It should be only a matter of hours before the Saints and their top draft choice, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, agree to terms.
Two players selected just ahead of Ellis are signed sealed and delivered. Ellis, a 6-foot-1, 307-pounder, continues his holdout.
Dorsey, the defensive tackle out of LSU and rated my many experts as the best player in the draft, was the fifth over-all pick, signed a six-year contract worth as much as $51 million with about $23 million guaranteed. Dorsey began practicing with the Chiefs on Saturday afternoon.
"I;m very proud of him," said Sandra Dorsey, his mother, from Gonzales, on Saturday after the signing. "I just hope and pray he does it the right way and does the right things. Some people can get this amount of money and get lost in it. I just hope he stays humble and uses his head. That way, he'll be able to enjoy the rest of his life."
The draft's six pick, defensive end Vernon Gholston, got a five-year, $50 million contract with $21 million guaranteed from the Jets.
Ellis figures to sign a five-year deal for about $50 million with $20 guaranteed. Ellis should fall in line below Gholston's figure.
Saints cornerback Randall Gay, signed as a free agent from the Patriots, said there was a lot of competition at cornerback. With what the Saints had at cornerback last season, any decent cornerback could in here and start.
The Saints' defensive line, even without Ellis, has looked extremely good in camp, whipping a good offensive line in practices. The Saints' offensive line allowed the fewest number of sacks last season.
"I think we expect our play to go up this season," said coach Sean Payton. "Gary Gibbs has made a point defensively as a whole that he's looking for improvement in a lot of areas. We talked about some of the areas that we felt we were behind in last year. We finished last in the league as a field goal team. We were in the bottom third of the league in all return statistics. Those are some specifics. As far as getting to the quarterback, we would like to improve."
Defensive end Charles Grant reported to camp at 293 pounds and said he wants his defensive line to lead the league in sacks on their way to the Super Bowl. Defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, who played at about 350 last season, reported trimmed down a little this season. He refused to say what his exact weight is.
Running back Deuce McAllister had his knee drained on Saturday and underwent a MRI. The results didn't create any alarm. McAllister is recovering from his second ACL surgery and reported under his last season's playing weight. He wears a sleeve on his legs and doesn't cut much during practices as precautionary measures.
"I think you need to have some patience in understanding the nature of the injury when you start talking about Deuce or Mike McKenzie or Jeremy Shockey's ankle break," said Payton. "Some of these injuries have really kept these guys from playing football for half a year or longer. We just need to have a plan and stick to it. As a coach you want to get everybody in there and get them started, but you also have to mindful of not have a setback. We're trying to do that in the case of these players."
McAllister knows he must practice on the field and in preseason games to see if he is going to be able to hold up this season. If he feels he can't carry his load, he probably retire.
An intense Ed Orgeron is the Saints' new defensive line coach. He was defensive line coach at USC and head coach at Ole Miss before joining the Saints. He is from Larose and has a Cajun accent.
"Ed has a spark to him, he's passionate about what he does," said Payton. "He's coached a lot of real, real good defensive lines. He's been part of a lot of winning programs. He's been a part of four national championship teams,two at USC and two at Miami and he takes a lot of pride in what he does. First of all, he's a good teacher. He'll bring something to this defensive line."
Somebody with a notebook asked Payton if Orgeron was difficult to understand with his accent?
"Not if you've lived here long enough," re[lied the coach. "I'm in my third year. It's kind of pretty simple. At first it's a little difficult. I think this is a good opportunity for him. It brings him close to family. It's a coaching environment which is conducive to allowing a position such as himself or the others to really work their trade with the players. I think he appreciates that."
The workouts are drawing about 1,000 fans each despite the blistering temperatures. Many of the fans are protected by golf umbrellas and sunscreen. The temperate is expected to reach 101 on Monday.
The Saints will hold a scrimmage on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.
After terminating the contract of tight end Eric Johnson on Friday, the team signed Buck Ortega, He was with the team in the offseason, but was waived last week when Shockey was acquired.
The Saints also signed wide receiver Curtis Hamilton. To make room for Ortega and Hamilton, the team cut wide receiver Carlos Robinson and long snapper Ryan Senser.
The Saints must be considered as one of the NFC's top contenders. With the additions they have made in the offseason to strengthen their team, they are not just marching, they are marching with a purpose.
SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: LSU's national championship is having a big impact on the Tigers' recruiting effort in Georgia. Cornerback Braden Smith of Atlanta's of Atlanta and linebacker Jarvis Jones of Columbus, arguable the state's top two prospects, participated in LSU's camp last week. The Tigers already have commitments from two of the state's top prospects,Atlanta wide receiver Drayton Calhoun and Atlanta linebacker Kevin Minter. "They are the champs, and when the national champion comes after you, then I think most players would have to take a serious look," said Minter. The Tigers have always recruited Georgia, with five Georgia players on the 2008 roster. But the Tigers are drawing serious interest from several of the state's elite prospects. "I wanted to go to LSU because I had to see what it was all about," said Smith. "Everything speaks for itself there. They win national championships; they have great facilities and have a great coaching staff. It was my first time there, and I enjoyed the experience."...From David Letterman: "Tour de France TV ratings are way down. The reason is simple: Tiger's not in it."...
Steve Spurrier on new Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino bolting the Falcons to return to college football: "He had about fun in the NFL as I did. When he went there, I gave him two years. He almost made it one."...A sportswriter for the Hattiesburg American is upset that Central Florida coach George O'Leary referred to him as "Gomer Pyle" and made fun of his southern accent at the recent Conference USA preseason media gathering. Hey, maybe he should have conducted a "Citizen's arrayest!". Sports editor of the American was my first job after graduating from LSU...Jerome Holtzman, the legendary baseball writer of the Chicago Tribune, has gone to that That Big Press Box in the Sky. Holtzman was baseball's first official historian, was around so long that a former sports editor once called him the office and said, "Jerome, I've been reading your stories and I notice you use a lot of cliches -- circling the hassocks, two-bagger and others." Replied Holtzman: "But you don't understand, those are my cliches. I invented them."...
The Saints' Marques Colston (168 catches in his first two seasons) and Reggie Bush (161 catches in his first two seasons) have the most the grabs of ANYONE in NFL history...From Les Miles: "I recognize that I'm highly paid. I'm embarrassed by it. If my father was alive, he'd say, 'you're not worth it.' I'd say, he's right."...LSU fans have circled Nov. 8 on their calendars because that's when Alabama and Nick Saban come to Baton Rouge and Tiger Stadium. Said Saban: "We talk about where we're going to stay and who's riding what bus. Someone on the staff said, 'I hate to tell you this, but when we down to play LSU, none of us are riding on your bus.'."...More from Letterman: "Happy birthday (on Thursday) to Barry Bonds, your home run king was 44 years old. And this is kind of odd -- earlier today he tested positive for cake."...My time is up. Ed Staton can be reched at edcoachstaton@yahoo.com
It should be only a matter of hours before the Saints and their top draft choice, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, agree to terms.
