The New Orleans Saints became the main power brokers heading into Saturday's NFL draft, holding the No. 2 pick and the unexpected opportunity to draft Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner.
The Houston Texans' bold decision Friday night to sign defensive end Mario Williams and make him the No. 1 pick wound up keeping Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis glued to his cellphone as New Orleans pondered the most pivotal decision of today's draft.
The most likely outcome was that New Orleans would draft Bush, a running back with game-breaking ability whom most people expected to be the No. 1 pick. But the Saints may not be willing to meet Bush's contract demands, setting up the potential for a draft-day deal. New Orleans could also draft offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia or linebacker A.J. Hawk of Ohio State. Drafting Ferguson would bolster its offensive live and give added protection to Drew Brees, the new starting quarterback who is coming off shoulder surgery. Hawk would give the Saints the impact linebacker they sorely need.
PHOTO: AP
Bush's possible arrival in New Orleans added to the intrigue of a busy off-season for the Saints, who are coming off a 3-13 season and the hardships inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. The Saints hired Sean Payton as their new coach in January, and in February they signed Brees, a 27-year-old quarterback who led San Diego to the playoffs in the 2004 season. But with Bush available to them at No. 2, the Saints, a franchise with just one playoff victory in the past 20 years, have enormous leverage for one of the few times in their unenviable history.
The Saints are drafting from the top draft position for the first time since 1981, when they chose running back George Rogers with the No. 1 pick. Because the Saints have Brees, they can also trade the No. 2 pick to a team that wants one of the two highest-rated quarterbacks -- Matt Leinart of USC and Vince Young of Texas. They could trade the No. 2 pick to Tennessee (No. 3) or the Jets (No. 4), two teams with quarterback problems. It seemed highly unlikely that the Saints would draft Leinart or Young, unless they agreed to send them elsewhere.
Fans in New Orleans on Friday night were divided about what the Saints should do, but thrilled that Bush had become a possibility. Interviewed Friday afternoon at the Saints' practice facility, before the Texans announced that they had taken Williams, Loomis seemed confident the Saints would capitalize on their situation.
"I kind of view us like I view the city -- we want to rebuild as fast as you can," Loomis said. "We've got some environmental issues and psychological issues to overcome that you don't have in other cities right now.
"We went through a lot last year, and we feel like we're a little more important than just being an NFL football team. We can help symbolize recovery, not only with the things we do on the field, but with what we do in the community."
Driving into New Orleans is still an emotional experience. One moves past fallen trees, damaged homes and the tattered signs of stores and businesses that may never reopen. Some neighborhoods, particularly west of the city, look almost unscathed. Construction is under way in numerous portions of the city.
But there are also places where it appears as if Katrina hit last week, not in August, with children walking to school past abandoned shopping malls and homes.
Payton has not been in New Orleans long, but he has already been affected by the city's spirit. A 42-year-old former assistant under Bill Parcells with the Dallas Cowboys and the Giants, Payton would probably have been offered another coaching opportunity down the road if he had turned down the Saints.
He said that when he arrived in New Orleans for his interview, he had reservations.
"I didn't know exactly what to expect when I got here," Payton said Friday. "Where would the coaches live? What about the facilities? After traveling around and talking to people, I felt an energy. It was almost like a calling. It was a chance to be part of something special."
Payton has already held one off-season minicamp at the team's practice facility in Metairie, which is back in working order. And the Saints are scheduled to return to the Superdome this season; last year, they played four home games in Baton Rouge, La.; three in San Antonio; and one in New Jersey, where they played the Giants at Giants Stadium.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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