New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

NFL Ownership Meetings Media Availability

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

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What are your thoughts on how the Brandin Cooks trade materialized?

"I think there were a few clubs that reached out to us to see if there was an interest in possibly trading Brandin (Cooks). For sure he wasn't a player that we went out and said hey we're shopping this player, but when someone calls on a player you obviously take the call and listen to what they have to say. I've said this a number of times, working with him, he's fantastic in regards to his approach, never at any time was he upset or unhappy. I think a little bit of last season after one game his agent was a little disappointed. Maybe he didn't have the production in the game, now mind you we just finished scoring 49 points and beating a team, but to Brandin's (Cooks) credit he was smart enough to see the season he was having, so he got with another agent when this offseason began. We spoke to a few teams and we weren't in a position where we felt like we've got to make this trade or else. It was the opposite actually and I had a couple conversations with him saying hey there is a good chance this isn't going to happen. We are not interested in just looking to do this, but when we were able to make a deal with New England, which involved a first round pick (and) a third round pick we felt that was significant and we did feel like it was a way to help our team, particularly our defense. Now, those picks specifically, you don't know how the draft falls, but they're (New England) getting a real good player and someone that obviously was good for us."

Would you have preferred to get a player and a pick like the Jimmy Graham trade?

"Yes, that wasn't the case here. We were pretty clear, we had good dialogue with New England and a few other teams, to some degree really this (trade) was Philly-driven. In other words a year ago which was fine. We had discussions with Philadelphia and discussions with Tennessee that was pretty much it."

Where do things stand with Malcolm Butler?

"Just where they're at now, in other words we had a chance to visit with him. Currently, it's my understanding he hasn't signed his tender and so we cansign him to an offer sheet, but I don't think we're going to do that and give up the 11th pick. In fact, I know were not going to do that. It is what it is right now."

It would be more of a trade then for Malcolm Butler if anything happened?

"Yes, that would just be speculation though."

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What was the p of your meeting with Johnny Manziel?

"Look in 2012 (the season he won the Heisman), that whole draft class is a blur to me because I was suspended for a year and it gave me an opportunity to meet him. I was out in Houston for three days for the super bowl and I understood he was so we met for breakfast and the first time I've had to talk to him. Really leave it at that because really that's just what it was. I'm sure he has a handful of things he has to do stepwise to put himself back into a position to sign with a club and play football again, but (it) made sense for me just to get to know him a little bit."

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Did he make a favorable impression?

"Yeah, it was good we didn't visit very long, but we did have a chance to visit and I watched the 2012 season from a far, watching the success he had, but I wasn't really a part of any of the evaluation process."

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What do you think of how he plays based on the tape you have seen?

"He has a skillset that is unique. He has good feet, he can create. I have seen him play one game live. I think he's got decent arm strength and I think he's got a lot of work to do with some of the mechani's protectionwise in our league, but look he has arm talent. I don't think any of those are the questions right now."

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What would need to happen for him to earn a positon on a roster?

"There are a handful of things that he'd have to do and yet I think part of the report insinuated that this was moving in that direction and I'm just going to say it was false. Now I'm sitting here answering 15 questions over a reporters' report. I met with him, we had a good breakfast and it was that."

Do you have an open mind for at least exploring some of these guys?

"Absolutely, it's in our best interest to look at every opportunity to improve our team and any of these players we talk about, we look at do they fit our culture, our locker room? I'm comfortable with that. (Now) Making the decision is a different story, but the idea of going through the process and the evaluation I think is important for us to do that."

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Why is it that you have more of an open mind exploring some of these guys who have had some issues compared to other teams around the league?

"I have a lot of confidence in our locker room going on 11, 12 years (under his program and with several veterans) now it's been real good, with the leadership currently in place, maybe it's more of my personality, but we haven't had players come in, while we've been here embarrass what we're trying to do or embarrass our sponsors or community. That is a credit to the players in that locker room and the program that we've built. Now, kicking the tires and getting to know people I think that's our job and then just as importantly weighing in (on) and discussing each player separate from another player and really looking at does this guy fit and can he help us."

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Is the Malcolm Butler trade more of the contract terms or the compensation part?

"I just think it is between all of that. I think that it's ongoing if you will, obviously we can't even have discussions because New England hasn't even signed the player. For us it was a chance to meet him, put him on the board and find out how much football he knows. He's from Mississippi and I think it was a good step."

Would the Saints revisit a Malcolm Butler trade if the circumstances changed?

"He's a guy we thought enough of in this process. We will see though I think it might take a bit of time."

What do you see in Drew Brees and how much longer will he play?

"I think it's hard to measure year to year, you don't see a marked difference or change. I think Drew and I know (he) plans on playing two, three, four more years and I kind of look at it as man he's coming off a very productive season. We are certainly in that business like we would be any year paying attention to this year's (QB draft) class. I think it's a pretty good class myself and then also understanding that we have to pay just as much attention to who the two (quarterback) will be this year. How's the development of (Garrett) Grayson coming along, he's at a point where I think it will be an important crossroads for him this year, but I said this last week these guys, the training methods, how they sleep, all the different things that they are doing has allowed them to play much longer and in a healthier way than 20 years ago. I wouldn't put a number on it. I would just say I know that he is in excellent shape, I know mentally and arm strength wise he's been sharp and now the trick is to get better as a team and in general."

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Do you marvel at the consistent level he plays with you regardless of the pieces he has around him?

"Yes and I think when you play as long as he has or when you play as long as Tom (Brady) has or Peyton (Manning) has, it would be interesting if you just did a little study and said here are all the receivers involved, here are all the tight ends, here are all the running backs and then try to say 'while he had this receiver he might have given him 48 different coaching points and times that and you're going to end up with 5,760 coaching points to various people'. That's when the hair starts receding and that's when you start losing it, but there is a lot of energy in training new players and yet I think these guys have obviously just pushed this bar a lot further out."

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How much do you ponder taking a quarterback early in the draft?

"If we felt we had a grade on a player that matched the pick absolutely and I would say this that would be the case last year and the case the year prior. The one thing about selecting a quarterback when you currently might have one or have one like we do. There is that presumption that ugh. When we drafted (Thomas) Morstead in the fifth round I made Mickey (Loomis) go talk to the media because you know when you draft a punter, but sometimes people would be saying drafting to your strength is a wise strategy and I think the point being if the asset is worth more, then I think you look closely at that."

What do Mike Nolan and Ryan Nielsen bring to the staff you didn't have before?

"They are two different types of coaches, obviously with Mike Nolan there is a wealth of experience. I think he will be a real good asset for Dennis (Allen). He's seen a lot of things offensively, defensively he's coordinated and he's real sharp. I think with (Ryan) Nielsen, that was an interesting hire in that we really went out with any one set defensive line coach in mind and interviewed NFL coaches, college coaches and he was more towards the end of the process and he came in and he was outstanding, very good, very thorough teacher. I think we hired him and in 24 hours he had an apartment, he was in New Orleans. I don't want to use the word young, but there is a lot of energy there and I think that group's got to play better."

Do you think Mike Nolan's experience could help a guy like Stephone Anthony?

"Absolutely, yeah absolutely."

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How would you characterize this upcoming season for Anthony after last year?

"This past season wasn't the type of season he wanted. I think we are anxious to see him perform this upcoming year. He'll be healthy, just finished rehabbing so I know he'll be excited."

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Was there ever any thought during the Brandin Cooks trade about not helping the Patriots improve coming off a Super Bowl win?

"No, I think that would apply maybe to your division. It certainly would apply to your division. We've had I don't how many trades with New England. Nine trades with New England and you know we have a good working relationship and it made sense for both Bill (Belichick) and us so I think it was more about what was best for our team."

Are you looking to trade one of the two first round picks the team has?

"It would be hard to say we are just going to sit at 32, you do have some flexibility. I think overall having five picks in the first 103 picks provides that flexibility as well. You can certainly move up or move back, but we felt like there was depth at certain positions in this draft and we felt having ammo in those first 100-103 picks was important."

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What are your thoughts on Johnny Morton joining the Jets as offensive coordinator?

"You're going to be impressed with him, he's not going to be a media darling alright, but he's talented and he's going to work his tail off. We had two, three in the morning nights during the year and that's just how it is, but he is a fantastic teacher, he knows the offense and he's also going to make sure and look closely at the personnel and then we talk all the time about making sure the offense is built around the ingredient and not the other way. He will do a good job of assessing hey here are our strengths and let's play to them."

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Are you excited to see him as a play caller now?

"I am, you want to see, I've said this before, you want to see guys have success on your staff and go on to be head coaches, coordinators and I think it's his first opportunity and I think he will do a real good job. I said this to him, there is no better city than New York to go have success as a play caller. You go in there and make an impression. That happened to me in 1999 (with the Giants) first time having a chance to call plays. It was right in the middle of the season. I think it was the Jets game, (with Bill) Parcells and (Bill) Belichick (on the staff) and I was young and those are good memories and opportunities."

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As far as being a grinder what can you say about the sleep room in New Orleans?

"We built a sleep room basically, we have an air conditioned room with eight bunk beds. It's a little Google-like pretty cool. It's good."

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Is there anything that Johnny Morton did last season that made you know he was ready to be a play caller?

"In 2006 he worked for us, our first year we went to the NFC championship game. John is the type to go breakdown and research and dig and he's going to present and he is one of two or three guys (on staff that does it), but that will have 12-14 play thoughts when it is red zone, 12-14 play thoughts and they are well thought out with film evidence and I might like three of them and not the other eight and yet he is going to come back with the same energy and passion for the next category. He left after the 2006 season, we hired him back and he's been around (Jon) Gruden, (Jim) Harbaugh, myself and he's very meticulous. I think he is going to be outstanding. I think he's going to be outstanding and I think most importantly it's just going to be who's playing quarterback has that been solved, but I think you guys will be impressed. I think he is a tremendous football coach and I know there is not any lack of passion. He will be there until whatever hour it takes. He will spend a lot of nights there I'm sure."

What is the vision for Manti Te'o and A.J. Klein?

"We felt like we're helping ourselves bringing in experienced players we'll sort through the position specifically, but with Te'o he is coming off an injury and he has kind of been nicked up, but when he has played, he has played pretty well. Mike Nolan was with him in San Diego. There is a little bit of a background there and we know (A.J.) Klein. We have played him two times a year. We will put it all together. Like I said earlier we have got some youth there and some veteran experience. We've got quite a bit of linebackers now and I'm comfortable with that because I think we have to play better at that position."

Are you looking for a defensive end type pass rusher or a stand-up linebacker with versatility?

"There are prototypes, I mean there are certain measurements that we are looking for. If you make an exception you have to have a vision. We have to make sure we know exactly what we see and what we envision this player doing in year one or year two. I think that is important."

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Do you have contract terms with Malcolm Butler and are you just waiting until he signs to make a trade?

"I wouldn't comment on whether we are in a good spot or not number one. It was an exploratory mission if you will just to get to know this player some. As simply as that."

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How many of this incoming quarterback class are ready to play?

"I think it is difficult, tell me the team they are going too. Then I'll tell you if I think they are ready to play as rookies."

How difficult is it to transform these college QBs into NFL throwers who haven't operated in a huddle or under center?

"I think we're also (responsible) depending on the team they go to. There has to be some flexibility. One of the things we are in charge of is taking these guys and developing their skillset, but also looking through closely at what they do really well and then having flexibility offensively saying hey we might not huddle as much. I don't worry about the huddle, but we might be in the shotgun more. That is teaching I think. When we drafted Reggie Bush and that wasn't something we were planning on that happened relatively late to the draft and I can recall the next week just staff meeting after staff meeting on offense changing, adding, tweaking things that fit him and maybe he and Deuce McAllister. I think the same thing is necessary with the quarterback positon and depending on which one of these guys you're talking about. I think you look closely at if they are going to play right away you're beginning to tweak some of the things you do that maybe fit them, but I think there are a few players in this class to me that you watch and you get excited about."

With the linebackers that you added, does that allow you to slide Craig (Robertson) back into the role that you envisioned for him or has he played himself out of that?

"It just gives us flexibility. These guys are all going to compete for opportunities to start. Craig played a bunch for us last year. (Dannell) Ellerbe has been injured. He's played about a little under 50 percent of his snaps. (Nate) Stupar and this whole group coming in, I think it is going to provide good competition."

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We've talked about all of the deals that you have made with coach (Bill) Belichick and the relationship you have with him; is it any different dealing with him off the field in a business sense, as opposed to coaching against him?

"I don't want to use the word easy but there is just that comfort level of discussing a topic and maybe talking about it again the next day, and give some thought to. Easy wouldn't be the right word but there is a level of comfort zone and a level of trust when you are beginning to talk, either player for player or draft picks, that I think makes the process go a little easier."

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(Tom) Brady has talked about playing six or seven more years; do you think Drew Brees is capable of doing the same exact thing if he chooses to do that?

"There's an old picture I've seen and Archie Manning has it. It's Len Dawson at halftime and he's smoking a cigarette. You guys have all seen it. I think in the last five years really, we have seen it happen with golf and we've seen it happen with various athletes. How we look at training, sleep and nutrition is entirely different than not too long ago. When I played in college and I like to think that that was a short time ago and I know it was not, but we did not drink water during workouts. It was frowned upon. There were certain things that were just madness. As we have learned and evolved and if you take these elite athletes that are driven with the same mindset, it is interesting how they have pushed that bar. Obviously, the game has changed some. I would not put a year at all on it. I just know the mental preparation and the training that goes into their flexibility, their arm and their strength. From the very first time we recruited Drew (Brees) at dinner at Emeril's he pulled out a little packet of vitamin C and vitamin B. He had them one by one and I was just looking at Mickey (Loomis) like where do you get these packets at that are so organized. That's him. That's a credit to him and guys like Tom (Brady) and Peyton (Manning). They are unique and you are fortunate to have one."

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Will we see more guys like that?

"I think you will because I just think that that's how sports trend. As we're teaching, we have to constantly look at our methods, how do we improve our methods and how do we become better. If we don't, they'd become, at some point, instinct. I think the athlete, the same way, is looking closely at pushing all of those areas and where they can help themselves improve. I think that is how it will trend. Pick a number and someone's going to run faster than this at some point. Someone's going to play longer. So yes, I think so."

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You guys have been using that tracking data for three or four years; have you learned anything from that has helped prevent injuries?

"I think it definitely provides information relative to work at practice. You talk to any of the experts and they talk about the levels of training. You just can't be right here the whole time (trending down) or you can't be bang (up here). You have to trend up, train hard and train down, trend up, train hard and try to do that as it pushes to your gain. It allows us to do that rather than just sit at a staff meeting and ask the coaches aright, we are going to back off today and just count on each position coach to know. This is more specific like why are these numbers where they are at right now when you know the type of practice we are trying to have. Reducing the soft tissue injuries is number one for us. I think to also be able to track the type of practice we're having, relative to the team, is essential."

Does coming from West Virginia back here for training camp change how you can practice?

"Always it would because of the temperature. You'll take more breaks. Relative to what we do in practice, it won't."

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When (the leaping over the snapper and blocked field goal) occurred against the Broncos last season, did that strike you as that should not be a legal play?

"No, I thought it was a fantastic play. It was exciting. We discussed this in the meetings. We were the victim of that twice. The timing was great. He (Will Parks) stepped out of bounds. My beef was not the leaper rule. My beef was the fact that it's 2017 – you go to any tennis tournament in the world and you can tell if the ball was in or out – we ought to be able to know if a foot was on the sideline or not in 2017. But we didn't put cameras in the sidelines and there we were in a game where we needed one. Credit the player that he had his foot taped in white which I think is good strategy. I understand why it was eliminated for safety reasons. I don't know that I had a strong opinion or that it was one of the topics that I was waiting to (talk about). It is what it is."

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You just mentioned the cameras on the boundaries and that is something that Bill Belichick has fought for in the past. They haven't proposed any rule changes the last couple of years. Do you think the league misses out by not having the Patriots participate in that way?

"We have the technology. We all remember John McEnroe. You'd have the ball, in or out and we didn't know, and then there would be this oh, here it comes (throwing his racquet or arguing after a questionable line call. It was fairly entertaining honestly. We enjoyed that. I don't know how his shtick would've worked today but the technology in tennis is pretty amazing where hey, there it is. I'm not suggesting that same technology for football, but surely we can know when a player is in or out of bounds. We are never going to know if he made a catch or not but we are talking about if he is in or out of bounds."

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How about the idea of centralizing the booth review? Are you okay with that?

"Yes, I am. My big question was just who is up in the booth and who is in that room. I am not so sure that five to 10 years from now centralized decisions are going to be stadium-related, as opposed to just in New York (league office). In other words, New York communicating with a group in the stadium. It hasn't happened yet but the potential for four serious challenges taking place and all of a sudden, you have a traffic jam. I am for reducing some of the things that we asked the officials to do. I think you are getting an improved performance when you can streamline hey, this is what it is. I think it should go fine."

How do you feel you guys have done this offseason? Do you feel you've checked some of the boxes?

"Well, we'll see. I do think that we went in – look, there were a few musts and there still are a few musts. I am flying back here this evening. I think we are going to be visiting with another player here tomorrow. I won't say who. Then, we'll get right into the draft process. With where we are sitting pick-wise, I think we have a chance to really help this team this year in this draft."

What does Alex Okafor bring to you guys?

"He is experienced and he is someone that has had some injuries, but we think that can give us rush snaps. You could put a pitch count on how many but we think he is a pressure player. In our game, if you can get a pressure player, that helps you."

Are there positons that you would like to address in this draft?

"I would like to come out of this draft with a young offensive lineman. We talked about the corner position. I think it is an outstanding running back class. I think in the early rounds and the middle rounds, I think there are going to be some runners playing in our league next year drafted in the third and fourth round."

How much does that position interest you with Tim Hightower being a free agent?

"That is something that we'll pay attention to. I think you are going to see some runners in this year's draft play and have real good careers, and they may not have been taken in the first round."

Is (Hau'oli) Kikaha doing well coming off of the ACL injury?

"He's doing well. We start the offseason program here in a couple weeks. He is ahead of schedule so that is exciting."

Is Andrus Peat an inside guy long-term?

"I kind of see him right now at left guard. I see (Larry) Warford at right guard. The lesson learned there for him was that he likes his left hand down and he is comfortable there just in that stance."

Do you have a vision for Ted Ginn Jr.?

"I have a crystal clear vision for him. I see him playing at flanker. I see him being a guy that can take the top off of a coverage. I like what this guy does. I think this guy has played better in the middle to back half of his career than the front. I do think that he has punt return value. There is a level of toughness that comes with him that I like. He is still, when he's playing in each game, he is the fastest guy on the field."

How much is he similar to Brandin Cooks?

"He is a little different than Brandin, and yet he'll do some of the same things. He's a little bigger. I have an exact vision as to how he will be used and that helps."

What did you like about (Larry) Warford?

"We liked him a lot. We think he has ass and mass and that is something that is good. We use that term "ass and mass kick ass". That's important and we think that pocket will be important. We think he is a hard worker. Joe Lombardi was with him in Detroit. He graded out well. He has trained with LeCharles Bentley in Phoenix and I know LeCharles has done a great job. We felt like we knew this player well."

Guard has been kind of tenuous the last couple of years; what made you invest in him?

"He is the right guy."

How important is the coach-quarterback relationship to developing a good system overall? How long did that take for you to get that with Drew (Brees)?

"I'll answer the second question first. I cannot recall if it was any one season. I think that relationship with the head coach can vary. Some head coaches are defensive head coaches and some are offensive head coaches. Obviously, you want that relationship with the play-caller to get to a point where you meet and you talk – everything is in sections, this is red zone, this is third down, this is short yardage and this is goal line, and you get to a point where you discuss those four or five things all week and you get to the game and on Saturday night when we go through this checklist and he will highlight the things that he really likes. On gameday oftentimes, he will know exactly what is coming in because of the preparation the week of. We get to third-and-three and we are on the 25-yard line going in and if we just stopped it (clock) and just ran in and said what's he going to call right now, he will probably say it's going to be 28-trojan check and he would probably be right. That probably requires repetition and communication. It does not happen in year one but with a veteran like Drew coming in as a free agent, certainly it happened quicker. Sometimes it never happens."

What happens when it doesn't happen?

"It's not good. Some quarterbacks just say call it and I'll run it. It is hard to play that position if you are not vested in that during the week. It is consuming starting on Tuesday and wanting an early start on the gameplan. They can't wait to get their hands on their email so they can begin to study so on Wednesday when they are in the huddle they can make some of these calls without pausing. It is really that thirst for knowledge and their routine. I think what is important sometimes for the young quarterbacks is if they are fortunate enough to come into a building and see an existing routine, I think that is priceless."

How did Coby Fleener play for you last year and how does he get better going into year two?

"I think it was mixed. He had games where he played exceptionally well and then there were some games early on where he didn't. I see definitely a tick up as we go into this season. He is explosive and he runs extremely well. I know he is training right now and working extremely hard on some of the things that he can improve on. He is a big target and will be a big part of what we do."

Will Coby (Fleener) help fill that Brandin Cooks role as well?

"I think in general it happens. When you lose a specific player, I don't know that it is replaced just by one directly. It is usually a group of players."

Does that include Willie Snead IV as well?

"Absolutely. Willie's one of those guys that I've compared a little bit to Lance Moore. He's smart. We play him at a lot of different spots. I know Drew (Brees) relies on him and he has good football awareness and good instincts."

Have you checked in with Michael Mauti?

"I just got a text from Mike yesterday. He just had his second surgery. I think he has one more procedure. I think he is going to be healthy by training camp."

And you guys would be interested?

"Absolutely."

You have talked about the benefits of joint practices. You've had them with the Patriots; have you talked about doing that again?

"I don't know that it'll happen this year. They become easier when there are preseason games. I think the preseason schedule will come out soon and when that happens, we'll see. Shoot, I want to say that we've had four."

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Do those joint practices become more necessary with the practice limitations of the CBA?

"I think it helps. I think it helps because you get a different scheme, different technique and different athletes. It forces you as a player to adjust to things that haven't become the norm. I think that part of it helps. We've never had any issues. I think we get good work done without it becoming a melee."

Do you find it more difficult to develop players now given the offseason practice limitations?

"There are parts to that that are true. One is look, 'we have great facilities'. Forget the coaching part of it. We've got great facilities and there are certain restrictions where they cannot go over there and throw, kick and punt on their own. They have to go down the road to their high school. The lifetime fitness now where you have a key and can go there at 3:30 in the morning and get on a treadmill if you want. Our sport is unique that way. I know in baseball and basketball, if you're living in that area and you want to go get a workout and then maybe do something sport-related, you can. There are some things that can hopefully get shifted with the next one."

Have you been in touch with Johnny Manziel since your meeting?

"In 2012, I wasn't involved with any of the draft process (watching him the season he won the Heisman) and had never met him. I was at the Super Bowl for four days and thought it was a good idea to have breakfast and just see who this guy is and get to know him a little bit. To the rest of it, for us, it's just turning over all of the stones and looking closely at the talent that we think can potentially help our team. Outside of that, that would be it."

Given what happened last year with the cornerback group, do you think you can lean on some of the guys like Delvin (Breaux)? Or do you go in preparing for something to happen?

"I think both. We are going to develop those guys, and yet at the same time, we are going to acquire more corners. That is going to happen. Whether that is through the draft or through free agency, but we're going to have competition at that position."

What was your experience playing against Sean McDermott's defense in Carolina?

"I'll tell you what, he is tough. I think the world of him. I'll go all the way back to his predecessor in Philadelphia when I was at the Giants and you had Jim Johnson, who he trained under, is an outstanding coach. I think Sean has done a great job of taking that defense and applying it to today's football. I know he is a great worker. I'm kind of glad that he is out of the division really. He is a good coach. He is a real good coach."

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Did the tracking information that you guys used prove helpful to you at all?

"Our benefit is player injury-related. The league's benefit is production on gameday. Everyone has a different goal in mind with it. For us, it's training and reducing injury."

So how fast a guy runs a route or how much separation there is between a receiver and defensive back, you already knew that?

"I can see if it was fast enough. I don't need to see how fast it was. Now, I would like to see how much in a game his energy or his output or workload has been, relative to planning the next day's practice training-wise."

What are your thoughts on what is going on with Colin Kaepernick?

"Just from afar – I said this yesterday, I think he is going to end up signing with a team. I haven't studied him enough. You got about 200 players right now that played last year that aren't under contract. I think he will be one of them soon."

You mentioned your prototypes earlier; how much of that is influenced by coming up under Bill Parcells and how has it evolved?

"Well, a lot of it's. Bill, one of his great strengths was what he was looking for at each position, he can tell you clearly. Anywhere he's been within two or three years you can see a team change size-wise. I think that is extremely beneficial and really as we have gotten in the last two years, we're (proto)typing everything now. I think it's really helpful or you just find yourself with a team of exceptions. I think it's important."

Do you have an update on Terron Armstead health-wise?

"He's doing well."

Will he be ready to go?

"Yes, absolutely."

With Jeff Ireland coming up in that Bill Parcells scouting system, is that something that made that an easy fit?

"Yes."

Do you guys still speak the same language?

"Yes. There are a couple things that evolve but yes it works well."