New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Post-Practice Press Conference
Friday, October 22, 2010
Opening Statement:
"Our final injury report for this week is the following, Drew Brees today knee, full, probable; Jon Stinchcomb full, probable; Zach Strief, knee, full, probable; Anthony Waters, hamstring, full, probable; Leigh Torrence, shoulder, full, probable; Jahri Evans, hamstring, full, probable; Julius Jones, shoulder, full, probable; Patrick Robinson, knee, limited, probable. Will Smith, groin, limited, probable; Roman Harper, hamstring, limited, probable; Scott Shanle, limited, hamstring, questionable; Jabari Greer, shoulder, did not practice, questionable and the following three players did not practice and they're out; Reggie Bush did not practice. He's out. Tracy Porter, knee, did not practice. He's out. Running back Pierre Thomas did not practice. He's out.
Have you made a decision on Darren Sharper's status?
"Not yet. We just keep looking at it. We'll look at the practice tapes today, the snaps he played and see how he's feeling in the morning."
Does Quincy Butler play special teams?
"He can. He would play on all four (teams) and also in the sub (defensive package)."
Is your decision on Darren solely based on practice? If he's healthy and 100 percent is he a guy you want back in the lineup?
"That would be pretty obvious. We'd like to see him if you feel like the residuals each day after the practice, how he feels tomorrow. We have plans for him if he's up and on the roster and playing, as well as if he's not."
What about Jabari Greer's status after not practicing all week?
"I listed him as questionable because there's an outside chance. We'll see where he's at tomorrow and possibly work him out Sunday. (Scott) Shanle the same way in regards to working him out."
When you deal with Sharper and determine whether or not to get him up, do you need to see him in a game environment or would his experience along matter to that?
"Yes, but what you have to gather are you had to potentially compromise your roster when you do that. You're weighing all those things."
Do you think most people in this situation would need a pseudo training camp for a week or two?
"I think it depends on the player and the position he's playing."
What is the status of guys like Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Tracy Porter in terms of their progress?
"They are (making progress). Tracy's on schedule. Reggie's on schedule. Clearly Pierre would be behind where we anticipated. That's probably been the more frustrating one."
When you say on schedule is that to be available before the bye week?
"Each one's different. I know in Reggie's case, he's shooting for the Pittsburgh Steeler game. With Tracy, it would probably be the week after that."
Where does Pierre Thomas stand?
"We'll see. I'm not going to speculate anymore on his injury."
Josh Cribbs was given the go-ahead to play today. Does that change anything for you guys?
"I think our practice throughout the week has been with the idea that he was going to play in all the aspects that he does, which is a lot. That's how we've prepared."
You guys have not seen a lot of true Wildcat except for in Miami last year. What kind of challenges does that bring?
"Fundamentally from a football standpoint, it gains their players back when the direct snap can be run. You go from 10 vs. 11, which are typically how the game's played with the quarterback being the 11th guy to 11 vs. 11, which presents challenges, particularly in the run game."
Would it surprise you that Peyton Hillis is leading both Felix Jones and Darren McFadden in the former Arkansas runners in rushing?
"He's played well. We've seen a lot of film this week of him. Certainly you go back and see him when he was at Denver. He's doing a good job. He runs hard and he's a smart football player."
Does he compare to Mike Alstott?
"I don't know if that would be a good comparison. I think Mike was probably a little bit closer to a fullback. I think Peyton Hillis is a guy who is a true runner and certainly a good blocker. I think there are some differences."
