Who Dat News: Smith a No-show

News: Will Smith is the only player not participating in the Saint's off-season conditioning program, according to The Times Picayune. Smith is in the final year of his rookie contract which expires at the end of this season and wants a bump in pay from the base salary of $695,000 that he received in '07. Head coach Sean Payton seemed optimistic that a new deal would get done. "He's one of those guys who has become a leader in that locker room. I think for him it's wanting to get a new deal, and hey, all parties want that. It's just a matter of sorting through and arriving at the right number," Payton said.

Who Dat Say: This is par for the course in today's NFL. This move was probably inevitable after last year when the team signed fellow defensive end Charles Grant to a seven-year deal which will pay him up to $63 million. Payton hinted that the two sides have been communicating and that Smith has a good relationship with him and G.M. Mickey Loomis. Let's hope this holdout stays amicable and ends sooner rather than later. Will Smith is vital to the defensive-end rotation coordinator Gary Gibbs is sure to implement with Smith, Grant, and newly-acquired free agent Bobby McCray.