New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
2017 Training Camp Presented By Verizon
Thursday August 17, 2017
How do you think today's joint practices went for your team?
"It was okay. There were some periods that I thought were better than others. And then there are going to be some we put the film on (where) we'll look at to make corrections. It was okay".
How's (Marshon) Lattimore been looking?
"Good, he got a lot of work in today. He will receive more work tomorrow. He is feeling good. So it is really just getting back into the defensive calls, playing speed and we just have to be wise about how many reps (we give him) each day. Our plans are to play him Sunday".
What kind of test is this for (Ryan) Ramczyk with the pass rushers they have?
"It is a good test for your whole offensive line because you get a whole new group of players (to work against). (Zach) Strief's out there battling (Joey) Bosa. And a bunch of these guys obviously do a good job of rushing the passer so it's one of the benefits when you get a chance to go against another team you see a whole different player across from you that's getting coached hard and going hard himself".
Do you have any specific concern or did a specific positive jump out at you?
"Off the field, the first two-minute drill we had five penalties on defense and when the team's on a two-minute drive (where) you have one timeout, essentially they have six timeouts because the clock's going to stop every time there's a penalty. The drill started and there were 12 guys on the field so we have to get that cleaned up. The turnover on offense, the last two-minute drill, we had a couple of protection errors. I'm sure that when we watch the tape we'll see more and there will be a few more. The breakoff periods started practice with we will look at as a staff as well. It's hard when there are so many different periods going on that you have to keep track of how you're doing in each one but we'll see".
Can these practices be as beneficial of the games themselves?
"I think so because to some degree there is a controlled element. We met last night with their (coaching) staff for about a half hour and went through each period today and each period tomorrow. We went through all week (schedule). Certainly there are some questions that arise. We get an idea of where the fields are set up and just making sure both staffs are getting what they want from the drill".
With this losing streak, the team has had in the preseason for the last three years, how much do you want to win one of these exhibition games?
"I hadn't really paid too much attention. Obviously there are some things we prioritize in the preseason and I think we want to win every time we compete. With that being said, a lot of it is making sure we get the right guys to work and receive a chance to evaluate and make the right decisions".
In the two years before, did going 0-4 in the preseason have anything to do with the season record?
"No".
