New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Conference Call with New Orleans Media
Wednesday, December 25, 2019

How deep does the ready list have to be when you're going through the number of injuries in the secondary?
"Typically, the ready list is players that aren't on the roster that we've got graded and if a game ended Sunday, we could call Sunday night and we feel like we've got a pretty clean evaluation on them. I'd say usually four or five deep at various positons. There are four or five tight ends, four or five receivers. You've got a list of players that you feel like you know who they are and what they can do or can't do

How did you think Janoris Jenkins played last week?
"Good, I think well. For the amount of snaps he had, he played obviously a little bit bigger role with some of the injuries. But overall well."

How much of the ready list prep comes from personal contact or knowing somebody who you know, coached the guy or those kinds of things?
"Well, it's usually driven from a grade. The grades driven from games they played with other teams. It's also driven from a lot of those guys have been guys that we have worked out here somewhere in the spring or the fall during the season. We have had a workout, we know where they are at. It is not uncommon to bring them back then for another workout. It's made up really of of the pro evaluation."

Carolina has obviously changed some since the last time you guys saw them, whether it's coaching or quarterback or anything like that. Is there enough time to drastically change what you do as a team or do you pretty much feel like they're going to hold firm to what they usually do?
"Well, fortunately we've got enough games on them with the change. Yeah, there's always going to be some nuances when a head coach leaves and there's a new owner, which obviously throws another element to it. Offensively they still go through the running back and you see they do a good job with their receiver reverses and arounds. Defensively, they lead the league in sacks, currently just like they did last time we played them. There are some things that have changed personnel wise and also from a scheme standpoint."

What have you seen from Will Grier when you're looking at his film?
"Well, it's limited. We've got a larger background with his college tape when he came out of West Virginia, not as much, but we do have some film from a week ago. We will study that close and then understand their offense."

Is this a week where there is a discussion of whether or not to go all in?
"No, absolutely not. We're still playing for one, two, or three sead. We're still playing for all those things in front of us. I don't think this is a long shot, what we need this week."