The Saints will return to the practice field this Friday and Saturday for their first sessions open to the public to allow their fans their first glimpse of the 2007 Saints. The Friday practice begins at 3 p.m. with the Saturday session getting under way at 10:15 a.m. at the team's facility on Airline Drive in Metairie.

In the event of rain, the workouts will move to the indoor facility and will be closed to the public. There will be autograph opportunities at the end of each practice.

GUEST BOOK FOR HILL: Former LSU and New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill's death has been ruled an accidental drowning. Following are two samples from Hill's guest book:

In My Pocket

I have memories in my pocket.

They rattle among the change.

My memories of you are treasures I carry wherever I go.

They are stored in bits and pieces, parts of a beautiful whole

They give me comfort when I think I am alone.

Yes, I have memories in my pocket, like so much other stuff I keep there.

But of all the treasures I have, it's the memories of you that are the most precious.

Shelia Johnson (New Orleans)

Your Departure

Everything has its own season,

You were here for a special reason.

Now the time has come for us to part our ways,

You were there to help during hectic days.

Your contributions to your team was only a part,

Tour presence has touched so many hearts.

So as your life here has retired,

I know that you were truly admired.

Marquise, rest in Peace!

Valerie Champion (Douglasville, Ga.)

REMEMBERING MIKE V: Terry Bowden, former Auburn football coach, remembers Mike V well. Said Bowden:

"Mike V died recently and boy, did he make a lasting impression on me. He had been the mascot since 1990 and was rolled out on the sideline of home football games in a circus=style cage painted in LSU purple and gold, sometimes positioned specifically to welcome visiting teams into Tiger Stadium.

"The fact is: He was parked right outside the visitors' tunnel where they entered the playing field in order to surprise them before they ran onto the field.

"I should know. Back in 1993, in my first game in Baton Rouge as the head coach at Auburn, he scared the hell out of me with about the loudest roar I've ever heard seconds before we were to run out of the tunnel for the game. There is an old joke about wearing red coaching pants on the sidelines during a tough game because of how bloody it was going to be and not wanting to alarm the players. Let's just say, I could have used some red pants for other reasons that night."

BREES KEY TO SAINTS: An offensive coordinator in the AFC, not surprisingly, says Drew Brees is the key to the Saints' offense. Said the coach: "Drew's game is not about arm strength or throwing the ball 65 yards down the field. It's all about poise, great accuracy skills and touch. Yje guy cam just cut you apart when he's hot. To be honest, he didn't get the credit he deserved last season playing with an aging Joe Horn, a rookie now a good rookie, but still a rookie in Marquis Colston, a solid player in Terrance Copper and a very inconsistent speed threat in Devery Henderson at wide receiver.

"They had a lot of teams with better talent than what the Saints had a wide receiver, but Brees made it work, It didn't matter what guy they incorporated in their offense at tight end, he pumped them the ball, if they were open."