New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Conference Call With New Orleans Media
Thursday, September 28, 2017
What kind of problem does Ndamukong Suh present for you guys?
"He's a handful, he's a real good football player, he's explosive and I think one of the challenges is he's extremely instinctive. He'll time up the cadence and I'll bet there are five or six already snaps this season where you can stop the film and the ball is just being snapped and he's the only one out of his stance. He is very good that way of anticipating get off. He's powerful and I think he has good instincts, he'll play at the three (technique) and sometimes at the nose (tackle position), but I think his power and explosion, along with his timing and instincts make him so good."
Is that something that's just instincts or is he guessing right?
"There are a couple things, A, part of it is instincts, B, here is someone that will spend time on that element. He's going to get to know the quarterbacks cadence. I mean heck, we're putting microphones on both offensive guards, it's not hard if you want to do a little digging for the network feeds. You can get pretty much get every cadence in the NFL, now (to) be able to anticipate it is another thing, but secondly there is a talent element here, another words he's very explosive, quick out of his stance and you could be slow footed or quick-footed or not so quick to anticipate the snap count and still be just another guy, but he is an exceptional athlete and that power that is making first contact is substantial. A lot of time in our league first contact wins and oftentimes he has first contact."
Has Ryan Ramczyk been a little bit further along than you expected him to be?
"You never know with an offensive lineman the (learning) curve, there is a lot that goes into that position and he played on the left mostly during his college career and our vision for him was getting over to the right side. The one thing I'd say is his makeup and his football IQ, those have all been things that when you are around him I don't know that you feel like you're around a first-year player."
What makes Jay Ajayi so productive?
"He's strong with good balance and I think he is elusive, there's a physical style in how he runs that's very noticeable. Periodically, you come across runners like this and I think it forces you to, A, play with the correct pad level, but B to get the 1 defenders to the ball and he is tough to takedown in space. He's has that physicality to him where he can embarrass the tackler. Like a lot of great backs, if he has some clean air at the beginning of the run it's generally going to be a positive play and the key is to try and prevent that from happening."
What have you seen from Alex Jenkins*?*
"He's been outstanding, he's worked with us and I think his teammates respect him and I think he's fit in very well. He has good size and I think he understands the game and I think he's played it at a significant level and now he's having the chance to play at our level. He's been a great addition for our team."
Did you see P.J. Williams improve his eye placement against Carolina?
"Yes, I think it's one of those things that comes up a lot in playing man coverage, is just that eye discipline and constantly practicing it and understanding it and while a game is going on and your covering someone your eyes can wander and it's not difficult for that to happen and he played much better last week."
How unique or different was it to practice on the rugby fields and did you get to talk to any of those players?
"I thought the experience was great. Number one, I thought the fields were in great shape and the facility was perfect. It's a very similar grass to what we will play on and generally when you have to have a practice like that maybe 50 percent of your team has been on a surface just like that before and then there are the guys from Florida and Texas, who have been playing on more of a Bermuda or fieldturf (surface) all their life. The proper shoes and all those things are required to just get used to get used to the footing, but I thought they were great hosts and we'll see them out there today. I think they are flying for an away game (today) and I think they come back Saturday, but we enjoyed just them having a chance for them to come watch practice."
How much have you heard from various people back home about making it a requirement for players to stand for the anthem?
"I'm not aware of the specifics at home or the groups that are for or against it. I'm sure as a team and organization here we'll have a more organized plan. Last week was very I guess you'd say last minute, in regards to, we'd traveled to Carolina. The president's speech came out and the next morning we were in team meetings and up eating pregame meal. I'm sure we'll at some point we'll have a chance to visit."
Do you anticipate that there will be a requirement that they will stand?
"I wouldn't know that, another words I think that would be a question for Mr. Benson or a question for someone else, but I think we will have a plan, in regards to, how we are going to handle it."
