Black and Gold confirms a report written at 2am this morning that LB Jonathan Vilma is officially a New Orleans Saint.  This also confirms a report almost 2 weeks ago that the Saints were interested in LB Jonathan Vilma and CB Asante Samuel.  

 

Details of the deal are in this article.  Black and Gold also hears, as well as reported sparsely on the internet, that the New Orleans Saints are interested in further beefing up their defense- including meeting with Patriots DB Randall Gay.

Details of the trade for Jonathan Vilma have been sparse but ESPN's John Clayton reports "it is believed Vilma will go to the Saints for a fourth-round pick in 2009 that could be upgraded to a third-round based on how he plays in 2008. Vilma is in the final year of his contract and he goes to New Orleans without a new deal."  Clayton also reports that Vilma wasn't a very good fit in New York because they switched to a 3-4 from a 4-3 defensive set, and Vilma was drafted to be a middle linebacker that fits better in a 4-3 set.

 

 

Sources tell Black and Gold that the Saints are shopping for more improvements to the defense and a real surprise on offense.  We hear that Tennessee Titan DE Travis LaBoy, Jacksonville Jaguar DE Bobby McCray, New England Patriots DB Randall Gay, Dallas Cowboys CB Jacques Reeves and Dallas Cowboys WR Terry Glenn are scheduled to visit the New Orleans Saints tomorrow or within the next few days.

 

 

 

We reported here that the Saints were looking at CB Asante Samuel, but he may come at too high of a price for the Saints.  We confirm that he may be out of the picture and has already signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.  This may open the door for the Saints to further beef up their defensive secondary by visiting with DB Randall Gay and CB Jacques Reeves.

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Today Profootballtalk.com reported in their RUMOR MILL that the league  reimburse New Orleans for  lost ticket revenue, parking, and concessions resulting from the home game that will be exported to London.

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"From the moment that the NFL decided to yank from New Orleans, only three years after Hurricane Katrina, one of the Saints' eight home games, we've been concerned about the move.  At a time when the city is struggling to rebuild, it needs the financial boost that comes from those rare Sundays with a full Superdome and everything else that goes along with it.

To defray these losses, the league will reimburse New Orleans for lost ticket revenue, parking, and concessions resulting from the home game that will be exported to London.

But is that enough?  The financial impact goes beyond ticket sales, parking, and concessions.  Hotels and restaurants will be pinched as well, and overall tax revenues will be depleted as well.

Then there's the emotional impact.  New Orleans needs the Saints, now more than ever.  While we fully support the league's decision to expand its popularity beyond our borders, there are 30 other franchises that have yet to take one for the team by giving up a home game.  Couldn't the Saints have been given an exemption for a few more years?  After all, the Saints lost all of their home games in 2005; why should they lose another one now?"

 

Read More at Profootballtalk.com

Sources tell Black and Gold the Saints are interested in Linebacker Jonathan Vilma and possibly Cornerback Asante Samuel. 

Sources close to Black and Gold tell us that LB Jonathan Vilma may have visited the New Orleans Saints facility yesterday (Monday). If true, they can't determine if it was for a physical, workout or to discuss a contract, but they claim Vilma spent the majority of the day at the Saints facilities.

{sidebar id=9}Another rumor is the Saints may also be interested in Cornerback Asante Samuel, and he on the Saints off-season wish list.

After working on these, we've confirmed that the Saints are interested in Linebacker Jonathan Vilma.  There may be interest in Samuel, but it would practically break their bank to have him on the team.