New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Rumor mill: Saints, Mr. Jones still have a thing going on

http://www.thenewsstar.com/html/90CC...7C2CFC96.shtml

The Tebucky Jones deal in New Orleans is dead.

Long live the Tebucky Jones deal in New Orleans.

ESPN.com now reports that negotiations between New England and the Saints for the free agent will resume during next week's annual league meeting in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe now says the Patriots want a second-round pick for the franchised safety. Earlier Web reports elsewhere had New Orleans balking at a first-round demand.

But the team might not go for a second round, either.

"The Saints claim the Patriots are asking for a second-round pick for Jones, and New Orleans will go no higher than a third-rounder," according to the Globe. "That's because, when they traded former Pro Bowl left tackle Willie Roaf to Kansas City last season, they received only a conditional fourth-round choice -- which became a third-round pick. They believe New England is overvaluing Jones, based on the value they got for Roaf a year ago."

The newspaper notes that troubled tackle Kyle Turley is also on the trading block for a first-rounder, though the Globe says New Orleans would accept a second. "That is another reason they will not give the Patriots their second-round choice -- because if they later received the same compensation for Turley, who is in the last year of his contract and would have to agree to a long-term deal with his new team before a trade could be consummated, they would have valued a left tackle the same as a safety . . . something no team in the NFL would do."

Roaf's 'spare' time:
Speaking of Roaf, the former Louisiana Tech and New Orleans Saints star -- a certain Hall of Fame left tackle -- was reportedly spotted enjoying time with his family at the local Western Lanes last week.

That's a a stretch:
Saints phenom Donte' Stallworth, sidelined early in his rookie year by hamstring injury, is apparently at work with a trainer -- hoping to improve on stretching techniques. "His frame is so heavily muscled, he needs to spend an excessive amount of time stretching," according to Jeff Duncan at sportingnews.com, "to avoid the hamstring injuries that have plagued him."

Duncan is a former sports editor at The News-Star.

Trading spaces:
Despite a free-agent move with New Orleans native Kordell Stewart, Chicago is still thinking quarterback in the draft -- and the deal could involve the Saints, according to DJ Boyer at football.com.

The Bears recently worked out Kyle Boller, of the California Golden Bears, and "are very high" on him, Boyer writes. Picking Boller works better for Chicago, since he won't go as high in the first round as a Carson Palmer or a Byron Leftwich.

That's also where New Orleans, a team with two middle-round picks, comes in. Chicago would trade down from the No. 4 pick overall to choose Boller.

"Chicago could get another impact player in the first round," Boyer writes, "as well as getting a quarterback to groom under Kordell Stewart."

Football.com then says such a deal would have New Orleans looking at defensive back Terence Newman of Kansas State, who many think would be gone by the time the Saints would originally have picked.

NFLE update:
Wide receiver Kerwin Cook and quarterback Chris Finlen, both Saints prospects, played well during an NFL Europe scrimmage. The Barcelona Dragons players faced off against Frankfurt this week in St. Petersburg, Fla. Cook caught three passes for 104 yards -- including a 71-yard pass from Finlen.

Quote, unquote: "I think offensive-line-needy teams that won't trade a high second-round pick for Kyle Turley are nuts," says Sports Illustrated's Peter King. "Last year, two teams took second-round tackles -- Mike Pearson in Jacksonville and Chester Pitts in Houston -- and I guarantee you Turley will be better than both over the next five years. A lock."

Still backed into a corner:
The Sporting News also reports that, despite a free-agency move to get former Saint Ashley Ambrose from Atlanta, New Orleans will likely draft a cornerback in the first three rounds.

The problem has to do with the group's birth certificates: "Ambrose is 32, Carter is 33 and has had

substance policy violations," writes Jeff Duncan, "and Thomas is 29 and has a 5-9, 172-pound frame that tends to break down."

TSN rules out Kansas State's Newman and Washington State's Marcus Trufant -- unless some deal is made to move up in the draft order. "So the team, which has the Nos. 17 and 18 picks, is more likely to settle for, say, Oregon State's Dennis Weathersby or Oklahoma's Andre Woolfolk."

Where's Haslett?
Various draftnik Web sites had New Orleans coach Jim Haslett at Kansas State to see Terence Newman, Tennessee to see Jason Witten and Georgia to see both Johnathan Sullivan and Boss Bailey last week.

The Times-Picayune in New Orleans had him at Texas A&M, Miami, Kansas State, Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson last week; then Florida State and Texas this week; . . . and at Disney World with his family last weekend.