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General manager Mickey Loomis said he had a good feeling about the New Orleans Saints' defense after he saw the early changes taking place under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan last summer. But Loomis admitted that he didn’t quite know what to expect after the team suffered so many season-ending injuries as the summer went on.

When asked if he saw that kind of potential in the defense, Loomis said, “That’s kind of complex.”

“Obviously, we felt like we could improve our defense. There weren’t a lot of places to go but up,” Loomis said while visiting with the media this week during practices at the Senior Bowl. “I was excited about the things that we saw in the offseason with Rob and … the change to a different front. I felt like, ‘Hey, this might suit us better.’ What I wasn’t prepared for was the number of injuries that we had on defense.

“What was encouraging was seeing all these young players step up. And by young players, I don’t just mean rookies. I mean (third-year end) Cam Jordan took another step up from a year ago, and we felt like he played real well last year. And for [second-year end] Akiem Hicks to take a step forward …

“I thought [veteran linebackers] David Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton both improved. David was hurt a lot last year, so I don’t think we ever saw what he was capable of or what we expected [in 2012]. So for him to have a good season and Curtis had a real good season, that was encouraging and obviously contributed to our success.”

Read more: Mickey Loomis impressed by defense's resilience - ESPN

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