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METAIRIE Womens Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , La. (AP) — The irritation was evident in Saints coach Sean Payton’s voice on Monday.The end of the regular season meant a number of his colleagues were getting fired .That meant clubs with new vacancies would be requesting interviews with assistants on the most successful teams, such as New Orleans, during the very time Payton wants to focus on getting ready for the playoffs.While Payton tersely mentioned that assistants such as defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and tight ends coach Dan Campbell all would make good head coaches, he said he didn’t want to talk about that now. He was more concerned with the recent performance of his team. New Orleans’ 33-14 loss at home to Carolina on Sunday gave the Saints two losses in their past five games. They needed fourth-quarter comebacks in their past three victories, two of which were decided by just three points.“With the way we played yesterday and some of the things that we’ve done offensively recently, our focus is going to be strictly on the Saints and the fundamentals and techniques we need to improve on,” Payton said. “We’ve got a lot of things we want to improve on — and this week gives us a chance to do that.”As the NFC’s top seed, New Orleans has a first-round bye and is just two home victories from reaching the second Super Bowl in the franchise’s 52 seasons. What remains to be seen is whether the Saints can recapture the juggernaut form and swagger of midseason, when they posted a handful of multi-touchdown triumphs.“The No. 1 seed guarantees you nothing except you host a playoff game,” Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said, noting that New Orleans cannot afford to dismiss Sunday’s loss to Carolina as an outlier — even if it was a low-stakes game with numerous starters seeing less action than usual.Quarterback Drew Brees and dynamic running back Alvin Kamara were among the Saints that saw no action on Sunday, and numerus others saw their snap counts scaled back.Still, they expected to be more competitive than they were. They were down by 30 before scoring their first points in the fourth quarter, and it was the first time since Payton took over as coach in 2006 that his team had been shut out at home in the first half.“When teams start to game-plan for us, they’re going to turn on that tape,” Rankins said. “They’re going to see things they think they can attack. So for us, it’s on us to fix those mistakes.”Tight end Ben Watson said it is common for fundamentals to slip on all clubs throughout the season, particularly as it relates to the more physical elements of football, such as blocking to tackling, as coaches focus more on preserving players’ health.“You’re usually as fundamentally sound as you’re going to be at the end of training camp Marshon Lattimore Saint Jersey ,” Watson said. “Fast-forward five months, our practice aren’t as long, our practices sometimes aren’t padded — not just us, everybody — because of the attrition that happens during the season.“Fundamentals is what’s going to take you where you want to go. It always has. It always will,” Watson said. “Over time, when you get into game plans and you’re not just doing that all the time, you lose some of that. So now is a good week to just sharpen that stuff up.”Meanwhile, veterans who’ve won championships have been trying to share their experience with younger players about the level of focus required to advance in the playoffs.“You’ve got to really embrace this opportunity that we have because you understand it’s very hard to get in this position,” said offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was part of the Saints only Super Bowl team 10 seasons ago. “You’ve got to really focus and take your preparation to the next level and eliminate distractions.“Whether it’s turning the TV off, getting off the phone or going to bed early, we’ve got to find a way to give ourselves, individually, an extra edge,” he said. The New Orleans Saints had arguably the worst linebacker play in the league from 2012-2016. Too often, coaches and fans would see a Saints linebacker beaten badly down the field or to the edge, or woefully out of position, often creating big plays for the opposition. Opposing tight ends and running backs would run amok through the New Orleans defense, with the linebacking corps often helpless to slow them down. Coach Sean Payton made a difficult personal decision after the 2016 season, moving on from longtime friend and linebackers coach Joe Vitt and replacing him with experienced defensive guru Mike Nolan. The difference in the play of the unit as a whole was immediately noticeable. The Saints linebackers, while still not a dynamic group Womens Michael Thomas Jersey , played much better football in 2017. Last season, the position took another big step, being arguably the most improved unit on the entire team. New Orleans benefited last year from one of the league's most underrated free agent signings, as well as a return from injury by a highly regarded draft pick from the previous year. With training camp just a couple days away from it's official start, we preview the Saints most improved unit from a year ago. LINEBACKER Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesOffseason losses:Manti Te'o Newcomer to watch:Kaden Elliss The Saints signed linebacker Demario Davis to a three year contract away from the New York Jets last offseason in what turned out to be one of the biggest free agency additions throughout the league. Davis, a seven year veteran, not only turned in his sixth straight season with at least 89 tackles (110 total), but added an element of speed and aggressiveness to the unit and quickly blossomed into a leader for the entire defense. He matched his career high in sacks (5), and added 11 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and was credited with 4 passes defensed. The 6'2 248-lb. Davis can skillfully play any of linebacker spots, and is a sideline to sideline menace for opposing offenses. He has the athleticism to cover backs, tight ends, or even some receivers down the field as well as bursting into the offensive backfield to make a play. Davis shows excellent play recognition, and fires through gaps to stop ball carriers in their tracks. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsAlex Anzalone rebounded from an injury shortened rookie season in 2017 to show why the Saints invested a 3rd round draft choice in him last year. Anzalone, who turns 25 in September, was limited to just four games his rookie year due to a shoulder injury, but carved out an important role in the Saints defense last year. Anzalone has excellent athleticism, and at 6'3 241-lbs. possesses the size, strength Womens Drew Brees Jersey , and versatility to play all of the linebacking spots as well. He matches up well in man coverage, and is fluid in his zone drops and recognition. He pursues ball carriers well, and has tremendous burst into the backfield. Anzalone and Davis are both every down linebackers with the skill and versatility to make plays all over the field, and are a formidable tandem against opposing offenses. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsA.J. Klein enters his third season with New Orleans after spending his first four years with division rival Carolina. He had a career high 70 tackles (7 for loss)in 2018, third on the team, and added 2 fumble recoveries, an interception, and 2 sacks. Klein, who turns 28 later this month, may not have the raw athleticism of Davis or Anzalone, but has a good feel for opposing offenses and is always around the ball. The 6'1 240-lb. Klein packs a punch as hitter, flows well to the play, and can also play either inside or outside. Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsCraig Robertson is the elder statesman of the Saints linebacking unit at 31-yrs. old, and also it's longest tenured entering his fourth season with the team. A starter in 2016 and 2017, Robertson now provides quality depth at either inside or outside, and is one of the team's best special teams players. A bit undersized at 6'1 234, Robertson has good open field agility and particularly excels in coverage. An experienced vet who knows the defense well, coaches know that Robertson is capable of stepping in as a starter with little dropoff. Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesVince Biegel was signed by New Orleans early last season after being cut in training camp by Green Bay. A fourth round draft pick by the Packers in 2017, Biegel was an accomplished linebacker at the University of Wisconsin. After a short stint on the practice squad, the Saints promoted him to the active roster, where he saw the majority of his playing time on special teams. The 6'3 246-lb. Biegel is a good athlete and has good straight line speed Michael Thomas Jersey White , traits that the team's coaches are looking to take advantage of as they were moving him around during OTA workouts in search for his best fit. Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesNew Orleans used the 244th pick in this spring's draft (7th round) to select Idaho linebacker Kaden Elliss. Son of former Detroit Lions Pro Bowl defensive lineman Luther Elliss, Kaden plays with good upper body strength at the point of attack, and has good lateral quickness along the edge. Listed at 6'3 240-lbs., Elliss was often utilized close to the line or at rush end in college. He plays stiff off the line, and was extremely limited in coverage with the Vandals, but will have the opportunity during camp and preseason to show that he can be a versatile contributor for Nolan's unit. Undrafted rookie Porter Gustin showed the same kind of coverage limitations at U.S.C., but like Elliss consistently showed that he can be a difference maker near the line of scrimmage. The 6'5 260-lb. Gustin will get an opportunity to earn a role as a backup defensive end, but will also see snaps at linebacker this preseason. Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty ImagesColton Jumper has his second opportunity to make the Saints roster this season. An undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2018, Jumper saw snaps at both weakside and middle spots last preseason before being one of the team's final cuts. The 6'2 229-lb. Jumper has excellent open field speed, and should see plenty of snaps this summer to carve out a role on this squad. New Orleans also signed Darnell Sankey to a futures contract at the end of the year. Sankey has bounced around on the practice squads of seven different teams since entering the league in 2016, and is hoping to make an impression on coaches for an active spot. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesOnce upon a time, the Saints had the most dominant group of linebackers in NFL history in the Dome Patrol, who terrorized offenses from the mid-1980's through the early 90's. While it would certainly be a stretch to compare this group to that elite unit, they did contribute mightily to the Saints defensive success last season. Demario Davis was worthy of a Pro Bowl bid, and is one of this defense's best players, while Alex Anzalone looks poised to become a star. Depth is a concern outside of Robertson, but Mike Nolan has put together a more versatile, athletic, and aggressive unit than the Saints have had in years. One worthy of a championship chase on one of the NFL's rapidly improving defenses.