Sunday 9am/CST  ESPN/NFL Network

Day two of the draft today and I hope it goes as well as yesterday. The Saints gave up their third round pick to the Patriots to get Ellis, but received a fifth round pick, and without a fourth rounder they won't be on the clock until the fifth round, where they have two at No. 146 and No. 164. They have one pick in the sixth round at No. 178 and one pick in the seventh round at No. 218.

As far as the Shockey trade is concerned, I think it's dead. I saw Giants GM Jerry Reese on ESPN tonight and he said a trade wasn't going to happen. Ralph Vacchiano at the NY Daily News wrote this article yesterday and Reese confirmed that at a press conference...

"Jeremy Shockey is our starting tight end, guys" he said. "I’m going to leave it at that. Let’s talk about our draft pick. There’s really nothing to talk about. Jeremy Shockey is our starting tight end and really that’s the end of the story."

This is an open thread, so talk it up. I will join in with you guys.

(kgooncp.blogspot.com) Sedrick Ellis School: USC Year: Senior Hometown: Chino, California Date of Birth: 07/09/85 Height: 6'1" Weight: 309 Bench Press: 34 Vertical Jump: 26.5" 40-Yard Dash: 5.32	(Paul Riley) Tracy Porter School: Indiana Year: Senior Hometown: Port Allen, Louisiana Date of Birth: 08/11/86 Height: 5'11 Weight: 185 Bench press 18 40-Yard Dash: 4.37 20-yard shuttle 4.07 60-yard shuttle 11.22

Following a trade with the New England Patriots to get to the seventh spot, the New Orleans Saints selected DT out of USC Sedrick Ellis in the first round of this years draft. In the second round the Saints selected CB Tracy Porter from Indiana.

I don't know about you guys but I am pretty happy about day one of the draft. I love the Sedrick Ellis trade. That is exactly what I thought should happen. Honestly, Tracy Porter was off my radar, as I think he was off a lot of peoples radar. But I am liking what I have been reading about him. And at least at this point, and I hope I don't regret saying this, I actually trust the Saints. Now that we have taken care of some business on the defensive side, we have a little freedom in the later rounds to take an offensive player if he was BPA.  

How do you guys feel about it? Are you as happy as I am that the Saints seem to have their head on straight, and haven't done anything out of left field?

In the upcoming days I will do a post on each new member of the Saints. Today, I will just drop the obligatory links. I know most of you have probably already done all your research on these guys, and have read all the articles and info about the draft that have come out today, but I feel obliged to do this, just in case.

The New Orleans Saints Official Website has a bunch on todays action:
Sedrick Ellis Bio
Tracey Porter Bio
Media Interview with Sedrick Ellis
Sean Payton Discusses Day One
Mickey Loomis Discusses Day One

Here are your obligatory local news coverage links of the draft:
Times-Picayune on Sedrick Ellis
Times-Picayune on Tracy Porter
Sun Herald on Sedrick Ellis
Sun Herald on Tracy Porter
The Advocate on Ellis and Porter

Note: Awesome use of the Open Thread guys! I was very happy to come home from the fest to see you guys participating. The more people the merrier. I will do an Open Thread tomorrow as well, and I will be around to participate.

Jazzfest was miserable today but Billy Joel rocked in the rain.

Alright guys, I am starting an open thread for you guys if you are gonna be watching the draft at home and sitting in front of your computer. This is how it works: you guys write whatever you want in the comment section of this post as the draft progresses. Than keep checking the last comment in the section by hitting your refresh button often. If a few of you guys all do it, than it will become a live real-time conversation with each other so you can talk about the draft with fellow Saints fans as it's happening. It's basically like using this post as an instant messaging service. Get it?! I urge you to try it out. It's one of the best features of SB Nation and sports blogging in general. This is what we will do for all Saints games as well, so get used to it. Also, I believe the new CSC 2.0 will have an auto-refresh. I will try and check in to see how it's going while I am at Jazzfest.

(NFL.com)

Here we go! The day we true die-hard Saints fans have been looking forward to since the moment the team decided to stupidly punt to Devin Hester against Chicago in the final week of the 2007 season. Yeah, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The Saints have been one of the most talked about teams in regards to this years draft. Trading up for Dorsey? Trading down for Sheppard? Trading for Shockey? Trading back up for Ellis? My ears are bleeding from reading all of the possible draft day scenarios. And of course, no one really knows what the hell is gonna happen anyway. Just what the hell is this team gonna do on draft day?

Peter King agrees...

I think the most interesting team, if only for the number of directions they could be headed Saturday afternoon, is New Orleans.

Draft day is an exciting time for all NFL teams. Its a chance to start anew. A chance to right past wrongs. But this year seems to be even more crucial for our black and gold. The feeling I get from most Saints fans, and its the same feeling I have, is that this is a team on the precipice. A team just one transaction shy of putting together a championship caliber team. After seeing how good we can actually be in 2006, we are optimistic. We know this team can play well. We know the offense can go out there and put points on the board. We know our defense sucked last year but man, this off-season it looks like we fixed that. We know last year was a fluke and totally unexpected. All we need are just a few more tweaks and this ship will be ready to sail all the way to title town. And draft day is the chance for the Saints to add that final piece of the puzzle.

So buckle up, because Payton and Loomis are driving and this is sure to be an exciting show, no matter what happens.

I will give you a few final articles to whet your appetite until this afternoon.

I guess we have to start with Shockey. I'm sure if he had anything to say about it, he would demand that he be the headlining story. It appears the Saint and Giants really are trying to get this deal done, but the only thing stopping them is a disagreement over what he is worth. ESPN explains it all in this article.

New Orleans's apparent deal for tight end Jeremy Shockey has hit a delay because of the Giants' demand for more than a No. 2 draft pick for the former Pro Bowler, ESPN's John Clayton reports.

The Saints have been debating offering a No. 2 pick, according to sources, but some in the organization would prefer including no more than a No. 3 pick. New Orleans officials' reluctance makes the deal, which could get done on the draft-day clock or Saturday morning before the draft, difficult to pull off.

The NY Daily News also has an article discussing the stagnant Shockey deal.

Former Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton has made no secret of his desire to be reunited with Jeremy Shockey. The only question now is this: How much is the reunion worth to him?

The final answer to that question will come today and will be the determining factor in whether the controversial tight end is still a Giant tomorrow morning. The Saints appear to be the lone bidders in the Shockey sweepstakes, but they've yet to come close to the Giants' asking price.

But according to one NFL source, the Saints were willing to increase their initial offer of a second-round pick to include another pick late in the draft - possibly their fifth-rounder. However, the Giants had asked for a second-round pick and safety Roman Harper and didn't seem to be backing off their high demands.

Jay Glazer at Fox Sports said this morning that we are actually very close to getting this Shockey deal done. Check out his quick little write up.

FOXSports.com has learned that New Orleans early this week offered the Giants a second-round pick in today's draft as well as either a sixth-rounder this year or a fifth in 2009 to get the deal sealed. Despite reports to the contrary, the deal has been on the table for quite some time and remains available today.

Larry Holder at the Sun Herald gave his final word on the today's draft.

All the scuttlebutt entering this draft for the New Orleans Saints revolves around the team trading up to No. 2 and drafting LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

I've got one word for you on that deal - foolish.

The Saints need to get younger at defensive tackle, but dealing left tackle Jammal Brown isn't the answer, especially with Zach Strief or Jermon Bushrod standing as the possible starter.

Amen! Larry.

Ellis is the guy. Hands down.

Hallelujah!!

This is the voice of reason people. And this is where I am going to make my final stand on what the Saints should do in the draft today. I've said it before, and I will say it again...trying to move up to get Dorsey would be too costly. Why do that when you can get an almost equal value in Ellis for much less.

I can't help but think this: a great DT can play well, apply pressure on a pass rush, and help the DB's behind him by forcing QB's to throw bad passes or prevent passes at all. In essence, if we upgrade our DT we are also upgrading our DB's. It's the old "Killing two birds with one stone" cliche. Trade up and get get Ellis! That is where CSC stands.

In non team news, the Times-Pic reports that broadcaster Kenny Wilkerson resigned on Monday.  

Wilkerson, who'd worked at the station for 17 years, wouldn't comment on his departure beyond confirming that he'd resigned...In addition to co-hosting the station's afternoon-drive "SportsTalk" block with Hebert, Wilkerson had done sidelines reporting for WWL's broadcasts of New Orleans Saints games since 1997.

I am an avid listener of "Sports Talk" and I love all those guys. I hope everything is alright with Kenny and I wish him the best.

This last one is a stretch, but sort of interesting. The fleur de lis, the symbol of our beloved team, may also become the official symbol of the entire state. The Times-Pic drops some knowledge on us.

"When I see the fleur de lis I think of the New Orleans Saints, New Orleans and the state of Louisiana," [Rep. Nickie Monica, R-LaPlace] Monica said.

Who Dat!? Nickie! The bill has passed the House Judiciary Committee, and now goes to the House floor for debate.  

Still rumors. Nothing is official.

Here is the link from ProFootballWeekly.com

Here is the link from ProFootballTalk.com.

Here is another link from ProFootballTalk.com.

Again, these are just rumors. But I am putting it out there for you guys.

Got some reading for you guys today. This will probably be my only post for today. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. I will be back at some point tomorrow, probably after the draft to talk about our new players.

First up is the Times-Pic of course. They did an in-depth analysis of the Saints depth-chart and our needs coming into the draft. Pretty good. Check it out.

Here is another article from the Times-Pic telling us something we already know...the Saints need to draft defense. Tell us something we don't know!

Specifically, the Saints need to improve their pass defense, which yielded 245.2 yards per game last season, 30th in the NFL.

Two ways to do that are by bringing in a defensive lineman to bolster the pass rush or selecting a cover cornerback.

Larry Holder at the Sun Herald wrote a little comparison of Sean Paytons two draft classes thus far. His findings? The '06 class rocked and the '07 class did not. Well no duh!

But a brief glance at the two draft classes in Payton's tenure displays a glaring contrast from the Saints' 2006 and 2007 draft rosters...One reason for the 2006 draft class burst onto the scene while the rookies of 2007 didn't bring much of an impact is likely because of the lack of open starting roles.

Basically, every starting spot was filled. The two slots up for grabs were cornerback, which David easily won in training camp, and wide receiver, where Meachem was thought to compete for immediately.

The Fanhouse has a quick post about the Jammal Brown trade possibility and supports us shipping him out.

What many don't know about Brown is that he's got a degenerative knee condition dating back to his college days that teams were aware of. The word on the injury was that it wouldn't damper his play, but would most likely shorten his career significantly. I think that injury is in the Saints' minds right now, tempting them to deal Brown before he commands a huge contract he might not live up to.

I had known about this, but I'm still not for it. Wouldn't it make sense to keep Brown, and try to get Sedrick Ellis, an almost equally talented DT, for a lesser price, by giving up someone else. Someone who is does not play as significant a role. Someone like...Jason David! Just kidding. Nobody wants "Chasin' David". (I stole that from SouthernSaint. Thanks man. Funny!)

Our loyal reader Stujo4 sent me this one (thanks!) so props go out to him. For future reference, feel free to post stuff like this that you find in the FanPost section (on the new site). Thats what its there for, and that way you can get more credit! Anyway, it comes from Sports Illustrated. I will quote the entire blurp...

If I worked for the Saints, I would ...

Draft Jonathan Stewart. The Saints badly need a full-time running back. Deuce McAlister is coming off his second major knee injury and will be 30 during the season. It may be difficult at this point in his career for McAlister to regain his powerful and effective running style. Reggie Bush is a "run a play" back, meaning when Bush is in the game, everyone knows he is going to get the ball or at least be a decoy. Because Bush cannot pass protect, it's impossible to run the entire Saints offensive playbook when he is in the game. They have to run specific plays for Bush. In the NFL, when you run a specific play instead of your offense, you become a much easier offensive team to defend. Last year Bush's longest run was 22 yards and his longest pass reception was 25 yards. Hardly big time numbers for someone who is supposed to be a game changer.

With Stewart, they would get a big back who is very hard to tackle, allowing Bush to be a complement player. The former Duck has outstanding running skills, he can pass protect, he can catch the ball with ease and has a powerful body that can handle the punishment. Every time he touches the ball, he is capable of making the big play. He may be rookie of the year under the creative mind of Saints coach Sean Payton. Without another running back in their rotation, and Bush as the main runner, the Saints are vulnerable and predictable on offense.

I get what he's saying here, but what about Pierre Thomas. He is a physical guy who can be an every down back. He's not the biggest guy on the field but he loves contact and probably loves to knock a defender on his ass every now and then. And even if we were going for a RB in the first round, I think Mendenhall would be a better pick. Much better value, plus he could be reunited with his former teammate, afore mentioned Pierre Thomas. The other hole in this argument...No way do I think the Saints would use their first round pick on a RB. We need to go defense. We can use our second round pick on a RB if we need one that bad. Say...Matt Forte. Fortunately, this guy doesn't call the shots!

Finally, on a lighter note, our friends over at Who Dat Say blog have a funny clipping on everyone's favorite couple, "Kush" aka Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush.

News: Kim Kardashian told Fox News this week that her attempts to save the planet include taking showers with her boyfriend, New Orleans Saint Reggie Bush. "I conserve water by showering with my boyfriend so we can save water together," said Kardashian.

Thanks guys!

As I said earlier, I may be a little scarce this weekend (I know on draft weekend!) but I will try and check in and get something up. Feel free to email me with any big news. Hopefully after the draft, the new site will be up and we can really have some fun. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow and hope the Saints pick some winners. You guys excited!? Who Dat!?

Okay guys, I hate to do this, but the powers that be are telling me that our scheduled migration for today has been postponed due to technical difficulties. Instead of moving over tomorrow, we will wait until after the draft to make the move. I am just as disappointed as you guys, but I promise we will get there, and it will be awesome. Oh yes...it will be awesome.

Just found this article from CBS.

The New Orleans Saints are trying hard to move up in Saturday's draft for a shot to draft defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey of LSU, and one of the pieces they are shopping in a trade is left tackle Jammal Brown, according to a league source...The decision to include Brown in trade talks shows the seriousness of the Saints and their want for Dorsey.

To get to Dorsey, the Saints would likely have to work out a deal with the St. Louis Rams to get the second pick. The Rams also like Dorsey, so it might be tough to pry that pick away. The Saints own the 10th pick in the first round, and Dorsey would certainly be gone by then.

The Atlanta Falcons, who own the third pick, are also interested in Dorsey. They could move up to the second spot to make sure the Saints don't jump them to get Dorsey.

Obviously, we have no idea who this "league source" is and how accurate these rumors are, but I am not very happy about this news.

Yeah, I know, Dorsey is an animal. I know, he played for LSU. But Jammal Brown is a franchise guy. He is a first round pick that actually went right. We know he can hack it in this league. You and I have taken the same number of snaps in the NFL as Dorsey. And of course Brown he plays LT, a very important position. He protects Drew Brees' blind side and keeps him from getting killed. Anything happens to Drew and you can probably kiss the season goodbye. No way do we have a good enough replacement for Brown in Strief or Bushrod should he be gone. I just don't feel Dorsey is worth giving up Brown. Seems to me the wiser decision would be to go for Sedrick Ellis. He is very close in talent to Dorsey, but he will be easier to acquire and wouldn't require giving up as much as say...Jammal Brown.

Anyone else agree? Disagree?