Federal judge rules against suspended New Orleans Saints players Will Smith, Charles Grant and former Saint Deuce McAllister; suspensions will be upheld

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune May 23, 2009 12:13AM

Saints defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant and former Saints tailback Deuce McAllister will have to serve their four-game suspensions at the start of the 2009 season after a federal judge threw out their lawsuit against the NFL late Friday in Minnesota.

According to the Associated Press, Judge Paul Magnuson dismissed the suit, which was filed by the NFL Players Association on behalf of the three Saints players and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams last December. He remanded two separate claims brought on by the Williamses to state court in Minnesota.
All five players were suspended after testing positive for a banned diuretic, bumetanide, last summer. But the suspensions were put on hold pending the outcome of the legal process.

A trial date had been set for June 15, but Magnuson made a summary judgment after reviewing all of the pretrial motions and hearing arguments from both sides last week.

“The (league’s) policy is unequivocal: players are responsible for what is in their bodies, and inadvertent ingestion of a banned substance will not excuse a positive test result,” Magnuson wrote in his decision, according to the Associated Press.

All five players claimed that the bumetanide was an unlisted ingredient in an over-the-counter weight loss product called StarCaps. Further, they argued that the NFL knew StarCaps was a tainted product but failed to properly warn players, and that the league-appointed arbitrator who ruled on their suspensions, NFL attorney Jeffrey Pash, had a conflict of interest.

Although Magnuson suggested that the NFL’s decision to not specifically warn the players about StarCaps was “baffling,” he said it was not the league’s responsibility to do so.

“NFL players are adults,” Magnuson wrote. “They are warned repeatedly not to take dietary supplements and that such supplements may cause a positive test for a banned substance.”

None of the players, nor NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler was reached for comment Friday night. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the AP: “The decision strongly supports the NFL program on performance enhancing substances that protects the health and safety of NFL players and the integrity of our game.”

The Saints have been preparing for the possibility of losing Smith and Grant to start the season. They added veteran defensive end Paul Spicer early in free agency and recently added defensive end Anthony Hargrove to a mix that already includes Bobby McCray, Jeff Charleston and Rob Ninkovich.

McAllister, who was released by the Saints in late February, still has not signed with another team.

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune May 19, 2009 9:08AM

Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints fans couldn’t wait for the Superdome to re-open in 2006.

A lot of people will take credit for landing Super Bowl XLVII and rightfully so.

It takes a village to land one of these things and New Orleans leaned on an impressive team of leaders to secure the city’s 10th Super Bowl.

There must be XLVII people who played key roles along the way.

Saints Owner Tom Benson tirelessly lobbied fellow owners.

Saints execs Rita Benson LeBlanc, Dennis Lauscha and Ben Hales worked their contacts behind the scenes.

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Doug Thornton, Ron Forman and Gov. Bobby Jindal hammered out a fair and equitable long-term lease agreement with the team under intense pressure.

Jay Cicero, Sam Joffray and the rest of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation team worked diligently for months to assemble the city’s impressive bid package.

Then there are scores of business, civic and team officials who participated behind the scenes.

All were key pieces in this multi-million-dollar puzzle.

But the real credit belongs to a group that wasn’t at the dais in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. today:

The fans and people of New Orleans.

Without you, this day never dawns.

You took the opening kickoff and put New Orleans in position to score.

If not for the overwhelming show of support in those dark, dreary days, weeks, and months after Hurricane Katrina, there would be no New Orleans Saints, no refurbished Superdome and damn sure no 2013 Super Bowl.

In the face of long odds during one of the most desperate times in the long history of this great city, New Orleanians did not waver. Instead, you rose up, stepped up and opened up your pocket books. When everyone from FEMA to insurance reps to bill collectors was trying to dip their hands into your threadbare pockets, you gave.

Because you refused to let another town loot your NFL team.

Since Katrina ravaged the region four years ago, the Saints have sold out all 25 regular-season and postseason games in the Superdome. Every luxury suite has been sold. The waiting list for season tickets, team officials say, now numbers five figures. All this despite playing in a market that was one of the smallest and poorest in the NFL before Katrina.

That support buoyed the Saints franchise and eliminated the uncertainty about the market’s ability to support an NFL team. It convinced state officials to invest in improvements to the Superdome and eliminated Benson’s seemingly eternal wanderlust. Simultaneously, it renewed the NFL’s confidence in New Orleans and emboldened local business leaders to again market the Crescent City as big-event sports town.

Once we drained the water from our streets, removed the debris and got those wheels turning in the right direction again, this day was inevitable.

No ruling made today in New Orleans Saints players’ case against NFL

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune May 14, 2009 1:06PM

No ruling was made today in the federal court case involving Saints players Will Smith, Charles Grant, former Saints Deuce McAllister and Minnesota Vikings players Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, according to reports out of Minnesota.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson heard two-and-a-half hours of arguments from both the players’ attorneys and NFL attorneys during pre-trial hearings, but he did not make any immediate decisions.

A trial has been set for June 15 in St. Paul, Minn., but both sides were seeking a summary judgment from Magnuson during today’s arguments. Magnuson did not give a timetable when he will make a decision but said it will be relatively soon, according to reports.
The five players are seeking to overturn four-game suspensions which were handed down by the NFL last year after the players tested positive for a banned diuretic.

The NFL Players Association filed a federal lawsuit on the players’ behalf in December after the NFL denied their appeals.

New Orleans Saints sign 10 undrafted rookie free agents

Posted by By Brian Allee-Walsh, The Times-Picayune May 04, 2009 7:13PM

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis today released a list of 10 undrafted rookie free agents who have signed and will participate in rookie minicamp Thursday through Sunday at the team’s training facility in Metairie.

They are Wisconsin linebacker Jonathan Casillas, UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan, Texas guard Cedric Dockery, Stanford center Alex Fletcher, Texas A&M cornerback Danny Gorrer, Georgia wide receiver Kenneth Harris, Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill, Portland State cornerback Reggie Jones, Clark-Atlanta tackle Sam McNaulty and Ole Miss defensive end Jermey Parnell.

All but McNaulty and Parnell had been previously reported by The T-P as signing with the team. Contrary to published reports, Western Illinois running back Herb Donaldson did not sign with the team.

Last week, Donaldson, 5 feet 10, 222 pounds, said he planned to sign with the Saints. He finished as the the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,746 yards and 50 touchdowns.

Here are thumbnails on the 10 players provided by team officials:

• LB Jonathan Casillas, Wisconsin (6-2, 226): Casillas was a three-year starter at Wisconsin, opening 36 of the 48 career games he played for the Badgers. Elected a captain for his final two seasons in Madison, the native of New Brunswick, N.J. posted career stats of 251 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. A three-time honorable mention All-Big selection, he also blocked three punts, one of which he recovered for a touchdown.

• QB Patrick Cowan, UCLA (6-4, 218): A two-year starter under center for the Bruins, Cowan’s collegiate career was cut short when he tore the ACL in his left knee late in spring practice prior to his senior season, the same knee that limited him to five games as a junior in 2007. A right-handed thrower hailing from Surrey, British Columbia, he took over as the starter as a sophomore and posted career numbers of 217 completions on 411 attempts for 2,478 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 19 games, 13 of them starts.

• G Cedric Dockery, Texas (6-4, 315): Dockery was a three-year starter at right guard for the Longhorns, opening 30 of his 41 career games including all 13 in his senior year of 2008. The native of Garland, Texas earned all-conference honors twice, being named second-team All-Big XII as a senior after getting honorable mention in his junior season. Dockery has good bloodlines, as he is the younger brother of Washington Redskins guard Derrick Dockery.

• C Alex Fletcher, Stanford (6-3, 296): A rare four-year starter at Stanford, Fletcher was in the starting lineup for all 44 of his career games for the Cardinal from the start of his redshirt freshman season in 2005. A versatile interior lineman, the Old Brookville, N.Y. native earned second-team all-Pac 10 honors at right guard as a junior and followed up with another second-team all-conference nod playing at center in his senior season. Finished his career with a 32-game consecutive starts streak and totaled 20 starts at right guard and 24 at center.

• CB Danny Gorrer, Texas A&M (6-0, 173): Gorrer was a two-year starter in College Station and split starting duties in his senior season after seeing his junior campaign cut short by a knee injury seven games in. In 42 career games, 24 of them starts, the native of Port Arthur, Texas tallied 141 tackles with two sacks, one interception, 13 passes defensed and two forced fumbles. He posted career-bests in his sophomore season with 52 tackles and an interception.

• WR Kenneth Harris, Georgia (6-3, 212): Harris played in 50 games over four years for the Bulldogs with five starts, catching 41 passes for 689 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The sizable wideout from Cherryville, N.C. had 11 receptions for 116 yards as a senior and caught a touchdown.

• RB P.J. Hill, Wisconsin (5-11, 236): Hill was the Badgers’ featured runner for each of his three campaigns in Madison, joining former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne as the only backs in UW history to gain more than 1,000 yards in each of their first three seasons. Hill closed his collegiate career with 3,942 rushing yards on 770 carries (5.1 avg.) with 42 touchdowns and added 39 receptions for 358 yards and two more scores. In 37 career games, Hill ran gained 100 yards in 20 of those contests and had a pair of 200-plus yard games. Before forgoing his final year of eligibility, the East Elmhurst, N.Y. native was named honorable mention All-Big 10 for the second straight season to go along with first-team all-conference honors earned as a redshirt freshman in 2006. As a senior, Hill ran for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns.

• CB Reggie Jones, Portland State (6-0, 200): A speedy cornerback, Jones played one season at Portland State after transferring from the University of Idaho where he spent three injury-plagued seasons from 2004-06. A former all-state high school cornerback and wideout from Federal Way, Wash., Jones made the most of his lone season with the Vikings, making 38 tackles, notching seven passes defensed and recording four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

• T Sam McNaulty, Clark-Atlanta (6-4, 320): The tackle impressed scouts at CAU’s pro day posting a 4.9 40-yard dash time, and tested well in all facets of the workout drawing a high-level of interest from several clubs. The Oakland, Calif., native was a first-team all-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection, while being named offensive lineman of the week on four separate occasions. He led an offensive unit that finished third in rushing while also leading the way for the SIAC’s leading rusher. McNaulty was a finalist for “The Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year” award, while also being selected to play in the “East Coast Bowl” collegiate all-star game.

• DE Jermey Parnell, Mississippi (6-8, 245): An athletic defender with size and speed, Parnell returned to the gridiron in 2008 after playing four seasons for the Rebels’ basketball team. Playing organized football for the first time since eighth grade, the Gosnell, Ark. native saw action in five games for Ole Miss and made one tackle.

by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

Sunday May 03, 2009, 10:10 PM

Ted Jackson, The Times-Picayune

As a rookie last season, Saints cornerback Tracy Porter started the first five games before dislocating his right wrist. He flourished in his limited playing time, finishing with one interception, five pass-defenses and 32 tackles.

The Saints have completely revamped their secondary this offseason, adding five new players in hopes of shoring up their most glaring weakness.

Perhaps the greatest reason for optimism in the embattled position group, though, is a player that’s been in the fold all along — second-year cornerback Tracy Porter.

Porter, 22, is essentially heading into his redshirt-freshman season with the Saints. Although he won a starting job during the preseason last year, he played in just five games before a dislocated right wrist ended his season.

Still, the speedy 5-foot-11, 186-pounder did enough in that brief playing time to mark him as the player to beat in the suddenly-crowded position battle at cornerback.

“Tracy Porter, I like a lot. Not a little — a lot,” Coach Sean Payton said before the Saints added first-round pick and defensive back Malcolm Jenkins in the draft.

Porter, however, isn’t taking anything for granted. He said he’s heading into this summer like a player who’s fighting to get noticed.

“They’re brining in new competition, but every year there’s going to be competition,” Porter said. “I’m definitely going to work hard as if I’m not the starter. I’m going to work hard to show the new defensive coordinator (Gregg Williams) and my position coach (Dennis Allen) that I belong out there on the field.”

Porter, who had one interception, five pass-defenses and 32 tackles last season, said he feels a little bit like a veteran and a rookie at the same time.

He has been in New Orleans for a year, so he’s helping to usher in newcomers like Jenkins, rookie safety Chip Vaughn and free agent additions Jabari Greer, Darren Sharper and Pierson Prioleau.

“But I’m still in that young player category,” Porter said. “I’m still trying to make a name for myself.”

Porter, a native of Port Allen, started to do that last summer after arriving as a second-round draft pick out of Indiana University.

His first NFL training camp got off to a rough start when he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for two weeks. But when he was on the field, his speed and skills were evident, and Payton showed enough faith in Porter to plug him into the starting lineup from Week 1.

Porter immediately had his share of highs and lows.

He was terrific during a season-opening victory against Tampa Bay at the Superdome, hounding the Buccaneers’ receivers all afternoon. Porter then was burned badly in a Week 2 loss at Washington, giving up a 67-yard touchdown pass to receiver Santana Moss in the fourth quarter that allowed the Redskins to come from behind and win.

Porter’s ability to bounce back from that play was impressive. He showed the kind of confidence that cornerbacks need in the NFL — especially rookies — and the kind of confidence that can allow him to bounce back from his lost season.

“Corner is one of those positions where you want to be confident, but not over-confident,” Porter said. “And when you give up a big play, you need to have a short memory.”

Porter played well during the next three weeks — at Denver, home against San Francisco — when he got his first career interception — and home against Minnesota on “Monday Night Football.”

But it was late in a loss to the Vikings when Porter injured his wrist. He was covering receiver Aundrae Allison, who ran a deep route toward the end zone. But as quarterback Gus Frerotte’s pass floated down the field, another Vikings receiver who was running the wrong route, Bernard Berrian, collided with Porter.

To add insult to injury, Berrian caught a touchdown pass in the process, helping to defeat the Saints in another come-from-behind loss.

“It was hard at the beginning,” Porter said of the mental recovery process. “I was down, because I was steadily improving week by week, becoming a better player. It was very frustrating; it was also frustrating to sit at home watching on TV while my teammates were out there competing without me.

“But me, I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is. Maybe it was good for me to sit down and learn the game more from watching on the sidelines.”

Porter said the physical recovery took a few months, but he’s now completely healed.

“I’m ready to go,” he said. “If the season would start tomorrow, I’d be ready to play. I’m excited and ready to go.”

Porter also is enthusiastic about the changes the Saints have made to their defense. He likes Williams’ track record and his aggressive style. He said even though Williams told the players that he knew all about them from watching tape, Porter made a point to introduce himself to Williams after the first team meeting “to put a face with the name.”

“I think (Williams’ style) will suit me very well,” Porter said. “I consider myself a versatile player who can adjust and fit any scheme, and if there’s something I don’t know, I’ll take the time to learn it and put in the work.”

With so many new additions — from Williams to Jenkins to Greer to Sharper and Porter himself — he said the Saints have an opportunity to turn a former weakness into a strength.

“We definitely had that opportunity last year, too, but we just had so many injuries,” Porter said. “But we have that opportunity again. If we do what we’re supposed to, this is definitely going to be a secondary to be reckoned with.”

Two Saints players arrested for lewd conduct

by Danny Monteverde, The Times-Picayune

Sunday May 03, 2009, 11:16 AM

Two New Orleans Saints players are in jail after they were booked on charges of obscenity, disturbing the peace by being drunk in public and lewd conduct by urinating in public and exposing themselves early Sunday morning, said Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Saints photosBiren Ealy, left, and Kolo Kapanui

Biren Ealy, 24, and Kolomona Kapanui, 25, were arrested just before 1 a.m. at an apartment complex in Elmwood.

Two women had just pulled up to the Palmetto Creek apartments in the 5100 block of Citrus Boulevard when one of the women saw two men urinating in the parking lot, Fortunato said.

The woman who was the passenger told the men, who appeared to be drunk, to stop. At that point, Ealy allegedly turned around and exposed himself to the woman and started making “lewd” comments, Fortunato said.

A few moments later, Kapanui also turned around, facing the woman driving the car, and started to fondle himself while making comments, as well, police allege.

The women started screaming for help and called 911.

Ealy and Kapanui — a wide receiver and tight end, respectively — were taken to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. They are each being held on a $4,250 bond, Fortunato said.

“We are aware of the situation,” Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said in an email. “Our security department is working with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office on this matter. We will have no further comment.”

Both men are on the Saints’ 80-man roster, but neither has appeared in a game with New Orleans.

Ealy, who attended Houston, was picked up by the Saints in January after spending two years with the Tennessee Titans, mostly on the practice squad. He has appeared in four games, with one reception for six yards in his career.

Kapanui, who attended West Texas A&M, was signed to the Saints’ practice squad last season in late November but did not appear in a game. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns last year but was released following the preseason.

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and Gov.

Bobby Jindal to announce state’s new agreement with Saints Thursday morning

by Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal and Saints owner Tom Benson will make an announcement Thursday morning at the Superdome, the governor’s office announced this evening as officials said a deal is close on a new long-term agreement to keep the Saints in New Olreans.
The press conference will be at 10 a.m. in the Bienville Club Lounge at the Dome.

Sen. John Alario, D-Westwego said today a deal between the state and the Saints is near, and the proposals he has heard discussed may may wind up saving taxpayers about $240 million with a new 15-year contract with the franchise. Alario said after a high-level briefing with

Superdome officials and key state lawmakers at the Governor’s Mansion that state officials “have indicated they may be signing some agreement in the next couple of days,” said Alario, the dean of the Legislature who had a key role in creating the existing contract which expires after the 2010 football season.

Alario said the proposed deal will involve Saints owner Tom Benson buying the Dominion Towers adjacent to the Superdome, then leasing about 300,000 square feet — roughly two-thirds of the building back to state agencies.

Several lawmakers who attended a later briefing on the deal said that the state will pay Benson about $3.8 million a year in rent for offices at the tower.

Rep. Walt Leger II, D-New Orleans, said the plans as he understands them also call for the state to tap $85 million of the remaining $150 million in state surplus money to make repairs to the Superdome and the area around it.

However, House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Algiers, said that the surplus and other revenue sources are also under consideration as a way to pay for renovations to the state facilities.

The existing deal will pay the Saints about $186.5 million by the time the contract expires in 2010.

Alario said the state will be paying the “going rate” for rental, comparable to other office space in the New Orleans Central Business District.

He said the state will pay no more than $6 million in cash to Benson — possibly less — if certain benchmarks are met such as attendance levels, ticket sale sand suitres sales.

Alario and Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, said the deal also involves the Superdome Commission co-developing the food court and other areas of the storm-damaged New Orleans Centre, but details were sketchy.

Alario said it was his understanding that Benson would pay about $10.5 million over three years to help redevelop the area.

Alario said he understands the area to be renovated would be turned into an “entertainment venue.”

“It will not be easy, but we can work it out,” Alario said of lawmakers’ approval of the deal during the session.

Rep. Juan LaFonta, D-New Orleans, said the deal just shifts money from one source to another for Benson. With education and health care needs being cut around the state, LaFonta said, the deal as it was laid out “is robbing from the poor to give to the rich. …

“The state has not done anything for the concerns like NOAH (the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital) and layoffs at University Hospital.”

State and Saints to announce details of deal

Jay Vise Reporting
The New Orleans Saints and the state of Louisiana have called a news conference for 10 AM tomorrow at the Superdome, where officials are expected to lay out details of a long-term deal between the state and the Black & Gold.

Governor Bobby Jindal and Saints Owner Tom Benson, along with a host of other officials, will be on hand for the announcement. WWL will carry that news conference live Friday morning at 10.

The City of New Orleans has placed a bid for the 2013 Super Bowl; a long-term agreement is seen as an absolute necessity  for the city to have a real chance at landing the Super Bowl.

Sen. John Alario, who attended a morning briefing with the Jindal administration’s negotiators on the deal, said the state could pay the team less than $6 million each year, depending on how much money the Saints get from other income sources.

The arrangement would be far less than the $23.5 million the state is currently paying the Saints annually in a direct cash subsidy.

New Orleans Saints release defensive tackle Hollis Thomas

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune April 29, 2009 9:37AM

The New Orleans Saints have released defensive tackle Hollis Thomas.

Thomas, 35, was scheduled to earn $1.4 million this season.

“Hollis Thomas had a significant presence for us both on the defensive line and in the locker room for a number of years,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said in a statement. “He has been a big part of what we have accomplished here.”
Thomas spent the past three seasons in New Orleans after a draft-day trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006. The run-stuffer played a key role in the Saints’ 2006 run to the NFC Championship Game.

He started 30 games in his three years with the Saints, including the playoffs, 123 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He missed the first half of last season after tearing a tendon in his left triceps during training camp. He was actually released by the team, then re-signed once he got healthy.

He finished the season with 10 tackles in limited action in eight games. But his performance and production level had steadily declined in his years with New Orleans, and the team felt he didn’t come into this year’s offseason workout program in good enough shape.

Thomas, who is listed at 6-foot, 335-pounds, has continually battled weight and conditioning issues with the Saints.

The Saints, who also released injured veteran Brian Young this week, are now somewhat thin at the defensive tackle spot behind starters Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy. They’re counting on two players who did not play last season — second-year pro DeMario Pressley, who missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury, and former Falcons veteran Rod Coleman, who signed with the Saints after spending a year away from football.

They also have two-year veteran Remi Ayodele, who appeared in six games with the Saints last year. And veteran end Paul Spicer should be able to slide inside and play some tackle.

New Orleans Saints release injured defensive tackle Brian Young

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune April 28, 2009 11:10AM

The Saints released defensive tackle Brian Young, who has been unable to return from a major left knee injury this offseason.

I just spoke to Young, who said he still wants to come back and play, whether it’s this year or next. But he knows it’s a long shot after having three procedures this offseason that he said “nobody’s ever come back from.”

The Saints released defensive lineman Brian Young.

Young said he has no ill will toward the Saints, who went “above and beyond” to give him a chance to come back this offseason. And he said if he is able to come back he doesn’t want to play for any other team.

“It’s hard to deal with right now because I’ve been playing this game for 20 years and I’ve loved every minute of it,” Young said.

Young, 31, was originally scheduled to earn a $1.5 million salary and $3 million roster bonus this season, but he had already worked out an undisclosed restructuring of the roster bonus earlier this year. He had two years remaining on the three-year deal he signed in 2007.

“This was a very difficult decision to make,” Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said in a statement. “Brian is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever met and I have as much respect for him as any player I have ever been associated with. We will miss his passion for the game. He has been a key contributor to our defense for a number of years and has also brought a lot to our organization as a high character individual. He has not received as much recognition and credit as he deserves for what he has brought to our team and this community. He will always be welcome in our building.”

Young spent five years with the Saints after signing as a free agent from St. Louis in 2004. He had 266 tackles, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles in that span.

The 6-foot-2, 298-pounder was a mainstay in the lineup until 2007, when his left knee was originally hurt against Atlanta in Week 7.

He continued to play through his knee issues – in addition to other ailments, including a frightening bout with pneumonia that landed him in the hospital for 11 days in late 2007. But eventually the knee gave out on him.

Young has had six surgeries on the knee over the past two years, including three this offseason. He had part of his bone replaced with the bone from a cadaver, which he said “actually went well.” But he said most of the lateral meniscus is gone from the knee, and a meniscus transplant he underwent last month “didn’t take.”

Young said whenever he does quit football for good, he’ll have to have a more serious procedure, which will involve breaking the leg to reset it. But he’s not ready to give up the dream just yet. If all goes well, he can begin running in June and attempting football activities in July. He knows a return this season would be especially difficult but said next year is also a possibility.

“I don’t want to just come back and be an average d-lineman,” Young said. “I only want to come back if I can come back and play like I did before. If I’m not going to be able to play fast and high intensity the way I was before, then I’ll hang it up.

“It’s too bad because I like what they’re doing here. I like the direction we’re headed. … I’m gonna be lost without this game.”

The Saints have decent depth at the tackle position, but it’s loaded with question marks behind starters Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy. Veteran Hollis Thomas has continued to battle weight and conditioning issues. Veteran Rod Coleman is attempting to come back after a year away from football. And second-year pro DeMario Pressely missed his entire rookie year after suffering a foot injury at the start of training camp.