The New Orleans Saints have made two what Coach Sean Payton dubbed “triangle moves,” on their roster. One came at tight end, where the club put tight end David Thomas on injured reserve after he suffered a concussion, his second of the season, at Atlanta. Thomas said the injury occurred in the fourth quarter and became apparent on the sideline when he was talking to fellow tight end Jimmy Graham.

When told Payton described it as initially being diagnosed by tight end John Gilmore, Thomas laughed.

“Well, there you go,” he said, confessing he remembers most of the game but not precisely who he was talking to on the sideline.

At the moment, Payton said there hasn’t been any discussion about how the pair of concussions could effect Thomas’ future. Thomas said he has been assured by doctors that there is no reason to think he can’t play next season.

“I think the fact that the second one came fairly soon after his original one, which was pretty significant, made this a fairly easy decision,” Payton said. “It was difficult, but it was an easy decision in regards to the player’s long-term health. In regards to his future, certainly we’re not at a point where we’re saying he’s not going to play football anymore. It’s just that the doctors, Dave, (general manager) Mickey Loomis, and all of us involved felt that it was going to be a smart thing for us to rest him at this point.”

The Saints promoted tight end Michael Higgins from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and signed tight end Daniel Hardy to the practice squad.

Higgins, a 6-foot-5, 242-pound rookie out of Nebraska-Omaha, said he is thrilled with his opportunity.

“It feels great,” he said. “It’s a tough situation that Dave is in and that’s unfortunate, but I’m really grateful for the opportunity I’m getting here and hopefully I can continue to work my way up. It’s not going to change a whole lot. I’ll spend more time studying film, but otherwise practice will be pretty much the same and I’ll be learning the game plan as always.”

The other “triangle move,” occurred on the offensive line where the team waived tackle Ray Willis from the active roster and called up William Robinson from the practice squad. Replacing Robinson on the practice squad is new signee Phil Trautwein.

Robinson, 6-5, 297, is a tackle with four years NFL experience out of San Diego State.

Drew Brees’ agent Tom Condon confiirmed that he spent the day in New Orleans on Tuesday to meet with New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and try to narrow the gap in their contract negotiations.

“We spent a good deal of time together and had a substantial talk,” said Condon, though he said he couldn’t try and characterize how far along the talks are at this point.

Although both sides are clearly motivated to work out a contract extension at some point, it’s possible that a deal could come together within a matter of days or take several months to finalize.

Brees, 32, is in the final year of his current contract with the Saints. But the Saints aren’t under any immediate pressure to work out an extension since they can use the franchise tag on him next year.

Ultimately, though, it seems inevitable that the Saints and Brees will work out a long-term extension. This has been one of the most mutually-beneficial relationships in NFL history since Brees signed as a free agent in 2006, and both sides want it to continue.

Sean Payton plans to stick with the team that gave him his first shot as an NFL head coach for a few more years.

The Saints announced on Monday that Payton, who coached New Orleans to its first Super Bowl championship two seasons ago, has agreed to an extension through 2015.

The deal carries Payton through what would be his 10th season since he joined the Saints in 2006, shortly after the team’s miserable 3-13 2005 campaign that was defined in large part by its displacement to San Antonio because of Hurricane Katrina.

“It is good news, and I would start with it by recognizing the significant role that (general manager) Mickey Loomis and (owner) Tom Benson have had in not just this contract for me, but stability and the success we’ve had as an organization,” Payton said. “I’m very thankful to have that opportunity here for another five years.”

Including three trips to the postseason in his first five seasons, Payton has a 53-33 record with New Orleans. In his first season, he coached the Saints to their first NFC title game. In his fourth season, the Saints made the only Super Bowl appearance in the franchise’s 44-year history, beating the Indianapolis Colts.

“Our goal is to continue to build a tradition of winning here in New Orleans and Sean represents that tradition,” Benson said.

The terms of the contract were not released. Loomis would say only that it was “a good deal for Sean, a good deal for the club.”

During the past five seasons, Loomis has spoken of the strong working relationship he has with Payton and how important he thought that was to the club’s recent success.

“The relationship Sean and I have is pretty strong and I value it,” Loomis said Monday. “Obviously, I’m happy for the success that we’ve had here, really happy with the job that he’s done. … I’m just hoping it continues for a long, long time – not just this extension, but for years beyond it.”

AP

Right tackle Jon Stinchcomb has been released by the New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints made the move on Monday, making way for backups Zach Strief and Charles Brown to battle for the starting tight tackle job,

Both Coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis described the move as very difficult for them personally. Stinchcomb, who was drafted in the second round in 2003, was the longest-tenured member of the Saints’ roster and one of the most popular players in the building.

Stinchcomb was a Pro Bowler in 2009 and the team’s Man of the Year in 2008. Payton and Loomis both said he “epitomized” everything they want from the players in the organization.

“He’s gonna be on the ‘Wall of Fame’ that we have down our hallway, and I think he should be in the Saints’ Hall of Fame one day,” Loomis said. “He’s meant a lot to our organization, for a number of reasons, including his play on the field.”

Payton said cuts like these are the hardest part of the job and compared it to releasing tailback Deuce McAllister two years ago.

Ultimately, though, the Saints decided they had to move on with a younger player at the position. And they wanted to give Strief and Brown the majority of the snaps over these next three weeks to evaluate them properly.

Strief is the front runner for the job, having been in the Saints’ system for five years with seven career starts at various positions. The Saints think Brown has great athletic potential, though, after drafting him in the second round out of USC in 2010.

Right tackle Jon Stinchcomb has been released by the New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints made the move on Monday, making way for backups Zach Strief and Charles Brown to battle for the starting tight tackle job,

Both Coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis described the move as very difficult for them personally. Stinchcomb, who was drafted in the second round in 2003, was the longest-tenured member of the Saints’ roster and one of the most popular players in the building.

Stinchcomb was a Pro Bowler in 2009 and the team’s Man of the Year in 2008. Payton and Loomis both said he “epitomized” everything they want from the players in the organization.

“He’s gonna be on the ‘Wall of Fame’ that we have down our hallway, and I think he should be in the Saints’ Hall of Fame one day,” Loomis said. “He’s meant a lot to our organization, for a number of reasons, including his play on the field.”

Payton said cuts like these are the hardest part of the job and compared it to releasing tailback Deuce McAllister two years ago.

Ultimately, though, the Saints decided they had to move on with a younger player at the position. And they wanted to give Strief and Brown the majority of the snaps over these next three weeks to evaluate them properly.

Strief is the front runner for the job, having been in the Saints’ system for five years with seven career starts at various positions. The Saints think Brown has great athletic potential, though, after drafting him in the second round out of USC in 2010.