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One of Sean Payton's core beliefs is that a player's draft status, contract or pedigree should never factor into the New Orleans Saints' evaluation process of him.

He famously tells his team each spring, "It doesn't matter how you got here. Once you're here, you're going to be evaluated fairly regardless of your background."

NFL coaches have to think that way. But fans certainly don't. Nor does the media.

The reality is some players arrive in the NFL with vastly different expectations.

The Saints backfield is a prime example. Of the six running backs on the roster, only Mark Ingram was drafted. The other five runners all arrived as college free agents.


2014 will be defining season of Mark Ingram's New Orleans Saints career | Jeff Duncan | NOLA.com

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."