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Just because the Saints traded away starting LT Wayne Gandy to Atlanta doesn't mean they will automatically select Virginia's D' Brickashaw Ferguson in the draft. In fact, the team believes last year's first-round draft pick Jammal Brown, their starting right tackle, can be their long-term foundation on the left side of the line. A similar move turned out alright for former Saint Willie Roaf, to whom Brown has been compared more than once in the past. The 6-6, 313-pound Brown is very athletic for his size and was actually a defensive end until early in his college career at Oklahoma. He lived up to his lofty expectations last year, and coaches felt all along he would have the size, strength and athleticism to move to the left side. Ferguson probably has not been ruled out because he and Brown would make outstanding bookends for the next 10 years or so, but the Saints aren't desperate. The trade also indicates they must have confidence in the health of backup tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who missed all of last season when he blew out his knee in training camp. Stinchcomb is expected to ease back into practice during the summer and be ready for a full training camp. . . .

The Saints acquired fourth-year safety Bryan Scott in the trade, along with a conditional 2007 draft choice, likely a second-day pick. Scott was probably not the focal point of the trade, though the Saints may have faith that he can still reach the potential that made him a second-round draft pick out of Penn State in 2003. The 6-1, 219-pounder has started 35 games for the Falcons at strong safety, free safety and even cornerback. But he lost his job toward the end of last season. The Falcons went looking for replacements in the free-agent pool and clearly were moving on without him. Scott never proved himself as an adept or reliable tackler in Atlanta, but he's still young - he'll turn 25 on April 13. The Saints already have some of their best depth at safety with starters Dwight Smith and Josh Bullocks, plus veteran backups Jay Bellamy, Omar Stoutmire and Steve Gleason. There will be competition for those roster spots, with Bellamy and Gleason needing to prove their worth to a new coaching staff after being favored by the old staff. It's doubtful the Saints will consider moving any of these guys to cornerback, but they certainly have some flexibility. . . .

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue made a personal visit to New Orleans on the day the NFL schedule was announced, highlighting the Monday night home opener against Atlanta in the Superdome on September 25 and the season finale against Carolina on New Year's Eve. Tagliabue and the NFL have made a sincere commitment to supporting the city's rebuilding efforts by promoting the team and the city with such high-profile games. They also plan to showcase events in New Orleans, such as concerts during some nationally-televised broadcasts and bringing the fall owners' meetings to the city. Tagliabue has made six personal visits to the Gulf South region since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area last August.

SCOUTING REPORT: For now at least, third-year veteran Courtney Watson still is penciled in as the Saints' starter at middle linebacker. After being drafted in the second round out of Notre Dame in 2004, the 6-1, 246-pounder has entered each of the past two seasons as the Saints' starter but has been unable to lock down the job because he never has shown consistent speed or tackling ability. Last year, he lost his job to veteran Ronald McKinnon even before being shelved for the second half of the season with a torn ACL. Still, he has shown talent in spurts, and the middle linebacker job is a very cerebral one, the so-called "quarterback of the defense," which requires time to develop. Perhaps under the tutelage of new defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs and assistant head coach Joe Vitt -- both linebackers coaches by trade -- Watson can bloom this year. But he will face competition from last year's third-round choice Alfred Fincher. And the Saints likely will target more help at this position -- perhaps in the form of Ohio State star A.J. Hawk, an outside linebacker that should also be able to move inside.

COMEBACK STORY: It seems as though half the Saints' roster fits into this category after they placed 10 players on injured reserve last season, including tailback Deuce McAllister. But no injury comeback will be more important or more scrutinized than that of their new free-agent quarterback Drew Brees. This offseason will be intense because he just had surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right throwing shoulder in January. He must learn a new offense and become familiar with new teammates despite not being able to throw until at least June, if not well into training camp. The plan is for him to split his rehab time between New Orleans and Birmingham, Ala., where his surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews. He will get "mental reps" in the first minicamp, then hopefully begin throwing in the final minicamp in early June. Brees and the team are hoping he'll have a full training camp, but the original prognosis for his recovery was seven months, and even that was optimistic. Saints coach Sean Payton said the team will study the offense Brees ran in San Diego and "make sure we're flexible enough on offense to make sure he's comfortable with what we're doing."


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