New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Post-Practice Media Availability
Friday, October 28, 2016

How much do you think Seattle's ability to keep their players around has played a part in their success?

"(With) the success they have had, usually you are going to have real good talent, which they do. You are going to have a real good scheme and they are well-coached. You combine those things with the right individuals, and you've seen the consistency and the way that they have played. They are extremely good (and) extremely disciplined. There is a belief and when you watch them, they play with that confidence. Certainly, being able to keep players that are your high-level players at certain positions is part of it, and they have been able to do that. That is why they have had that success."

How good is Russell Wilson in the pocket?

"He is very good. I think that he is someone obviously that prepares. He is real good with his location. I think his accuracy is outstanding. The number one thing you'd say about a quarterback is that he is used to winning. That is the job description for that position. I think he has done a real good job of that. Whether he is in the gun or under center, he presents a number of threats and that is the challenge in preparing for this offense."

What do you think of (Christine) Michael, their new running back?

"It has been on a limited number of evaluations. They have seemed to have success with whoever is playing running back. I have known (Seahawks offensive line coach) Tom Cable for a long time. They do a real good job up front and I think it is part of what they want to do. They have been a team that you'd say runs the football well. The challenge often times is when you have a lot of different personnel. I think that is something that is real important to who they are."

It seems like in the second halves of games you have had to call timeout probably more than you have wanted to. Against the Chiefs last week you had the delay of game coming out of the TV timeout. How much of that had to do with communication issues?

"I think we just have to be more aware. Sometimes you only have a couple of plays together, like a package of plays. We have to be better in that area and I think we can."

How do you keep your team loose? Richard Sherman was dressed like Harry Potter today; how do you keep that same kind of environment with your team?

"I think there's a preparation element. When you come to work and you are with guys like we are as long as we are, you certainly have those times when your players and/or coaches do a handful of things. I think that's part of the great thing about our league. When you get to go to work every day and you are with a group of guys like that, you get to know them and obviously, if there are any shortcomings, they seem to get pointed out."

What are the challenges when players are in and out of the starting offensive line?

"I think they have had enough work and enough reps with those guys. I feel like even in games maybe where they have been inactive they have gotten walk thru snaps. I think it's a pretty cohesive unit and I think it's a pretty confident unit. Again it's really the challenge is we look at them as really an opponent focus and the type of defense we are playing, the penetration. There is a lot of movement, these guys are quick off the snap so you have to deal with that."

Do you feel like this team has found its identity yet?

"I think we are creating it at this point of the season and it is still early. I think that evolves."

Where is David Onyemata in his learning curve as compared to training camp?

"He is picking things up, I think for the younger players that are playing the key thing for us as coaches is understanding their strengths and let's get those guys opportunities to do the things they are really good at, but I think he has done a real good job in picking things up."

What are some of the challenges with getting Sheldon Rankins back soon?

"I think we will be able to figure that out, I think that there are plenty of snaps. When that happens we'll have the right plan and make sure we understand how we are playing."

Is there anything that you have seen in Seattle's defense that maybe you have tried to make your own?

"Everyone studies success and clearly just like we would look at offensive football, we would look at defensive football success and then the question is does it fit? There is a certain scheme that they believe in and they play it well and so how it applies to your own team would be more offseason and in the spring."

How good has Thomas Morstead been so far this year?

"Playing real well, it seems easy when you ask a punter to hit to a direction and still net the yardage that he's netting. It would be like us trying to hit a drive off the tee to the right side of the fairway. I'm not ever thinking that, I just think in bounds so I don't break a window, but that's the same thing when you look a punter .To actually hit the distance and some of the locations marks that he is hitting, his leg has been a big plus for us."