New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Training Camp Presented By Verizon Media Availability Transcript
Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Opening Statement:

"Obviously we got quite a bit of real good situational football drills in in the base, the red area, third down, two minute. We hit a lot of periods with certain points of emphasis. Both teams I thought did a good job of competing and keeping each other up. I've said this to our locals, that this is our fourth time having a joint practice with New England and the prior ones have gone well."

Were you encouraged by the defense and did you see a little carryover from camp and with the forced turnovers?

"We'll look at the film. It's hard on the mind's eye, because there are some plays with an early whistle, some runs we have to look at. The key is getting used to the substitution tempo to the practice where you're scripting it. So there's a lot more spontaneity. A more realistic look. We'll take a peek at it. Like anything in training camp there's ebbs and flows too, the momentum of just practice. Both teams competed well."

How will you evaluate these practices differently than a preseason game?

"I would say there probably isn't a lot of difference. The difference in a game is that you're tackling, so there's some element to when a play's finished. This provides a lot of tape for us to study. We have a lot to do with the way the afternoon's set up to do that, meet with our players on it. The other difference is that a lot of them might receive more reps than they will in a preseason game. Starting with your frontline guys too."

How beneficial is a matchup like Brandin Cooks vs. Malcolm Butler for both of those guys right now?

"I think when you're able to see a different look. You receive a little bit of a different puzzle. The front's different; the techniques are different at times. It has a chance if you're doing it correctly; it has a chance to sharpen your skill set. I think the timing of it always is important. We've kind of gone through close to two weeks at our training camp. For every position group, you're seeing different people and you're seeing technique played differently and I think that's helpful."

When you are practicing against a different team how much does the intensity level go up?

"I think it just changes because one of the things you're always trying to avoid when you're just practicing at training camp is those lull days where they're not as sharp. I think this. This helps to sharpen everyone's focus and it also gives you a chance to measure where you're at in certain areas. I think it helps a lot."

Is there a pride factor?

"I think that competitive nature of this sport draws you to that and that's why we love it. Then the key is that both teams have always done a real good job of that competition, that intensity and yet understanding to finish with the primary purpose to improve."

With that added in, do you feel like you have to be cautious in some instances with injured players or veterans?

"We'll look at the reps. There was of course some guys that didn't go today. There's some guys that received limited reps. Our meetings leading up to today really have to do with who's taking what reps, what they are expecting them to get. It's all kind of mapped out, no different than the game would be on Thursday night."

Is it no different than a regular training camp practice?

"If a guy's limited, he's probably limited here and if he's full, he's probably full here. If it's a veteran guy who receives a number of snaps, we'll be smart and try to get him the work he needs and get some of the younger guys in here. We were able to do that in that period at the end, which was a lot of guys on both sides of the ball, more reps and fundamental work."

Sheldon Rankins is more often hard for us to evaluate at that position in a training camp practice and he had an interception in a training camp practice. What's your view today?

"He's been adjusting well. He's a quick study, so he knows what to do. I'm sure when we go back and look at the tape there are going to be some things we like and there's going to be some things that weren't so good. I don't know how many times he's going to get an interception like that. But of course he's athletic. I think it's real important to him. That's a trait we saw coming out of college. Hopefully we can get back, look at the tape and he can see the areas he has to work on. There's a lot of film for us to watch and a lot of work to do."

Is there anything in particular that has been a rookie learning curve for him?

"I would say playing off a certain block, certain running schemes when you're in college, maybe what you're getting offensively is a little bit more spread. So you're going to see at times from our own team, maybe New England, next week at Houston, you're going to see some different runs that maybe he hasn't had to play. From a pass protection standpoint, there's probably a little bit more familiarity for him. We just have to keep working and continuing to get better."

Do you see Brian Dixon getting better at coverage?

"He made some plays today. It's always good for his confidence. He broke on a couple balls. He can run. I think one of the things that has helped him a year ago that you alluded to is the kicking game and I think we have some young corners that are all kind of competing for spots. That will be an important part of that process and we'll have a chance to put the tape on and see where they're at defensively."

I know Jimmy Garoppolo isn't the first player from your alma mater to make it to the pros, but is there a certain sense of pride to see him?

"You like to follow some guys from your old school. I'd like to think maybe some of my contributions bought him a football or a helmet or something back when he was in college. But no, they've had some guys that have taken advantage of the opportunity. Of course Tony (Romo) is in Dallas, so you pay attention to those guys. They lost that game to Towson though and I think I lost that bottle of wine to (Joe) Vitt and Jermon Bushrod. It's good to see him competing and preparing for the season."