The New Orleans Saints held media days recently for the opening of off-season workouts. This was a three-day session for the Saints players. This was the last voluntary workout before their mandatory minicamp begins. The mandatory camp is scheduled to begin for the Saints on June 15 and ending June 17. Media was given access to several players through two media days. Some very interesting quotes were given during this period which might hint at the direction the Saints are going into 2021. This is the New Orleans Saints press day roundup of the most interesting quotes from the last session of offseason workouts.
New Orleans Saints Press Day Quotes
Several New Orleans Saints beat reporters were on the job for this first round of media for 2021. This included Canal Street Chronicle members Ross Jackson. Nick Underhill of New Orleans Football, Mike Triplett of ESPN, and Larry Holder for The Athletic were all present at the media days. Each of these, and several more, were given time with several players for this first session. The players included Marshon Lattimore, Zack Baun, Ryan Ramczyk, and Payton Turner.
Marshon Lattimore Quotes
Marshon Lattimore enters this season with several questions. Some of these revolve around off-field issues while others revolve around the depth the Saints have at the cornerback position. Even after getting off to a slow start in 2020, Lattimore still believes that he is one of the league’s best corners. Lattimore also stated that he likes learning from new coaches. The Saints have a new defensive back coach this year in Kris Richard. On a lot of minds is the contract and legal status for Lattimore. Both topics were not on Lattimore’s agenda for this media session. He declined to discuss either. Being at camp though reflects that he is not pursuing any kind of hold-out at this time.
Zack Baun Quotes
One of the more interesting players going into the 2021 season for the New Orleans Saints is linebacker Zack Baun. Baun is going into his second year and will be looking to contribute much more than he did last season. When asked about his position, Baun told Nick Underhill that he had been working at weakside inside linebacker this off-season. This could be of interest going into the minicamps and Baun’s battle with newly drafted Pete Werner. Zack Baun also mentioned the help he has received from Demario Davis. Baun stated that Davis has been helpful in helping him and others learn on and off the field. Baun will need to prove he can play this new position or risk not being figured into the Saints future.
Ryan Ramczyk Quotes
The most interesting thing to come out of Ryan Ramczyk’s media appearance is in regards to his upcoming contract negotiation. The biggest news, which is good for the Saints, is that Ramczyk stated he will not hold out for a new contract. He stated that “when camp comes around, I’m going to be here.” The Saints have notoriously given their productive players extensions and it is likely that Ramczyk knows that.
Payton Turner Quotes
Some of the best quotes about newly-drafted Payton Turner came from players other than Turner himself. David Onyemata is quoted as saying that Turner is “a strong, quick-twitchy guy… You can tell he’s got work ethic.” This is strong praise for Turner who has only been with the team for about a month. Marcus Davenport stated that Turner was a “great guy.” Davenport stated that he thinks Turner is “better than when I got here.” This is more high praise for the rookie. Turner himself stated that he is just “trying to be a sponge” which is exactly the quote you would want from a rookie going into his first professional off-season.
Media Day Availability and Quotes
There were several more players and countless questions and answers during this year’s first media days with the New Orleans Saints. The players going on the record and explaining their futures brings clarity going into the first mandatory minicamp of the year. The contract situation of Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk does not look as if they will be an issue for the Saints going forward. For the sake of the entire defense, Zack Baun’s move to weakside linebacker has to be successful. Payton Turner is turning heads already and drawing praise from the Saints veteran defensive players. Combined, all of this is great news for the Saints and Saints fans. More media days are sure to come but for now, this has been the roundup of the best quotes from the New Orleans Saints press day.
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