<span>              <span style="">New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton</span>                   
            <span style="">Wednesday, August 5, 2009</span>                   

            <span style="">Opening Statement:</span>                  

"There was nothing really new to report. There are a couple of guys that we're just backing off of reps in the morning practice after yesterday afternoon's practice. This afternoon we'll get those guys back going. We're still working on red zone."

Is the plan to get Reggie Bush back out there this afternoon?

"Yes, he'll go back in the afternoon."

Could you talk about the receivers and some of the plays they were making out there today?

"The emphasis has been the red zone in the last two practices so you're looking for some contested throws generally; it's a tighter area to work so it's a little bit more congested and the ball usually is contested by the defense. It was good to see us come with some plays on offense and defensively I thought we did a good job of breaking up some plays. The rule change this year allows the defense to really push a receiver out of bounds and it's incomplete. The receiver has to come down with two feet in bounds regardless – there's no more gray area of was he forced out or not. The defense can force the receiver out and it's incomplete."

Are you happy with the way the receivers are coming along?

"So far. We have a lot of work to do still. We're improving in our run blocking and that's a focal point for us in this camp with the receivers. Overall, I think we have done some good things."

Is there a point where it becomes too late for a holdout to come in and get involved in a defense and be effective in week one of the season?

"I think that would matter based on the player and his mental aptitude and the depth in front of him. I don't think we're at that point right now."

Is there a set point?

"I don't want to put a date that it's this date or else it's going to be hard. Obviously as you miss practice and you miss installations you put yourself behind, but I've mentioned before that he's – talking about Malcolm Jenkins – is pretty intelligent and he'll pick things up quickly."

Is Adrian Arrington close to being 100%?

"He's getting there. He went a little bit yesterday. I think he's a lot better than he was at the start of camp, so that's encouraging."

Was it a hamstring tear?

"It was a grade two hamstring tear. It happened at the end of the spring. Those take a while and the key is to not have any setbacks."

Do you think that with the rule change you mentioned that it will be harder to complete that fade route?

"It won't be easier because now as both players are in the air, the corner can lean – as long as it doesn't come early – the corner can really take that receiver with him out of bounds. You can't carry him out of bounds or they're going to rule it a completion but it certainly benefits the defense on a play specifically like that."

How is Anthony Hargrove doing so far?

"I think he's doing well. I think he's in real good shape. He's active, he's disruptive, he's a pain to block. I think he's doing well."

Do you like the potential of his story with his background and the chance you gave him?

"All of us spent a lot of time looking at all the things that went into his signing and hopefully for his sake, he can continue to do what he's been doing because it has been real positive. But each day it's something that he battles with and that's something that he recognizes and we're here to try to help him through it."

How much longer will Lance Moore be wearing the red jersey?

"I would say probably after this weekend I could envision us backing off that. He feels great right now and if it were up to him he would have it off now. But he's healthy, he's strong, he's lifting with his upper body. There's just that period of time where we want to be a little cautious so there's no reoccurrence."

You know what you have in him so there really isn't a big rush?

"And he's getting the work right now for the most part. There are some things where we're holding him out, but he's getting the work and he has a really good grasp of what we're doing."

What is your perspective on where the Chinese drywall matter is right now? Have you put it behind you yet?

"It's hard to put it behind you when you're not living in your house and the builder who built the home is not doing anything. The suppliers and the manufacturers – all those people are going to be involved in the litigation. It's a problem for a lot of people – not just me – and I know that within the next year, the class-action suit is going to be heard here in New Orleans. I know a lot of people are excited to get that process going because unfortunately there aren't enough people taking actions for their work. There are a lot of people just holding their hands up while the homeowners sit and wait. When you buy a new home, there's something that has to stand behind that. I'm talking on behalf of a ton of people that rebuilt their homes. Sooner than later it will come to fruition and it will get resolved and I'm sure it will get resolved in a favorable way."

How long have you been out of your home?

"We've been out for three or four months. Right now the home is sitting empty. We've taken all the drywall out at our expense; we're leasing another home at our expense; we moved out of our old home. All of those things we've had to do and other families have had to do have come at the expense of the consumer – not the builder, not the supplier, not anyone else that was involved in the manufacture of the house."

Will you move back in before you recoup that?

"Whether we move back into that house we'll see, but we're going to rebuild it. Your only recourse really is litigation. If the response that you're getting from the builder is a "hands up" and we're going to wait and the response that you're getting from everyone else is the same, which is unfortunate, then you sue those people and that's what we're doing."

Do you have a policy on Twitter for your players?

"No. The only thing I've mentioned is that really when you think about it, Twitter is a one-minute press conference while you're at the dorm room or the hotel room. So whatever they're saying on Twitter, I would want that to be said out here when you guys ask questions. It's just a statement released – it's like a press release by anyone. That's really what it is, so we have a lot of press releases right now. I just want them to be mindful that if they're going to have their own press conferences to what they put on it."

Do you have someone monitoring the players' Twitter activity?

"I don't know that we have anyone monitoring it. I think Greg (Bensel) and his staff does a good job of paying attention to it. This is the first year of this for me and I'm just catching up to texting and e-mailing right now. I don't think there's a big deal to it. I do think that it provides instant news and probably makes your jobs a little bit more challenging because you'd like to yourself report the press release. But when a player or an individual Twitters, it's just an immediate statement on his behalf. I like some of the players that are Twittering and they have a following of about 30 people though, that's always interesting."

Are you going to Tweet?

"No."

Is this team fresher for having camp here than they might be if you were up in Jackson instead?

"I think so; I think so because of two things. We're further along with our scheme – we're in the fourth year offensively with the same system and I think our players grasped the installation that Gregg (Williams) and his staff gave them in the spring pretty quickly. And our ability to go inside periodically helps us when the humidity is high or we're getting rain or heavy heat. It's my job to find that balance of making sure that we're getting in condition to play the regular season and yet not at the expense of it wearing us down. There's that balance. I thought we had a good practice yesterday afternoon. It was a long practice. Today we fought through one and this evening we'll be inside. I think we're a mature enough team to do that, different than three years ago in that first camp in Jackson which was a whole different deal."

You ended last season with 17 players on injured reserve. Did you come up with anything in the offseason to try to prevent that from happening this year?

"I think there are a handful of things. The ones that concern you are the muscle injuries – the strains, the hamstrings, the ones that you look at and say that we have to do a better job of getting guys warmed up and getting guys prepared for a practice or a game. Some of the ones you can't control – Tracy Porter broke his wrist on a play deep in the end zone. You want to look closely at the muscle-related injuries. I do think the fields that we're on out here are outstanding. I've said before that these are the best fields that I've been able to have a team practice on. We have consistency. I think Terry Ashburn and his group do a great job of keeping these fields groomed well. I think a lot of players enjoy practices on the grass because it's a little less strenuous on their joints than the fieldturf."

Did something happen to Randall Gay out there?

"The only thing we had on him was a bruise on his Achilles. We didn't see any abnormalities; we'll have it looked at and I'll be able to report a little bit more this afternoon. There wasn't any tear that we know of."

When you say no abnormalities, does that mean to the touch or by looking at it?

"Yes. Usually with an Achilles you can tell if it's a serious injury right away. In his case, it appeared that it was much less severe than that."

Does he get an MRI at this point?

"Yes, he'll get it looked at between practices."

Did Reggie have an MRI this camp just to check on him?

"He probably had one three days ago. With some of these guys that have had some joint issues, we're always going to take a conservative approach. In Reggie's case or in Randall Gay's case, and with some of these other players that we sat out of practice early in camp – if it was knee-related or a joint-related problem – we'd go ahead and look at it."

Has Dan Campbell been a little slow to recover?

"We're just waiting on him right now. His knee still has some swelling. We don't think we can put him back on the field yet. We'll know a lot more in 48 hours as to how it responds to the treatment and the rehab. We're waiting and seeing with him. In the meantime, we have four tight ends that are taking the bulk of the reps."

Is Jabari Greer ahead of Gay now, or is that related to the Achilles?

"We've been rotating them – much like we have some other positions – and I'd think it would be too early to announce someone ahead of another person, but certainly he's in there now with Randall getting healthy."

If you had a game to play in 48 hours, would Reggie be healthy enough to play in it?

"No question. You guys saw the run he had yesterday and the run he had the other day inside. He's doing well. I'm just trying to be smart about the amount of work I give him so it doesn't become a bigger factor when we get ready to play in the season. He would play this evening if we were playing."

Was Robert Meachem/Jo-Lonn Dunbar.aspx">Jo-Lonn Dunbar limited again?

"Yes, to some extent."

Would you be more worried if this was a game week and things were still happening with Reggie's knee?

"I'm not concerned with Reggie at all. At all."

I think what threw us was that he came out to practice and then went in and came back out with the ice on.

"He's just fooling with you guys. Any time he does that, I have to answer 10 questions so he was probably messing with me more than you."