New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Post-Practice Media Availability
Saturday, November 22, 2014

How do you feel Patrick Robinson is coming along the past few weeks?

"He has been playing well.  He has played inside, outside and I think his grades have been good, been solid.  He has good ball production.  You can see his confidence just regards to what we are doing.  He is doing well."

Can you talk about Patrick Robinson getting the Ed Block Courage Award?

"It's an award every year that's given out to a member of every team in our league.  Typically if you are describing the recipient it's someone that has overcome a rehab, an injury, adversity, something where a player has had to work thorough and Ed Block is a trainer.  He would be, I'd say in the nine years that I've been here with that vote by the team the largest margin of votes.  It was not even close.  With the injury he suffered and the rehab he was here every day offseason.  It was just like he was a fixture in the building. I think it was an easy decision for his teammates and certainly well deserving."

Has Pierre Warren been able to pick up where he left off?

"There's a transition when you come from one team to another kind of going back to the terminology and getting used to that.  I think he's someone that learns fairly quick and he's been getting a lot of work at it. I do not know if you pick up ever where you left off but I think having been here that transition's been smoother."

In the wake of Brandin Cooks' injury, is a player like Jimmy Graham ramp up his intensity at practice?

"I think that that does not change with how guys practice.  It certainly involves personnel groupings that have a different player in them where Brandin (Cooks) would be.  It might involve certain personnel or base but with regards to how guys prepare and how they practice none of that would change.  To be honest with you I think it's more of, there's
touches and there's reps so who is getting more reps in the absence of (Brandin Cooks).  That's an obvious matter of fact and then outside of that in regards to touches a lot of that would really be in regards to play design.  Certainly there has been deep plays, intermediate plays that Brandin (Cooks) has been featured in maybe and someone else would be in the framework of our offense.  It doesn't structurally change but it certainly changes potentially another receiver in that spot that type of thing."

Whenever Pierre Thomas comes back, does that help in the transition in the screen passing game?

"I don't know if it would be tied to Brandin (Cooks) at all. It really would not be.  It is the every down things that he can do both in the running game and as well in the protections.  That would be the first thing that you would definitely see."

How long does it take you to figure out who you team is?

"I would say this by then (Thanksgiving) you have a better feel for who you are and I think maybe there are some seasons where you kind of gather that maybe earlier than later.  There are years, of course with a quick start, you kind of get a feel for where you are at.  I think we have a pretty good feel as to here are the things that we have to be better at in these next six weeks and then paying close attention to the personnel on the field each time."