Drew Brees made stops in Iraq and San Diego before returning to New Orleans to get ready for another training camp in Jackson, where the Saints will hold training camp for the third year. The Saints will report on Wednesday and begin practicing on Thursday morning.

Brees still spends six to eight weeks a year in San Diego where he still owns a home.

Chargers general manager A. J. Smith after the quarterback suffered a dislocated shoulder in the final game of 2005 season and there doubts about his future. Brees became a free agent and the Chargers had already invested a first-round draft choice and Fortune 500 CEO money on Philip Rivers as the apparent heir. Smith didn't even attempt to sign Brees and trade him. He was allowed to walk, and his stroll brought him to the Saints, where he has been an excellent passer and leader.

:I wasn't bitter," said Brees. "But things have worked out for both sides. I think Rivers has done a good job. Look at the results. I'm happy for him. The Chargers have been successful the last few years and so have the Saints. New Orleans is a special place. Things happen for a reason. I was like a calling."

Brees, who owns his won charity Foundation, has been Mr. New Orleans since joining the Saints months after Katrina. He immediately decided to buy a home j\here and help out. For his community service, Brees along with good friend and former Chargers teammate La Danainian Tomlinson, were co-recipients of the NFL's 2007 Walter Payton Award.

"Winning the Payton Award is not a reward for what you do in the past," said the quarterback. "There's a responsibility for what you do in the future. That's why we remain so active with the foundation. We support the league whenever we can I love athletics. I want to leave the game better than I found it.

"God has a plan. There are still areas here that look like  a bomb went off yesterday. When we thought about where we were going to live, we tried to pick an area that hadn't been flooded. We bought a house near Audubon Park that still had $52,000 worth of roof damage. We wanted to be in the middle of town. Right in the thick of it."

The NFL called Brees again last week and he worked with kids at a Catholic high school in San Diego. He told them how important exercise was for them, speaking about rising obesity among the young in this country,

"Just get the kids to exercise 60 minutes a day," said Brees. "I was never in the house. I was always outside running around. Not every kid is going to be an athlete, but just run around and play with your friends."

Brees will be playing with old friend in October when the Saints and the Chargers travel to London for a game.

"We're excited, but we still have a lot of games to play before that one," said Brees. "I always hoped we'd go to San Diego and play there. Maybe in four years. There are some educated people in London who think New Orleans is still under water. This game will be a chance to show we're coming back."

Brees is everything coach Sean Payton could hope for in a quarterback. He'll have a better backup this season in veteran Mark Brunell, who has replaced Jamie Martin. Tyler Palko, a lefthander like Brunell, will be the third quarterback if Payton decided to go with three quarterbacks on the active roster. During stretches last season, he went with only two active quarterbacks.

The FCC has approved Tom Benson and his Louisiana Media Co. to officially take over ownership of WVUE-TV Fox 8. "It's a proud day for me, and a good day for the city of New Orleans," said the Saints owner in a statement. "It's important to keep major employers in this city by local people -- I believe that is a key factor in rebuilding our area. And WVUE will be a completely independent entity from my other  businesses. We have a very good management there, and they will operate independently as such with no pressure or agenda placed upon them." Benson also said his media company will also take advantage of the movie industry's needs here through a variety of production related endeavors. Benson want to make movies.

The Saints have signed two more draft choices, kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and wide receiver Adrian Arrington. Menhlhaff, a sixth-round selection from Wisconsin, will compete with veteran Martin Gramatica for the kicking job. Gramatica was perfect on five field goal attempts at the end of last season, but will be challenged by the rookie, who could win the kickoff man job.

Arrington, a seventh-round choice from Michigan, impressed in spring workouts and he and Robert Meachem, last year's No. 1 draft choice, steps, could cost one or two veterans their jjobs.

No. 1 draft choice defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and No. 2  cornerback Tracy Porter have yet to sign. Ellis is projected as a starter at defensive tackler ahead of Hollis Thomas and Porter is expected to see playing time.

SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: Jacob Hester, the Chargers' third-round draft choice from LSU, has signed a four-year contract with a signing bonus of $833,000. The fullback and running back will begin practice on Monday...Chris Paul is a bowling whiz, too. The Hornets' scintillating point-guard is teaming with the Professional Bowlers Association for the inaugural Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational on Sept, 20 in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. "I always tell people that I am a bowler first and a basketball player second," said Paul,who bowls regularly and was introduced to the sport by his family as a youngster. Other Hornets who like to bowl are Julian Wright and Peja Stojakovic....Trivia time: The Cardinals have won their share of World Series, but their championship in 1944 was unique. Whey's that?...With Anheuser-Busch being bought out by Belgian firm InBev, are you ready for Stella Artois Stadium?...

The Miami Herald reports that former Saint Ricky Williams looked every bit the best player of\n the field the last time the Dolphins were together for one of their offseason practices. He ran with authority, he showed quickness, and he never let himself shift out of top gear, even in drills that didn't mean much. Williams, with cartoon superhero muscles bulging out of his jersey sleeves, caught the eyes of everyone paying attention. No wonder he was the only player Dolphins czar Bill Parcells congratulated with a fist pump as he was coming off the sideline...Reggie Wayne, the Colts receiver from New Orleans, said his vacation is over with training camp beginning Thursday. "Ain't nobody looking forward to camp because that mean you're working for six months," said Wayne, 29, who had a carer best 104 receptions and led he NFL with 1,510 yards last season. "Peyton (Manning) will be out there, he just won't be participating. Who knows? It might pick us up a little bit. This is a first for everybody. We don't know what to expect."...

The feud between Brett Favre and the Packers organization was put on hold, at least for one night, on last Saturday when the quarterback was in Green Bay to present centerFrank Winters for induction into the Packers Hall of Fame. Give Favre credit for doing and saying all the right things. He went out of his way to avoid the spotlight. Favre said through a spokesman that he didn't want to detract from an evening intended to honor former players Gilbert Brown, Winters and  Al Tremi. From a public relations standpoint, Favre was on his game. He even wore a sport coat for the occasion...Next home for the next nomadic NBA franchise is Kansas City, which has arena owned by Anschutz Entertainment, which has deep NBA connections...The Celtics will miss new Hornet James Posey, who will provide the Bees with experience and toughness, but can expect better performances from their youngsters like Big Baby Davis, and they'll be be able to recruit bargain-priced veterans who want to play for a championship. much as P.J. Brown did last season...

Trivia answer: The Cards beat St. Louis' AL team, the Browns, in what was called the Streetcar Series. It was the Browns' only World Series experience...My time is up. Ed Staton can be reached at edcoachstaton@yahoo.com