It was no shock at all to see ex-Canes tight end Jeremy Shockey traded by the NFL champion New York Giants. But what is interesting is to see him join another ex-Canes star in New Orleans - lniebacker Jonathan Vilma, who was also traded out of New York (the Jets) this offseason.

There could  have been another prominent ex-Cane on the Saints roster, but linebacker Dan Morgan retired in May after a series of concussions. We wish Dan the best.

Two younger ex-Canes will try to make the Saints this year - defensive lineman Orien Harris and tight end/special teams guy Buck Ortega.

Meanwhile, at the annual ESPYs awards show, which was aired Sunday night, it was great to see ex-Canes tight end Kevin Everett walk out and receive his courage award. Everett was nearly paralyzed during an NFL game last season.

As for the current Canes team, they are getting ready for camp next month. Second-year head coach Randy Shannon announced he will restore the names on the back of the  Canes' jerseys - they should have never been taken off!

Shannon also said that seven Canes have been elected to serve as team leaders, keeping the rest of the guys in check. The seven are:

LT Jason Fox, WR Khalil Jones, DE Eric Moncur, DT Dwayne Hendricks, LB Glenn Cook, LB Colin McCarthy and CB Chavez Grant.

Fox is no surprise - he's the best player on the team. Moncur is the best defensive lineman. McCarthy is an emerging star at linebacker. Cook is a sixth-year veteran, so he is no surprise, either.

The other three are a bit surprising. Jones, while a senior, has been a massive underachiever given his size and speed. Hendricks, another senior, has been a career backup except for a start here or there. And Grant, while a nice nickel back, is only a junior and not yet a starter.

Ideally, you'd like a quarterback to be on that list, but the Canes' QBs are all freshmen, which is the major concern with this team.

You'd also like a running back, but Miami's top two guys are in an even battle.

And you'd also like a safety to quarterback the deep defense. But with Kenny Phillips leaving early for the NFL, there might be a leadership void there. You would certainly like to see Anthony Reddick, Lovon Ponder or Randy Phillips emerge as a leader of the secondary.

Again, most of the natural leaders on the team are young and will be great soon - quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris, defensive tackle Marcus Forston, cornerback Brandon Harris, linebacker Sean Spence come to mind right away.