METAIRIE, La. -- Sean Payton agreed Wednesday with quarterback Drew Brees' assessment that the New Orleans Saints have made more tweaks to their offense than ever before this offseason.

Payton said the Saints didn’t go into the offseason with a specific directive to fix a certain area of the offense. But Payton said ball security and smart football ranked at the top of the priority list following last season’s 7-9 disappointment.

Sean Payton is exploring ways for the Saints to take advantage of C.J. Spiller's talents. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

"(The mindset) was more about making sure we get back to the things that prevent us from winning games, things that cost us from winning games," Payton said. "Last year we were 'that team,' we were the team that was offsides on fourth-and-1. We were the team that struggled in the two-minute drill either offensively or defensively to close out a game.

"Those are the more pressing issues when you head into an offseason after a 7-9 season."

A lot of the tweaks the Saints are making to the offense have to do with the personnel changes they made this offseason (parting ways with Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills and Pierre Thomas, among others, while adding C.J. Spiller and promoting young receivers). Payton said the coaching-staff changes have also contributed, with new assistants like receivers coach John Morton and running backs coach Joel Thomas bringing in some new thoughts.

Every year, Payton said, assistant coaches are also assigned "research projects."

"You get into the offseason and you look at route combinations, things you want to do versus pressure, things you want to do in the gun, package plays. ... You’re always trying to stay on top of what maybe is trending, and then really how does it fit to your own roster," Payton said. "Guys will go spend a couple weeks cutting up different teams' (film), and then we’ll bring them back and say, ‘How does this fit with us if we want to implement it?'

"This is a good time of year to do that."

Many of the Saints’ adaptations will also be related to adding runner/receiver Spiller in free agency. Payton has mentioned a few times this offseason how the Saints will adjust the playbook to enhance Spiller’s unique skill set -- since they didn’t initially plan to target him in free agency until they realized the price tag would be affordable.

Payton said it was similar in 2006 when Reggie Bush unexpectedly fell to the Saints with the No. 2 pick in the draft.

"When you sign a player like that, you’ve seen it on film, and then you’re anxious to see how it fits with what you’re doing, and you begin to expand some things," Payton said. "A guy like him, you throw a simple wide route or a swing (pass) to, and if he's got the right leverage, he’s pretty effective. So it’s really just getting him involved in space."

Payton also said the Saints have used more "pony" packages with two backs on the field together because of Spiller.

"Some of that you don’t do during the OTAs (organized team activities) if there isn’t someone that you have a vision for that plan with," Payton explained.