It certainly is a Fun Friday of 2011 NFL Draft Results for me (I'm soooo glad to have the day off). The New Orleans Saints created quite a stir in the first round of the draft last night, and I have had time to sift through it all.
So much of a stir did the Saints create that I have compiled this quite full Fleur-de-Links post. I haven't had this much to work with since the regular season - SWEET!
Make the jump to dig in. By the time you finish reading it all (it's got tweets, links, transcripts, and videos - - I'm in HEAVEN!!!!), it'll be time to turn on the 2nd Round of the Draft on ESPN or NFLN at 6:00 pm EST.
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan Sorry, folks. On crushing deadline. Gotta write. Will be back tweeting later....
camjordan97 cameron jordan by miketripletttpWho dat!!!
Mark_Ingram22 Mark Ingram by miketripletttpHappy to be a saint!!! #WHODAT!!!!
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan Here's my take on Bush: The #Saints clearly want to keep him. But at the right price. But Bush camp wants out. Bush has done 180 since Jan.
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan CamJordan: "I know in the past theyve been able to pin the ears back & get after the quarterback. As a def. end, what more can you ask for?"
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan Bush said after the season he wanted to come back to #nola & was willing to rework deal. Tweet & Yahoo story indicate otherwise.
lholder_cbs_nba Larry Holder by miketripletttpFunny to see the varying grades on #Saints 1st rounders. ESPN gave both picks an A. @PriscoCBS gave Jordan B-, Ingram C-.
miketripletttp Mike Triplett I still wouldn't rule out Reggie Bush returning to #Saints. They still value him. But only at right price. So if he wants out, he'll go.
miketripletttp Mike Triplett However, there is ZERO chance they will be able to trade him. No team will want him at his current contract, one year $11.8 million.
reggie_bush Reggie Bush Congrats to Mark Ingram on being selected to New Orleans. He will be a great addition to the Saints backfield just as he was in Alabama
Mark_Ingram22 Mark Ingram by miketripletttp@T_Porter22 let me get that Duce Duce bruh!!!!!!
jgoody76 jonathan goodwin Think thats gonna cost you a pretty penny rook lol RT @Mark_Ingram22: @T_Porter22 let me get that Duce Duce bruh!!!!!!
Mark_Ingram22 Mark Ingram by miketripletttpS/o to all the #saints fans!!!! I love y'all!!! WHO DAT!!!
Mark_Ingram22 Mark Ingram by miketripletttp@ @reggie_bush appreciate it fam
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan According to NFLDraftScout.com, #Saints got the No. 12 (Ingram) & No. 13 overall picks in the draft at Nos. 24 & 28, respectively.
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan RT @ChrisSteuber #Saints -Mark Ingram, RB, #Ala. Saints get an A+ for their 1st RD picks. Ingram was a steal & will make an immediate impact
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan #Saints got the Nos 8 (Ingram) & 11 (Jordan) overall prospects w/the Nos. 24 & 28 picks, per @FootballPost's big board:http://bit.ly/mQiQld
moosedenied Grandmaster Wang Suffice to say, around 11:30 last night, I... uh... could have put Rod Stewart in the hospital. Juuuuust sayin'.
moosedenied Grandmaster Wang "The Saints are philosophically opposed to drafting running backs in the first round." Tell me who said it, win a suite of fabulous prizes.
MilneMalbrough Ralph Malbrough @ @moosedenied NostroDuncan said that...give my PRIZE
LanceMoore16 Lance Moore Good morning tweeps. Congrats to the newest additions to the who dat nation last night. More to come tonight and tomorrow!
jeffduncantp Jeff Duncan After a loooong night, headed out to #JazzFest for some R&R. Will resume #NFLDraft, #Saints tweets later & weigh in on Bush in 2mrow's T-P.
scottshanle Scott Shanle what did everyone think of the draft last night? biggest surprise etc...
stujo4 stujo 4 @ @scottshanle INGRAMANIA!!!!
miketripletttp Mike Triplett NFL Draft Scout's Rob Rang had Ingram rated as #5 overall prospect and Jordan as #10. Obviously, he's a fan of the #Saints' draft.
miketripletttp Mike Triplett Spoke to agent Joel Segal, who reps both #Saints RBs Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram. He declined to talk about Bush but said Ingrams excited.
miketripletttp Mike Triplett I think #Saints still value Bush, but if he wants out they'll have no choice to let him go. Here's my take: http://tinyurl.com/3jv99q9
MikeSilver Michael Silver by miketripletttpI'm hearing from a pretty good source that a stay may be coming from the 8th circuit as soon as this morning
jmac_18 Jeremy Maclin by ChaseDanielJust saw something on ESPN that said the lockout is reinstated.....idk wat to think and believe now
NFLJAKESIEGEL Jake Siegel by j_bushrod7475BREAKING NEWS: NFL BACK TO BEING LOCKED OUT AS COURT GRANTS STAY OF PLAYERS INJUNCTION!!!!!!!!!!!
ChaseDaniel Chase Daniel Headed up 2 Philly for my guy Jahri Evan's camp. On the flight with @TylerLorenzen & @jgoody76 ..1st time up there...@jmac_18where you at?!
LanceMoore16 Lance Moore Hope everyone is having a great friday. Mine has been very productive. Gotta keep that going.
Saints First-Round-a-Palooza: Still Smokin'
Saints Select Jordan in the First Round of the NFL Draft | neworleanssaints.com
Staff report
NFL Draft 2011 Profile and Transcript: Saints 1st Round Pick -- Cameron Jordan (24th overall) | sportsnola.com
Sports Network
New Orleans Saints draft: Cameron Jordan bio | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Saints say they were surprised he fell to them at 24.
Saints Trade for 28th Pick, Select Ingram | neworleanssaints.com
Staff report
NFL Draft 2011 Profile and Transcript: Saints 1st Round Pick -- Mark Ingram (28th overall) | sportsnola.com
Sports Network
New Orleans Saints draft: Mark Ingram bio | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - He has been working out in New Orleans before the draft.
By The Numbers: Jordan and Ingram | neworleanssaints.com
Staff report
Saints fill two needs in first round | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - On a night when the usually-conservative Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons were taking leaps, they still got outdone by the NFC South's most aggressive team.
Saints in the First Round 2011: Ingram, Jordan haul impresses at first glance | sportsnola.com
Brian Allee-Walsh
New Orleans Saints hit daily double with Mark Ingram, Cameron Jordan | NOLA.com
Jeff Duncan - In a matter of half hour, the Saints addressed some issues.
New Orleans Saints go back for seconds on first day of NFL draft | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - After taking the defensive end they wanted, the Saints then went for running back.
After strong start for New Orleans Saints, remaining draft thins out | NOLA.com
James Varney - Saints have four picks left.
In Other First Round Action/Analysis...
First Round notebook: Falcons show they're serious with trade for Julio Jones | sportsnola.com (aka neworleans.com)
Sports Network
Panthers didn't draft Cam Newton to sit | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - For just a second Thursday night, the new Carolina Panthers looked just as deliberate as the old ones.
Falcons go all-in for Julio Jones | ESPN.com
Pat Y. -- I just finished a news conference with Carolina coach Ron Rivera and Marty Hurney, walked out and got hit with the news the Atlanta has traded up for JULIO.
Falcons' plan on Julio Jones was calculated - NFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - Before taking the biggest leap in Thursday night's first round, the Atlanta Falcons spent as much time researching Alabama receiver Julio Jones as they did Matt Ryan in 2008.
Bucs make safe choice in Clayborn | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - In instant hindsight, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the safe approach Thursday night.
NFC South becomes home of Heisman | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - Nice nugget from ESPN Stats & Information on multiple Heisman Trophy winners selected in the same draft and this one has big NFC South implication.
NFC South Remaining Draft Picks | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - After all the wheeling and dealing by the Saints and Falcons on Thursday night, the NFC South is running low on picks for the rest of the draft.
Labor Pains
8th Circuit Court of Appeals could rule today on lockout-lifting injunction | NOLA.com
James Varney - With an expedited repeal before it in a very high-profile case, the federal 8th Circuit Court of Appeals could rule today on the NFL's request for a stay on a district court's injunction forcing the league to lift its owner-imposed lockout, according to legal experts.
NFL Statement on Post-Injunction Operations | neworleanssaints.com
NFL
NFL announces gameplan to resume football operations due to lockout injunction | sportsnola.com
Staff Report
NFL players return to work | 2theadvocate.com
Associated Press
NFL.com news: Back to work: All 32 NFL teams open doors to players | nfl.com
NFL.com wire reports - Welcome back, players. The NFL cleared the way for some of its basic football operations to begin at 8 a.m. ET Friday, five days after a federal judge declared the lockout illegal and nearly seven weeks after it began.
Judge denies NFL's request for stay | sportsnola.com
Sports Network
Five post-lockout NFC South predictions | ESPN.com
Pat Y. -- The lockout has been lifted, partially. The NFL said players will be allowed to start working out at team facilities Friday.
Lagniappe
Bush saying farewell to New Orleans? | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - Some very interesting tweets by New Orleans running back Reggie Bush (on his verified Twitter account) shortly after the Saints traded back into the First Round Thursday night.
Agent for New Orleans Saints tailbacks Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram declines to speculate on Bush's future | NOLA.com
Mike Triplett - Saints still value Bush, but if he wants to leave they'll have to let him go.
New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees to be inducted into Texas High School Football Hall of Fame | NOLA.com
James Varney - Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his family are in the process this week of relocating from their San Diego digs to their Uptown New Orleans home, but the trip will feature a detour to Waco, Texas.
Transcripts
New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton (Justin Macione via sportsnola.com)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Opening Statement: "We really didn't think he would get down that far. Mark Ingram was someone that we thought a lot of as well. After the selection, Mickey (Loomis) and I began to talk about that scenario. You have to find someone that is willing to do that. There were a few picks taking place. There was some confusion as to what was happening with Baltimore in their selection along with the Chiefs. Ultimately, New England had interest. You get a little bit re-focused. It gets quiet in there. When we sorted out who Baltimore was taking, New England was up and we were able to get a deal done. Obviously, we are excited. We are excited about both of these players. There is always that little bit of uncertainty as you head in to each draft and certainly that was the case this year. Mickey and I sat there and we talked about it and we both felt, in regards to Mark (Ingram), real good about this player. We like this player a lot in regards to what he brings to the field, but off the field as well."
(On getting two players in the first round)
"It's a little different every year. There is probably more uncertainty the further back you get. It varies year to year. I think that you are just always trying to keep your options open and pay attention. There are times where we traded up in the first round, or any round, to get a player. In this case, we did the same technically with our second round pick."
(On the window of opportunity)
"It's finding players that fit our profile and we think that these are players that can help our team win games. We always feel that sense of responsibility to our current team when we make these selections and bring players like this into our locker room."
(On Mark Ingram's involvement in the offense)
"There are a lot of good traits that he has and certainly we feel like we have a lot of good running backs on the team. Last year, we got nicked up with some injuries. He will clearly have a role. In anything and everything these players, they always earn in regards to their snaps. We will figure out a plan and move forward with it."
(On losing next year's first round draft pick)
"It's really simple, you just know that the pick next year...I think earlier today, we saw a team in our division, Atlanta, make a very aggressive move for a receiver. You look at the talent, you look at the player. You also take a very close look what you think is going to be available in the second round this year where we were selecting and that all factors in."
(On Ingram serving as security if Reggie Bush does not return)
"This selection is really a selection that has no bearing. Reggie has a certain skill set, and there are things that he does that we value a lot. This is a runner who, I would say is a much different style. I wouldn't even begin to look at how it will affect Reggie's status with us. I have said this before, and heading into this offseason, the importance of the talents that Reggie has, he has been a big part of what we have done successfully in his first five years."
(On addressing the front seven first)
"We wanted to find a player that we felt could help the front seven. You begin to look at your stack. I would say that Cameron (Jordan) was the one defensive player left in that first tier. There are a few defensive players that were in that second tier. Mark Ingram was right there. You prepare yourself for all scenarios and there is a scenario that possibly exists where you take Mark Ingram at 24. You go through those hypotheticals."
(On if Cameron went 23rd, would Ingram have gone 24th)
"Absolutely. Those are the slots. When you get two picks away, you know that you are in a position that it's not going to be those guys in front of you. It worked out. I think Cameron, when we go through those scenarios, it was one that we were kind of surprised with."
(On the improvement of the roster with these two selections)
"It's two players better. It works out and that's why we are drafting players. We feel like these are two good additions. We have got a lot of work to do still."
(On Ingram's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield)
"I would start with this first, I would say that one trait that is impressive is his ability to block pressure and pick up. He is someone who is real physical in his protections. He is someone that is used, to some degree, in the underneath passing game. He is a physical back, he can catch the ball, but he is good in his protections. There will be a learning curve and he will have a lot to learn. I do know this, we saw him in an offense that is fairly prototypical. I think Nick (Saban) has done a real good job, obviously, with that program. I know he felt real good about this player as well."
(On Ingram being a third down back)
"We will see on that. We like the skill set but there is a lot that goes in to not only first down, second down for a young player, but third down as well. We will just see how it goes. We will see where he is at."
(On meeting the players before the draft)
"Both of these players happened to be guys that took a visit here. Sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn't. Both players were guys that we spent time with at the combine. Both players were here. They are guys that we felt were bright. One is a Senior and one is a Junior. Both of them come from winning programs. Coach (Jeff) Tedford has done a great job out at Cal. They have been coached hard and we felt that these were guys that saw themselves as being successful in this league. A lot of times we will bring players in and not have the opportunity to draft them. In this case, both of these players were here."
(On both players having family history in the NFL)
I think that is secondary. I think the players understand the challenge and the work that is necessary to have the success that both of their fathers had.
New Orleans Saints Executive Vice-President/General Manager Mickey Loomis
Thursday, April 28, 2011
(Justin Macione via sportsnola.com)
Can you talk to us about how the trade went down?
"I'll be honest with you. We're sitting there after our pick. Sean and I are sitting there and talking and it's like how can we get Mark Ingram? And so we just started making some calls to the teams to the back of the draft, found a couple teams interested, obviously there was that deal with Baltimore and Kansas City. That leaves a little uncertainty. You don't want to make a trade until you know who the picks are and what picks have been made in front of you. Once that was settled, New England called us back and wanted to make the deal. We're excited about it, real excited."
It's funny how you guys are going to end up with A's on the draft report cards because you ended up with two guys in the first round. Is it tough to give up a future first round pick?
"You don't want to give us an A+? Those things are really meaningless, those grades. Let's look back three or four years from now and see if this worked out and I think it will obviously or otherwise we wouldn't have made that deal. It's hard to give up any future pick. You have to feel good about the deal you're making. You have to feel good about that value before you do that and obviously we do. I think part of it is this, with Drew and the team we have now, we have a window of opportunity and so we want to do everything we can do to take advantage of that opportunity and that's why we made the deal."
Do you think you addressed areas of need?
"I think I said before the draft that the front seven was an area of need for us. With Cameron (Jordan), I think we've done that, he will be a good addition to the group we have up front already and we think he's a versatile player. He's a guy that can play inside as well as play end for us. He's a smart kid. He has an NFL pedigree with his father Steve Jordan. There are a lot of things to like about Cameron Jordan and then last year the experience we had going through running backs and injuries as opposed to the year before when we were able to run the ball effectively all year long, which plays into it. A the end of the year, we had the opportunity to get the best back in this draft and the last time that we were able to get a real strong running back was Deuce McAllister and it worked out pretty well. This guy has the same kind of character as Deuce so we're excited to add him to Reggie (Bush), Pierre (Thomas) and Chris (Ivory) and we have a coach and an offensive staff that knows how to take advantage of weapons and so the more that we can give to them, the better off we're going to be."
How does this trade affect the rest of this draft. Would you like to get back in the second round?
"It's a good question. I doubt that, but you never know. I wouldn't have said at the beginning of the day that we were going to end up with two picks in the first round. I wouldn't rule it out, but it's not something that I'm thinking about or we're thinking about right now."
How do you feel about your needs now?
"I think when you get past that first round, you really just hoping that you will get some good players at any position. It's too hard to speculate who's going to be there, now that we're voided in the second round, for us to speculate who's going to be available in the third round, that's a pretty difficult proposition. What we will do later tonight and tomorrow is reset our board, not reset it, but we'll reexamine our board thinking about who are the players that might be available to us and what order we want them in. We'll look at that again against the roster we have."
When you said earlier today that you thought that there would be a run on quarterbacks with five being picked, did you think that Jordan and Ingram would be going in the top 20 or that there would be a good chance they could fall to you?
"No, we didn't think either would fall to us frankly. Yes, we had a group of nine players. Three were in the upper group and then the balance of six guys any of whom we'd be happy to have, but really four were above the others. We really expected all four to be gone. I wouldn't have bet a nickel that any would have been there when we picked and two were there. That was a bonanza for us. We made an attempt to move up a few spots prior to picking at 24 and couldn't make a deal. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't make."
Did you think about how trading up didn't work out a couple years ago to get Beanie Wells?
"Yes, I mentioned the same thing. Two years ago we tried to do the same thing and weren't successful. It's good to be successful. It feels good."
This is the first time in a long time only one running back went in the first round. What made Ingram stand out?
"I'm not sure I really understand your question. Running backs are valuable in our league, still valuable. It's become more of a passing league, so it probably devalues the running back from where it was ten years ago, but they're still valuable players on any team, so obviously they're valuable to us because we have two first round picks and we have Pierre Thomas who we just re-signed not long ago and we have an undrafted free agent we think high of in Chris Ivory. We like our group of running backs. Sean will find a way to use all of them."
Does this not negatively affect your thoughts on Reggie Bush?
"No."
You want to keep him in the fold?
"Yes."
Do you feel good that you got two undervalued guys?
"Yes, we feel that way. It takes a while, a few years to judge that. We certainly feel good about this draft."
Did Ingram's toughness and ability to play through injury impress you?
"Yes, although, I would say this. We didn't ever question his toughness if he weren't able to go. He's just a quality, quality kid. We had him in here for a visit. We knew a lot about him. We did a lot of research and a lot of work in that area. He just came up with A+ comments from everyone that we talked to about him. I think this is a kid of the character that we would have said of Deuce when we got him. Now he has to live up to that. That's a pretty tall order, but he's certainly got a good start on it."
What do you expect happening tomorrow with the potential direction from the league?
"I'm going to address that tomorrow. I'm not really going to speak about that tonight."
New Orleans Saints Director of College Scouting Rick Reiprish
Thursday, April 28, 2011
(via neworleanssaints.com)
Opening Statement: "Cameron Jordan, he was a guy that we had targeted as one of the top four picks that we would like to get in this draft. Fortunately for us he came to that 24th spot. We think he is an outstanding athlete. He brings a lot of size and athletic ability to our defensive line. He is going to be bigger than some of the people we are playing with at that position. He is a guy that can play either side, left end, right end. In time, he will probably play down in a three technique some in a nickel pass rush situation."
(On playing end in a 3-4 scheme in college)
"He is a 3-4 end but they play all of those defenses. 4-3, you'll stand him up sometimes as an outside backer and rush him off the edge. He is athletic enough to do a lot of those things."
(On using him on the inside pass rush)
"He could. We have talked about doing certain things with him. He is really like a left end for us right now, but he will work at a couple different positions I think."
(On if the team predicted he would fall to the 24th pick)
"We actually thought he was going to go a little higher. We were very surprised and nervous the last two or three picks before we got there because there were some people calling and asking if we wanted to trade up. We thought about trading up and in the end we tried to make a decision on what to do and sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make."
(On if he was the only player of the targeted four remaining at the 24th pick)
"Actually, there were two of them. When you are picking 24th, down the line like that, no matter what position, you really just have to throw darts a little bit and see who is going to be there. You evaluate the players and you put it down and think these guys are going to go ahead of us. Hopefully, one of the four will get to us. Fortunately for us, there were two of them there."
(On what separates him from other defensive ends that the team looked at)
"I think he's got a little more height and length to him. Long arms. He has the ability to be a run defender as well as a pass defender. He is 287 lbs now and the kid is really a thin looking guy. Those attributes give him the chance to be a run defender as well as a pass rusher for us. We haven't gotten a lot of rush off of that left side and I think this guy brings a little bit of that."
(On playing left end)
"I think he will start out there."
(On his youth)
"That's a big plus for us. We are trying to get younger and faster. Younger, bigger, faster."
(On his performance in the Senior Bowl)
"The first time our coaches had seen the kid was in the Senior Bowl. He did have a good week down there in practice and in the one-on-one situations, pass rush. In the game, he played fairly well. He did a nice job for us as far as introduction to our coaching staff. We kind of knew about him as scouts, but that was their first look at him. That was a plus for him."
(On moving up the team's draft board that week)
"He probably did move up a little bit. Our idea is not to downgrade anybody for going to an all-star game. This kid came in there, did a nice job, worked his tail off. He was a guy that probably helped himself a little bit. We did like the kid as far as grading wise by our scouting staff."
(On the influence of Will Smith's possible suspension on this selection)
"There is thought process that went into that, yes. There is some thought in that. I don't know if it had a great deal of influence in what we were doing because we are still grading the player."
(On the positions of the four targeted players)
"Three defense and one offense."
(On Da'Quan Bowers falling in the draft)
"There have been rumors going around that he has some deals with his knee injury. The kid is an outstanding player, athlete, size prospect as a defensive player. That's the only thing I can think of. Some people downgraded him a little bit or let him go because of the injury that popped up."
(On offers to trade back)
"I think there were two. When things started to get close to us, we had two offers to trade back."
(On a chance to trade up)
"We did have a chance to trade up. We thought about it and the way it worked out was fine for us. We talked to a couple of people about possibly moving up."
(On classifying the pick as a top-grade or need)
"A combination, you could say that. Going into the draft, I think our idea, the thought process, was to get bigger, faster, and stronger on the defensive front seven. I think we are trying to help them."
(On how this selection will affect the second round choice)
"We will have to just wait and see. We will have to see what happens and who is available at that pick. Yeah, it impacts it some. My opinion and I think our overall opinion is that we are going to look for the best player at that point in time. Not necessarily fit a need, but the best player we have graded on the board."
(On if Jordan was the highest rated player on the team's board at his selection)
"He was probably one of the two highest graded players we had."
(On his position on the team's board at the beginning of the draft)
"High."
(On his comparisons to other players)
"There are a couple guys that came out. You look at the guy that St. Louis took in Chris Long with the first or second pick in the draft. He is very similar to that. He is a tall guy, has a lot of range to him. I think he has those qualities. He is a little heavier and bigger than Chris I think, similar in that respect. We talked about him being maybe a Michael Strahan in years past. He is a little bit different size than Strahan was. This kid is taller and longer in his body build. He is built like a defensive end that you play in a 3-4, possibly a 4-3 for us. He is built like those guys."
ON INGRAM:
(On his family history in the NFL)
"The lineage of the kid is pretty good. He understands what pro football is about. I think he understands from his dad, who had a long career in the NFL, what it's going to take to stay that way."
When you were sitting in here, did you guys know that you were making a trade to select Mark Ingram?
"That was what I got called out for. That was a part of the trade."
Was that the offensive guy you had highly ranked you discussed earlier?
"I didn't want to take this guy. Sean (Payton) didn't want to take him, Mickey, the scouts...No, this guy was the other offensive player we talked about, very high on the board."
You had both Jordan and Ingram both in a group that you hoped would fall to 24?
"Yes."
What do you like about Ingram?
"It's hard to find something you don't like about him. The only negative about this kid is he got hurt early in the year a little bit and didn't quite play as well as he should have been. Towards the end of the year he started coming back into that Heisman Trophy form. He was a really solid player, powerful kid. It's hard to make a comparison, but he runs the way Pierre Thomas runs, a little bit faster and he's a little heavier."
Is he a low to the ground guy?
"Low to the ground, hard to tackle, he gives you very little hitting area. This kid gets everything going forward. He's not going to fall back. He had a long string of not fumbling the ball. Ball security was a big issue and he's really good at that. He had those two fumbles at the end of the year, but that was the first fumble in his career I think in over 300 carries. We're excited to get this kid. He's an outstanding football player. He's a productive back. He's going to add to what we already have here and be a really good player here for us."
Is there a reason why those guys fell a little bit further?
"We just laughed about that in there. Two years ago when we won the Super Bowl, we went to the combine. We picked these seating arrangements for the 40-yard dash, one through 32, where you sit. We picked number four and that was a good choice. We said we'd like to be number one. But number one had to sit on the field, two was on the bench, there on the bleacher. We were the first one on the rail with no one blocking our view. Last year we picked we were about 30 and this year we picked we were four again and I told Sean and Mickey, we have a little mojo working here. Who knows? We'll take it if it is. It's pretty good."
You gave up future compensation to select Ingram. Was there hesitation on this move?
"I thought there was no hesitation. When that kid became available and the trade became available we were all excited to get that player. This guy's really going to add to our offense and give us a little bit of the ball control we want to do on the ground."
V-Roll Roll Call
Canal Street Chronicles will be having a live open thread for Rounds Two and Three of the draft starting at 5 pm CT as well as plenty of post-draft coverage.
The second and third rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft start at 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, April 29th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL draft schedule and more. Check it all out at SB Nation's NFL Hub and our NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft.