SB Nation - Kevin Houser

Prospective Seahawks General Managers: Randy Mueller

John Morgan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:13:53 -0000

by Don Wright - AP

Randy Mueller traded Chris Chambers to San Diego for a second round pick. Chambers was recently released by the Chargers.

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I am saving Sunday's tape analysis for the offseason. Just like last offseason and the two that preceded it, I will scout every important player on the Seahawks roster, cite specific plays from the season that exemplified that player's strengths and weaknesses and project their future within the organization.

Yesterday was filled with so much defeat, complete, non-competitive, Brett Favre benched in the second half, defeat, Seahawks fans deserve a respite. Let us escape from our escape through our escape.

The Tim Ruskell-Mike Holmgren dichotomy is media created foolishness. Holmgren wants back in football. A smaller team, a team that needs the recycled hype and distraction, that is mired in failure and needs anyone, anything to steal the headline from griping and finger pointing, will hire Holmgren.

Paul Allen is a progressive and invested owner. That doesn't put him beyond hiring a general manager he is comfortable with. That is why I start this series with a former Seahawk, Randy Mueller.

Randy Mueller

Mueller cut his teeth with Seattle, working his way up from pro personnel assistant, 1983, to player personnel director, 1990, and finally Vice President of Football Operation in 1995. The signing of Holmgren signaled the departure of Mueller. The two worked together on the disastrous 1999 draft before Mueller became the general manager of the New Orleans Saints.

Mueller drafted Joey Galloway, Shawn Springs, Pete Kendall, Phillip Daniels, Walter Jones, Anthony Simmons and Ahman Green for the Seahawks. He was integral in Seattle escaping Rick Mirer. Mueller traded Mirer to Chicago for a first round pick in 1997.

He went on to work for the Saints starting in 2000. There he helped clean up another coach-executed disaster, flipping Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins for two first round picks in 2002. In three season with the Saints, Mueller drafted Marc Bulger, Darren Howard, Kevin Houser, Deuce McAllister, Moran Norris, Donte Stallworth, Charles Grant and LeCharles Bentley.

From 2002 to 2005, Mueller worked for ESPN as an analyst. He signed with the Dolphins in 2005, but then-coach Nick Saban was in charge of personnel decisions. Mueller was in charge for the short period between Saban's resignation January 3, 2007 and Bill Parcells appointment December 19, 2007. The 2007 Dolphins finished 1-15 and Mueller was fired December 31, 2007.

His larger record speaks better of him than his recent work. Mueller might best be described as a fixer. He helps teams escape bad situations and has succeeded at turning high round picks into successful players. He traded Chris Chambers for a second round pick, Wes Welker for a second and seventh round pick (when Welker was a return specialist and part time receiver) and, as mentioned, freed the Seahawks from Mirer and the Saints from Williams. Mueller does not have much experience picking quarterbacks. He did find Marc Bulger in the sixth, and acquired Trent Green for a fifth round pick. Before a brain scrambling hit essentially ended his career, Green was a serviceable quarterback in 2007.

If Seattle is looking to blow up the roster and exchange some of its more valuable players for picks, Mueller is the right guy to dismantle and liquidate. He isn't young, but he is connected. He isn't fresh or sexy, but his record is pretty strong. Mueller is a bridge, and I would think, appeals most to fans that think the Seahawks are not close, not rebuilding, but collapsing; years from contention.

2009 Saints Off-Season: A Nostalgic Look Back

Saintsational — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Tomorrow is the official beginning of the 2009 Saints season, which means today is the official end of their 2009 off-season. The Saints have come a long way since Drew's final record-breaking pass attempt hit the Superdome turf and it's been a wild ride with lots of ups and downs. I figured what better way to say our final goodbye to the long, cold, lonely months of off-season action than to reminisce one last time and take a final look at how we've gotten to today, as seen through Canal Street Chronicles.

After the jump you'll find a timeline of memorable events, good and bad, from the past eight months for both the Saints organization and for us here at CSC. I had fun putting this together and I hope you have as much fun reading it and taking that quick trip down memory lane. Feel free to share any of your memories about these events or even add your own memorable moments.

Gary Gibbs is gone - January 7, 2009

One of the first but still probably the biggest and best moves of the entire off-season. The perfect start. We'll all remember where we were when we heard the wonderful news. Only Jessie Spano could properly express my emotions the next morning.

Gregg Williams is in - January 15, 2009

It didn't take long for the Saints to find a replacement for Gibbs. Less than a week after I urged the Saints to take their time finding a new defensive coordinator, they hire Gregg Williams. Probably because Williams was Payton's top choice, so much so that he was willing to give up a quarter of a million dollars of his own salary just to make sure Gregg came to New Orleans.

Dan Morgan unretires and re-joins Saints - January 22, 2009

Pro Football Talk broke the news that Dan Morgan would be giving it another shot. Sure, he's old but it's got to be worth a shot right? I like where this is heading.

Deuce McAllister is let go - February 17, 2009

The news wasn't surprising but it was certainly depressing. We still miss you Deuce.

Tomlinson to New Orleans? - February 28, 2009

It didn't take long after the release of Deuce for the talking heads to start throwing around rumors about a possible LT signing to fill the gap. It never seemed likely but still, it was a fun couple of days while it lasted.

Saints sign Jabari Greer - March 4, 2009

I'm planning on Jabari being the savior for the Saints secondary woes. If football doesn't work out, though, he can always try to get a job on SNL. I was shocked when I found these clips on YouTube...

Bears sign Bullocks - March 11, 2009

It was great news already when the Saints refused to bring back Josh Bullocks for another season but even better news when we found out the Bears had picked him up. If only the Saints were playing the Bears this year!

Welcome Darren Sharper - March 18, 2009

The Saints make one of their biggest signings of the off-season when they snag veteran Darren Sharper. Things are really starting to look up.

Mike McKenzie bites the dust - March 19, 2009

Another fairly predictable move by the Saints. Still, it's never easy to watch your teams best cornerback leave.

Jonathan Vilma's Condo Location of Double Murder - March 31, 2009

Obviously Vilma had nothing to do with it but what ever happened with this?

Jeff Duncan vs. Saints Nation - April 7, 2009

In the internet sports world, the people are served by two separate yet equally important groups: the reporters, who are paid professionals, and bloggers, who claim they're getting ripped off. This is their story.

NYSaint becomes YouTube star - April 25, 2009

Speaking of Law & Order...I just had to find some way to include this in a post one more time.

Saints draft Malcolm Jenkins - April 25, 2009

Most Saints fans agree: This was a good pick.

Hap Glaudi rocks CSC - April 29, 2009

I think we can all laugh about it now, but when Hap made her debut here on Da Chronic, she turned quite a few heads and caused a massive uproar. Now we'll never look at Thomas Morstead, or cats for that matter, the same way again. After some damage control, I think CSC it's only made CSC stronger.

Practice squad players arrested and cut - May 3, 2009

Kolo Kapanui and Biren Ealy were relieved of their duties after they were caught relieving themselves in a parking lot and exposing themselves to a woman.

Canal Street Chronicles brings back Kenny Wilkerson - May 21, 2009

It had been over a year since Kenny Wilkerson was involved with the Saints reporting scene and his whereabouts were becoming the stuff of local lore. Fortunately for us, he chose Canal Street Chronicles to make his triumphant return when he broke his silence and granted us an in-depth interview.

Dan Morgan retires...again - June 8, 2009

You're not experiencing Deja Vu. It was fun while it lasted. I hope Dan's restaurant is doing alright.

Saintsational ties the knot - June 27, 2009

This has absolutely nothing to do with the Saints or the blog really, other than my sweet wedding cake.

The tax credit fiasco - July 2, 2009

After being the point man on a film studio investment and losing the money of quite a few Saints players and coaches, Kevin Houser was let go. The timing, however, was purely coincidental since Payton was already looking to improve on the infallible play of the veteran long snapper. Houser landed on his feet, though, when he signed with the Seahawks at the end of July. CSC was the first in the world with that news.

Twitter takes over - July 9, 2009

I think the first time we realized how important a role Twitter would play in following the tea, came when Shockey aired out his emotions about "Chad" Houser via a tweet. Now, it's mandatory reading for all Who Dats. Even PayDiddy has an account!

Goodbye Jason David - August 17, 2009

The Saints most maligned player was finally shown the door. As if letting go of Gibbs and Bullocks weren't wonderful enough. You've got to admit, the front office was very good to us this year. And to think, I actually thought things might be different for David this season.

Canal Street Chronicles hits 1,000 - August 20, 2009

It took CSC only five months after reaching the 500 member mark to double that feat and reach 1,000 members. Thanks to everyone who reads everyday. It's nothing without all of you. Looking forward to another season.

Seattle Seahawks Announce 53 Man Roster, Marcus Trufant to PUP List

John Morgan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:18:30 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Goodbye and good luck.

Browse more photos »

Seattle has announced its 53-man roster. That roster does not include Marcus Trufant, who will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. That's bad news, but hopefully the right decision. Seattle rushed Deion Branch last season and effectively lost his roster spot.

The roster reflects a major youth movement with some fringe guys unseating former regulars. Could this be reflective of changing opinions on replacement value? A movement towards freeing cap space next year?

Courtesy Danny O'neil:


		Offense

Quarterback		Running backs		Fullback
Matt Hasselbeck	Seneca Wallace	Julius Jones	Edgerrin James	Justin Griffith
Mike Teel		Justin Forsett		Owen Schmitt
Offensive line		Wide receivers		Tight end
Sean Locklear	Walter Jones	Deion Branch	Nate Burleson	John Carlson
Max Unger	Rob Sims	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	Deon Butler	John Owens
Steve Vallos	Chris Spencer	Ben Obomanu		Cameron Morrah
Ray Willis	Mansfield Wrotto
Kyle Williams

		Defense

Defensive ends		Defensive tackles		Cornerbacks
Patrick Kerney	Cory Redding	Brandon Mebane	Colin Cole	Ken Lucas
Darryl Tapp	Lawrence Jackson	Red Bryant	Craig Terrill	Josh Wilson
Nick Reed	Derek Walker	Michael Bennett		Kelly Jennings
				Travis Fisher (!)

Linebackers		Safeties		Specialists
Lofa Tatupu	Aaron Curry	Deon Grant	Jordan Babineaux	Olindo Mare
Leroy Hill	Lance Laury	Lawyer Milloy	C.J. Walllace	Jon Ryan
Will Herring	David Hawthorne			Kevin Houser

CUTS: S Jamar Adams, DE Baraka Atkins, K Brandon Coutu, G Brian De La Puente, CB Marquis Floyd, T Na'Shan Goddard, S Courtney Greene, WR Mike Hass, CB Kevin Hobbs, FB David Kirtman, RB Devin Moore, CB Nate Ness, TE Joe Newton, WR Logan Payne, LB Dave Philistin, T Andre Ramsey, T William Robinson, QB Jeff Rowe, WR Courtney Taylor.

10 Quick Opinions:

Walter Jones is on the roster: This speaks for itself. Get well Franchise.
Seattle is super thin at Corner and Safety: This could foreshadow further moves.
Courtney Taylor Cut: It came down to the fourth preseason game and Ben Obomanu put the decision to rest.
Seattle deep at linebacker but no D.D. Lewis: I've never been a huge fan of Lewis. He is credited for being able to play any linebacker position, but he doesn't seem to play any of them well.
Special Teams: The lack of depth at wide receiver and safety means Seattle could struggle on cover units.
No Jordan Kent: Kent wasn't placed on IR. He was waived with a settlement. I think that ends his playing career. Other teams might ask, but will Kent answer?
Cameron Morrah: I didn't see much from Morrah, so Seattle must be convinced he is too good to cut. Interesting talent Seattle will let mature, but if a starting tight end goes down, I don't think Morrah is ready to contribute.
Derek Walker: Great size and showed up in the preseason. Walker could be the dark horse replacement for Cory Redding. Get your head up, today you are an NFL player.
Lots of depth on Offensive Line: With this many question marks and injuries, can you blame the Seahawks?
This is not over: One deadline met, but days to complete this roster. I doubt it will like it does today next Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks Sack Oakland Raiders 31-21 to Sweep Preseason

John Morgan — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:01:02 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Ben Obomanu ruled Qwest.

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Winners, Losers and Projecting
the Final 53 Man Roster

Winners

Dan Quinn: A great position coach finds hidden talent. It's perhaps the single greatest impact a position coach can have. In one draft, Quinn has found, coached up and scheme matched Nick Reed, Michael Bennett and Derek Walker. Quinn deserves some credit for Cory Redding too. Classes like this put position coaches in line for defensive coordinator positions--and head coaching positions.

Losers

Secondary: The front seven looked terrific throughout the game, but the secondary was sloppy, slow and not opportunistic. Seattle might lean on Jordan Babineaux to play two positions and keep seven defensive backs.

Courtney Taylor: Not sure he's cut, but it's very possible. I'd love to credit him for his sweet RAC on the Morrah moving pick, but we can't be sure he would have been open if not for the penalty. If he is cut, I expect him to make another team. Some receivers coach will see his athleticism and desire and give the kid a call.

Curt Menefee: It takes a special kind of genius to make sideline interviews more awkward and irritating, but Curt Menefee is that genius. Instead of sticking to pleasantries and platitudes, Menefee put on his reporter cap and got controversial. Asking Deon Butler about the poor quarterback play at Penn State or Darryl Tapp about how he feels about not starting does not inspire honest, insightful answers. It causes an athlete to bristle and be more guarded.

Seattle Seahawks 53 Man Roster

Deon Butler

Ben Obomanu

Tight End

John Carlson

John Owens

Joe Newton

Offensive Line

Kyle Williams

Defensive Tackle

Michael Bennett

Defensive End

Patrick Kerney

Cory Redding

Lawrence Jackson

Darryl Tapp

Nick Reed

Baraka Atkins

Linebackers

Leroy Hill

Corners

Kelly Jennings

Ken Lucas

Josh Wilson

(Free Agent or Trade)

Safety

Brian Russell

Deon Grant

Jordan Babineaux

C.J. Wallace

Specialist

Olindo Mare

Jon Ryan

Kevin Houser

PUP: Marcus Trufant

IR: Jordan Kent..Cory Withrow

Practice Squad

Derek Walker

(Acquired)

Winners, Losers and Projecting Seattle's 53 Man Roster

John Morgan — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:35:12 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Ben Obomanu ruled Qwest.

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Winners

Losers

Seattle Seahawks 53 Man Roster

Quarterback

Matt Hasselbeck

Seneca Wallace

Mike Teel

Running Back

Julius Jones

Edgerrin James

Justin Forsett

Fullback

Justin Griffith

Owen Schmitt

Wide Receiver

Deon Butler

Tight End

John Carlson

John Owens

Joe Newton

Offensive Line

Kyle Williams

Defensive Tackle

Michael Bennett

Defensive End

Patrick Kerney

Cory Redding

Lawrence Jackson

Darryl Tapp

Nick Reed

Baraka Atkins

Linebackers

Leroy Hill

Corners

Kelly Jennings

Ken Lucas

Josh Wilson

(Free Agent or Trade)

Safety

Brian Russell

Deon Grant

Jordan Babineaux

C.J. Wallace

Specialist

Olindo Mare

Jon Ryan

Kevin Houser

PUP: Marcus Trufant

IR: Jordan Kent..Cory Withrow

Practice Squad

Derek Walker

(Acquired)

Projecting the Seattle Seahawks 53-Man Roster

John Morgan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:00:55 -0000

Seattle must cut its roster down to 75 tomorrow. This is news. It has already cut four players, Kevin Brown, Dan Curran, Shane Simmons and John Tereshinski. This is also news. Poor John Tereshinski couldn't even get the Seahawks to spell his name correctly. I've never found much drama in the final push to 53. Here are the guys, minus injury, I think are locks for the team. All 53.

Quarterback

Matt Hasselbeck

Seneca Wallace

Mike Teel

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End

John Carlson

John Owens

Joe Newton

Offensive Line

Kyle Williams

Defensive Line

Michael Bennett

Linebackers

Leroy Hill

Cornerbacks

Safeties

Specialist

One of Olindo Mare or Brandon Coutu

Jon Ryan

Kevin Houser

IR

Walter Jones

. . .

If Jones isn't put on IR, Kyle Williams is signed to the practice squad displacing William Robinson.

Practice Squad

William Robinson

Did Houser do the Saints a Favor?

Saintsational — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:23:01 -0000

The Saints new long snapper, Jason Kyle, has garnered a good bit of press and attention these first few days of training camp and with the cirumstances surrounding his signing with the team, I'm not surprised. Regardless of how you feel about his presence on the Saints, we all have to admit the consensus agrees: He's a talented snapper and a quality player. Like the Jabari Greer situation I wrote about yesterday, Kyle was a player that his former team, in this case the Panthers, didn't want to let go but just couldn't afford him anymore. The Charlotte Observer mentioned this fact the other day...

A salary-cap crunch contributed to the decision to not re-sign steady Jason Kyle, who held the job eight seasons and now is with New Orleans.

and Pat Yasinskas touched on the very same subject just this morning...

I've covered Kyle for a lot of years and can't recall ever seeing him have a bad snap, even in practice. That kind of consistency is what the Saints have been seeking throughout their special teams. That's something the Panthers had throughout Kyle's time with the team, but it's a luxury they no longer could afford with Julius Peppers eating up $18 million in salary-cap space.

We should all be optimistic and worry-free that Kyle is a more than adequate replacement; happy because he's with the Saints and not the Panthers. Great news.

But Pat Y. is ignoring the fact that the Saints had a younger, equally consistent long snapper before Kyle. We might even be led to believe that this little snapper switch-a-roo was a needed upgrade and well planned maneuver by the Saints front office.

Doubtful.

Sure, the Saints may be looking for "consistency throughout their special teams." After all, what team isn't? But I don't think they were seeking it in the snapping department, however.

Instead, the Saints were forced to look elsewhere after Houser's investment deal soured his relationship with teammates. So if Jason Kyle winds up being the welcome addition we now expect him to be - or the downgrade for Carolina we hope - chalk it up to pure luck. The timing of the tax credit fiasco and the availability of Jason Kyle were purely serendipitous. Had it never happened, I firmly believe Houser is still on this team and Kyle gets shipped somewhere else.

Thanks Chad Houser.

Canal Street Chronicles: Fleur-di-Links

Saintsational — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

4 months ago: New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton listens to a question at a news conference prior to the start of the club's NFL football training camp in Metairie, La., Thursday, July 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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Depth Chart Released

Here's a link we all know and love but probably haven't check out in a while. It's the Saints depth chart and it's been updated for training camp. Well...sort of. Keep in mind this is the Saints official website we're talking about here so you know there's got to be something wrong with it. If you pay attention you'll notice it's missing a few notable names including Adrian Arrington and Bobby McCray. Check it out for yourself and talk about your initial observations.

Twitter - In their own words

drewbrees Left my room at 6:30 this morning. Just walked back in the door of my room at 10:30 PM. A typical training camp day - Drew Brees

therealJShock just got out of meetings then snack.. already time for bed what a sudden change from a week ago hahhaha - Jeremy Shockey

therealJShock just got off field!!! day 1 went well as expected. Its good to see everyone going to be a fun season... - Jeremy Shockey

saints83 Today was a great 1st day. Run test went well for all the guys then a light practice. Man I missed football. Tomorrow we put on the pads ... Problem is I already miss my wife and kids - Billy Miller

Reggie - That Cheating Bastard?

Originally the couple had claimed that cheating did not play a part in their split. But is that really the case? And who was cheating on who? Do you care?

EXCLUSIVE: Model Claims Affair With Reggie Bush While He Dated Kim Kardashian - RadarOnline.com

Foxnews.com broke the story that Reggie saw text messages from Kanye West on Kim'sphone and "flipped out." Fox reported the messages were more than just friendly and talked about Kanye hanging out with Kim and how much fun he had.

Now RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively that a sexy Latino model in Miami is claiming she had an affair with Reggie and has been threatening to take her story public to the highest bidding magazine.

The model claimed a months-long affair that included hookups in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami and included X-rated texts and phone messages.

So who is this mystery woman, this sexy Latino model of which they speak? Kissing Suzy Kolber thinks they've cracked the case. Fair warning though: This link may not be safe for those of you at work. If you're married, it may not be safe at home either. Whatever, just click it. You won't regret it. Unless you get fired. Or divorced.

Reggie Bush loves the Ortega Taco??? - Kissing Suzy Kolber

Extra Fluff

Here are a bunch of articles that are all based on the two press conferences with Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton yesterday. Feel free to read the articles but I suggest going straight to the source and simply reading or listening to the actual press conferences yourself. I have included both press conferences in transcript and audio form for your reading and/or listening pleasure, after the jump.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton eager to get training camp started - Times-Pic

Jason Kyle's long snaps a step up for New Orleans Saints, Coach Sean Payton says - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints' negotiations with Malcolm Jenkins stall - Times-Pic

Payton, Loomis optimistic before Saints season of urgency - NewOrleans.com

Saints not expecting Jenkins anytime soon - Sun Herald

Notes from Thurs news conference at Saints camp - WWL

Saints 1st rounder Jenkins not expected in camp anytime soon - WWLTV

Press conference audio courtesy of WWL

Sean Payton

Mickey Loomis

Sean Payton

From the New Orleans Saints official website.

Opening Statement:

"As we get started, I think it would easier for me to talk about the two or three guys that we have to pay attention to at the start of this camp that are injury concerns. Really there are three, and I'm not including Stanley Arnoux, we understand the significance of his injury. Right now, we're going to monitor Adrian Arrington. His hamstring has gotten better, but it's not yet 100%, so we'll take him day by day and won't put him out there in full team drills until we feel like we're confident that it's ready to go without the threat of another injury. Lance Moore has done a great job and he's way ahead of schedule. He'll get some individual work, but again, we'll be judicious in bringing him into any team type of drills, any type of contact work. He's a guy that we'll have to be mindful of with his shoulder. The last player is Jonathan Vilma. He had a scope procedure done in his abdomen area. It wasn't a full sports hernia, but nonetheless, he'll get a fair amount of reps to begin with and we'll just monitor that in the first week or so before we turn him loose. He'll get a lot of the team work, where the other two players will be guys that we'll have to hold back off on because right now we have them on the PUP list. We'll take it day by day with those players. Those are the three guys that you'll see tomorrow in practice; Vilma you won't notice as much because he'll be getting some reps, but you'll see Lance mainly working with the individual stuff and the same thing with Adrian."

Was Vilma's surgery done in the offseason?

"This was a procedure that we decided to have done shortly after our last minicamp. It was one in which we had time. It was a small repair and the procedure went well. Dr. Myers from Philadelphia performed it and we went ahead and had it done so it wasn't something that became an issue or aggravated him throughout the course of the season. I know Jonathan and our doctors and myself and Mickey spent a lot of time discussing the options and we felt like with the time we had and the gap we had between when we finished minicamp and when we started tomorrow that we were able to do that. Fortunately for Jon, he has rehabbed it well and feels close to 100%, but not quite there yet."

Did you say that Arrington and Moore are on the PUP list?

"Both of them are guys that we wouldn't pass on the physical, which isn't uncommon. We'll wait and we'll monitor their progress and then as soon as we feel like they're ready to put them into team drills, then we'll do that."

What did the team do today? Did everyone else pass their physicals?

"Everyone did except the two players that I mentioned. Basically the morning meeting was an operations meeting that we do every year where we try to hit on all the topics as it pertains to the training room, as it pertains to the equipment room, media - all the operations aspects of training camp. When you do switch training camp sites, there's a little bit of unsettledness in regards to really for all of us this is our first go-round of having training camp here. We talked a little bit this morning about some of the nuances that we'll have to adjust to in our travel schedule back and forth from the hotel. But that morning meeting was about 45-50 minutes long; they had meetings then in the afternoon and then this evening we had a brief walkthrough inside in shorts and helmets. We had a conditioning test prior to lunch and all the players participated in that. The results were real good. Now they're heading back to the hotel where tonight we'll have our team meeting, which is a little bit more football related and then special teams and offense and defensive meetings before they have bed check."

Is everyone here except for Malcolm Jenkins?

"Everyone is here but Jenkins, correct."

Did everyone make their weight?

"Everyone made their weight; all but one and I don't want to get into specifics. I was real pleased with the weigh-ins. Normally you have a handful of players that struggle to make it, but we did a pretty good job and that was reflected in the conditioning test as well."

How concerned are you about Jenkins missing time?

"Being that we haven't practiced yet and really it starts tomorrow, this is a little bit unique this year in that there are a fair amount of first-round picks that haven't signed and typically they kind of go in clumps. Hopefully that process speeds up, not only for our first-round pick but for everyone else because it typically brings the remaining players with them."

Is there a battle for the long snapper position?

"I'm glad you asked that. A week ago we had to waive Darian Barnes and that created a spot for us. This morning, we had to waive Rob Ninkovich. Those two spots freed up the two signings of our punter (Thomas Morstead) and our safety (Chip Vaughn). Right now we're at our correct number. When Malcolm Jenkins signs, we'll have to create another spot and we'll deal with that when that happens. That's the hardest thing about the calendar in regards to have to make a decision like that with a guy like Ninkovich or Barnes who have been with you throughout the whole offseason and now here it is a day before training camp starts and you have to make a decision like that; that's never easy. Both of those players have been released which cleared the room for the two players that I talked about."

How will the looming suspensions for Will Smith and Charles Grant affect how you use them in training camp and the preseason?

"That's a good question. I think that there's a portion of the camp where you have to make sure that they're working with them, but the reps behind them become equally important to Bobby McCray, Paul Spicer, Anthony Hargrove, Jeff Charleston, all those other players that potentially are going to be playing and filling in. We have to be paying close attention to the reps and how much we give and how little we give. That is a little different, knowing that we're going to start the season with those suspensions. The preseason games give you the opportunity to give a little more work to the players behind Charles and Will."

Will Charles and Will be with the first-string unit to start?

"Yes. They'll start off and the position, by nature, is one that has a lot of rotation to begin with. That makes a little easier, unlike a position like quarterback or cornerback. We try to rotate those guys quite a bit. But to answer your question, those guys will start off the first practice tomorrow with the first group. But you'll see a lot of rotation and really a lot of us playing around with the guys behind them to see where we're at as we get ready to start four or five weeks from now."

Can you explain why you made the switch at long snapper from Kevin Houser to Jason Kyle?

"The first thing we try to do - we being Mickey, myself and the organization - is that we look at each decision and make sure that it's football related. I feel comfortable and confident in the acquisition of Jason Kyle coming in as a guy with experience. We worked him out in the spring prior to us breaking the minicamp, particularly with his field goal and extra point snaps, the shorter of the two. We felt that he was consistent, he had a lot of the same attributes that Kevin had and we felt that he had better velocity and we made the decision.

"In regards to the other situation off the field, that was not something that played into this decision. Obviously, that's something that was unfortunate. I've read a lot about it and the one thing that I kept reading that didn't seem too accurate is that I don't think speaking on behalf of the 24, 25, 26, 27 people, I don't think anyone was looking at that as an investment opportunity as much as they were looking at it as purchasing tax credits. It's one thing to make investments and a lot of us have people that are in charge of that, but it's another thing to just purchase Louisiana tax credits. I think the goal for everyone involved and the reason that there were so many involved was that after you're here and you've lived here for a little while you understand the economy of Louisiana and how they're able to attract the film industry to this region. The idea was fairly simple and that was to purchase tax credits. I'm fairly certain that nobody in that group was interested in investing at all in the studio per se; certainly I wasn't."

Did people heap blame on Houser for that?

"I think that would be an easier answer for our players to give you. It's harder for me. Kevin have communicated from shortly after the team when that purchase went a little south and he and I stayed in touch in regards to that matter, but I don't think that those involved felt like it was any type of investment other than the opportunity to purchase tax credits, which I think is fairly common."

From a football standpoint, where was Houser falling short?

"In Jason's case, we felt like we were getting someone a little quicker with his times on the field goals and the PATs and a little quicker in regards to the punts. Certainly we had consistency with Kevin, but the player we signed we had felt like he wasn't going to be available. We felt like Carolina was going to have to create room and when he was still available after the workout, we went ahead with that opportunity. We're excited about it. Today was the first chance we had to see him some and he did a good job. Again, we're always looking at how things affect our team and if we're doing the right thing for the team in regards to a player that we feel like upgrades us. We try to be right as much as we can and in his case, we feel like we've been able to do that."

Was the conditioning test a pass/fail test?

"It's a pass/fail. There are three sets of gassers that they run for time. I think 95% of the team made all of their times and then typically it comes down to the third group - the linemen - that struggle. We probably had four players - they all finished - but four players that didn't make all their times in the conditioning test, and all of them linemen."

What kind of condition is Sedrick Ellis in?

"Real good. He made all of his times and his weight is good."

Was there a concern on your part that Houser would have become a distraction in the locker room?

"There are always lessons to be learned and this isn't something that's new to any locker room. Again, I think the feeling of the group was that it was a fairly simple matter in regard to the decision to make a purchase of tax credits. In regards to a distraction or all those other issues, I don't know that that was the case. I guess you could poll each player or coach that was involved and you might get a different answer. Certainly there was a fair amount of concern as guys were preparing to do their taxes for the '08 season, but the decision we made was not predicated on that issue. That's the thing we tried to emphasize and I talked with Kevin about that when I contacted him on the night we released him."

What have you learned as a head coach?

"I've learned a lot. I've learned the importance of personnel, the importance of the offseason each year, certainly I have appreciated the importance of having good quarterback play. I think when you look at the three prior years and you get past '06, certainly it's not easy to stay on top or to win each year. It's hard to do and it's something that we're committed to doing. For a question like that, I could go on here for 20 minutes or half an hour, but there are a lot of organizational things. I've learned to be patient and all-in-all, still the importance of having the right staff in place and the right players in place in the locker room and the importance of player evaluation and getting the right guys. The thing that all of us think about at this time of the year is that you're preparing to get ready to play your first game, but equally if not more important is that you're preparing to find the right 53 guys that will make up this team. That weighs on your mind a lot because those decisions that are forthcoming are very important."

Was patience something you really had to learn?

"I think as a young coach there are certain things that you can't come in ready to know. You're going to learn some things on the job and I think you keep track of things that take place throughout the course of games, throughout the course of the offseason in dealing with players, and no differently than a player would, you try to eliminate repeating a mistake. I think it's important and all of us as coaches evaluate constantly how we gameplan, how we practice. Our itinerary is a little different in this training camp than it has been in prior camps. It's easy to just turn the page to what you did a year ago and put the stamp on it, but that's not necessarily the right thing. As we move training camp here, there are going to be some nuances that come up that maybe wouldn't have come up in Jackson and you have to be able to handle those things smoothly."

What do you see as some of the things you'll have to deal with in having training camp here at home?

"I think the first issue is going to be the transportation to and from the hotel. Are we going to have transportation issues? Are players going to be able to have ample time to get from the facility to where they're eating? One of the things we did when we set up camp here is that we moved all the meetings, all the video, all the computers, everything out to the Hilton. The reason we did that was that if you keep it all here, then you have the issue of practice being over, lunch being served and then the players meeting here and you're cutting away from their time off their feet somewhere in a bed. When you're on a college campus, they're in the dorm and that's not a faraway place to go, but here I know that one option is to try to use cots or something here at the facility. Rather than doing that, with the meetings and all the meeting rooms and film and the meals all at the hotel, basically the hotel operates as our training camp with our practice facility being right where it's at. When the players get up in the morning, any breakfast is had at the hotel, they make the drive over here to the facility and it's about 12 minutes. They get taped, they get their treatment, they get their pads on, they practice and when practice is over with, they have their commitments with the media and the weight room and they shower here and then they're back on the road to the hotel where they're going to eat lunch, and after lunch is over with they're going to meet and then get on the elevator, go up to their room and sleep and it maximizes the time between practices where they're off their feet in a bed and then back down and back to the facility for the second practice. All our meetings and all our meals will be over at the hotel rather than at the facility and the main reason for that is back to that rest issue between practices. To answer your question, the concern would be if we're allocating enough time in between the hotel and the facility. We're here locally so we have to make sure that we're monitoring the hotel. It's important that we create an environment that's still like training camp, that's it's not just another day at practice on Airline Drive. By doing that with the curfew - everyone is mandated to stay in the hotel - players, coaches, the whole group - hopefully we can create that to some degree, although it's different than being on a college campus. The benefits are definitely the facilities. Today it rained when we were going to do the conditioning test. It wouldn't have rained at Millsaps, but it rained here and we went inside. We have that flexibility, even without the rain, to bring them inside out of the sun. I think our guys do as good a job as anyone in the league with the fields. Our two grass fields are outstanding. From a facilities standpoint, we've really helped ourselves with regards to the fields, the indoor facility and that's the main reason."

Will there be any significant changes football-wise in this camp?

"The only that's a little different is that we have three types of schedules. We have an ‘A' schedule, which we'll be on tomorrow which is two practices. Saturday we'll be on an ‘A' schedule of two practices and then periodically you'll see on the calendar a ‘B' schedule. At one point in time, the ‘B' schedule meant a light practice in the morning and then a full practice in the afternoon. The ‘B' schedule this year will be nothing more than a walkthrough in the morning, so it's not even listed as a practice and it doesn't even show up on any of the media times because there isn't a practice taking place. We've kind of backed off that ‘B' schedule in the AM and increased the time of the practice in the PM. That's different and that would be the same case for the ‘C' schedule. Logistically, we're familiar with flying in and out of here so the airport would be very similar to the closeness to the airport in Jackson. We're 10 minutes away from the airport so we should be fine for the preseason games when we're leaving here. There are just a few things, but by and large, I think James Nagaoka and Jay Romig have done a great job of overseeing and getting this camp set up. There's always a lot more to it than meets the eye. If you toured the Hilton, you'd see that basically the whole lower level has been taken over. I would describe it much like the hotel in Indianapolis when we relocated there last year. You have all your meeting rooms; you have your position rooms, the coaches have their offices in each meeting room, there's a staff meeting room, there are offense and defense breakout rooms, there are team meeting areas and then the dining area. They can even get treatment there in the evenings. Curfew will be at 11:00 at night. We have set that up as our headquarters."

Looking at the age of the roster, will there be players that get rested during two-a-days?

"There will be a handful of players that will be in that mode that we'll look at and really just back off of in one of the practices or slow back on some of the reps. Not talking about the injured players, but talking about some of the guys that are a little older. A guy like Dan Campbell orRod Coleman. We have six or seven guys that will be on that list, depending on what we're doing."

Will the players be able to have family time at the hotel or get home at all during camp?

"I'm not opposed to them going to get something that they need to get. There are times, but any type of visit would be down in the lobby of the hotel. Again, we're trying to create the environment where it's training camp. Sometimes those closest to you can become your biggest distraction and I think the players understand that. We're cutting back a little bit in regards to the reps. By being here we have the ability to come inside a little more because of heat and we have to make sure that we still have the focus. I think in the end the training camp will be what we make it to be and that's on us as coaches to start with and the veteran players on this team to do a good job with it. I think if you ask the players, a lot of them are excited to be back here. They appreciate the facility and there's a lot less stress in regards to the movement of the locker room and the weight room and all of those things. From a facilities standpoint, there are less hiccups."

From what you've seen, is this the best group you've had since you've been here?

"I think so. But you get to training camp here and you start working and regardless of what you think prior to the year, it really comes down to what you do once the season gets going. We're anxious for the challenge. We think we have gotten better. We've had a real good offseason. This time of the year, there are a lot of teams that are excited about where they're at and there are a lot of teams that are looking forward to the start of the regular season and we're certainly one of those teams. I think overall, the offseason was clearly the best that we've had. It was competitive and I expect training camp to be competitive. We've made some changes and guys have adjusted pretty well and pretty quickly to that and our players are ready to get going. We have a long way to go and a long way before we even get close to playing our first regular season game, but the process continues now as we get everyone back."

After missing the playoffs the last two seasons, do you consider this to be a critical year?

"Every year is critical. Certainly there is a sense of urgency that we all have as coaches and players. We don't take any season for granted ever. We're looking forward to getting out there and practicing. We're looking forward to getting better and giving ourselves an opportunity as we start the season this year with some new people and we're looking forward to that. I would say that there is a sense of excitement in the organization and not just on the football end of the building. There's a pretty good feeling about this team. Now this team hasn't been made up yet and that's why there's that sense of pressure to get the right 53 to find out about this team. The team itself is 80-some players and the key is finding the right 53 that are going to represent the 2009 team. That's one of the big reasons for training camp - to evaluate your personnel and find the right group for the season."

Is there a position group that could prove to be the toughest cuts?

"We're deep in a few areas. I think we're deep at cornerback right now. We're going to have good competition in that area. I think we have pretty good depth at the defensive end position for a number of reasons. You could go through some of the different position groups - at receiver there are some guys that will be competing for not necessarily the first spot or the second spot but for reps past that. I want to get a good look at this running back position group after we get pastReggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. We'll find out where Mike Bell is at, find out where some of these other young players are at - Lynell Hamilton and then the two college free agents. There is a lot to be evaluated; you can go into each position group. You can look at tight end and there's a mixed bag of players there young and old that we have to gauge where they're at. The good news is that we have a good period of time in front of us to do that."

How are Reggie Bush and Marques Colston going into camp?

"Reggie is 100%. Marques is 100% with no limitations."

Given that you feel that you're deep at the corner position, if you had to say something to Malcolm Jenkins about missing time, what would you say to him?

"This is the first day that we've been here and two-thirds of the first-round picks haven't signed a contract yet. The good news is that we're talking about a player that is very intelligent and one of his strengths is his ability to grasp the system. He pays close attention to detail and I think that he's a player that when the time comes and he has to transition back into training camp, he'll handle that transition aspect of it fairly quickly. Outside of that, I think everything else is understood."

Have you talked to him?

"I haven't. Mickey is working with his agent and we'll go from there."

You've commented on a window of opportunity with Drew Brees as the quarterback. Could you elaborate on that?

"If you just look at it - and I don't want to throw out years because he has done a number of things that have surprised us already. We certainly have a quarterback that's good enough to win with and you never take that for granted. We feel like he's playing at a high level and we feel like he's leading at a high level, which is another positive trait. How can we evaluate the offseason areas that were of concern and how can we improve in those areas and get the production around him to get the play of the people around him up to speed is the question. I've read where people have looked at it as a window and I think that's fair, but what I don't want to do is give you the time of the window because we just finished spending a whole offseason talking about a 39-year-old quarterback. He takes very good care of his body; he's someone that is very diligent with his training habits and when you have someone like that and you have the right guy leading you, I think you look at each season with a sense of urgency and our approach is that. That's a good thing to talk about. There's nothing wrong with talking about high expectations and talking about championship seasons but it first starts though with tomorrow's two practices and it's a process and it takes a while. I think our players are ready for the process and we're looking forward to it."

Is there anything new as far as Michael Vick being available his status from your point of view?

"A lot of people have talked about it and I think everyone is excited to see what comes of where he signs. Having had a chance to coach against him when he was in Atlanta, all of us certainly have respect for his skill set. I don't see the Saints as being in a position where we're going to go in that direction, but I would imagine within the next couple of days we'll find out who he's going to sign with. I think there will be an interest from a handful of teams."

When will the veterans "escape" from camp?

"If you're asking the question of when does camp end or when do we leave the hotel, the Tuesday we travel to Houston, which is two-and-a-half weeks from now, we check out of the Hilton and we come back from Houston that Saturday night late and we're now at Airline Drive in regards to meetings. We're still on a two-a-day schedule, but now players are sleeping at their homes."

Mickey Loomis

From the New Orleans Saints official website.

Opening Statement: We had two draft picks signed today. We're pleased about having agreements with both of them last night. Khai Harley did a great job for us in our office and both of the agents did a good job in making sure those guys were signed and here for the meeting this morning. I would say there's no progress at all on Malcolm (Jenkins). I'm pessimistic in terms of having anything done with him in the near future.

Q: Besides money is the fact that his agency is representing nine first round draft picks a factor at all?

A: I think that's some of it, but it's a slow process. It's been a slow process for a number of years now. I think it seems like it's slower than it has been. I think some of it has to do with a couple of agencies having a large number of players.

Q: Does the economy have anything to do with it?

A: I think every year, part of the issue is the dollars. I think the economy definitely affects that. It's affected all of our teams and we all have to be conscious of our costs and our expenses and yet, it seems like the agents and representatives to these guys are oblivious to that.

Q: Is it a situation where the signing of the 13^th pick could slot things a little?

A: Not if the deals are of the magnitude of increase of the few deals that I've seen done. That's going to create a real issue for us. We're not in that market. What you say is true. These draft picks are slotted, but I'm pessimistic about this year and the magnitude of some of the increases we've seen given where we're at economically. I'm pessimistic about that.

Q: Where are you and Ben Dogra in terms of talking?

A: We've given them a proposal and they haven't gotten back to us. They have a lot of guys to do.

Q: Are you surprised not only at the lack of communication, but at the asking prices?

A: We haven't gotten a proposal from them, so it's hard for me to be surprised at what they're asking for, because I don't know what they're asking for, but there's only a few deals done. Yes, I'm surprised by the magnitude of increase on some of the deals, but it is what it is.

Q: What is the increase in some of the deals? Is it ten percent?

A: You hear a bunch of things in the way you calculate it. Ten percent wouldn't scare me as much. Some of the numbers you are hearing are closer to 20 percent.

Q: Is this fuel for a rookie wage scale?

A: I don't know the answer to that. I envy that circumstance when it comes around to negotiating these deals. I envy the system that the NBA has in terms of just draft picks, but we have to do what's right for the New Orleans Saints and we have to work within the parameters of our salary structure as well as be conscious of the system we have and the way draft picks get paid. I think it's going to be difficult.

Q: Did you see this coming?

A: I think this isn't atypical. A year ago we were six days into camp before Sedrick (Ellis) signed. There's nothing unusual about it.

Q: Give us your take about Sean Payton and the job he's done?

A: I love Sean Payton as our head coach. I'm more sold on Sean Payton as our coach than the day we hired him. I don't know if I can be any clearer than that.

Q: Are you aware of any avenues for appeal left for Charles Grant and Will Smith in fighting or delaying their suspensions?

A: I'm not aware of anything other than that they are suspended for the first four games. What I don't know is in terms of the two Williams' in Minnesota and their court case. I don't know if the result of that will have any effect on our guys or not. We're anticipating that they're going to be out for the first four games and we've prepared for that event.

Q: Would you call the proposal you made to Malcolm Jenkins' agent preliminary?

A: I'd call it a first proposal. There are give and take in negotiations and lots of issues.

Q: Do you anticipate Malcolm's holdout being longer than Sedrick's?

A: I don't know that. I can't answer that. There are a lot of things that can happen overnight.

Q: What makes you optimistic about this season?

A: I think the type of people that we have on our team in terms of players and coaches. HavingDrew Brees as our quarterback and Sean Payton as our head coach, Marques Colston at the receiver position and the offensive line that we have. I'm just optimistic because of the type of people we have in our building because I know winning is important to them. I think that our team collectively is disappointed in the results we've had the last two years. I think they all believe we're a good team and I think they have a chip in their shoulder to prove that.

Q: Is there any design to having the second-oldest roster in the league?

A: We pay attention to that. We pay attention to the age and experience on our team. One of the things that we've got in our minds is we do want to get a little younger going forward. I think we do have a core group of guys that are younger players. Reggie's (Bush) a younger player still, Tracy Porter, Marques Colston. We got a core group of guys that are young players that are contributors to our team. I'm not overly concerned about it.

Q: In terms of some of your free agency moves, was there a thinking you wanted more of a veteran presence?

A: I think the guys you're talking about are all defensive players. I think one of the things we thought about defensively was that we wanted to bring some additional leadership on that side of the ball.

Q: Did you guys consider extensions with Lance Moore, Jahri Evans and Jammal Brown?

A: We did. We talked to the agents of a couple of those guys and we weren't able to make any progress. I'm hopeful that all those players will be here for the long term.

Q: Has it changed because of the possibility that they could be restricted free agents next year because of the uncapped year rules?

A: There are a lot of variables. There's the uncertainty that exists with the CBA. Where we are in terms of our resources. This year and I mentioned it a couple times is the first year in quite some time that we've been pressed up against the salary cap, so we have to conscious of that.

Q: Do you think this team is really close to doing something really special?

A: Who knows until we play these games, but we felt like we had some needs we needed to address and we did that for the most part and so we'll just see what the results are. I think getting healthy is an important factor for us and I feel good about the health of our team coming into this training camp.

Q: Can you address the change in long snappers?

A: I think a lot of times when you're talking about positions like the snapper, it's not your first priority as you get into the offseason and so there wasn't an expectation that Jason Kyle was going to be available. I have a history with Jason Kyle. In Seattle we drafted him. I'm very familiar with him, had an expectation that he was going to be back in Carolina. That position's one where guys that do a great job are going to stay with the same franchise for a long period of time. It got to the point where he was not going to be back with Carolina, so let's bring him in, let's talk to him, let's work him out, let's see what the differences are and when he came we did that and made the change.

Q: Would you have stayed with Kevin Houser had Jason not been available?

A: I think we probably would have.

Q: Is he the only other snapper that came in for a workout?

A: He's the only snapper we brought in for a workout.

Q: Have you finalized your black and gold event plans?

A: We're going to have the scrimmage here. It's going to be the seventh.

Q: Will you have it at the facility?

A: We're going to do it here, like a regular practice in terms of having it on the fields.

Q: Will you open it up to the public?

A: We're still discussing that because obviously we have limited space here. I think this weekend and how we handle the crowds will help us determine that.

Q: Was there any talk of having it at somewhere like Tad Gormley Stadium?

A: We did. In fact we talked a lot about that. We decided we have the two preseason games and our fans will have an opportunity to see us out there. We have open practices. At the end of the day, we felt this first year back at training camp, it makes more sense for us logistically to have it here and reduce the number of logistics we have at least for this first year. But we're open to discussing that in the future, maybe taking it on the road a few times and that was really successful for us. We want it to be accessible to all of our fans in the region, not just New Orleans. We're going to talk about it in the future, but I think this first year, because of the changes coming back from Jackson and Millsaps, we wanted to reduce the number of logistics.

Q: Does Malcolm Jenkins' intelligence help the situation where a holdout might not hurt him as much?

A: There's no less urgency at all. I'm urgent to get the deal done. I'm just pessimistic. It's not that we're less urgent and it's as important for him to be here as any player, regardless of where he's at. Let's not forget he missed part of that offseason program because of the graduation date he had at Ohio State. He's behind already to some degree.

Q: Are there any newcomers in veterans or rookies that you brought in you are impressed with?

A: I think it's too early to say that. There's no one that's been disappointing. It's easier to say that. There's been no surprise. I think sometimes we get too excited seeing these guys in shorts at the minicamps and the OTA days. We end up being disappointed when we get to training camp. There's no one off the top of my head I can single out.

Q: What are some elements that you are looking to see with your team?

A: I think we saw one today in the conditioning of our team, which is as good as it's ever been, seeing them back and ready to go. That's a good start. How we practice and how we prepare over the next two or three weeks will be a big indicator for us.

Q: Was there anyone in condition that caught your eye?

A: I don't think anybody exceeded what I thought they could do. I think Marques Colston in conditioning his body, Will Smith I'm excited about. Those two guys off the top of my head jumped out. Skyler Green I think looks really fit. There were a number of guys like that. We had guys finishing that conditioning test real early. It wasn't like they were finishing it on the last count. They were finishing it with plenty of room to spare. That was exciting.

Q: Is it a good sign Malcolm Jenkins is in New Orleans already?

A: That's a real good sign. I don't have any doubt about his desire to be here his dedication and wanting to do the right thing. He's a bit of a hostage to the negotiations. It's just the way the system works. He wants to be here more than anyone. I understand that.

Q: You mentioned the players being disappointed the last couple years. How disappointed have you been?

A: Very disappointed. It's always disappointing when you haven't achieved your goals with your first goal being making the playoffs, especially when you feel like you have the capability of doing that. It's a disappointment for everybody in our building. We're all competitive and how that comes out sometimes is different. We all feel that way.

Q: Has Mr. Benson mentioned it?

A: He's been as disappointed as anyone. He also recognizes where we're at as a team and how far we've come in three short years. The response that our fans have had and the new deal with the state and the Superdome and keeping the team here, all the things that have happened, there's a lot of really, really good things that have happened. We just want a few more good things to happen. Let's win the division, let's make the playoffs, let's make a real strong run and get in the Super Bowl. That's what we're aiming for.

Q: Do you agree with the assessment that the time is now for this team with Drew Brees at quarterback?

A: Absolutely, that's a key element that's hard to obtain. When you have that you want to take advantage of it, no question about it. It's our responsibility to make sure we have the players at the other positions and around him that can help him. It's up to those guys to perform at that level. That's what our expectations are.

Q: Do you feel like you have that?

A: I think we can always get better. We're always looking to do that. I think we've shown we're capable of competing with anyone. That's the basis. I think we'll be fine.

Q: What kind of players is one your short list?

A: I'd rather not say the names, but typically what we'll have at any given time at any position, the top four or five guys we'll have a ready list that you describe as our pro scouting department has put together. We'll have a ready list of younger guys that our coaching staff has had input on. If we have an injury or a need, we'll go right to that list and get those guys in here. We've already been in contact with those agents and a lot of those players have had workouts over the past three months with us. We're ready to go. That's no different than any other team.

Q: Is there a big name out of the 11 guys that worked out yesterday?

A: The group we had in the other day was all younger players?

Q: How do you weigh bringing a veteran in and getting him into camp as opposed to evaluating your younger players?

A: It's not a science. The deeper you go into camp, the more inclined you're to go with a veteran player that knows what it takes to play in that first game, that knows the speed of the game changes from preseason to regular season, that understands the terminology if it's a new team. Oftentimes we'll bring back a veteran that was on our team previously in the prior years. There are a lot of factors there. The farther we get into camp, the more likely it's going to be a veteran player or an older player.

Q: Are Deuce McAllister and Mike McKenzie healthy enough to play right now?

A: I don't know, because we haven't given either one of them a physical recently. I don't know the answer to that.

Q: Is there a question that you want to see answered on your team in camp?

A: There's a lot. I'd rather not say the things I'm concerned about right now. We all have concerns and a new one comes up everyday.

Seattle Seahawks Sign Long Snapper Kevin Houser

John Morgan — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:37:54 -0000

Seattle gets a minor steal signing veteran but still reasonably young longsnapper Kevin Houser. Houser was available for unique reasons. He involved his coach and teammates in a business deal that went sour. The Saints did not explicitly connect Houser being cut with the failed investment, but nevertheless a good player, the longest tenured Saint (and nearly longest tenured Saint in team history) was cut without any clear benefit to the team.

So Seattle adds a player at a position it has been struggling to fill for over two years and now, with Bryan Pittman, has a surplus of long snappers. How about that?

Breaking News: Kevin Houser Signs With Seattle Seahawks

Saintsational — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:09:28 -0000

Just got off the phone with our very own Canal Street Chronicles' Saints insider Kenny Wilkerson, also of 990am WGSO. Kenny spoke with former Saints long snapper Kevin Houser earlier this morning and learned that Houser has already found a home with another team, the Seattle Seahawks.

Of course we remember the tax credit drama that was supposedly behind the release of Houser less than a month ago. Here's wishing Chad...err...Kevin the best of luck with his new team both on the field and off.

SB Nation - Kevin Houser

Prospective Seahawks General Managers: Randy Mueller

Randy Mueller

2009 Saints Off-Season: A Nostalgic Look Back

Gary Gibbs is gone - January 7, 2009

Gregg Williams is in - January 15, 2009

Dan Morgan unretires and re-joins Saints - January 22, 2009

Deuce McAllister is let go - February 17, 2009

Tomlinson to New Orleans? - February 28, 2009

Saints sign Jabari Greer - March 4, 2009

Bears sign Bullocks - March 11, 2009

Welcome Darren Sharper - March 18, 2009

Mike McKenzie bites the dust - March 19, 2009

Jonathan Vilma's Condo Location of Double Murder - March 31, 2009

Jeff Duncan vs. Saints Nation - April 7, 2009

NYSaint becomes YouTube star - April 25, 2009

Saints draft Malcolm Jenkins - April 25, 2009

Hap Glaudi rocks CSC - April 29, 2009

Practice squad players arrested and cut - May 3, 2009

Canal Street Chronicles brings back Kenny Wilkerson - May 21, 2009

Dan Morgan retires...again - June 8, 2009

Saintsational ties the knot - June 27, 2009

The tax credit fiasco - July 2, 2009

Twitter takes over - July 9, 2009

Twitter takes over - July 9, 2009

Goodbye Jason David - August 17, 2009

Canal Street Chronicles hits 1,000 - August 20, 2009

Seattle Seahawks Announce 53 Man Roster, Marcus Trufant to PUP List

Offense

Defense

Seattle Seahawks Sack Oakland Raiders 31-21 to Sweep Preseason

Winners, Losers and Projecting the Final 53 Man Roster

Winners

Losers

Seattle Seahawks 53 Man Roster

Quarterback

Running Back

Fullback

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Offensive Line

Defensive Tackle

Defensive End

Linebackers

Corners

Safety

Specialist

Practice Squad

Winners, Losers and Projecting Seattle's 53 Man Roster

Winners

Losers

Seattle Seahawks 53 Man Roster

Quarterback

Running Back

Fullback

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Offensive Line

Defensive Tackle

Defensive End

Linebackers

Corners

Safety

Specialist

Practice Squad

Projecting the Seattle Seahawks 53-Man Roster

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Offensive Line

Defensive Line

Linebackers

Cornerbacks

Safeties

Specialist

IR

Practice Squad

Did Houser do the Saints a Favor?

Canal Street Chronicles: Fleur-di-Links

Winners, Losers and Projecting
the Final 53 Man Roster