1. How will Patrick Ramsey pick up this offense? Ramsey was finally signed to a one year deal to back up Drew Brees.  The concern I have is that your backup QB is just a hit away from entering a game.  Ramsey is going to need to pick up this offense fairly quickly.  He’s been around the block, so maybe he’s used to such things.  He will get plenty of playing time in the preseason to try and figure things out.  Let’s just hope that he doesn’t need to play in a meaningful game anytime soon.

2. Who will take the starting defensive end job opposite Will Smith? It looked like former Chicago Bear Alex Brown had the inside track of replacing Charles Grant after the Saints released Bobby McCray.  But the Saints have brought McCray back into the fold and it will make for one of the more interesting battles in training camp.  Jeff Charleston & Jimmy Wilkerson are also in the mix.

3. How do you replace Scott Fujita? Fujita’s leadership and solid play are now in Cleveland.  The Saints are hoping former Jaguar Clint Ingram can make an impact.  If not, either Jo-Lonn Dunbar or Troy Evans will get a shot.

4. How long will Patrick Robinson hold out? The Saints’ first round pick out of Florida State needs to get into camp – if only because his position of cornerback is crowded.  If he wants to make an impact this season, he would be well advised to get in asap.  But, who knows, he may sign before this post hits the internet!

5. What’s the attitude? This is, of course, the question a lot of people have about the Saints in 2010.  Will they be hungry for a repeat, or are they still riding the wave of all that good will and celebration that has occurred since their Super Bowl victory?

Are you attending Saints training camp?  Want to share your observations or photos of the team?  E-mail me at nosreview@gmail.com and you might see your comments on the site!

According to USC, this photo doesn't exist.

That’s not to say that Reggie Bush and USC shouldn’t be punished if there indeed were rule violations (Bush still denies the charges).  But for USC to somehow pretend Bush never electrified fans and made the school tons of money, well that’s another thing altogether.

There’s a lot of talk about how fair or unfair the NCAA rules are regarding athletes being compensated.  Personally, I think the whole system that big time college sports operates under is ridiculous.  Schools throw themselves at athletes, hand them scholarships, treat them like gods, and then act surprised and unknowing when an athlete takes a gift from a booster or agent.

These are supposed to be academic institutions.  Yes, I understand that a guy like Reggie Bush doesn’t attend USC to learn microbiology.  He, like many others, want to pursue a career in athletics.  Even so, the actions of these institutions are unbecoming to say the least.

Whether your want to blame Reggie Bush, former USC coach Pete Carroll, the school or some combination of the three, the bottom line is that this system has got to change.  Of course, with the billions upon billions of dollars major college sports rakes in, I’ll have to concede that there probably isn’t much reason for the NCAA to do so.

Since going corporate is one of the things our culture seems to do best, maybe the NCAA should just go the other way on this.  Stop hiding under the disguise of an organization that cares about purity of sport and academics and just let it become a huge free-for-all.

It could save us all a debate and it could save a generally good guy like Reggie Bush the shame of being treated like a criminal.  He certainly can’t be the only USC football player who has ever taken an inappropriate gift – he’s just the one who got caught.

On Brett Favre…
[See post to watch Flash video]

On LaDanian Tomlinson
[See post to watch Flash video]

On The “Madden Curse”
[See post to watch Flash video]

Joe Horn always took a stand for the Saints, and the city of New Orleans.

One of the first moves Haslett and his regime made was to bring in a little-known receiver out of Kansas City named Joe Horn.  The Saints signed Horn to a fairly lucrative deal, considering he had just 2 starts during a 4 season stint with the Chiefs.  Heck, the guy hadn’t even played college ball.

But, if you’d seen Horn in a Chiefs uniform, you knew why the Saints were eager to get him on their side.  Although he didn’t touch the ball a lot in KC, good things always seemed to happen when he got an opportunity to make a play.

During that 2000 season, Horn was one of the true leaders of a team that went from worst-to-first.  He led the way with 94 catches (only 59 more than his previous career high), 1,340 yards and 8 touchdowns.  He went on to amass 523 catches, 7,662 yards and 50 touchdowns in his Saints carer.

But Joe Horn was so much more than just numbers.  He was brash, he loved to talk and usually backed it up with his spectacular play.

The thing that separated Horn from the other prima donna receivers around the league was that, unlike T.O. or Chad Johnson/Ochocinco, we could all relate to Joe Horn.

As I mentioned above, Horn never played college ball.  He bounced around in places like the CFL trying to fulfill his dream.  To make ends meet, he worked in restaurants and factories.  He worked his tail off to get an opportunity with the Chiefs.  Even then, it wasn’t as if the team put him out on the field all that much.

So, when he got his chance in New Orleans, he squeezed every last drop out of it.  His antics were almost always entertaining, but when that ball was snapped, Joe Horn was all business.  Even the most casual of fans could see the intensity in the way he played the game.

And, when Hurricane Katrina hit, Joe was front and center.  He visited displaced residents and truly cared about their well being.  In his final chapter with the team, he was there for the resurrection of the city and the franchise.  He was there to help Sean Payton, Drew Brees and company take the Saints to their first ever NFC Championship Game.

So, it was great to see that the Saints signed Horn to a contract so that he could retire as a Saint.  This fall, he’ll enter the team’s hall of fame as arguably the greatest receiver the franchise has ever known.

Congratulations on a brilliant career, Joe, and thank you for giving it all on the field and in the community.

The other move was certainly more of a shock as the team released defensive end Bobby McCray.  McCray was a big factor in generating a pass rush on opposing quarterbacks during the playoffs last season.  Filling in for an injured Charles Grant (who was released earlier this offseason), McCray terrorized the likes of Kurt Warner and Brett Favre in the Saints’ first two playoff wins.

McCray was expected to compete for the starting position with newcomer Alex Brown.  It’s been rumored about that McCray was a bit tardy to a few team meetings and Super Bowl media day.  The coaching staff was also not thrilled with his on-field discipline.

For Jammal Brown, this ends a 5 year stint in New Orleans after being the team’s first round pick back in 2005.  He was a two time Pro Bowl selection, but also faced some criticism over the years.  I’ll chalk most of that up to Brown playing on some famously underachieving Saints teams.

He was a restricted free agent and could not come to terms with the Saints.  As the offseason wore on, it became apparent that a trade would be the best thing for both sides.  Brown will now get a fresh start on a Washington team that desperately needs him.

As for the Saints, it had been previously thought that the team would welcome Brown back and give him an opportunity to reclaim his starting job from Jermon Bushrod.  Now, despite some late season struggles, it would appear Bushrod has the inside track on protecting the blind side of quarterback Drew Brees.

Pierre Thomas (left) has worked very well in tandem with Reggie Bush. (Sports Illustrated Photo)

Thomas is handling his contract situation the right way, at least by the Saints organization and the fans.  Instead of refusing to show up for training camp, etc., Thomas will now be a part of the team’s quest to repeat as Super Bowl champs.  All the while, he can work out a long-term contract that will be fair for both sides.

Now, there is that tough question of just how much Pierre Thomas should be paid for his services.  I’m certainly glad that it’s not up to me to decide such things!  Thomas wants to be paid like a top back, and the Saints seem more interested in something a bit less.  The fact that Thomas didn’t play hardball and hold out tells me that he feels that the two sides will make a proper compromise.

Thomas certainly performed quite well for the Saints and has improved every year.  The problem he faces is that, other than Drew Brees, there aren’t a lot of superstar players on this offense.  It really is a team effort and the Saints do not rely on just one running back, receiver or tight end.

It’s very conceivable that, given the chance, Pierre Thomas could be one of the top backs in the NFL.  But playing in an offense which spreads the ball around so evenly means that Thomas won’t likely get the chance to put up the superstar-type numbers that we see from, say, Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.

So it’s really a matter of balancing a player’s production while also taking his role on the team into account as well.  Hopefully, Pierre Thomas and the Saints can find a happy medium.

There’s the vicodin scandal involving coach Sean Payton, linebackers coach Joe Vitt and GM Mickey Loomis.  There’s the whole Reggie Bush/USC sanctions story.  Also in the mix are Pierre Thomas’ contract negotiations and even a maligned personal appearance by Jeremy Shockey.

You have to wonder how much (if at all) some of this will affect the team’s on-field performance.  Personally, I think once these guys put the pads on in training camp, it’ll be all business for the Saints.

These aren’t the Jim Haslett or Mike Ditka versions of the Saints.  Those teams lacked leadership and discipline.  The current edition of the Saints sure seem like a group who knows how to get the job done despite adversity.

The vicodin scandal aside, it really doesn’t appear that any of these other stories are all that unique to the Saints.  We all knew the possibility of the NCAA coming down on Reggie Bush since he was drafted.  And seeing Pierre Thomas in a somewhat heated contract battle is something we see on just about every team in the league on a yearly basis.  As for Jeremy Shockey, well, are we supposed to be surprised?  The guy has always walked to the beat of his own drum.

The truth (as I see it) is that once you win a Super Bowl, there is a huge target on your back.  Duncan refers to the late Bill Walsh’s thoughts on that subject in his article.  Distractions can tear bad teams apart, but they can also cause good teams to refocus on the task at hand when the time comes.

Whether it’s the issues mentioned above or the countless media appearances, book deals, parades, etc. associated with their championship season, I have very little doubt that this team will be ready once the real on-field preparations for the 2010 season begin.