New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Coach Payton on Bell leaving

Saints Coach Sean Payton had this to say Wednesday morning, a few hours after the passage of the franchise's deadline to match an offer the Philadelphia Eagles made to running back Mike Bell. The Saints receive no compensation for the loss, given Bell entered the league as an undrafted free agent and the Saints' tender did not require a pick.

"It's always a difficult decision with a player that has been a big part of what you accomplished the year before. I know Mickey (Loomis) and I spent a lot of time on that decision and it's one of the challenges of free agency or restricted free agency. We think Philadelphia is getting a real good football player. It begins to deal with your own economics, and your own dollars. We felt like when Mike came to New Orleans we were able to get a young talent back that helped us in a lot of ways and it's tough knowing that last night as we ate dinner at 7:30, quarter to eight, Mickey and I are still talking about it, only four more hours left. But I think overall we looked closely at the club and the organization and how, you know, this puzzle is bigger than just one player."

Does Bell's departure change the Saints' draft thinking?

"No, I wouldn't say that. There may be opportunities for us to sign a running back prior to the draft. Number one, it would be fair to say we've got real strong opinions on Lynell Hamilton, certainly Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, but when you lose a player like Mike you lose some depth so that's something we'll have to replace. How we replace it will be up to us in terms of whether it's a veteran player or a younger player. But you have to replace those carries somehow. But I wouldn't say it was going to be just through one area."

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