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I know (Aubrayo) Franklin was one of those better defensive tackles on the market. Are you thrilled to have him?

“Yes. That was something that kind of happened in the last 24-48 hours. He’s someone that we have a ton of respect for. He’s been a real consistent player and extremely difficult against the run. Having gone against him last year and having spent a lot of time looking at tape on him and a lot of these defensive tackles, he was one that was a little bit of a surprise and a pleasant surprise.”

It gets you guys a different look, obviously you have Sedrick (Ellis), Shaun Rogers and (Aubreyo) Franklin. Was this a point of interest for you guys?

“I think so. You don’t know how the draft is going to go, but certainly that’s a position group we wanted to pay attention to and getting him in the last two days was big.”

What does he present skill-set wise?

“He’s big, physical, and plays with great leverage. He’s strong. When you see his stature and the way he is built you can see some of the things I’m talking about. He has been a real consistent performer, and he’s great in the locker room. All the things we’ve heard on him come back really positive.”

Were you able to adapt to your plan and implement it when all things were done?

“I think so. I think that there’s a little bit of uneasiness because it’s the first time that all of us have gone through this process and this time frame in the order of which it happened, while training camp is in place. Mickey (Loomis) and his staff have done a great job. The hours he’s spending on the phone right now, just to secure the players on our own roster and supplement that list with guys that we have targeted with other teams, that’s gone extremely well and that’s not by accident. There’s a lot preparation that goes into that and there’s a lot of work that’s still on going.”

Full interview below.
Payton Discusses Latest Additions

73Saint

That pic of SP looks like Ben Stiller in Zoolander...

homerj07

Oh dear - don't insult SP that way!!

saintsfan601

Bring on the season!