Sedrick Ellis and New Orleans Saints agree to contract
July 29, 2008
Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune July 29, 2008 7:25PMFirst-round pick Sedrick Ellis agreed to a five-year deal with the Saints, General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed. He will arrive in camp tomorrow.
Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Ellis’ agent, Eugene Parker, said his client remained patient and confident throughout the process, while continuing to stay in shape in Tampa, Fla., at the same facility where he trained for his pre-draft workouts.
Parker declined to get into the specifics of the negotiations, but he said some of the difficulty stemmed from the future salary-cap issues facing the league, with the possibility that the owners may opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement.
Loomis is expected to speak this evening.
Lighter Grant still carrying heavy load
July 29, 2008
Lighter Grant still carrying heavy load- NOLA.com
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
John DeShazierJACKSON, MISS. His focus is singular while he works, the job site being about as close as nature comes to replicating the inside of a stove that’s been set at 400 degrees a couple of hours.
“This is what I get paid to do,” Charles Grant said. “When you’re in training camp, nothing else matters but football. That’s the only thing I’m focused on right now.
“I barely talk to my mom when I’m here. I probably talk to her one time when I’m here. There’s a lot that doesn’t even exist in this world besides football when you’re here.”
But there’s a lot that does exist away from Millsaps College, and there’s no way Grant could be faulted if he struggled to block it out, if he failed to keep his eye on the football.
Yes, playing defensive end is what he’s paid to do — what he’s paid really, really, really well to do. But surviving the heat as a Saint these days has to be a lot easier than dealing with the heat that’s dominating the rest of his life, the aspect for which pads and helmets don’t protect and shield.
In 17 days, on Aug. 15, Grant is expected to plead not guilty in Early County, Ga., to the charge of involuntary manslaughter. His longtime friend, Laquient Macklin, is charged with felony murder and feticide for allegedly firing the bullet that killed Korynda Reed, a pregnant bystander, during a nightclub fight in February.
Grant, who was indicted in May on that charge and on the misdemeanor charge of affray, has said he wasn’t a willing participant or instigator in the fight. He was stabbed in the back of the neck during the fracas, and his attorney said Grant didn’t have, or fire, a gun that night.
But that night and what happened during it will follow him until the case is resolved and, probably, for a while after.
Grant never has minimized the tragedy. A woman and fetus died, and Grant only has expressed sympathy to the family for the loss. But the fact is, someone is going to have to answer for the killing, and Grant’s door is one the prosecutor is knocking on.
That’s a lot to deal with, even with football available to help tunnel the vision.
“I’m doing good,” Grant said when asked
how he was holding up. “All of us are doing good.
It’s a blessing. God is good all the time.”And, if nothing else, he certainly looks the part.
After posting his worst statistical season since becoming
a full-time starter in 2003, his second year in the NFL,
Grant lost almost 30 pounds this offseason. He reportedly
played on an injured ankle from midseason on in 2007, when
he failed to force or recover a fumble for the first time,
tied a career low with 2 1/2 sacks and missed the first two
games of his career.
“It’s not hard,” he said of keeping off
the weight. “This is what I love to do, play football.
And if it’s going to add five, six more years to my
career, why not do it? I’ve got family to take care of,
my kids, and I want to make sure they’re happy.“By me shedding that weight, it helped my ankle
injury out. All that weight isn’t on it anymore;
I’m just playing football.”Now, he figures to play it to the level he hoped to
attain in the 2007 season, prior to which he signed a
seven-year contract extension worth as much as $63 million,
making him the highest-paid defensive lineman in team
history at the time.“I want to be the best,” Grant said.
“There’s nothing else. When Coach Has (Jim
Haslett) and (General Manager) Mickey (Loomis) drafted me,
they drafted a player to go out and be the best. I want to
be the best, and being the best means being in top shape,
going out there and doing what’s right and helping the
guys on this football team have a chance to win a Super
Bowl.”That’ll be the easy part.
But no matter how singular is his focus and great
athletes often become great athletes due, in part, to their
ability to compartmentalize there remains the matter of a
shooting, a stabbing, a death, a plea of innocent and,
possibly, a criminal trial.And after that, there could be a civil trial.
Defending himself in those arenas probably will take more
than Grant ever has given of himself on a field. It’s a
given, and understandable, if it takes away some of his
focus from it.
McKenzie tests knee at first practice
July 29, 2008
McKenzie tests knee at first practice- NOLA.com
DB says he’s way ahead of schedule with ACL rehab
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
By Billy TurnerJACKSON, MISS. — – Cornerback Mike McKenzie, generally considered the Saints’ best pass defender, practiced for the first time Monday since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Philadelphia on Dec. 23, 2007.
McKenzie did most of the team defense drills before retiring to the exercise bike.
“All offseason I have really been working hard,” McKenzie said. “I did a lot of conditioning work and a lot of covering, so this was the next natural progression, for me to come on out and get some team work.”
Asked if he had been looking forward to this day, McKenzie said, “Actually I’m looking forward to Week 1; this is just part of the process.”
McKenzie said he has been doing everything against “air.” But he said once he is able to do everything against actual competition, “I’ll be better able to gauge where I am. Today was a good gauge, because I was able to get out there and not stick out like a sore thumb.
“I want to get enough work to know that I’m ready to go. The next procession is, how long can I go for? Can I go for a whole game; can I go for a half? I have to gauge at what point do I feel pain, at what point do I wear out. That’s kind of what training camp is for me right now.”
McKenzie said he is ahead of schedule in his rehab. “It’s not even seven months yet, and they (Saints officials) don’t want me to push it, but I want to push the envelope.”
CHANCES ARE: Wide receiver Adrian Arrington, a rookie from Michigan, continues to impress with leaping catches, but he also showed his inexperience during the morning practice.
Arrington laid out for a long completion from backup quarterback Mark Brunell, beating cornerback Usama Young on the play. But during red-zone drills, he let a pass from Brunell (who seems to favor Arrington as a receiver) get to his chest, and the ball bounced into the end zone.
“A lot of these guys are going to have a stretch of time to compete for positions,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said, “and he’s one of them.”
Arrington, a seventh-round pick, later grabbed a
touchdown pass in the drill, again from Brunell.“He’s a smart player,” Payton said.
“That’s helped him.”DB YOUNG DOES WELL: Young looked good in punt-coverage
drills, hemming in returner Reggie Bush by himself on one
play, and he had three interceptions in the morning session.
With the loss of rookie cornerback Tracy Porter to a
hamstring injury for an unknown period, Young’s chances
of getting into the mix at the nickel or dime positions have
improved.
“He made a couple of plays in the red zone,”
Payton said. “He will be in the thick of it, I believe.
He’s in his second year, and he’s got a good idea
about what we want to do. He’s not a rookie anymore.
He’ll be ready to compete.”Said Young: “You never want someone to go down, but
when it happens, you have to step up. Mike’s been out,
(Porter’s) out, (Randall Gay’s) been hobbling. At
cornerback, we’re all competing.”Asked if he had a good practice, Young smiled.
“Sometimes the ball goes your way, and sometimes you
can’t get there. Today was a good one. I’m just
trying to learn from A.G. (veteran Aaron Glenn) and Mike.
I’m trying to learn from everybody.”DEFENSE PREVAILS: In morning red-zone and goal-line drills,
the defense outplayed the vaunted offense.“I thought we were stronger defensively today, and
we were able to get a good pass rush and make a couple of
plays. That’s good for us,” Payton said.Each quarterback threw an interception in the drills,
which were a focus in both practices. Third-string
quarterback Tyler Palko threw two consecutive interceptions.INJURIES: Defensive tackle Bryant Young returned after
missing four practices with a knee problem that necessitated
him having it drained. He sat out the afternoon practice.Payton said the news on receiver Devery Henderson and
Porter, who injured hamstrings on the same play Sunday, is
“relatively good.”“There was not a lot of swelling. We will be
cautious with them,” he said.
MIDDLE MAN
July 29, 2008
Linebacker Jonathan Vilma welcomes a fresh start to his career playing in the heart of a defense that complements his abilities
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
By Billy TurnerJACKSON, MISS. — – It was a simple play at training camp practice, but it could be a harbinger of things to come.
Saints running back Pierre Thomas looped away from the line as quarterback Mark Brunell dropped back. Brunell, looking away for the longest time, then turned and threw to Thomas. Immediately in Thomas’ face was No. 51, Jonathan Vilma.
Vilma’s speed, quickness and agility have never been questioned, but after a two-year stint in a defense that didn’t suit his abilities, he has come to the Saints to start over.
If ever there was a player who is enjoying a change in scenery, even in the sweltering heat and humidity of the south, it’s Vilma.
Having weathered life in Coach Eric Mangini’s 3-4 defensive scheme with the New York Jets, and fighting through a severe knee injury that ended his 2007 season after seven games, Vilma’s healthy and happy again.
That can only bode well for the Saints and their 4-3 defense.
It was four seasons ago when Vilma brought the same excitement to the Jets as the 12th pick in the NFL draft out of the University of Miami. His speed and aggressive hitting from sideline to sideline was something everyone noted. His trip to the 2005 Pro Bowl proved he was among the best linebackers in the league.
But that was playing in a 4-3 scheme, one in which Vilma held down the middle linebacker position on a defense designed to attack. He made three interceptions his rookie year, and in his second season, had 124 solo tackles, 169 overall. He forced four fumbles in 2005 and disrupted five passes.
Then Mangini took over the Jets and switched the defensive alignment to a 3-4. Vilma was one of two inside linebackers in the new scheme, but the defense played with more of a read-and-react personality. After the switch to the 3-4, his interceptions went down and he finished third on the team in solo tackles.
After the injury, Vilma basically was allowed to broker a deal.
“The reality was that if there was a possibility of
me being traded, I wanted to be proactive and involved in
it,” he said to Newsday, shortly after the trade that
sent him to New Orleans in exchange for a conditional 2009
draft pick. “I would have loved to have been back with
the Jets. I loved the Jets.”Now?
“I’m excited about it, excited to be on a new
team,” Vilma said after another hot practice. “I
have brought nothing but positives. I just want to win. I
want to bring a winning attitude to this defense and help
guys win. The transition has been smooth. My teammates have
helped that a lot.”
But the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder isn’t necessarily
running first team. Vilma gets reps with the top unit, but
he still is splitting time with incumbent starter Mark
Simoneau.But Vilma is healthy, and he’s working hard.
“We’re rotating those guys,” Saints Coach
Sean Payton said. “There’s great competition right
there at that position. . . . They’re both getting a
lot of work, getting adjusted to the earpiece system the
defenders are going to have now and getting the signals from
(linebackers coach) Joe Vitt throughout the course of
practice.“He’s moving well. He’s healthy. He has no
ill effects from the surgery and that’s
encouraging.”Both Simoneau and Vilma are happy to be competing.
“The competition is great,” Vilma said.
“You’ve got Mark Simoneau, a proven player, great
player, so that makes me play harder. I hope I’m making
him better. It’s always great to have competition.
Whatever happens from there happens.”For the second consecutive year, the Saints have tried to
upgrade their middle linebacker play. Last year they brought
in Brian Simmons from Cincinnati. But Simoneau won that
battle.
“That’s the NFL,” Simoneau said.
“There’s always going to be competition. I just
look at it as a challenge. Jonathan’s done great things
in this league, he’s coming off an injury, and he seems
to be completely healthy now, so he will be great
competition.“There are a few guys who have the luxury of not
having to deal with that, but you have to do your best and
let things happen as they will.“Overall, we’re just trying to upgrade the
position on the team. We want to be better than we were last
year. We want to get better players on this team. I
don’t look at it as a slap in the face. It gives me a
chance to compete, and that’s all you can ask for. Do
your best and let things fall as they will.”
Whoever starts, Vilma said the Saints’ defense knows
it needs to be better than in 2007.“This defense can be a whole lot better,” he
said “Last year, (30th) in the passing game, you can do
nothing but improve from there. But it’s one thing to
improve, and it’s another to be a top-tier defense. We
want to improve, but we want to be up there with the best.“It takes a little bit of everything. A little
improvement on tackling, on scheme, on technique. Guys want
to improve a little bit, and if they do, the defense gets
better.“I’m seeing from the first day that guys are
really trying to get better and improve. You don’t see
guys taking plays off. ”Payton said his team needs to improve in many areas on
defense, not merely at middle linebacker.“It would be hard to just point to one thing,”
he said. “When we spent time in the offseason at what
we could improve on, we gave up an awful amount of big plays
where you might be playing your technique and playing the
proper defense and on one given play you give up a 40-yard
chunk. Good defenses are team defenses.”But Vilma has been with the team long enough to see where
the strength of this defense is.“It’s definitely the guys up front. We have a
really talented defensive line; a really talented set of
defensive ends,” he said. “They’re going to
be able to carry us. We’re going to hold our own at
linebacker and at defensive back, but we’re going to
really count on the defensive line to get the job
done.”
Saints, top pick remain at impasse
July 29, 2008
Saints, top pick remain at impasse- NOLA.com
Payton growing impatient as Ellis misses 10th practice
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
By Mike TriplettJACKSON, MISS. Rookie defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis’ contract holdout officially has crossed the line from routine to frustrating as the Saints head into their seventh day of training camp.
Ellis, who was drafted seventh overall out of USC in April, is one of three first-round picks yet to sign a deal. The others are No. 8 pick Derrick Harvey of the Jacksonville Jaguars and No. 9 pick Keith Rivers of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Saints remain optimistic that things could develop today, but there has been little movement in talks between the team and the defensive tackle’s representatives.
Although Ellis would appear to be next in line after sixth pick Vernon Gholston signed with the New York Jets on Saturday, it’s starting to appear as though his representatives might be waiting for Harvey’s deal to get done to possibly improve their negotiating position.
None of the negotiators on either side has commented since Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis expressed his frustration with the process last Wednesday night, when the Saints reported to camp at Millsaps Colleges in Jackson, Miss.
Saints Coach Sean Payton, meanwhile, seems to be growing more impatient each day.
“He needs to recognize, and I’m sure he will, that the slots ahead of him have signed. And he’s missing valuable playing time and valuable reps as a rookie,” Payton said of Ellis, who has missed 10 practice sessions. “Then when he comes in, then all of a sudden we’ve got to get him acclimated because he hasn’t been here. That’s where there’s some urgency on his part.
“Listen, if he’s missing, he’s missing reps. He’s missing opportunities to get better, and that can affect his play. If you just look at the history of guys who have held out for longer than a period of four or five days, it hasn’t been real good.”
But recent history doesn’t back up Payton’s claim.
Last year’s No. 14 pick, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, missed 22 practices and didn’t sign until Aug. 15, but he led the Jets in tackles and made the NFL’s All-Rookie team. Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason, the 25th pick in the 2007 draft, missed eight days and 12 practices and didn’t sign until Aug. 6. He didn’t start until the fifth game of the season against the Saints on Oct. 7, but he led the team in tackles and also made the All-Rookie team.
Ellis’ contract parameters have been fairly well slotted by the deals done before him. But there always are plenty of details in the contract to squabble over, from the length of the deal to guaranteed money to incentive clauses.
Fifth pick Glenn Dorsey, a fellow defensive tackle who played at LSU, reportedly signed a five-year, $51 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including $23 million in guarantees. Gholston, a defensive end from Ohio State, reportedly signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Jets, including $21 million in guarantees.
Next on the list is No. 10 pick Jerod Mayo, a linebacker from Tennessee who reportedly signed a five-year, $18.9 million deal with the New England Patriots, including $13.8 million in guarantees.
2008 Saints Training Camp Practice Schedule
July 28, 2008
New Orleans Saints – 2008 New Orleans Saints Training Camp Dates and Times
2008 Saints Training Camp Practice ScheduleMillsaps College, Jackson, Miss.; Thursday, July 24 – Thursday, August 21
***ALL MILLSAPS PRACTICES; FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC***
***ALL SAINTS CAMP PRACTICES; CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC***
Thursday – 7/24 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Friday – 7/25 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday – 7/26 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Sunday – 7/27 Morning (Walk-Thru) 8:50 am – 10:30 am Millsaps College Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm
Monday – 7/28 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday – 7/29 Morning (Walk-Thru) 8:50 am – 10:30 am Millsaps College Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday – 7/30 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday – 7/31 Morning (Walk-Thru) 8:50 am – 10:30 am Millsaps College Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm
Friday – 8/1 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday – 8/2 Team Scrimmage 2:00 pm-4:00 pm. Jackson Memorial Stadium.
Sunday – 8/3 PLAYERS OFF
Monday – 8/4 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday – 8/5 Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm Millsaps College
Wednesday – 8/6 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College
Team Departs for Arizona 1:00 pm
Thursday – 8/7 Saints at Arizona – Glendale, Arizona – University of Phoenix Stadium (7:00 pm CT)
Friday – 8/8 PLAYERS OFF
Saturday – 8/9 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Sunday – 8/10 Morning (Walk-Thru) 8:50 am – 10:30 am Millsaps College Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm
Monday – 8/11 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Millsaps College Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday – 8/12 BREAK CAMP IN MILLSAPS; TEAM DEPARTS FOR NEW ORLEANS
Wednesday – 8/13 Morning (with Texans) 8:50 am – 11:00 am Saints Camp Afternoon (with Texans) 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday – 8/14 Morning (with Texans) 8:50 am – 11:00 am Saints Camp
Friday – 8/15 Walk Thru Practice Session
Saturday – 8/16 Saints vs. Houston Texans – New Orleans, LA – Louisiana Superdome (7:00 pm CT)
Sunday – 8/17 PLAYERS OFF
Monday – 8/18 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Saints Camp Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday – 8/19 Morning (Walk-Thru) 8:50 am – 10:30 am Saints Camp Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday – 8/20 Morning 8:50 am – 11:00 am Saints Camp Afternoon 4:20 pm – 6:00 pm
*Thursday – 8/21 Afternoon 3:40 pm – 6:00 pm Saints Camp
Attention Media:
* Practice times and field locations are subject to change with little or no advance warning due to weather considerations or at the discretion of the head coach.
* All Practices at Millsaps College are Open to the Public; All Training Camp Practices at Saints Camp will be Closed to the Public.
* Media alerts, updates and schedule changes will be made daily on www.neworleanssaints.com once training camp starts.
Vilma Back In The Game
July 25, 2008
Q: How did you feel today? A: Today felt good. It was the first day. It felt really good being out there today with my teammates, actually being able to hit people now.
http://www.topix.com/nfl/new-orleans-saint…
Thursday afternoon New Orleans Saints practice report
July 24, 2008
Receiver Marques Colston was back on the practice field Thursday afternoon after sitting out the morning session to rest his knee.
http://www.topix.com/nfl/new-orleans-saint…
Guest Column: Jackson, Miss., is home away from home for Saints
July 24, 2008
JACKSON, Miss. — New Orleans Saints players Wednesday began their mid-afternoon conditioning tests with the temperature in the mid-90s and a heat index in excess of 100 degrees.
http://www.topix.com/nfl/new-orleans-saint…
Saints, Colston reach deal
July 23, 2008
The New Orleans Saints and wide receiver Marques Colston have agreed to a three-year contract extension.
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