New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Conference Call with Local Media
Thursday, December 24, 2015

There was a point Monday night when (Tim) Lelito went in for Andrus Peat; could that potentially be a situation where Lelito has earned back his starting job for this week and beyond?

"I think so. Tim's played well in the last few weeks. The challenge for Andrus is, and I've said this before, he's a tackle. He gets in there and there are the nuances of playing guard that are a little different. Of course, in your rookie year, all of this happening can be a bit overwhelming, and yet you see his improvement. Getting him on the field and getting him the experience (was important). Earlier in that game, there were some misses in protections. It was something where probably in the second quarter I made the switch."

How has Drew (Brees') injury responded to treatment? Is that something where you'll have to wait to see how he practices?

"I think it is day by day. There is no comparison to his shoulder but there is a similarity in that unknown as to how it feels. He is smart enough and will understand each day the progression he is making. Right now it is five after nine (a.m.) and I haven't had an update today. I'm sure we'll go out there and kind of see where it is at."

Do you plan to do anything with him on the practice field today?

"We're going to see. Right now, I would say it'd be very limited. It is going to be very limited to begin with, in regards to the short week."

Do you know if it was a partial tear or a complete tear?

"I don't have the specifics. I know there was a tear of his plantar fascia. I couldn't tell you the type of the exact tear."

Who would take the number one reps if it is not Drew today?

"We'll see."

If you have to make a decision between a veteran backup and a young backup, are there ever any negatives to playing a young backup, such as maybe playing them too soon?

"I think the key is that you are looking to play the player that gives you the best chance to win. That being said, both Matt (Flynn) and Garrett (Grayson) are familiar with what we are doing. I'm sure they'll prepare this week thoroughly, just like they have each week. (They'll) be ready to play or possibly go into play if called upon."

Are you glad to get a chance to have (Travaris) Cadet back late in the season? What kind of role do you envision for him?

"He's extremely smart. Certainly as a returner, that transition can happen fairly quickly. I think even a role offensively. It's one thing being familiar with what we're doing but he picks things up very quickly."

You said you'd pick the quarterback that gives you the best chance to win; would that be the only consideration?

"That would be the only consideration. We're going to play the player that gives us the best chance to win. That's pretty simple."

When a prominent player on the draft board is arrested before a bowl game, how much of a red flag is that for you? Does it matter if the player is a first round or lower round player?

"Number one, forget what round or what type of prospect he is. I think you try to research and see if it is an occurring problem, something that just happened the one time or is it something that has repeated itself multiple times. I think you dig and do your due diligence to get a feel for what kind of kid this guy is. What teams would do, including us, is that you'd spend a lot of time researching the player, not just this one incident but are there any prior incidents."