Sean Payton's Fingerprints are on the Sanders and Peat signings | Mike Detillier Interview
Mike Detillier gave me his views on the Emmanuel Sanders and Andrus Peat free agent signings by the New Orleans Saints. Mike believes these signings will have "SEAN PAYTON'S FINGERPRINTS" on the contracts for the Saints.
Oct 31, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (17) celebrates a first quarter first down against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Below is an edited transcript of my conversation with Mike Detillier:
Mike, the Saints have one of their first big free agents. Wide receiver, Emmanuel Sanders will be coming to New Orleans. Mike, you know how Coach Payton coveted Sanders or tell us a about that and what his signing means for the Saints?
Well, I think when it comes down to veteran free agency, the key is finding the right fit guy and I think Emmanuel Sanders is a perfect fit for this offense. He's thirty-three, but he still plenty fast…he's a very crafty route runner and he gets out of those cuts and breaks so smoothly. He doesn't lose a lot of speed when he comes out of the breaks. He’s sure handed. But the important thing is that he knows how to work that short to intermediate area that plays to the strength of your quarterback in Drew Brees.
So, I think it's an excellent pickup because one he's a good fit. He’s a player that still has gas in the tank. The Saints have him for two years and so he is a rent player. Okay, when you got a guy for two years, but he's a good rent player. He's still very productive and fits in this offensive scheme well, and you got to respect what he can do out on a football field. Because he is a craftsman - as far as setting you up and getting separation down the field. (Sanders) gives Brees another option to go to, and a reliable guy that he(Brees) can trust and know where he's going to be on the field. He's not running that route if it's not supposed to be ran like a lot of times these younger players will do. Kyle, sometimes they don't quite grasp that, and blame the quarterback. No, the receiver didn't run the correct route.
So you with Sanders is that he’s a real smart guy, understands this game at a very high level, and I think it's an outstanding fit for what they(Saints) want to do. It's, not a shock. I think we've talked about it so many times, even last when the Broncos looked at the unloading contracts. Sean (Payton) had an interest in Emmanuel Sanders, but the price was a little bit pricey at that time. He (Coach Payton) passed. The forty-niners agreed (to make the deal) and give up the draft choices to get him, it just didn't work out long term (for the Niners). I think this helps the Saints by adding a veteran player who is a really good player and it will play most likely in the slot. But the other part a lot of other websites believes this hurts the defending NFC Champions (Niners). They're not as good (without Sanders) as well. I'd received today as they were yesterday.
Do you believe the Sanders signing puts pressure on the other teams in the NFC, especially the Saints' NFC South rivals?
Yeah, well and you can see now this is has being played out football-wise…you look at other teams and what they're trying to do, and what Atlanta's trying to do by adding a Todd Gurley to the lineup. Again, we talked about this a couple of days ago that you know Carolina’s will not tell you this, but they are using the dirtiest word in the football language. That word is what? REBUILD
Listen, hey, nobody wants to say it but it's true. That's what's going on in Carolina and so you do pay attention to what the other teams are doing but you know you got to take care of your own business here first. I think adding Sanders was certainly a nice piece of the puzzle, it doesn't necessarily take away what you might do in round one (of the NFL Draft). Because you're talking about a thirty-three year-old receiver here.
So you (Saints) still have that option to go for receiver. But one of the things and it's run through my mind different times, is that if you would grab a wideout it would open up (options for the Saints). And they (Saints) are aware if you have a team that's looking for a certain player, and it's always a big man, sort of speak, like a big offensive lineman or defensive lineman, that you could move back and get and recoup some pics and end up with a player that's basically the same player or the guy you would pick their twenty four you might get him at, at, you know, thirty five or thirty six if you can recruit players but I like the addition of a manual Sanders cause I just think he's a good fit player, he still has gas lesson a tank but he fits so well into what you're quarterback does best and that's work you in that short, intermediate area of the feel.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Saints signed Andrus Peat, what are your thoughts on Peat?
Yeah, we talked about it yesterday. And, it was odd that he hadn't signed yet…listen this (Peat signing) has Sean Payton’s fingerprints on it. Coach wanted Andrus back. There were players on this team that would tell you off the record that they didn't think Andrus would be back. They thought that he would sign this sort of deal, but with another team. But then it (the market for Peat) became limited in that once Joe Thuney signs the offer sheet from the Patriots and then Glasgow (Lions) gets pretty good money from Denver, this list was shortened for offensives guards. He went ahead and signed (with the Saints). Now, the Saints can't keep all three (Peat, Easton, and Warford) because of the finances.
What it does here, they (Saints), Larry Warford or Nick Easton will be gone because of the finances involved. Three weeks ago, no one would have predicted this, no one. Everybody thought Andrus was gone. He's been a good player when he's been healthy, but nothing’s better than availability, and you know he's had injuries. This may be why he didn't get as much as I think he thought he might have been able to get on a more open market. When it came to be that the market became what it was, he was back in (New Orleans). Peat had some other teams involved with it but again this decision if I'll see the paper, I could show you Sean Payton’s fingerprints are there. Because that sort of decision is something that comes from the head coach. He wanted Peat back on this team when the other options were not available for him. The surprise was the length of the deal and we'll find out a little bit more of the details of the contract. I mean $33M out it is a guarantee. And so, that's a lot of money for today.
But when you think about it Kyle, this team as always invested in offense guards. They have spent a lot of money in the past on players like (Jahri) Evans. They had a huge offer on the table for Carl Nicks who had an even better offer in Tampa, and he took that one. You look at what they've gave Ben Grubbs in the past. They paid pretty good money for Larry Wolford to come here, they’re willing to pay that top dollar for that offensive guards. You know some teams won’t, the expect to pay the tackles and a center, but they won't pay the guards. And that same manner this team has a history of doing…Andrus is back playing for this football team (Saints), and again that’s showing this is a (Sean) Payton decision.
Mike Detillier writes for the Saints News Network and is a NFL Draft Expert. He can be followed on Twitter at @MikeDetillier .
Kyle T. Mosley is the GM and Founder of Saints News Network for the past 14 years. Follow Kyle on Twitter @ktmoze and @SaintsNews.
