The Facts: HC Sean Payton watched every snap Fleener played over his final two seasons with the Colts to understand how he would fit in the Saints offense. He liked much of what he saw. "He's got outstanding speed, so the one thing that jumps off the film is his ability to really run," Payton said in his first public comments about Fleener since the team signed him to a five-year deal worth up to $36 million. "He's a guy that's smart. He's someone who played in a system very similar to ours in college."

Diehards Line: Payton said he spent a lot of time on the phone with Stanford coach David Shaw, for whom Fleener played while at the school. Payton said the Saints and Stanford run similar enough offenses for him to form a solid opinion. "Watching his skill set, I think for us as coaches, it's exciting because I see a number of ways where he's going to be able to help us in the passing game," Payton said. Payton said the Saints signed Fleener more for what he can do in the passing game than in the run game. ... Fleener last season with the Colts tallied 54 catches for 491 yards with three touchdowns. He played half the season with Andrew Luck because of an injury to the quarterback. The Saints signed Fleener to fill the void created when Benjamin Watson joined the Baltimore Ravens as an unrestricted free agent.