelings about leaving San Diego (It means a whales vagina) and being in New Orleans.

“I wasn't bitter,” said Brees, who yesterday was running about three dozen kids through their paces at Cathedral Catholic High as part of the NFL's Take a Player to School program. “Certainly, I felt like there was one person who didn't quite believe in me like the rest (of the Chargers). That's unfortunate.”

“Things have worked out for both sides,” said Brees, who spends “six to eight weeks” in San Diego, where he still owns a home. “I think he's (Rivers) done a good job. Look at the results. I'm happy for him. The Chargers have been successful the last few years and so have the Saints. New Orleans is a very special place. Things happen for a reason.

“I definitely wanted the Chargers to sign me back, but I signed with the Saints. It's like a calling.”

Call it a win-win situation.

Drew gets into some heavy stuff next.

“Winning the Payton Award is not a reward for what you do in the past,” Brees said. “There's a responsibility for what you do in the future. That's why we remain so active with the foundation. We support the league however we can. I love athletics. I want to leave the game better than I found it.

“God has a plan. There still are areas (in New Orleans) that look like a bomb went off yesterday. When we thought about where we were going to live, we tried to pick an area that hadn't been flooded. We bought a house that still had $52,000 worth of roof damage. We wanted to be in the middle of town. Right in the thick of it.”

It's funny because his house actually does flood when it rains very heavily. This article from ESPN proves it. Though it says his basement flooded, everyone from New Orleans knows there are no basements in NOLA. He is definitely in the thick of it.

In regards to playing his old team, this is what Mr. Perfect had to say.

“We're excited, obviously, but we still have a lot of games to play before that one,” he said. “I always hoped we'd come back here to play them. Maybe in four years. I still care about this community.

“There are some educated people in London who think New Orleans is still under water. This is a chance to show we're coming back.”

Is he like the perfect person or what? I really don't think Drew has a bad bone in his body. Am I too old to be adopted?

Apparently Thibodeaux, LA is a breeding ground for athletic trainers. I found this article from CSTV.com about athletic training students getting first hand experience working with NFL teams around the league during training camp, including our very own New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints will welcome Brett Chaisson, a senior from Thibodaux, La., while fellow NFC South member the Atlanta Falcons will have Scott Hebert, a senior from Galliano, La., to assist with their camp.

Traveling far away from the friendly confines of Thibodaux will be Nathan Quebedeaux, a senior from Hammond, La., and Dexter Charles, a senior from Thibodaux, La. Quebedeaux accepted an internship with the Detroit Lions, while Charles will assume the same role with the Arizona Cardinals.

I can only dump links on you today. Sorry!

Mark Brunell coming along. Times-Pic.

Meachem kicking butt. Times- Pic.

Sedrick Ellis' development. Times-Pic.

Payton wants turnovers. The Advocate.

Payton loving Jammal Brown. Sun Herald.

Interview video with Deuce . NFL.com.

I'm sorry for not bringing you the latest Charles Grant news as it breaks as if its the Watergate scandal, but I don't think I need to add anymore fuel to this fire. This story is already overexposed enough. If you want yesterday's news flurry about the story, you can find all the same information regurgitated over and over in multiple formats by clicking here, here, here, here, here, here and here. How's that for link dumping! To sum it all up...

• Charles was at OTA's yesterday.
• He is turning himself in today.
• He will be back for OTA's Friday.
• His lawyer thinks the charges are incredibly unusual and unsubstantiated.

The newest info comes today from a Times-Pics article and a Sun Herald article.

"I don't know if it's going to end quickly or not, but there's not going to be a plea arrangement," Tolley said. "We will enter a plea of not guilty (at a later date)."

"In my view, Charles is a victim," Tolley said. "A man ran up behind him and stabbed him with a knife. Our position has not changed. Charles was not involved in the fight. Whether you can be a passive participant in a fight, I don't know. . . . We're going to wait for a judge to help us sort it out."

I think it is still too early to start speculating about this one. Check these quotes out...

Coach Payton

"We’re still gathering information. Our own security people are still gathering information and we’ll go from there." - New Orleans Saints

Jon Stinchcomb

"I don't have a clue about the details." - Times-Pic

Dane Ciolino, Loyola Law professor

"We don't know about all the evidence." - Times-Pic

Who am I to pretend I know any better? Let's all cool it for now.

And oh yeah...Will Smith wasn't at OTA's. The Times-Pic and Sun Herald both have the story.

Here is Sean Payton's quote on the matter

"He and I had a chance to visit about a month and a half ago, and you'd like to have all your players here. But it's not unusual," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "I think you just go around the league, and each team has a player or two maybe that's unhappy with his contract. And so in the meantime our focus is on the players that are here. And we're full speed ahead." - New Orleans Saints

Also from the Times-Pic today is their review and observations from OTA's yesterday. Here is

On Jonathan Vilma

Vilma said the scheme he's mastering with the Saints is similar to that run by the Jets in his first two years in the league. Vilma said he feels ready to go full speed full time, but that would be ahead of schedule. The limited action to date is the result of an agreement he reached with Payton.

"It's been exciting, to come from rehab and the surgery and get to this point," Vilma said. "We're being cautious, of course, that's to be expected, but it looks pretty good at this point."

Here is what Big Sed had to say...

"I feel like it's been going really well," Ellis said. "I've got a couple of days in now with the older guys, and they kind of helped me along with some of the plays and stuff, and I feel like it's coming along just fine."

OBSERVATIONS: New backup quarterback Mark Brunell looked comfortable in the pocket and seems to be fitting in nicely. . . . With McKenzie out, the top three cornerbacks working with the first-team and nickel defenses were Jason David, Randall Gay and Usama Young. Veteran Jason Craft and rookie Tracy Porter worked with the second team.

Here are my own random notes from Payton's Q&A:

• Arrington and Meachem are both impressing. Sweet!
• Jammal Brown is having his best off-season. Yes!
• Jonathan Goodwin is kicking butt. Nice!
• Bobby McCray got a boo boo while working out too hard.
• Here is the injury list:  Deuce McAllister - knee, Josh Bullocks - knee, Aaron Glenn - ankle, Mike McKenzie - knee, Mark Simoneau - hip, DeMario Pressley - foot, and Eric Johnson - ankle.
• Payton acknowledged possibly picking up another LB.
  

It seems I am the only one still talking or thinking about this one. Well, me and the NY TImes. They had a new article on the David Jacobs steroid investigation. Yesterday Jacobs handed over e-mails, canceled checks and other evidence to NFL officials. Though the names of the players Jacobs is giving up have not been released, it seems there is a good chance Lehr could be one of them.

"The documents corroborate statements Jacobs has made to investigators. He provided the names of people connected to his steroid dealings."

This will continue to unfold. The Dallas Morning News was also on this one this time.

Here is the latest on the Reggie Bush scandal at USC, from the LA Times. More disagreeing and bickering basically. Depositions will begin in June.

The judge announced that Lake would be deposed by Bush's attorneys on June 5 and 6, Bush would be deposed June 23, and LaMar Griffin, his stepfather, and mother, Denise, would give depositions shortly thereafter.

Watkins said Wednesday that he planned to serve notice to USC Coach Pete Carroll and running backs coach Todd McNair for depositions in mid-to-late June.

The judge announced that Lake would be deposed by Bush's attorneys on June 5 and 6, Bush would be deposed June 23, and LaMar Griffin, his stepfather, and mother, Denise, would give depositions shortly thereafter.

Watkins said Wednesday that he planned to serve notice to USC Coach Pete Carroll and running backs coach Todd McNair for depositions in mid-to-late June.

For those of you actually interested in football and not the off-field drama, here are the roster cut-down dates.

• 75 players - August 26th.
• 53 players - August 30th

Okay, I know this is late today, but I wanted to leave up the introduction post all day so everyone would have a chance to read it. I want to give thanks to Stujo who used the fanshots to put up a picture. Excellent work. Those can be used for anything, videos, links etc. I know the other sites have been loving the fanshots to put up youtube clips of the new draftees. They are also good if you guys find an article about the team you want to share. I can't emphasize enough that I am only one man. A man with a full time job. So the more you guys help out and put up articles you find, the easier it is for me, and the more information everyone who visits the site gets. Also, go ahead and use the FanPosts as a message board. That's really all it is. It will work better once we get more than just our regular handful of guys.

I hope you are enjoying the new site. It's got pretty much everything you could possible need on the Saints. I noticed a couple of people voted that they would rather have the old site back. Unfortunately, thats not really possible, but I would like to know what they don't like about this one so that maybe we can address it. Also, please don't be afraid to report any bugs that you notice. This system isn't perfect yet, trust me, but with your help we can tweak it to make it awesome. And again, I am always accepting ideas, comments and questions, so let em fly!

That said, let's get down to business...

The Sun-Herald had two articles today. The first one was there review of the draft this weekend.  They basically say that this years draft was very active and contained the most trades in any one draft in history.  And we started and ended it all...

The first player to inspire a move up was defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, whom New Orleans moved up from No. 10 to take seventh overall. One day, almost 14 hours and 32 deals later, the Saints made the draft's last deal, too, moving up to take Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington with the 237th pick.

The other article from the Sun-Herald discusses how happy Payton and Loomis were following their picks in the draft. They were happy!

Current Saints coach Sean Payton said his gleaming grin following the 2008 Draft was legit.

I think they have reason to be happy. I think they did a good job.

A couple of players drafted in the late rounds don't fit the Saints' typical player mold as Nebraska tackle/guard Carl Nicks and Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington both come to New Orleans with questionable character issues.

Loomis said the team discussed those flaws with both players leading up to their selection and felt confident Nicks and Arrington put both of those things behind.

By now we have read up on what these two players were in trouble for, and I really don't think either of them are that big of a deal. Non of it is Pacman Jones stuff. I mean, Nicks was in trouble for staying at a party that got broken up. If that is a serious concern, I wouldn't be able to play Pop Warner football let alone NFL football!

An article from The Fanhouse discusses the whole Jammal Brown trade rumor. I think it was pretty obvious that at this point, that would probably have been a dumb trade, and Sean Payton says it was never true, and I believe him.

I read a little bit of that, but you'll go crazy trying to pay attention to all of it. There was no interest on our part in trading him."

We do know that Jammal Brown has got some bad knees and they are very uncertain. The article makes a good point about that...

But here's the truth -- Brown's knees have long-term uncertainty, he'll be looking for a big deal soon, and the team has stockpiled offensive tackles for what I believe are reasons that extend beyond the fact that it's good practice to build depth there. It might not be this year, but I don't think Brown is long for New Orleans.

Lets keep him while he's still got something left in the tank, then pawn him off on some desperate and unsuspecting team in a completely unequal and unfair trade!

The last two articles talk about a couple of our free agent pick-ups following the draft. The Times-Pic informs us about Jeremy  Geathers, son of former Saint James "Jumpy" Geathers. Here is the article.

Jumpy Geathers was the Saints' first pick in the 1984 draft, in the second round, out of Wichita State. Jeremy Geathers, who was born in New Orleans, played defensive end at Nevada-Las Vegas... "(New Orleans) is where my dad made his name and had so many of his best years," Jeremy Geathers told The Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News. "I was kind of praying for that (to be drafted by the Saints). I lost out at first, but I won ultimately. I feel like it is home. I would love to go play for the fans for New Orleans."

For LSU fans, The Advocate has a little blurb about LB Luke Sanders being picked up by the Saints as well.

The Saints will announce their free agent signings when all players are under contract. Here is the complete list of undrafted free agents we have picked up since the draft. You can check it out for yourself and keep tabs on it, as it gets updated regularly. The funniest thing...we got P Waylon Prather, the guy I joked about us getting via Kenny Chesney is my Mock Mock Draft. See people, you really should listen to me!

OG Nate McManus, Georgia Tech

C Kevin Tuminello, Georgia Tech

SS Rocky Schwartz, Houston

OT Akim Millington, Illinois

WR Todd Blythe, Iowa State

OLB Luke Sanders, LSU

LS Ryan Senser, Ohio

FB Olaniyi Sobomehin, Portland State

P Waylon Prather, San Jose State

QB T.C. Ostrander, Stanford

FS David Roach, TCU

DE Jeremy Geathers, UNLV

OT Jason Boone, Utah OT Gerald Davis, Valdosta State