New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Post-Practice Press Conference
Monday, August 1, 2011
Opening Statement: We agreed to terms with Linebacker Clint Ingram, he will arrive later today. We signed guard Carl Nicks to his tender today. The same players remain on the failed physical list, those players are: Charles Brown, Chris Ivory, Tracy Porter, Greg Romeus, and Carl Johnson. The players that did not practice today: Cornerback Josh Gatlin with his thumb and knee, linebacker Jeremiha Hunter with his Achilles, and wide receiver Michael Galatas with his knee. On a scheduling note, tomorrow we are going to utilize as a players day off so there won't be any practice tomorrow, which is Tuesday. Looking ahead, Saturday will not be a scrimmage. Saturday will be an A practice schedule. A very typical practice schedule for us on Saturday rather than any type of scrimmage with the idea of trying to get our free agents in here and to get them up to speed. Any questions?
Are you just flipping the Tuesday and Wednesday day off? Right now, yes.
Has Turk McBride agreed to terms? If I didn't announce it, he has agreed to terms.
What did you like about him? Here are the things you see with Turk: he is a high energy player, is disruptive, plays with great effort, and probably had one of his better seasons last year with regards to production. I think he is the type of player we're looking for in that he understands completely what his strengths are. I think you will like what you see when you watch his practice habits and how he goes about his job.
Has Matt Tennant shown enough where you could turn the page on Jonathan Goodwin? No, we couldn't possibly do that. You couldn't possibly do that in two practices. We think he is making progress, but, there are a lot of snaps he needs.
You decided to give Clint Ingram a second chance? He is going to be healthier than he was a year ago at this time. He is still someone who is young. When he was healthy, he played very well. Another player that we feel is a year removed from the injury and the surgery and we feel that will benefit, him specifically, a lot.
Can you discuss the progress of Patrick Robinson? There are a few positions. Tennant is a guy that you mentioned that is getting a lot of reps. Patrick Robinson is getting a lot of reps. Jimmy Graham is getting a lot of reps. A lot of the offensive linemen and the defensive linemen the same way. That's been helpful. We are all anxious, though, for the last 25% to join the team. That's going to be important for us to practice longer. I cut practice back half an hour today. That part, we are just waiting on.
Was the timing of the end of practice heat-related? It was really that we have three corners practicing by the end of practice. We have three offensive linemen playing two positions. Three tackles. It was more depth at a few positions. They are handling the heat fine, I think. Now, you ask those players that are playing 75-80% of the snaps and it becomes different.
Can you talk about Jarred Fayson and the other receivers so far? There are a couple of these young guys, like (Joseph) Morgan and Fayson, that have done some things. They run well, first off. They have very good timed speed. They are picking things up. It's good to see some new receivers. He is a guy that can run. I like his stature. I will be anxious to track him during the course of this camp. He was a guy that was one of our targeted free agents and I'm glad he is with us.
Is receiver the deepest position group you have? I think receiver is one and linebacker is the other right now.
With the signing of Fabian Washington, are you concerned about the return of Tracy Porter? No. More than anything else, it's having quality players that in the event that Tracy's progress is slowed or there is an injury somewhere else, giving a trained veteran that can play. It is not a result as where we think Tracy is with his rehab at all. It's really just looking at the numbers and saying that a year ago, that was Randall Gay. We just need to make sure in the next month that we are training the right guys and they are getting enough reps. When he left Oakland, he was one of the free agents that we looked closely at signing. He is a guy that can run real well. I am anxious to see him. We want guys like that to come in and compete and compete to play. We will let it all sort out. Clint Ingram is a guy that does that for you a little bit as well as some of the other signings we've had. Let's see where it sorts out.
Has Jon Stinchcomb been able to rehab back to his 2009 form? I think, in John's defense, he was nicked up. I don't know, throughout the course of the year, if he was ever 100% healthy or felt as good as the year prior. This offseason, for him, he has been able to get the rehab in and get himself in shape physically and mentally. I know he is looking forward to not only practicing, but practicing and feeling 100%.
What have you seen in DeAndre McDaniel and Isa Abdul-Quddus so far? They are both young and learning. They're getting a lot thrown at them. For the safety position, you will be able to evaluate it more and more as we involve more contact. Both of them, so far, are handling it.
How has Matt Tennant been during the transition to taking most of the first-team snaps at center? He is handling it well. He is a smart player. Obviously, he knows our system now being in his second year. Those reps, for him, have been real valuable.
What are your thoughts on Carl Nicks being signed on his tender? It's great. It allows you to know that when the ratification takes place, he will be available and ready to go. Potentially, the RFA could end up being a longer process than the UFA that signs and then begins practice in the middle of this week. The RFA process could be longer. It won't be now with Carl because he signed his tender. We are happy he is back. Obviously, he is a big part of what we do and a big presence on the offensive line.
