Saints DE Charles Grant finds himself in hot water tonight, as he has been indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a February altercation at a nightclub.  The Saints have no comment on the charge according to spokesman Greg Bensel.  Grant was charged by an Early County grand jury that also charged Laquient Macklin with felony murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Korynda Reed.

Reed died after being taken to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, after the fight early February 3rd.  Grant also received misdemeanor fighting charges.  He was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. He had 2 1/2 sacks in 2007 while starting 14 games for the Saints and has 38 1/2 over his six-year career.

Linebacker Dan Morgan decided to retire on Monday.  The 29-year-old Morgan just signed with the New Orleans Saints in March after being released by the Carolina Panthers in February.  Morgan missed the final 13 games of the 2007 season due to an Achilles’ tendon injury, and did not play in the last 15 games of the previous season after suffering a concussion. 

Morgan was Carolina’s first-round draft choice in  2001 out of Miami, and started 59 games  for  the Panthers.  Morgan made 109 tackles in the 2004 season, when he was named to the Pro Bowl, and his 452 tackles rank third in Panthers history.

The Giants and Saints worked hard to try and work out a deal on draft day for tight end Jeremy Shockey, and even though it didn’t happen, reports from the New Orleans Times-Picayune today says the deal may still be worked out.  Jimmy Smith wrote today that Saints coach Sean Payton would love to have Shcokey in his offense, and that he is still the main force trying to get the Saints to make a deal with the Super Bowl Champs for Shockey’s services.

Shockey is not due to break the bank this season, making just $1.9 mil, so the Giants really don’t have any pressing need to get rid of him, unless New Orleans makes them a deal they feel is fair.  Plus if the Giants move Shockey, they would hurt their depth at the TE spot, as Kevin Boss would take over as the starter, leaving them with backups Jerome Collins, Darcy Johnson, and Michael Matthews.  The Giants are going to want a lot, it’s likely going to come down to just how bad the Saints truly want the brash TE.

The Pats moved their 7th pick of the draft to the Saints, and in a move that was expected, the Saints jumped right into the mix, grabbing USC DT Sedrick Ellis with that pick.  Ellis is a beast that some think is better than Glenn Dorsey, who went to the Chiefs two picks before Ellis.  Last season with USC he had 58 tackles in 13 games to go along with 12.5 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks.  A great move by the Saints, and a guy who can be a playmaker in their defense, which needed to be upgraded.

Here is a scouting report on Ellis from NFLdraftcountdown.com

Strengths:
Very quick with a great first step…Very strong and powerful…A terrific pass rusher with the burst to close…Athletic with good speed…Instinctive…Sheds blocks well and is able to beat the double team…Is technically sound when it comes to using his hands and understanding leverage…Has a non-stop motor…Tough and a very hard worker with top-notch intangibles…Has experience at both tackle positions.

Weaknesses:
Doesn’t have the ideal height or bulk that you look for…Has some minor durability issues…Might have some trouble holding his ground at the point against massive blockers…Limited schematically and probably won’t be a perfect fit for every team.

Notes:
Could be a prototypical three-technique at the pro level…Redshirted in 2003 after breaking his left ankle and missed some time in ‘06 with a knee injury..Productive, disruptive force in the middle..A better prospect than Mike Patterson was in 2005.

The Giants have had enough of Shockey’s mouth, attitude, and lack of production when he’s on the field.  Plus they have young and up and coming tight end Kevin Boss, who can easily lead the Giants TE position.  ESPN is reporting that the Saints only want to offer a number two pick, but that in the end, the deal will likely get done.  Shockey was hurt last season in a game vs the Redskins, and on the season had 57 catches with three TD’s.  Look for this deal to get done as the draft gets closer.

Saints wide out Marques Coltson says he’ll be ready to go for training next month despite having arthroscopic surgery on the left knee that bothered him last season. The former Hofstra receiver is looking to come back strong in 2008 despite having a better 2nd season than his first, as he had 98 catches for 1202 yards and 11 scores last year, as compared to 70 catches for 1038 yards and 8 TD’s his rookie year.

“Unfortunately I’m a vet to the surgeries, so I know exactly what it takes. I’ve just got to be patient with it,” said Colston “I had a lot of irritation going on in there throughout the season. Now’s the time to clean it up and get healthy.”

After somewhat of a slow start, which was the case for many of the Saints, Coltson caught fire down the stretch, catching 28 balls his last four games, scoring five times. He had his biggest game in week 9 against the Jags at home when he pulled in 10 passes for 159 yards. He will be counted on to be a big part of the Siants attack in 2008, and having him as close to 100 percent as possible is a key to to the teams success.