METAIRIE, La. - New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is promising change in the coming months, stressing that he hates losing and will look at every element of the program in an effort to avoid another sub-.500, non-playoff season.What is important is we are looking closely at ways to fix the things that kept us from winning games, and making sure that we are not fixing something that wasnt a part of the problem, Payton said. We have to look closely at the teaching, the coaching. We have to look closely at the players.The last time Payton failed to coach the Saints into the playoffs was 2008, the season before the franchise won its only Super Bowl. Since then, the only other time New Orleans missed the playoffs was 2012, when Payton was suspended the entire season in connection with the NFLs bounty investigation.This season, New Orleans expected to be a contender, but wound up needing a second-half comeback at lowly Tampa Bay last Sunday to avoid the first 10-loss campaign since Payton arrived in 2006.Payton stressed it was too early to specify any anticipated changes to the roster or coaching staff. He bristled at a question about second-year defensive co-ordinator Rob Ryans ability to turn around a unit that ranked second-to-last in the NFL.Now is not the time for us to discuss a player or a coach or his future, Payton said.Veteran players, including quarterback Drew Brees and right tackle Zach Strief, expressed confidence that their coach and general manager Mickey Loomis would take a methodical approach to the off-season.I dont expect a lot of change, Brees said. Weve always been on the lower end of those. I think we have our core group here and we just kind of build in pieces around it.Strief, a fellow offensive captain, said he was disappointed to miss the playoffs but doesnt see the Saints as an organization sliding into dysfunction.Its not like the world has ended and Sean doesnt know how to coach and Mickey doesnt know how to pick players, Strief said. People want to hear the coaching is terrible, the players are terrible, the front office, because it gives them comfort in understanding why the season was so disappointing.Some things to know about the Saints heading into the 2015 off-season:OFFENSIVE ACUMEN: Payton still managed to field a league-leading offence. The Saints averaged an NFL-high 411.4 yards per game. The passing offence led by Brees, wholl be 36 next season, averaged 297.8 yards, ranking third in the league.The total offensive numbers were good. The turnovers were poor, Payton said, citing New Orleans 30 giveaways. It has not been about stats for us. It has been about wins and losses. ... There are some muddy hands in this (locker) room and they probably go across the board, not just on one side of the ball.DEFENDING RYAN: Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, a defensive captain, was among a chorus of players expressing hope that Ryan, whose defence ranked fourth in 2013, would not become a victim of off-season changes after his 2014 unit slid to 31st.I dont want to play for another defensive co-ordinator. I think Robs done a great job, Lofton said. As a defensive co-ordinator, you can call the perfect call day in and day out; if the players dont execute it looks bad on you and thats what it was this year. So its not Robs fault.ROOKIE REVIEWS: Before receiver Brandin Cooks went out with a forearm injury, the Saints got a lot of production out of last springs first-round pick. He had 53 catches for 550 yards and three TDs. However, second-round pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste, a cornerback, was routinely scratched from the game-day lineup and hardly played.CLOSE CALLS: Four Saints losses came by three or fewer points. Brees cited those games to back his conclusion that New Orleans, which finished a half-game behind Carolina (7-8-1) for first place in the NFC South, doesnt need a major overhaul.Payton, however, had a more sobering outlook.Lets not kid ourselves. Yes, we were a play or two away from winning those games, and yet that repeated itself a handful of times, Payton said. Were not just going to patch a few holes here.TREND REVERSAL: The Saints started 3-0 at home and 0-4 on the road, only to lose their last five at home and win their last four outside the Superdome.The home and road thing really was more of a reflection of just the up-and-down inconsistencies of this team, Payton said.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Jerseys From China . Its the games against the leagues struggling franchises that have proved to be an issue. China Jerseys Stitched . Or, for that matter, the aged. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Fake China Jerseys . Or, for that matter, the aged. China Jerseys Wholesale .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 29 points and 14 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings battled back in the fourth quarter to take a 108-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Rudy Gay finished with 24 points and six assists, Ben McLemore had 23 points and eight boards and Darren Collison scored 19 for the Kings, who ended a five-game skid and won for the first time under interim head coach Tyrone Corbin. It was a great win tonight, McLemore said. Its something we definitely needed as a team to keep pushing on. Nick Young had 26 points and Kobe Bryant supplied 25 points on a poor 8-of-30 shooting display for the Lakers, who have dropped their last three contests. I think when we dont get stops thats tough, Lakers guard Jeremy Lin said. We just need to make sure we are focused in the defensive end. Carlos Boozers floater cut the deficit to 83-82 early in the fourth and ended a span of 8:36 without a Los Angeles field goal. Young drained consecutive treys and hit a free throw to give the Lakers an 89-83 lead with 8:03 remaining. The Kings had an answer, however, scoring 16 of the next 18 points. Cousins tip-in gave them the lead, then McLemores triple and alley-oop made it a 99-991 game with 4:02 to play.dddddddddddd Young made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to six points with under three minutes to play, but Bryants charge gave the ball back to the Kings, who cruised to the win after Gays trey with 2:10 left. Cousins scored the first eight points of a 10-0 run that ended with a McLemore jumper to give the Kings a 15-7 lead with 6:04 to play in the opening stanza. The Lakers, however, ended the first on an 11-4 run that whittled the deficit to 26-23 thanks to five points from Bryant. Young knocked down a 3-pointer to ignite a 7-0 burst and Lins layup gave Los Angeles a 30-29 edge less than three minutes into the second. Los Angeles closed out the first half, which featured seven lead changes, on a 9-1 spurt to take a 60-52 lead into the break. Bryant continued to knock down shots as he supplied six of the Lakers eight straight points, making it a 79-66 game with 6:11 to play in the third. Game Notes The Kings also ended a four-game skid at home ... Bryant had nine of Los Angeles 16 turnovers ... The Kings outscored the Lakers on the fast break, 23-9, and also owned a 40-36 margin in the paint ... Sacramentos bench contributed just 11 points in the victory. ' ' '