All Things New Orleans Saints: Your Daily News 6/18

Jun 11, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) signs autographs for fans following a minicamp session at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Brees did not leave until he signed autographs for every fan that was remaining. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

For starters, if you haven’t heard, Jimmy Graham’s arbitration hearing started yesterday in Metairie. This will be the final day of the hearing, and if you’re keeping up with it, you can see that things are turning quite sour.

The NFL is using the fact that Graham’s Twitter page says that he’s listed himself as a tight end, and not a wide receiver. I understand one side of it, but does that mean I can call myself an executive chef of an esteemed restaurant on Twitter, and it flies? No. Regardless, this is sure to be an interesting verdict from arbitrator Stephen Burbank, and more importantly, the reasoning behind the verdict.

As it has been pointed out before on our site, if Graham gets the wide receiver tag, then the Saints will have to scramble to get back under the salary cap.

In case you missed it this morning, Champ Bailey was on ESPN’s Mike & Mike this morning to answer some questions from fans. I may or may not have had a question that snuck in the show about Rob Ryan.

Ramon Antonio Vargas | The Advocate | Saints take aim at each other, renew paintball tradition

"The Saints divided themselves into a gray squad and a black team after arriving at Paintball Command across Lake Pontchartrain and near Mandeville on Tuesday, the third-to-last day of organized team activities (“OTAs”). A video posted by rookie tight end Je’Ronn Hamm on the social media service Instagram showed team members sitting around boxes of equipment and receiving instructions on how to properly use it before presumably taking aim at each other on the renowned outdoor paintball field."

These OTAs are a great chance to build and bond as a team, especially with the mix of rookies and veterans. It’s great to see the Saints have fun, and I just wish we could all see footage to see who the sniper was in the group.

Tom Pelissero | USA Today | Drew Brees: Saints are Super Bowl-ready

"“We still have a lot of work to do. But I know this: we are an extremely well-coached football team. We’ve got one of the best head coaches in the league, Sean Payton. We’ve got the best fan base in the league. And I think we’ve shown consistent performance over the last eight years.“Why not the New Orleans Saints? Tell me why we can’t win the championship.”"

I do realize at the beginning of the season, all teams that aren’t the Jaguars, Browns, or Raiders feel like they can win the Super Bowl. However, the Saints have a huge opportunity, and field a team that is arguably better than the 2009 and 2011 team. This all comes down to execution. I’m with Drew though, why not? What type of arguments are you going to bring in that would make this statement false? Seriously. Let me know below.

Ramon Antonio Vargas | The Advocate | Tanner continues quest to make Saints

"“I know this can be the end or the beginning of my career right here,’’ he said after the last of five minicamp practices Thursday. “This is the year. I’m ready for either way. I hope it can be staying here.’’“He can do it all,’’ Ellard said. “He can line up anywhere. You love those kind of players. That’s what kind of kept him around and why he’s done a great job for us. Look at last year — he scored two touchdowns in a preseason game against Houston. He did a great job for us. it’s a matter of opportunity and his number getting called. He’s somebody you can rely on day in and day out. When somebody goes down, you can plug him in and you keep right on moving.’’"

This is Tanner’s last shot with the Saints, and I firmly believe that. I’ve said it plenty of times, and with the addition of Brandin Cooks, it will make Tanner’s path that much harder. The Saints look to have three staples that will most assuredly be in the mix at wide receiver: Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, and Brandin Cooks. The other two or three spots will be fought for by Nick Toon, Robert Meachem, Joe Morgan, Andy Tanner, Steve Hull, Charles Hawkins, and Brandon Coleman. Hull, Hawkins, and Coleman look to be practice squad candidates, so it will boil down to whether or not Tanner can beat out Morgan or Toon, in my honest opinion.

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