Ok. We're live.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey guys, I think it’s too early to know whether or not Grant will miss any time this season, so I wouldn’t expect them to go shopping for his replacement right away. A lot of guys come available late in the summer, so there will be backup options available down the road.

As for Morgan, Saints Coach Sean Payton said today that the Saints will likely look to add another body at linebacker, but they probably would be more likely to add a young backup than an experienced veteran. Remember, they still have weakside starter Scott Shanle on the roster, plus Mark Simoneau, who can back up at weakside or middle linebacker. And they have another veteran backup Troy Evans, who is a decent, experienced former starter.

JIMMY SMITH: From what we know, Tim, he has been indicted along with several others for involuntary manslaughter in the February incident in which he was stabbed and a pregnant bystander killed. Grant is expected to leave New Orleans today to turn himself in on the charges on Thursday and expects to return to New Orleans by Friday. THe Early County, Georgia district attorney is not commenting on the case.

MIKE TRIPLETT: By the way, Charles Grant was out there on the field today, too, and he looks to be in good shape despite the offseason ankle surgery. … He declined to speak with the media, and he’s going to head out today to deal with his legal issues. He should be back Friday, and he should be allowed to keep participating with the team while the legal process sorts itself out.

JIMMY SMITH:   Sorry for the delay, Cajun Tim, technical issues. Obviously with Ryan under contract it has established the market for the players immediately before and after him in the draft. It was a pretty nice deal, so the numbers are there. But that doesn't necessarily mean those teams will have an easy time getting their first picks under contract.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey John, that same thought crossed my mind when Payton said that. It’s possible. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. … Payton insisted that the Brown trade rumors weren’t true, by the way, and we never confirmed that they were shopping him. A lot of names fly around before the draft, so he might have come up. But I don’t think they were desperate to get rid of him. Left tackle is not a position you want to tinker with if you can avoid it.

MIKE TRIPLETT: I don’t expect the Saints to go after Thurman. Like I said, Payton indicated they aren’t likely to add a veteran, and the team has mostly shied away with character-concern guys. … It’s possible, but I haven’t heard anything along those lines yet.

JIMMY SMITH: Good question, John, in light of the events of the last couple days. There's still a contract in place for the next three season so teams can continue to sign players as normal according to my rudimentary understanding of the CBA. There shouldn't be a problem until there's an uncapped year in 2010, though the player costs could skyrocket if there's no salary cap.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey Jared and Paul, we saw Deuce running around just a little bit. He’s still very limited, but it was good to see him running around a little bit. Reggie Bush looks healthy and fluid. Aaron Stecker and Pierre Thomas both looked to be in good shape. … Like I said, though, it’s really tough to evaluate running backs when they’re not in pads and they’re not tackling. But the one thing that stood out to be is that they’re fairly deep at the position, even with the injury concerns regarding Deuce. Even a guy like Chris Barclay (who signed late last year) could have some value. And I’m pretty high on Pierre Thomas’ potential. … Maybe they do need to add an inside runner to the mix, though, if they’re worried about Deuce’s health.

MIKE TRIPLETT: I don’t think anyone stood out for better or worse – except for maybe Anwar Phillips, who always seems to shine in this May and June practices. … We didn’t get to see the secondary in its entirety. Mike McKenzie, Josh Bullocks and Aaron Glenn were all out with injuries. So Randall Gay, Jason David and Usama Young were working with the first team, along with safeties Roman Harper, Kevin Kaesviharn and Chris Reis. They were doing a lot of nickel and dime stuff today. … I wish I could offer more insight, but none of them really stood out as breaking up a lot of balls or repeatedly getting burned. … I thought it was interesting that Gay and Young were working ahead of Jason Craft. Could give you a little depth-chart insight.

JIMMY SMITH: Ken, according to a report from Saints general manager Mickey Loomis recently on Sirius Sattelite radio, the Saints are no longer pursuing a trade for Jeremy Shockey. Loomis hasn't said anything on the record to New Orleans media on this subject. All we know is that Sean Payton thinks the guy can improve the Saints offense. Whether the trade can be consummated at this point, though, is extremely uncertain.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Payton actually complimented the entire offensive line before he singled out Brown individually. … I’ll have to take his word for it. You really can’t tell how well an offensive line is playing when they aren’t in pads. … I think they’ve been happy with Jonathan Goodwin as the new center. I know they like some of their young backups, especially Jermon Bushrod, Zach Strief and rookie Carl Nicks.

JIMMY SMITH: From what Roger Goodell had to say about the possibility of a 17th game on Tuesday, Mike, what apparently would happen is an alternate-year program in which NFC teams would play a nine-game home schedule one year and AFC teams would play the nine-game home schedule the next year. It would seem logical for the extra game to played outside the United States because of the inequity some season ticket holders might feel from losing a home game as Saints fans are this season. This is all just in the talking stages, though, so stay tuned to see what eventually is etched in stone.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey, AJ. Henderson didn’t seem to have a particularly good practice. He dropped at least one pass. I think he’s the guy looking over his shoulder with Meachem and Arrington in hot pursuit. … Green caught a screen pass at one point and got us all talking about how many bubble screens and short crossing patterns he used to catch on that LSU championship team. But I think he’s a long shot to make the roster.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey Fike, I think the only way the Saints could have upgraded that position in the draft is if they used a first- or second-round pick on the position. It’s not like a fifth- or sixth-rounder would have come in here and won a starting job. … The Saints could certainly use a talent upgrade at safety, but they have decent depth with Kaesviharn, Harper and Bullocks. All three of those guys have the potential to be good – they all just need to get a lot more consistent. The Saints are banking that their improved pass rush can help keep those guys put of so much trouble against the deep ball.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Actually, no Mystur. And that is something that usually does stand out this time of year. Even guys like Grant and Hollis Thomas and Deuce looked OK compared to their usual shape. No one was cramping up or spending too much time on one knee. … Rookie defensive tackle DeMario Pressley aggravated a foot injury yesterday and should be sidelined for a week or two. But other than that, no one has stood out for negative reasons. ... Not that Thomas looked svelte, by the way. His conditioning will remain a concern every year from here on out.

JIMMY SMITH: That's a nice thought, jiggajon, but putting together a trade such as that wouldn't be as easy as you think. And it's probably a little too early in the process to totally give up Robert Meachem. Let's give him through training camp, at least, to see what he can bring to the table now that he's apparently more healthy than he was a year ago. Everyone knows what Devery Henderson can do, but Meachem is still an unknown factor. We should know by the beginning of the exhibition season whether he can be a player to count on.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey Chris, I think we’ll see alignments like that in obvious pass-rushing downs. I definitely expect to see Will Smith, Grant and McCray all on the field at the same time in certain situations. … But it’s not like Grant will make a full-time position switch. … Grant is more valuable against the run than McCray as a defensive end. McCray is more of a pass-rushing specialist. But the additions of McCray and Ellis give the Saints a lot more flexibility and versatility. They should make a big impact on a team that struggled to disrupt quarterbacks last year.

JIMMY SMITH:Hey, Meredith, do you listen to the kind of music that blares through the Superdome speakers at Saints' games? Some of that stuff would be difficult to dance to. But it is an interesting theory.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Will Smith is still holding out. So far, he has only missed “voluntary” activities. The minicamp next week is mandatory, so that’s the first time he’ll face a fine. Payton said he thinks Smith will be here next week, but I think that could go either way. … It has really not been a huge distraction so far because this sort of thing happens all the time in the NFL and the Saints hold Smith in high regard. But it will probably keep dragging on a little while longer while they squabble over a few million here and there.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Hey Mason, the coaches haven’t singled anyone out, but just from watching them in brief spurts during practice, we noticed defensive end Jeremy Geathers and safety Rocky Schwartz a couple times. And linebacker JoLonn Dunbar is in a good spot because he’s the top new addition at a position the Saints are pretty thin at. … Hard to say if any of these guys has a real shot, though.

MIKE TRIPLETT: Just two more notes from today’s practice before I head into the locker room for interviews. 1. QB Mark Brunell looked pretty solid and comfortable as the new backup quarterback. And 2. These were the guys who missed practice because of injuries – McKenzie (knee), Bullocks (knee), Glenn (ankle), TE Eric Johnson (knee), LB Mark Simoneau (hip), Pressley (foot).

JIMMY SMITH: Good to hear from someone in Lakeview. It's unlikely the Saints would move Strief to the right side because they like what he can do on the left side as he has shown when he has played for the injured Jammal Brown. Strief's versatility give the Saints a valuable asset, though, because he probably could play on the right side as well.