Konsolen Treiber » Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and coach

METAIRIE http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/irv-smith-jr.-jersey , La. (AP) — Sean Payton left no doubt about their willingness to give up multiple draft picks — in the present and future — to go after prospects they like.New Orleans began the draft not slated to pick until near the end of the second round — 62nd overall — and with no other selections in the first four rounds.Two trades later, the Saints had acquired Texas A&M center Erik McCoy 48th overall and Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson with the third pick of the fourth round.“If you like the player, go get him,” Loomis said. “That’s our philosophy.”While only time will tell if the deals were worth it, the generally guarded Loomis sounded eager to emphasize the value the Saints believed they found with only five total draft choices after trades had sent away four picks from this year and one second-rounder in 2020.Loomis declared that with picks 48, 105 and 177, the Saints acquired three players they had rated in the top 70 going into the draft. The third player New Orleans drafted was Rutgers safety Saquan Hampton in the sixth round.Using the analogy, “More swings, more hits,” Loomis acknowledged that there can be benefits to trading down and stockpiling picks rather than giving away multiple picks to move up for a single selection.In this case, Loomis said, the Saints sought “quality over quantity.” Loomis added that the current state of the Saints’ roster — with most players back from a team that nearly advanced to the Super Bowl — was a factor in that approach.WHO THEY GOTThe 6-foot-4, 303-pound McCoy started every game for the past three seasons for a prolific Aggies offense and was also a captain, an indication of his leadership ability.“You see his strength on tape in each game you watch. We really had a high grade on him http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/dexter-lawrence-jersey ,” Payton said. “He obviously played at a high level of competition and you see the consistency, and there were just a lot of things to like.”The 5-11, 210-pound Gardner-Johnson had nine interceptions at Florida, returning three for touchdowns. Four of his interceptions — and two of his TD returns — came last season. Loomis said the Saints see the former Gator as someone who can play either safety spot.“That was one of the things we like about him — his versatility,” Loomis said.The Saints also had a pair of seventh-round picks with which they selected Notre Dame tight end Alize Mack at 231 overall and Idaho edge rusher Kaden Elliss at 244.Mack has been widely characterized as a disappointment at Notre Dame. But the NFL has plenty of examples of players whose relative lack of college production belied their pro potential.“Obviously, he was a really highly decorated high school player,” Loomis said. “Whether he met (Notre Dame’s) expectations or his, that’s for someone else to say, but we like the talent and we like where we got him. … He’ll get every opportunity to succeed here.”SURPRISE MOVEThe trade with Miami that allowed the Saints to draft McCoy cost New Orleans their second-round picks this year and next, as well as a sixth-rounder this year. But New Orleans also got Miami’s fourth-rounder in that deal, which the Saints used in a trade with the Jets to move up 11 spots and take Gardner-Johnson.“The key to that was getting the (fourth-round pick) back when we made the trade to get McCoy,” Loomis said.HOW THEY DIDWith their top three picks, the Saints addressed positions where they had lost veteran regulars. Center Max Unger, selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/josh-jacobs-jersey , retired after the season. New Orleans also released veteran safety Kurt Coleman after signing him as a free agent just one year earlier.And while the Saints had no apparent need to find a rookie who could start right away, they might have found one in McCoy, a player Payton said they expected to be drafted as early as the end of the first round.Before drafting McCoy, the Saints had responded to Unger’s retirement by signing free agent Nick Easton, a former starting center in Minnesota.Payton noted that Easton and McCoy each are versatile enough to play center or guard, and the coach sounded pleased to have both on the roster to improve depth within the unit responsible for protecting 40-year-old record-setting quarterback Drew Brees and blocking for third-year star running back Alvin Kamara.WHAT’S NEXT?The Saints still need to find more interior defensive linemen, either by signing remaining veteran free agents, trades or signing undrafted rookies.Starting defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is expected to miss at least the early part of the season while coming back from a torn Achilles, Tyeler Davison left in free agency and David Onyemata could be suspended up to four games for a misdemeanor marijuana citation. SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Broncos looked beleaguered, beat up and undermanned against the lowly San Francisco 49ers.Overmatched, too? You bet.Short-handed they were, and it sure showed. Yet on this day, George Kittle might have been too much even if Denver had been at full strength.Case Keenum got going too late in a 20-14 loss to San Francisco on Sunday Ben Banogu Jersey , four days after top target Emmanuel Sanders went down with a torn left Achilles tendon in practice Wednesday.The Broncos (6-7) were out of sorts early, then trying to play catch-up from a 20-0 deficit that saw Kittle take apart the defense time and again on the way to an 85-yard touchdown catch, 210 yards receiving and becoming the 49ers’ first tight end to reach 1,000 yards receiving.“Simply, we didn’t play well, no excuses. We can’t point fingers,” coach Vance Joseph said. “That team came out and outplayed us, in the first half especially. Our record right now, we’re still in it. Every game now is a must win. We haven’t talked about that, but we have to now. Every game that we play from now on is a must win.”Phillip Lindsay ran for a 3-yard score in the third then Keenum connected with DaeSean Hamilton on a 1-yard touchdown toss with 3:53 remaining. Keenum went 24 of 42 for 186 yards.He surely missed Sanders, who led the team with 71 catches for 868 yards and four touchdowns in a bounce-back year. His injury came three days after star cornerback Chris Harris Jr. broke his leg, leaving the Broncos without seven starters from their season opener.“It’s tough,” Keenum said. “They’re guys you can’t replace.”Tim Patrick and Hamilton had seven receptions apiece, Patrick finishing with 85 yards receiving and Hamilton with 47 Parris Campbell Jersey , but most of their production came in the second half playing from way behind.“We got off to a slow start and then we picked it up in the second half,” Patrick said. “We just had to get it going. It was the first time as an offense all together in there. We were kind of shaky in the beginning, but once we got it clicking it was hard to stop us.”Meanwhile, Kittle couldn’t be slowed down in the first half, when he had all seven of his catches and 210 yards. He was only targeted once after halftime.After the game, Joseph reiterated how the Broncos must not beat themselves by falling way behind and making it harder.Denver had two defensive holding penalties in a four-play span in the first quarter and 11 total penalties for 62 yards.“We just have to be consistent,” nose tackle Shelby Harris said. “We can’t go out in the first half and go down 20-0.”There were a few defensive highlights.Von Miller sacked Nick Mullens for a 9-yard loss late in the second quarter. Including the postseason, Miller’s 103½ sacks matched the franchise record held by Simon Fletcher.Linebacker Bradley Chubb had two more sacks for 12 on the season to break Miller’s franchise rookie record of 11½ set in 2011.Miller was angry about his own miscues.“I had three false starts, and that’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’m a gambling man, and I broke today. I didn’t play like I’m supposed to today.”Most of the Broncos will be echoing those sentiments.“Now, it’s back to the lab,” Miller said.