The Saints top draft choice, Malcolm Jenkins, will be a cornerback, not a safety--for now.
"We're going to look at him as a corner first," said Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. "We would hate to miss out on an opportunity to get an elite cornerback without giving him a shot. He's got the characteristics that would allow him to play safety, but we are going to give him a long, hard look at corner."
The Saints hope they made a huge upgrade at cornerback with the drafting of Jenkins. Offense-minded coach Sean Payton and even Loomis were tempted to select an offensive player in the draft's first round. They were tempted to select Jenkins' OhioState teammate Beanie Wells, but decided they needed help on defense. They hope to add a tailback to rotate with Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.
Jenkins is a physical cornerback who can help against the NFC South running backs and help out on defending the pass. He can help out immediately in nickel packages and, because of his size (6-0, 204) and physically, can match up against NFC South receivers like Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez and Musin Muhammad. His success and the success of the secondary will come in part because of pressure the defensive line and linebackers can provide. Loomis and Payton injuries hurt the defense last season, but believe Charles Grant and Will Smith are going to be healthy and expect to get good performances from them this season. Both had a good offseason. They also have high expectations for defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, who had several bright flashes last season.
Loomis singled out Bush for his commitment to the offseason workout program. Tight end Jeremy Shockley has also been a full participant in offseason drills, which hasn't only helped him, but also has set a tone among other players.
Everyone is on board with turning things around from an 8-8 season and a last place finish in the NFC South.
Miss.State next for Tigers LSU travels to MississippiState this weekend seeking its first SEC regular-season championship since 2003.
The Tigers currently have a half-game lead over Alabama and a one-game lead over Florida and Ole Miss. Game 1 is Thursday at 6:30 p.m.and will be televised by Cox Sports Television.
Mikie Mahtook blasted a a three-run homer and drove in four runs to pace the second-ranked Tigers to a 12-4 victory over Centenary (31-15) on Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium. With the win, the Tigers (39-14) finished with a 28-9 regular-season record in their new ball park.
In addition to Mahtook, Leon Landry was 3-for-3 with two hits, a double and an RBI. Ryan Schimpf and Tyler Hanover each collected two hits.
"I think we performed fairly well over-all for the year in the regular season here at home," said Tigers coach Paul Mainieri. "I hope we can have the opportunity to play in the postseason at Alex Box."
Z's edge Rainers
Jarrett Santos gave up three runs in five innings in his first start as the Zephyrs bet the Tacoma Rainers 4-3 on Wednesday night at Zephyr Field.
Santos (1-0), who was recently called up from Double-A Jacksonville, settled down after giving up a first-inning home run to Jeff Clement. He scattered five hits over five innings.
Cameron Maybin continued his hot start with the Z's by going 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Jay Buente, Nate Field and Brain Sanches combined for four scoreless innings of relief for he Z's, with Sanches picking up his fourth save of the season.
SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: Mind That Bird, the Kentucky Derby idol, and Rachel Alexandra. his filly nemesis, are at Pimlico and are ready for what might be a historic showdown on Saturday. The reign today as king and queen of the Preakness realm. Not since Winning Colors, the Derby heroine of 1988, and her colt rival Risen Star, slugged it out in a Preakness match up, have a male and female so dominated the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Risen Star, the best colt that year, was owned by by Ronnie Lamarque and Louis Rouselle III of New Orleans. Winning Colors lost by 2 1/2 lengths. The question is will history repeat itself. Rachel will start as a prohibited 8-5 favorites against Birdie's probable odds of 6-1. I think Louisiana Derby winner Friesan Fire has a good shot at winning the Preakness because the Derby was his first race after a seven-week layoff. He can win the Preakness going away. He's my pick for now and I'm hoping for a 10-1 on Preakness Day....Tip: The best way to win money at the track is to be on the Cajun riders...
Idolheads (and I am one, sorry, guilty pleasure) I see favorite Adam Lambert a close winner over Kris Allen...UNO guard Damian McKinstry has lost his scholarship and will not be returning to the Privateers. McKinstry, a junior who transferred from Fullerton (Calif.) Junior College, averaged 10 points last season, but was suspended three times for a total of six games for violating team rules. His suspensions hurt the Privateers' depth when freshman guard Charles Carmouche missed action with an ankle injury...The LSU men's basketball team posted the third largest increase in average attendance from the previous year in figures released by the NCAA. The Tigers, who rose to 37th in the country in average attendance at 10,373 and were just one of 43 Division 1 schools to average at least 10,000 fans, showed an increase of 1,808 in paid attendance this past season. The Tigers' paid attendance for SEC home games was 12,034..
The Saints have signed rookie free agent offensive tackle Michael Brown and waived wide receiver Chris Vaughn. Brown started two seasons at Mississippi
The Saints top draft choice, Malcolm Jenkins, will be a cornerback, not a safety--for now.
