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METAIRIE, La. -- Jairus Byrd was drawn to the Big Easy by New Orleans "winning culture" and an explosive offence, so much that the safety signed a six-year contract with the Saints. New Orleans efforts to make him a Saint began almost as soon as teams were allowed to contact agents of players on the free agent market. Though Byrd said other teams showed interest, it was ultimately up to him to let New Orleans have the first chance to sign him. They brought him in early Tuesday evening and shortly after, announced the two sides had agreed to terms. "The winning culture" put New Orleans over the top, Byrd said. "What coach (Sean) Payton has done and what Drew Brees has done here. Any time you have that explosive offence, it always helps." New Orleans 55 wins since 2009 are second-most in the NFL and the Saints have been to the post-season in four of the past five seasons. The offence, meanwhile, has finished No. 1 four times since 2006 and in the top five seven times. The Saints explosive offence really stood out to Byrd, who has 33 forced turnovers -- including 22 interceptions -- since entering the NFL five seasons ago. "If youre a guy on defence and you know a team is able to get leads on people, . that bodes well for guys like me who want to get turnovers and create turnovers because it makes another team one dimensional," Byrd said. "Thats a really big factor and what allowed me to weigh all my options and think about what the best situation was for myself." Hell get a chance now to play beside Kenny Vaccaro, the Saints first-round pick in 2013 whose hard-hitting style made an immediate impact in the defensive backfield. Vaccaro started 14 games as a rookie and finished with a sack, an interception and a forced fumble to go with 62 tackles. "Im really looking forward to seeing what he does really well," Byrd said. "And when he played against us, I know he made a lot of plays." Byrd saw firsthand just what hes about to join when the Bills, who drafted him in the second-round in 2009, lost in New Orleans 35-17 on Oct. 27. That day, the Saints finished with 386 total yards of offence and went 3-for-5 in the red zone. New Orleans defence, meanwhile, allowed only 299 total yards and just 5 of 13 on third downs. The Saints finished with one interception and had two fumble recoveries on four forced fumbles. It didnt hurt that the Superdome boasted its usual loud, energetic atmosphere. "Playing here last year, I saw how the atmosphere was," Byrd said. "It was electric. Theyre really behind their team. The Dome was rocking when I was here. They feed off that, and I think thats really big." Ray Spalding Jersey . MLB.com reported that the Dodgers locked the left-hander in for one year at $10 million with up to $4 million in incentives. Kevin Johnson Suns Jersey . Hawkins severely sprained his left ankle while making a diving catch during training camp and went on injured reserve with a designation he could return midway through the season. He was back at practice Wednesday. https://www.thesunslockerroom.com/Mikal-Bridges-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. Leandro Barbosa Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points with eight rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Dragan Bender Suns Jersey . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes.GM Wally Buono doesnt expect Danny Watkins to help the BC Lions this season or in the future. Buono said he believes the former first-round pick in the NFL is done with football, and has moved on with his life. Watkins played three seasons in the NFL, splitt between the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins after being selected 23rd overall by the Eagles in 2011.dddddddddddd Watkins was selected a year earlier in the CFL Draft, fifth overall by the Lions, but never played for the team. ' ' '