JACKSON, Miss. — When new Saints head coach Sean Payton said he wanted a roster defined by smart football players, former microbiology major Jon Stinchcomb had to sense his moment had arrived.

Stinchcomb, a 2003 second-round draft pick out of Georgia who still plans to attend medical school, has his best chance to crack the starting lineup at right tackle — if he can stay healthy.

"I definitely didn't think my first real opportunity would come my fourth season. I don't think anybody expects that, especially when you're drafted pretty early," Stinchcomb said after a recent training camp practice. "That's in the past. I've grown from it and I'm excited about this season."
Drafted during the regime of coach Jim Haslett, Stinchcomb, whose older brother, Matt, was an NFL offensive lineman for seven years, accepted playing sparingly as he learned the position through his first two seasons.

He anticipated playing more in his third year. However, the Saints drafted Jammal Brown and put him at right tackle at the opening of training camp in 2005. Then Stinchcomb ruptured his right patellar tendon, putting him out for the season.