Was Sean the one that always found UDFAs?

Every team has a team of scouts to watch college players. They get the necessary data, film, measurables, etc about the players and that works it way up to whoever is in charge of college scouts (Ireland at this time). That person compiles it and they work with the coaching staff, from there decisions are made about who they want to target. Payton didn't do the leg work, but it's believed he had final say about which ones they were going to try to bring in.

Saints had disastrous FA pickups before Jeff Ireland.

I understand the draft is a crapshoot

But you are really bad if you continually sign bad FAs after watching them play in the NFL for a few years.

As usual on this board

Sean Payton gets credit for anything good

And anything bad is somebody else’s fault.

The scouts did excellent work in Paytons early years to identify potential. Payton however created the environment that UDFA had just as much respect and opportunity to earn a roster spot as any other player. That environment for the UDFA is what fuels that engine.

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Udfa is what we were talking about.

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Thank you.

I apologize for my stupidness.

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That's not true. It's a collective effort. Saint's have been finding those guys long before ireland.

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Correct. Sean requested and got the most robust scouting department in the NFL.