TWEETS:

Thomas Morstead ‏@thomasmorstead Felt great to be back on the field with my team mates today.... It's gonna be a special @Saints season #WHODAT

Chase Daniel ‏@ChaseDaniel What a great day on the field today! It's great to have that camaraderie back with my teammates! Get better everyday!

Greg Bensel ‏@GregBensel Mr Benson and Mickey Loomis watching the team's first OTA of 2012 http://pic.twitter.com/EgbVtUI0

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More than a week ago we were offered two predictions about when Drew Brees would sign a new long-term contract, one from Times-Pic beat man Mike Triplett and the other from former Saints Executive VP Jim Miller. Triplett believed the "chances of Drew Brees signing a long-term contract with the Saints before the first OTA practice May 22nd are practically zero" while Miller told us we "can bet, or merely feel reasonably confident, that Brees will be signed by that date."

Related: Jim Miller or Mike Triplett: Who is Right About the Drew Brees Signing?

Well, today is that day. And, unfortunately, Brees still doesn't have a new contract. Which means Triplett is our winner, Miller the loser. So what does all this mean? Not much, really. I suppose it means Triplett might know what he's talking about and Miller's opinion simply can't be trusted. I will let each of you form your own opinion, but I definitely wanted to make sure I followed up with this and reported the outcome.

As far as the predicting prowess of our readers is concerned, it's a pretty even split. Most of you agreed with Triplett that Brees wouldn't be signed but many were a little too hopeful. Here is how you guys voted at the time:

Mike Freeman, Pete Prisco, and Skip Bayless are all card-carrying members of the trash talkin' Saints hatin' club. In fact, they are just the tip of the iceberg of media members and outlets who have relentlessly piled on the New Orleans Saints since the bounty scandal broke in March. It is clearly obvious that the media has come after the Saints without remorse because they are jealous of their success, while their darlings in Dallas toil in mediocrity. As Saints fans that's what we'd like to believe.

That type of reaction to the media is what we take solace in. We're used to being the underdog, the unwelcome guest. The role of being the favorite has never fit the Saints well (see: every matchup against the NFC West since 2010). We as Who Dat Nation are hoping the Saints take this attitude onto the field this season as well. "They talk about us like were criminals, they write about us like we're mercenaries, we'll show them mercenaries," they'll say. We'll cheer on our rebels and the media will stew and cringe.

In reality the media could care less.

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TWEETS:

Jimmy Graham ‏@TheJimmyGraham OTA's start tomorrow. This off season has given me more than enough motivation to work harder than I've ever worked. Can't wait!

New Orleans Saints ‏@Saints "Everyone knows the goal - to get to the Super Bowl. No matter what else is going on, guys know that is the thing we play for,"- @iWillSmith

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Just caught Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback article for Sports Illustrated this week, and it includes a little bit of conversation about the Drew Brees contract negotiations. Surprise!

King basically attempts to put a number to Brees' value and does so by looking at contracts of the other two top quarterbacks in the league, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, over the past six years.

But I'm going to show you some numbers, and then I'm going to make a point about why I think Brees is more in the right in this case of Saints vs. Brees in the big-money department.

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It's time, once again, for another edition of our 'What Up With Dat?' mailbag series, where you guys submit your Saints-related questions and I answer them. I know, I know, but please try and contain your excitement. You guys should all know by now how this whole thing works. Let's not waste anymore time.

So if you've got a burning question you've been dying to know my answer to, send an email to blogandgold@yahoo.com, send me a tweet @csctweet, post on our wall at Canal Street Chronicles Facebook page or just ask me in the comment section below. They can be about the Saints, the NFL, the blog or even personal. Don't forget to leave your first name and last initial so we can give you credit for your question if we wind up using it. I will round up the best questions and answer them in a timely fashion in a second follow-up post.

Twitter

New Orleans Saints ‏Clearly ready for gameday! RT @bright_julie how about this fan http://pic.twitter.com/YTjPjkwa

cameron jordan ‏Back to my apt today, loved fam time

Corey White ‏On the road to New Orleans

JUNIOR GALETTE ‏Gr8 Service @ Church Blessings R Hidden Behind Pain & Suffering Just Continue 2 Serve God Thru Tough Times B Faithful & Humble God Is Love

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