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The Saints have signed Tramain Hall and Aaron Hosack to two year contracts today 6/29, according to www.neworleanssaints.com. Both are wide receivers from NFL Europa.

Aaron Hosack

Hosack is a pretty big wide receiver standing 6’5” and weighing 229 pounds. Last season he played pretty well for the Frankfurt Galaxy and was part of a team that went 7-3 and appeared in their second straight World Bowl. He caught 9 passes for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was a pretty explosive player at times last season averaging 32.1 yards per catch.

Hosack had a great year in 2006 with the Galaxy and helped lead them to a World Bowl Championship. He caught 36 balls, amassed 473 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. He was voted onto the All-NFL Europe team that season. Following his stellar year he was picked up by the Vikings and attended training camp in Minnesota. He didn’t make the team though as he was released before the start of the regular season. In 2004 Hosack was on the Viking’s practice squad for a good part of the year.

Tramain Hall

Hall, also 25, is quite a bit smaller than Hosack at 5’10” and 190 lbs. Last season he played for the Cologne Centurions and caught 16 passes for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns. He brings something to the table that Hosack does not. He also returns punts and kicks. Last season for the Centurions he returned 9 kickoffs for 217 yards and 4 punts for 68 yards.

In 2006 he was in training camp with the Titans. He played his college ball at North Carolina State and caught 125 balls for 1,466 yards and 12 touchdowns.

While the Bears have released defensive tackle Tank Johnson, there are three teams that may give him a serious look, with one being the Saints. The Cowboys and Bills are two other teams that have interest in Johnson according to ESPN.com. John Clayton reports that the Saints are talking about the chances to adding Johnson to the D-line, and can do it on the cheap. Clayton reports that Johnson was only scheduled to make $510,000 this season, which means that the team that picks him up should be able to snag him for about $240,000.

The Bills have a young defense, and they could use a player like Johnson on a team that appears right now to have an offense that is much better than its defense. No contact made as of yet between the Bills and Johnson.

As far as the Cowboys, they also could use a player like Johnson on their D-line, and reports state that one member of the Cowboys organization says that Johnson would be a “perfect fit” in new coach Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense. No contact has been made as of yet between the Cowboys and Johnson, but it may be coming shortly.

The bottom line on Johnson is risk. He has already had more than one chance with a solid organization with the Bears, and he blew that. It will be interesting to see what team wants to take the risk of picking up a player that has had numerous charges go against him, and even when told that he only has one more chance, goes out and screws it up like Johnson did last weekend in Phoenix. My bet is a team like Dallas, that is known for taking troubled players, gives him the hardest look.

Adidas pays good money to Reggie Bush and David Beckham and the company has decided to have them star in a commercial together. The spot should prove to be somewhat entertaining as Beckham and Bush will switch uniforms and equipment and compete against each other in both soccer and football.

Antonio Pittman, the 5′11″ 207 lbs. RB out of Ohio State, has signed a three year contract with the Saints. The Saints have now signed 6 out of their 7 draft choices. Pittman left Ohio State one year early but in his final two season he rushed for over 1,000 yards. He is a solid player, this writer thinks he left college too early, but he will look to contribute as soon the opportunity arises.

Jermon Bushrod, one of the Saints two fourth round draft picks signed a three-year contract today, Wednesday June 20th. A 6’5” 315 lbs. offensive tackle out of Towson, Bushrod adds depth to an already solid tackle position on the Saints offense. He was a four-year starter at Towson and started the final 38 games of his career in college. He earned a place on the All-Atlantic 10 team in his senior year. Just because he didn’t play for a powerhouse college football team doesn’t mean this guy can’t be a great player in the NFL.

The complete list of the top 50 players in the NFL, can be found here at cbs.sportsline.com. Here are the Saints that are in the top 50.

15. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: He showed a lot skeptics — including this writer — that he wasn’t just a product of the San Diego offense. He really fits with Saints coach Sean Payton’s offense.

Brees is the 4th ranked QB on the list. Ahead of him are:
1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
2. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
5. Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Its hard to disagree with the decision to rank the above QB’s higher than Brees. He was ranked ahead of:
39. Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (only 5 QB’s are in the top 50)

24. Jammal Brown, T, New Orleans Saints: His move from the right side to the left side was a smooth one. It earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl. He will be there for a lot of years.

Brown is the 2nd ranked T on the list behind:
6. Walter Jones, T, Seattle Seahawks
He was ranked ahead of:
42. Jonathan Ogden, T, Baltimore Ravens

27. Will Smith, DE, New Orleans Saints: Without him, the Saints defense would be in big trouble. When the opposing offense puts up points, he pins his ears and attacks. He’s a force off the edge.

Smith is the 5th ranked DE on the list behind:
9. Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina Panthers
11. Richard Seymour, DE, New England Patriots
12. Dwight Freeney, DE, Indianapolis Colts
16. Jason Taylor, DE, Miami Dolphins

He was ranked ahead of:
43. Ty Warren, DE, New England Patriots

RB Reggie Bush was listed as “just missing” the top 50.

The odds are good that he will be in the top 50 after this season.
The RB’s that were ranked in the top 50 ahead of Bush are:
3. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers
20. Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City
21. Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers
29. Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams

Peter King, “The Monday Morning Quarterback” ranked all of the quarterbacks in the NFL on Monday June 18th. He ranked Drew Brees as the #3 quarterback in the NFL. He ranks ahead of Carson Palmer (4), Vince Young (7), Donovan McNabb (12), Brett Favre (14), Ben Roethlisberger (17), Michael Vick (21), and Eli Manning (23). The only QB’s that ranked ahead of Brees were Peyton Manning (1) and Tom Brady (2). Brees is a phenomenal football player and he also has more character than most players in the NFL. Saints fans are pretty excited about Brees and his ranking 3rd among NFL quarterbacks. He is sure to prove that he is well worth the #3 ranking when the season finally begins.

The Saints have came to terms with seventh-round draft pick LB Marvin Mitchell yesterday. Mitchell, drafted out of the University of Tennessee, becomes the fourth draft pick to the sign with the team. He was a solid middle linebacker with the Tennessee Volunteers, and in 2006 totalled 104 tackles.

Two popular vetern players have been released by the Saints, wide receiver and kick returner Michael Lewis and defensive end Willie Whitehead.  Lewis was the return specialist of the team, making the team at 29-years-old after drving a beer truck.  He was known as “Beer Man” by his teammates due to his prior job.

Team owner Tom Benson released a statement about the release of the popular Lewis.  “Michael is part of the fabric of our community and will always have a special place in the history of our club,” Benson said in a news release. “The way he made our team, as a player who worked hard, wasn’t drafted, supported his family and followed his dream, is unique and something we’re all proud to be a part of.”

Lewis leaves the team as the club’s all-time leader in kickoff returns (243 for 5,903 yards) and punt returns (142 for 1,482 yards). He has four touchdown returns — three on kickoffs and one punt return. “Michael is a New Orleans native and deservedly has a special place in the hearts of our fans,” GM Mickey Loomis said.

The other player released was defensive end Whitehead, who also was an undrafted free agent that made the team based on hard work back in 1999.  “Willie had been with our team longer than any other current player. This is a situation where we had to make a decision on what made the most sense for our club, and it also gives Michael and Willie a chance to explore their opportunities before training camps open around the league,” Loomis said.

He had 266 tackles (168 solo), 24.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career. In 2004, he was voted by his teammates the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, an honor bestowed on a player who best exemplifies the principles of sportsmanship and courage.