With the first Saints practice of the 2008 season completed, Saints beat writer Mike Triplett is ready to answer all your questions about the Saints. Fire away.

                      Good question to start with since I think Arrington stole the show this morning. He laid out for a 45-yard diving catch from Tyler Palko after beating cornerback Greg Fassitt down the left sideline, and he made another nice downfield grab on a pass from Palko that somehow made it past safety Chris Reis’ arms.

                      Arrington said he dropped one ball when he slipped today, but he was definitely pleased with his debut. He’s really got a chance to make this team, though there’s a huge crowd in front of him.

Hey Miguel, we must be related. … I actually don’t know the answer to your question, but as soon as they do, I bet you’ll see them popping up all over the Superdome. I really do think this guy will be a fan favorite, at least in his first year. He’s an emotional, fiery guy who will really inject some excitement into this team. Yeah, he has a history of complaining when times are tough, but the Saints are hoping that won’t be a problem anytime soon.

Payton is obviously excited he's here. His new teammates seem equally energized. There was a cool moment today when Brees and Shockey were walking and laughing as they got to know each other on the way to the locker room after practice.

So far, so good for Deuce. He participated in every drill this morning, though he’ll probably take it easy this afternoon. And everyone keeps raving about how good he looks at a slim, trim 227 pounds. Brees joked that he’s back to his senior-year-in-college weight. … Deuce has really seemed optimistic in the last couple months. I know I’m pulling for him.

This is by far the hardest position to get a handle on. Jason David and Randall Gay ran with the first team today while Mike McKenzie is taking it slow in his recovery from knee surgery. Jason Craft and Usama Young ran with the 2s. Aaron Glenn was with the third team. And rookie Tracy Porter isn’t here yet.

Nobody really stood out today, for better or worse, but I think it’s a good sign for Young that he’s with the second string for now. He’s the real wild-card of the bunch. I’m curious to see how he looks after getting a full year under his belt since he was such a raw athlete last year. I’m also very curious to see if David can hold off Gay for the second starting job. And who knows where Porter fits in. I’m sure we’ll be updating this battle daily throughout cmap.

It really doesn’t sound good right now. Not many first-round picks have signed throughout the league, and both GMs and agents aren’t optimistic that will change anytime soon. They really seem further apart than anytime in the recent past, and Mickey Loomis was pretty outspoken the other day saying that he thinks the agents are being unreasonable in their expectations.

Ellis, especially, could take a little while. He doesn’t necessarily have to wait until Glenn Dorsey gets his deal done, but that will certainly help. I would have expected Porter to be here by now, so maybe that can be sorted out within a few days.

I don’t think Colston’s knee is a major issue. He played pretty much all year with a banged-up knee last year, and he was outstanding. He had surgery to clean it up in January and seemed fine all through the summer. I think they’re just being smart with it.

Meachem caught my eye once today when he caught a strike from Brees on an out route against the right sideline in 7-on-7 drills. He almost made a great grab on an overthrown ball during team drills. I didn’t notice any drops or mistakes. … The thing that stands out most with Meachem is he’s so much more confident this year and seems to be enjoying himself. He really got down last year when he performed below his own expectations and struggled with the knee injury. He’s been a really determined guy this offseason, and I’m anxious to see him in some preseason games.

You can’t really appreciate Reggie Bush’s unique talents during these early training camp practices, because the team isn’t in full pads, and nobody gets tackled. But he always stands out as the fastest guy on the field. … I’m definitely one of the few remaining Bush believers. I was so impressed by what he did over the final few months of his rookie year, and I think last year was a combination of him underachieving, him getting hurt, and him getting stuck in the wrong role after Deuce went down. … Like Meachem, he’s really been determined to make up for the humbling experience of last season. I bet we’ll be writing about his first 35-yard run during the first preseason game in Arizona.

Unfortunately, Thomas seemed to have a rough day. He went down to his knee about two hours into practice and the trainers cooled him off. Then he sat out the rest of the morning session. ... I don't think it's too bad of a sign. The heat was no joke on Day One, and Hollis is a big dude even when he's in shape. And he did make his weight yesterday for the first time in three years. He's proven in the past that he can get through this rough stretch and be productive in the regular season.

I didn't talk to him afterward, but I'll try to get him this afternoon or tomorrow.

I've only seen Brunell on the practice field three times so far, but I remembe rbeing very impressed the first couple times I saw him in OTAs. He really seemed confident and decisive with his throws and looked comfortable in his new offense. ... I didn't see anything that stood out today, but I imagine he'll be a good addition to this team. If he needs to step in for a game or two, he's smart enough to keep this team out of trouble. He doesn't throw a lot of picks.

Vilma looked very good. I mentioned that play when he tore through the offensive line to get to Thomas. His speed and athleticism has really stood out during minicamp and OTA practices, and he's "full speed ahead" in his recovery from last year's knee surgery.

He's been running with the second team defense since he was limited throughout the summer. But he expect him to move ahead of Mark Simoneau sooner than later.