New Orleans Saints: Payton Says Remi Ayodele Is Now The Starter, Kendrick Clancy To Be Backup

Second year pro Remi Ayodele has been given the starting nod over veteran tackle Kendrick Clancy — indicative of his performance so far this season.

Ayodele has been the starter for the Saints since then starting nose tackle Kendrick Clancy went down with a right knee injury week 1 against Detroit.

Clancy was reported to be close to one hundred percent and the general consensus was he would resume the starting duties last week against the Giants, however Clancy was de-activated in favor Ayodele which was a very telling sign.

Ayodele responded with the best game of his career posting a season high six tackles while managing to pick up his first ever sack.

It’s been a long road for Ayodele who entered the league as undrafted free agent in 2006 only to be cut eight times by five different teams before landing with the Saints in 2008.

Both head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams are impressed with Ayodele’s maturation and improvement in Williams new system.

Clancy will definately continue to be a contributor and most likely be used in rotation to keep the defensive line fresh.