New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Post-Practice Media Availability
August, 14, 2013

Opening Statement: "This afternoon, when normally we hold a walk through, we won't have one. We will shift our gears here towards the Oakland game on Friday. I thought we were a little sluggish today at times. I thought the two inside practices prior were a little bit crisper. You want to guard against that where you are just running plays and not improving. Our focus will now shift to this preseason game. Tomorrow we will have meetings in the morning and then in the afternoon we will practice. It will be devoted entirely to the Raider looks both offensively and defensively."

Any thoughts on the goal line drill?

"It was kind of what we expected. We made it a live drill. I just thought we were sluggish at the beginning and I kind of wanted to create some tempo. I thought there was some good on both sides of the ball. We will look at the tape and see it a little more closely."

Is there an update on Jonathan Vilma out there. Is there any update on him?

"No new updates on any of these guys that didn't practice."

What kind of camp has Charles Brown had?

"I think he has been pretty good. That's one of those positions where no news is pretty good news. He has been really consistent. I think he is playing well. It's been encouraging and I have said this but it's still early on in the preseason. I thought once we got into the pads and once we got into the second or third week of this training camp, you begin to see this position competition a little bit clearer and I think that's the pace with us right now. He is certainly ahead of the other guys."

What are some of the characteristics that you like about Darren Sproles coming out of the backfield as a runner?

"He is quick and has exceptional acceleration. The other thing is he is very intelligent. The decisions he makes every two or three seconds are generally the right ones. His football IQ and his burst are both things that I would say are uniquely different."

Jim Leonhard continues to battle for a spot in the secondary. What have you seen from him?

"He is someone that knows exactly what to do. He is a quick study, is experienced and knows how to play the technique. I think the challenge for all of those safeties is going to be those special teams snaps. what separates themselves in regards to how many snaps they could receive during the course of a game. I think that will be important for him."

Is this a week where we will see a little bit more of Steve Breaston?

"You will see more snaps from Breaston. He is going on his second week now so there is a role for the snaps he will play. You will see a lot of Kenny (Stills) and Nick (Toon) especially with the first group. I think we will even have a chance to get (Patrick) Crayton in there some. A lot of these receivers will receive a chance to play but I will have a chance to get (Breaston) in there (more) compared to a week ago."

With (Patrick) Crayton not playing for a year I guess that's kind of a curiosity with the player?

"He is someone I am familiar with and have been with (in Dallas). He is somewhat of a quick learner. He has probably played more and has more experience playing in the slot. He is someone that has good size, can block in the running game, but he is versatile and knows what to do. More than likely soon he will know all of the positions."

Can a guy like that help the young guys a lot? Was that kind of the instruction?

"When he first gets in, he's just working on getting acclimated. I think that (he) helps the younger players over a period of time. Some guys are just more vocal and it comes easier to them and some guys never have it (vocal nature). It's not that they don't want to its just their personality."