Seattle released wide receiver Jordan Kent (Oregon), tight end Joe Newton (Oregon State) and quarterback Derek Devine (Canby High School). Matt Toeiana and Justin Phinisee, rookies from the University of Oregon, were cut by Cincinnati and Kansas City, respectively. Dallas released rookie and former Oregon State quarterback Matt Moore, and Houston cut former OSU linebacker Trent Bray and former Boise State and Hermiston High quarterback Jared Zabransky.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WR Mike Hass. While newly converted wide receiver Devin Hester and rookie TE Greg Olsen have been the offensive stars of training camp so far, they haven't caught the ball any better or more consistently than Hass.

He spent last season on the practice squad when the Bears snapped him up after the Saints drafted him in the fifth round but then waived him, hoping to sneak him back onto their practice squad.

After eight days of practices, no one can recall Hass dropping a pass. Not in 11-on-11 team segments, seven-on-seven work or individual receiving drills. Still, with starters Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian ahead of him plus Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and Rashied Davis, Hass is competing with Drisan James, David Ball, Brandon Rideau and Timon Marshall for, at the most, one spot. He's the early leader based on his flawless hands and good size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds).

"I'm pleased, but I still have a ways to go learning some hot (reads) and protections and those types of thing," he said. "I just have to keep making plays. If I make enough plays, I'll open enough eyes and good things will happen for me."

Hass was in a similar situation when he enrolled at Oregon State as a walk-on, and that worked out pretty well for him. The Portland, Ore., native won the 2005 Fred Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the nation after catching 90 passes for 1,532 yards. He set school career records with 220 catches and 3,924 yards and became one of just 10 players NCAA history with more than 1,000 receiving yards in three seasons.

But Hass doesn't have the flat-out speed of a Berrian or the freaky change-of-direction skills of a Hester. He does have a knack for never letting the ball hit the ground when it's thrown in his vicinity.

Mike debuted with the Saints today, againt Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans. He finished 4th on the team in yards, getting 3 completions for 28 yards. We'll continue to keep an eye on him in the coming weeks.

WR Mike Hass, who missed the June minicamp due to NFL workout rules dealing with college graduation dates, seemed to pick up where he left off at the rookie minicamp as he made a twisting catch of a Brees pass and later, and hauled in a catch from QB Adrian McPherson after he fell to the ground and got up before the ball got to him.

No surprise: Hass impresses Saints

Sunday, May 21, 2006
JIM BESEDA
The Oregonian

METAIRIE, La. -- Curtis Johnson, the New Orleans Saints' wide receivers coach, stopped the drill.

One of the free agent receivers in the Saints' rookie camp had just made a decent play on a short out pattern, turning his hips in the direction of the quarterback and catching the perfectly thrown pass while scissors-stepping toward the left sideline.

Johnson's point: That isn't the way he wants the Saints receivers to run an out pattern. Rather than face the quarterback, the receiver is supposed to be at full speed when the ball arrives, increasing the chance of being able to turn up field after making the catch.

"Like this," said Johnson, running toward the sideline with his arms pumping, knees high, hips squared and perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. "Not like this, like you were in 'Chorus Line.' "

Mike Hass was up next.

The Saints' sixth-round draft pick from Oregon State sprinted 12 yards, curled in, caught a pass that was a little high, cradled the ball and turned up field and ran.

"Hey, Hass!" Johnson hollered. "That's what I'm talkin' about, right there! I like that!"

The play was hardly spectacular. But it was emblematic of how Hass will make it in the NFL, if he makes it at all. He will run a route the way it's supposed to be run and catch anything he can get his hands on.

"I really like Mike," said Johnson, who acknowledged that Hass was "a little bit faster than I thought he would be."

"Mike catches the ball. That's the No. 1 thing. I mean, we were one of the teams that dropped the most balls in the NFL last year, so Mike is a guy that can definitely help us."

Hass is coming to a franchise that is trying to get a fresh start on many levels. It's an almost ideal situation for a player who is accustomed to disproving doubters.

"The jobs are open," Johnson said. "It wasn't as if we won the Super Bowl. . . Mike is a player that we definitely want to be on the team."

It's one advantage of at least being a draft choice, even a late one. Teams root for draft choices, even late ones, to make the roster. Every draft choice cut represents a defeat in the scouting process, and teams don't like admitting defeats.

Still, Hass understood the need to perform from the start.

"They've drafted you and they have an idea what you can do, but they haven't seen you play in person, so you want to put your best foot forward the first time they see you," Hass said. "Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL."

[snip]