Here is the usual summary of the Times-Pic live Saints chat with Jimmy Smith. Check out the whole thing here.
On Will Smith's contract negotations...
Will Smith's agent, Joel Segal, isn't the type of guy who negotiates in the media, but suffice to say Smith is looking for the same kind of money that the Saints gave to Charles Grant with his contract extension last year. That would be a good starting point. The two sides are talking, I'm told, so diograzio that's what we can say to that. Whether he'll show up at camp, we'll know on Friday. But I'm told he probably won't be doing anything in the minicamp unless he gets a new deal. Time will tell.
On Adrian Arrington...
It's getting awfully crowded, at the wide receiver spot, craig. But Arrington has apparently shown he's a lot like Marques Colston and the trend seems to be in the NFL today to go with bigger, rangier wide receivers. So there's a chance. He's got to move ahead of quite a few people on the depth chart, though, to make the final roster.
On this seasons schedule...
It doesn't seem to be that imposing, Doc. But the NFC South should be tough this year, just as it has been in recent years with no repeat division winners. What looks good on paper now, though, can change an awful lot by the time the games roll around in the fall. People can be injure, replacements can become better than the players who went down. So it's tough to get a handle on games that could be marked down with a 'W' in May. That's why they play them all.
On Charles Grant...
Whether Grant can bounce back from a sub-par season as he had last year when he played with ligament damage in his ankle depends on whether he has fully recovered from the injury. He likely has. We won't know how Grant's legan entanglements will play themselves out yet, with court dates, whether he'll miss any training camp or game time. Jason Taylor would be an intriguiing possibility, but the Saints have failed in their attempts this offseason to acquire a marquee player in a trade. The Dolphins aren't going to give Taylor away. We haven't see Geathers on the field yet, so it's too early to tell whether he can make the team.
The involuntary manslaughter charges in Georgia could bring one to 10 years in prison if convicted. They're serious. That's not to say Grant will be convicted. What's unusual about his case is they've indicted so many people under the same charges. On the surface, you'd think they'd have a difficult time convicting anyone because of the number of individuals who've been indicted. What was disconcerting was reading the initial police report that had several witnesses identifying Charles Grant as the person who did the shooting. They'll sort it all out in the courtroom, likely. As to whether he'll miss camp time, as of this writing no additional court appearances have been set. We'll have to wait on that.
On Reggie Bush switching to WR...
Bush is pretty heavily involved in the passing game as it is, Mark, and a case can already be made that he's more wide receiver than running back. Sort of a hybrid. But don't look for a permanent switch. He's too valuable a weapon in either position to pigeon-hole him as just a receiver. If team's have to prepare to stop him as both, it makes their job a little more difficult. Keying on him to shut him down just as a wide receiver takes much of that threat away.
On Robert Meachem...
Judging from what we've heard about Robert Meachem's offseason so far, Paul, he's in much better shape than he was last season when he fought through injuries in mincamp, OTAs and in training camp. He appears ready to challenge for playing time this season but remember it's only May. The games won't start until the exhibition season in August so much can happen in the interim. But we're seeing and hearing better things about Meachem than we did a year ago. There is a crowd at receiver, though, and to answer your question michael, Meachem will have to prove he belongs.
On the cornerbacks...
Wow, I feel almost as inundated with this barrage of cornerback questions as the Saints secondary did a year ago with long passes. We'll know more about the status of the cornerbacks after seeing the team go through these five minicamp workouts and one OTA the following week. We'll be able to see qho's lining up where, just how Tracy Porter has adapted to the playbook and if Osama Young has improved himself since last year and whether Jason David has been able to bounce back from what was a tough year. Patience, Saints fans. We'll be better able to give you some answers to these quesions after seeing these guys go through the paces this weekend.
Governor Bobby Jindal will be at Saints camp today at 2:30pm to kick off his campaign to help get people ready for hurricane season. From the Times-Pic.
Interesting fact. Marques Colston owns part of the new American Indoor Football Association expansion team in Harrisburg, PA. Read it here.
I am at a trade show in Dallas for work. If I miss a post or two or don't get you a story, please forgive me. CSC will return to its normally scheduled programming on Monday, but I am trying to keep on top of it even though I had to pay $10.77 in the hotel to use their wireless network just to write this. The things I do for you people! A shout out to Stujo4 for putting up two FanPosts. Thats how its done ladies. And a warm welcome to Satchmo26 who made his first post.