New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton joined Bobby Hebert and Zach Strief on the Saints Radio Network on Monday night to discuss his plan at quarterback with the potential of franchise signal caller Drew Brees missing playing time with a rib injury.
"The plan we'll have up and in place for our team this week, obviously to include Jameis (Winston) and Taysom (Hill), will be the best plan we feel like helps us win," Payton said Monday. "And those guys, man, they've been fantastic. They'll be all-in."
Brees was sidelined for the second half of Sunday's 27-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers after taking a hard hit in the second quarter on an unnecessary roughness penalty by 49ers defensive end Kentavius Street.
Potentially losing a franchise quarterback is significant, however, New Orleans rattled off five consecutive wins without Brees in the 2019 campaign, and this team has met adversity with energy so far in 2020.
"The adversity throughout the season seems to have done that," Payton said about an energized Saints team. "I think it comes in different ways. We've had Covid adversities, the testing late-night in Detroit. We've had injuries at different positions. I think every team is having to deal with these last-minute kind of, 'You're kidding me's.' And the ones that can just kind of get past it, understand we can't control it, and then put together the best plan to win that game.
"This happens to be the quarterback position. Obviously, that's a significant position, especially with someone like Drew. And so you get to work with the challenge in front of you, and you go from there. I think that's what you're trained to do. And I think sometimes emotionally and from a preparation standpoint, it can bring out the best in your teams."
Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi also joined the radio show and said the team is comfortable with its depth.
"You never want to lose Drew, and I don't know exactly what his condition is other than that he's sore," Lombardi said. "But we're very confident in both those guys (Winston and Hill). They're both smart, hard-working. They understand what we're trying to do. And I think regardless of what happens, we feel pretty confident going forward."
The Saints (7-2) host the arch-rival Atlanta Falcons (3-6) at noon Sunday, Nov. 22 on Fox as New Orleans will try to win its seventh consecutive game.
