I had a crazy thought this morning, and one I hope will be viewed in hindsight as paranoia. While other teams are scrimmaging this weekend, the Saints and Steelers will be playing with full pads in the Hall of Fame preseason game. Only a week into training camp; I would hate to see early injuries in players going full speed before their bodies are ready. God knows I’m ready for football, but I hope the coaching staff is prudently cautious. The IR list from camps around the league seems to be getting crowded. 

Strong Safety Ron Harper, rookie Usama Young, Jason David and safety Kevin Kaesviharn are giving CB Fred Thomas and others some needed heat as the Saints look to shore up their defensive secondary with youth and speed. 

Harper, who tore his ACL against Tampa Bay in October, missed half the season. But Payton says he’s 100 percent healthy and could challenge free safety Josh Bullocks for playing time. Former Cincinnati safety Kevin Kaesviharn, acquired by free agency, is fighting his way onto the roster too.

The speedy Usama Young, 6′9″, 190 pounds coming off a minor injury is working his way into the professional-level drills during this first week of training camp. The Saints third-round pick can run the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds and has a 43 inch vertical leap. He intercepted Jamie Martin on Sunday stepping in front of Devery Henderson for the pick.

“It was good to see him back in the mix,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said. “It was good to see him at full speed.”

— Apparently, the Saints are auditioning a lot of players at kickoff returner. Aaron Stecker, Lance Moore, Copper, Henderson, Robert Meachem, Tramain Hall, Antonio Pittman and Pierre Thomas all took turns in the rotation during Sunday’s practices.

In my very limited opinion, I just hate to see the loss of Michael Lewis on the depth chart. Maybe he was still injured, but the guy was money kickoff and punt returns.

– I’d also like to recognize one of the Saints great adversaries, Coach Bill Walsh, the father of the west coast offense, who died this morning of leukemia.

Aaron who? Well, looks like Michael Vick’s poorer cousin is still on the lamb looking for a place to lite for the season.

Steelers unlikely to sign Brooks

Getty Images

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers met last week with free agent Aaron Brooks, the team appears to be an unlikely destination for the former Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints quarterback.

The teams appears set with Ben Roethlisberger, and backup Charlie Batch.

You can get on the discussion and throw a few darts at Brooks at Yahoo NFL Rumors. I almost did myself. But I feel bad for the guy. He’s a great athlete and could be a decent backup. It’s not his fault that Haslett couldn’t see him for what he was.

The players had a quick workout today and are slated to hit the field hard tomorrow when the training camp kicks off Friday.

Sean Payton has been quoted by several newspapers commenting on how different this year is. The casting calls of 2006 to field a team are almost unnecessary this year, with a full complement of veterans returning a quarterback whose 100 percent healthy, a running back two years from knee surgery and first draft pick signed and ready for camp.

The first preseason game against Pittsburgh is a week from Saturday at 7 p.m. central time. To get ready for the season, check out WWL — you can stream it on the Internet — to get your ear conditioned for the down home mush-mouth Jibber Jabber of Hokie Gajan, Kenny Wilkerson and Bobby Hebert and some of the other long-time stalwarts.

Payton gave a press conference today on the overall health of the team.

“(DT) Brian Young is two weeks off of his fractured foot. His progress is coming along well and that’s encouraging. He’s in a walking boot right now. For him, it’s a four to six week and possibly a six to eight week injury.”

“(LB) Usama Young has a left quad strain. He didn’t run this morning. Hopefully in his case we anticipate him possibly being able to practice on Sunday morning.”

“Will Smith ran this morning and his hamstring was a little tight, so we held him out of the afternoon workout. I was encouraged with the workout this morning. It was probably the best that I’ve seen that test run. These guys all finished. By and large everybody made their times. That was encouraging.”

The Saints opened training camp in Jackson, Miss. with the only hanging question answered: top pick Robert Meachem’s status as a Saints player. The Tennessee wide receiver signed onto a 5 year deal with $6 million in guaranteed money. The entire deal is worth $11.3 million. The other six payers drafted by the Saints were signed last month. The Saints open camp with everyone taken care of, no holdouts and a lot of good will and expectations for the season. So strange to say. Apparently,  it’s the first time since at least 2002 that its top pick has reported on time to camp. Meachem said he wanted to show up early and show his teammates that he wants to contribute. The Saints are one of three teams now with everyone signed. 

I wasn’t going to do anything on this, but keep reading about it, so I’ll just address my take on it. The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation has asked to host the Spring-time NFL draft, which is always in New York. They envision a week-long celebration of parties. I always catch part of the draft on the radio as I’m trolling for parking during Jazz Fest. I don’t know if the city can host two major events like that at once, or if they would adjust the dates. New Orleans has proved it can throw the big parties. Pre-Katrina, its police department was studied around the world for its success in major event crowd control. And the city always pulled off a great Superbowl. Since none are on the horizon , it would be a nice bone by the NFL. However, part of draw and humor of the draft are those crazy ass New Yorkers who go nuts (ie boo) over the Giants and Jets draft selections. Would they fly down to the big easy? Probably. But they won’t be happy about it. I guess they can duke it out at the Big Daddys.

ALSO — Get ready for Training camp. It starts a week from Friday in Jackson, Miss. I wish I could go. How has Reggie improved? He’s going to have a sensational year. Or top draft pick this year, Robert Meachem. He’s supposed to be healed from surgery by then.

AND… Check out the revamped website of www.neworleanssaints.com. Looks pretty cool.

….and he is the the first player in the history of the Madden game to receive a perfect 100 rating in acceleration. I am buying it as soon as I see it on the shelf.

Here’s the interview in total.

“Reggie Bush has commercials, expectations and questions”

July 15, 2007

“It doesn’t seem possible, but Reggie Bush’s schedule is even more jam-packed than it was a year ago when he was the No. 2 pick of the New Orleans Saints.The former USC star is the focus of at least nine national advertising campaigns — among them Adidas, Xbox 360, Subway, EA Sports, Hummer and Visa — and he’s gearing up for his second NFL season. When he isn’t pushing products, he’s playing video games. One of his proudest accomplishments? He’s the first player in the history of the Madden game to receive a perfect 100 rating in acceleration.”

Saints enter ‘07 in strange position — as contenders

By Tom Weir, USA TODAY

There is a great article in USA Today. Rather than steal from it, I’m posting it. Note the moves to shore-up the defensive secondary, which is very exciting, as well as the front four on defensive and offensive lines.

AROUND THE FIELD IN NEW ORLEANS

Quarterback: Drew Brees led the NFL with 4,418 passing yards and was a big-play specialist, completing a league-leading 41 passes of 25 yards or more. The organization has no worries about the dislocated (non-throwing) elbow he suffered in the Pro Bowl; he fully participated in all offseason practices. The only concern is the backup is Jamie Martin, 37.

Running back: Deuce McAllister proved he was recovered from knee surgery with a 1,000-yard season. As important, McAllister put his ego aside while sharing carries with Reggie Bush. Added to the mix is a McAllister-like interior runner, fourth-round pick Antonio Pittman. Pittman may allow Bush to get more touches in the slot or at wideout and could relieve him from being beat up while picking up the blitz.

Wide receiver: Mainstay Joe Horn signed with the Atlanta Falcons, but that’s a tolerable loss considering he’s 35. Robert Meachem, the No. 1 draft pick from Tennessee, has a chance to step into Horn’s spot and has been pronounced recovered from relatively minor knee surgery. Brees’ top target figures to be the steal of the 2006 draft, Marques Colston. In his third season, Devery Henderson progressed well, averaging a stellar 23.3 yards a catch.

Tight end: The only spot where New Orleans didn’t glow on offense last season has been bolstered with free agent Eric Johnson. He’ll split time with Mark Campbell.

Offensive line: Left tackle Jammal Brown was a Pro Bowl selection in his second season and looks like he could anchor this unit for a decade. At center last year, Jeff Faine proved a perfect solution for the loss of Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley. Jon Stinchcomb was markedly improved at right tackle in his fourth season, and Jahri Evans, a fourth-round pick from Bloomsburg State, was a Colston-like surprise at guard.

Defensive line: Both ends are solid, manned by Charles Grant and Will Smith, who earned his first Pro Bowl selection with a career-high 10½ sacks. The Saints are stressing the need for more takeaways and will be looking for strips from tackles Brian Young and Hollis Thomas. Kendrick Clancy, who had 11 starts at tackle last year for the Arizona Cardinals, brings depth.

Linebacker: Not much star power. Ten-year vet Brian Simmons has been added, and he’ll compete with Mark Simoneau in the middle. Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle return on the outside. Defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs did a good patchwork job last year, but it needs more improvement.

Secondary: Safety Kevin Kaesviharn was added; he had six picks in 2006 for the Cincinnati Bengals. Safety Roman Harper lasted five games as a rookie before a knee injury. Cornerback Jason David, signed from the Indianapolis Colts, should be a solid addition. Free safety Josh Bullocks has been dependable with 29 starts in a row. Cornerback Mike McKenzie needs to step up.

Special teams: John Carney, despite missing only two field goals last year, has been replaced by Olindo Mare. Steve Weatherford had a dependable 43.8-yard punting average but must hold off former Jacksonville Jaguar Chris Hanson to keep his job. With returner Michael Lewis released, the watch is on to see if Bush will be used on punts and kickoffs.

Coaching staff: General manager Mickey Loomis says coach Sean Payton was “better than I could have hoped for or expected, and I expected a lot.” Payton also kept his staff intact. Enough said.

Outlook: The Saints open against Super Bowl champion Indianapolis and finish against the Super Bowl losers, the Chicago Bears. In between, the schedule isn’t daunting. The offense should put the Saints back in the playoffs, but how much the defense improves will determine how far they go.

I heard one of the analysts on NFL Late Hits talking about the NFC South improving this year. I caught the tail end of what he was saying, but it went something like this:

“It’s not like they were 13-3 last season. And I think Tampa will be better this year. They’re one of those teams that could take a step back. You never know. ”

Then he started comparing the Dome Patrol of Vaughn Johnson, Ricky Jackson and Pat Swilling to this year’s line backing corps which is serviceable but not dominating by any means. Part of the Saints game is its offensive prowess, which gives the defense some breathing room. But we all know offense wins the fans, but defense wins championships. I highly doubt the addition of Dhani Jones will add too much depth for Fajita and Brian Simmons. I hope the rookie cornerback can hold his own against the deep ball. The Saints are an unknown quantity for us fans, but opponents will have a season’s worth of tape to study.

In other matters, the Superdome’s Phase II renovations are nearly complete. Great. Call me if there’s a problem.

Third item:

Calvin Johnson has Reggie Bush to thank for making the second pick a lucrative package to rival the top pick.

Bush, who arguably should have gone number 1, got a guarantee of more than $26 million from the Saints, which raises the bar for second picks ad infinit.

According to the team’s official homepage, the Saints signed a couple of free agent wide receivers to 2-year contracts. Tramain Hall and Aaron Hosack, both 25, played in NFL Europe this spring.

I don’t know anything about them except what is listed on the website: In Europe, Hall had 16 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned four punts for 68 yards and nine kickoffs for 217 yards. He went to training camp with the Tennessee Titans in 2006, but I guess was cut. I can only assume they’re looking for bodies and some special teams play with the loss of Michael Lewis. He apparently was a big-time standout at North Carolina State, ranked 6th in school history in catches and ninth in touchdown receptions.

Hosack is much bigger. He’s a big, 6 foot 5, 229 pounder, and sounds a lot like Marques Colston. In Europe, Hosack had nine receptions for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He was named to the All-NFL Europe team after a standout season with Frankfurt in 2006. He played for Frankfurt in 2005 and was tied for fourth in NFL Europe with four touchdown receptions.

Coach Payton has shown willingness to take a chance on talented unknowns, like Colston, who was the third to last last player drafted in 2006. Colston was scouted as a “tweener” receiver that lacked speed and was better suited to tight end. He defied everyone and made Payton look like a genius.