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Sean Payton Post-Practice Press Conference
NewOrleansSaints.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 11:30 AM
New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Opening Statement:
“A couple of injury notes to keep you guys up to speed – Mark Simoneau is going to have surgery. He has a torn triceps on his right side and that procedure is going to be done tomorrow. Courtney Roby has a hamstring that he’s battling a little bit. Tracy Porter has a slight hamstring that he’s battling a little bit. Both of those guys are rehabbing well. Malcolm Jenkins/Chip Vaughn.aspx">Chip Vaughn has a meniscus in his left knee and he’s going to have a scope done today. D’Juan Woods is working with a little nerve in his neck; we’re giving him an injection and we’ll see where he’s at. He seemed to respond a little better today.”
NFL Network is reporting that Derrick Brooks is coming in for a visit. Is that accurate and does that have anything to do with Mark Simoneau’s injury?
“We have a couple of players coming in for workouts. Typically we wait until they’re here to comment on them but Derrick will be one of those guys that we’ll work out and Derek Smith will be the other one that we work out. We have two linebackers coming in to work out. They’ll be in this evening and we’ll work them out tomorrow.”
What do you generally want to get accomplished in your first preseason game and is this preseason more important to your defense than your offense?
“It’s not any more important to any one group. Obviously it’s an important part for us to evaluate. We have a lot of players that we need to see in live action, so number one is evaluation. Then number two is that it’s the first chance that we get to play a game against another opponent. That carries a lot of weight.”
How much do you think Derrick Brooks still has in the tank?
“That’s a good question. We’re bringing him in to work him out to see. When we graded him last year prior to him getting nicked up and injured, we felt like he was still playing at a high level. He’s an intelligent player; he’s instinctive; he’s a guy that has really been a pain for us over the years. We have a lot of respect for his ability and we’ll see when he comes in.”
Did you ask Jon Gruden about him?
“Yes. He was real positive.”
Was it a deal where maybe he was just making too much money for the Bucs to keep him around?
“There’s a point where you begin to start with some younger players. With Simoneau’s injury, we want to take a look at who’s out there and it gives us a chance to look at a couple of players."
What are the prognoses for Simoneau and Vaughn?
“The triceps injury for Mark is more significant than the meniscus for Chip. We went through this with Hollis Thomas and Charles Grant and it’s going to take a while. With Chip, when they go in today and do the repair via the scope, they’ll get a feel for the type of damage and I’ll be able to give you more information after the report.”
Do you plan to put Simoneau on injured reserve?
“No plans on that right now.”
How did the work on the goal line go today?
“It’s an emphasis for us – an area that we feel we need to improve on. We’re looking closely at what we’re trying to do. I think our defense did a good job today and it was a live, competitive drill. We need more of that and hopefully we can get into some situations Friday night where we can get a chance to evaluate it in a game.”
Are you working more on keeping the back side out?
“We’re looking closely at what we’re trying to run and how we’re handling the fronts.”
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