A few quick takeaways from New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton's teleconference Thursday morning with the local media.

1. Payton said he wasn't at all surprised that a deal was consummated with Drew Brees. "I think it's a real good deal for the club and for Drew. I would say that I had a lot of confidence throughout this process in both (Saints general manager) Mickey (Loomis) and (Brees agent) Tom Condon, both parties coming up with a deal that works well for both sides. I can't say that I'm surprised. It's pretty normal to go through a period where there might be no discussion, and then the sky is falling. In the end, it's not surprising."

2. Don't be surprised if Senio Kelemete starts at right guard Sunday. "He's in shape, he participated in training camp (with the Seahawks) and the system is one in which he knows," Payton said. "We'll see how it goes this week with our reps and then as we get closer to game time, we'll take a peek."

3. The new mural inside the Saints' indoor practice, which depicts a collage of past standout players – including Ring of Honor members Rickey Jackson, Archie Manning, Willie Roafand Morten Andersen– is a big hit. "Just part of the process of updating our facility," Payton said. "A few years back I'd seen a similar version somewhere else and this gave us a bigger idea. I can't say it was because of the 50th anniversary, I think that's more coincidence. This is just an idea, one of a handful of ideas that we had. Kind of recognize the players."

4. Linebacker Dannell Ellerbeis day-to-day with a quad injury. Status for Sunday's game will be determined later.

5. The Saints named their team captains this week: Drew Brees and Max Unger on offense; Cam Jordan and James Laurinaitis on defense; Michael Mauti for special teams.