SEATTLE SEAHAWKS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2016
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON

Opening Statement:
"Obviously, it was a hard-fought win and both teams were grinding it out. I thought the turnovers ended up offsetting each other, we had one that resulted immediately in a touchdown and then we were able to get one back defensively and that proved to be a big play for us in the first half. I was pleased with time of possession. I thought that was an important statistic in this game relative to the snaps were going to play defensively and I thought we did a good job that way. We kicked probably a few too many field goals for my liking and yet we scored and scored and scored, I don't know how many times, and that is a good thing. Again, we are playing a really good defense so it ended up coming down to the wire and fortunately we made enough plays to get the win."

(On Tim Hightower's performance tonight)
"I thought it was tough and gutsy. (Daniel) Lasco had some carries as well and both of those guys hung in there. Look, when you play a defense like that it is not going to be a consistent six yards per carry. Mark (Ingram) will bounce back. He's tough and thick-skinned. I thought that was important. It was going to be important that we ran the ball, we didn't set a number on it, but it was just going to be important that we had that balance."

(On decisions to kick a field goal on fourth downs rather than go for the first down)
"It's a broad question so I am trying to think in the scenario, down and tight or midfield, because I felt like there were three of those different things and in a game like this I felt the three points were going to be pretty significant. There were a couple opportunities in the first half where you think maybe you are going to go for two and I just felt early on we were going to be smart and value the points if we had them. That is not to mean we weren't going to play with risk and a lot of it was just a matter of where we were and what the situation was."

(On if their defense does something specific close to the goal line to cause more conservative play calling)
"No, the one thing they do well is consistently play their gap and they fit the run well. We are going to look at the tape like we always are on Monday and we are going to be upset if certain plays don't get in. I don't know that it was a matter of being conservative, I think we ended up on a couple of third and goals at around eight yards, which are always tough downs. I know there is one picture, looking at the sideline photos, of a play on first down, the one situation when we were inside the one I have trouble getting over even after a win. We will make those corrections and we have to be better in those situations."

(On Wil Lutz earning trust)"I think with any rookie player it is about balance, confidence comes with demonstrated ability and so when you demonstrate it then you are a little bit more (confident) and then you demonstrate it again. Look, I can say what I think about his ability and still he has to get out of there in the heat of the moment. He is a really good talent; I am glad we have him. Aside from the leg talent, he just has those other things that allow you to be great. The mindset and the moxie, he is smart, he handled the situation out there, we are jumping around and you don't realize the significance, even with the penalty that is only a field goal lead or less than, it's a whole different game so he handled it well and I am proud of him."

(On how quality of a win it considering the opponent)
"This quarter of the schedule you come in and you are playing a Carolina, a Seattle, a Kansas City, and these are all teams who are postseason teams (in 2015) but I think for our team it's really focusing on that week of what we can do, we're young and we are getting guys back off of injuries, and how are we improving and getting ready to play our next game. When you play a Seahawks team, they have been one of the better teams in the NFL and well-coached, I would say the same when you play the Carolina Panthers and when you play Kansas City in the AFC, so each one of them the focus becomes a little more internal on ourselves, I would say a lot more than the actual team and their success a year ago and that is where the energy has to go."

(On saying Mark Ingram will bounce back from fumbles and how quickly he thinks that will happen)
"Obviously, it's the second week and I just know how competitive he is. It was such a point of emphasis now that those guys, the challenge is when you end up on your feet in one of those hold up positions because then you can talk ball security and now it is just a matter of when the whistle is blown and the ball is pulled out. They (Seattle) do as good a job as anyone (of creating takeaways). He was not carrying it loose, they were able to just pull it free. We'll be back to work him, he knows that. He'll grind through it, we will go through some ball security situations like we do each week but it will be that much more important and I think he will get through it."

(On Nate Stupar's interception)
"That was a big play because we thought the takeaway differential was going to be a key component of this game, third down, but we were minus one at that point and their(s) resulted in a touchdown. When he made that play for us it was on their side of the 50 and ended up resulting in a touchdown so it kind of offset. We hear all the time the talk of field position but relative to where the game is being played, if it is being played on their side of the field then any mistake is magnified. We saw that kind of happen with Mark's (Ingram) fumble and then we saw it happen with Nate's (Stupar) interception. Mistakes made on your end of the field become that much more significant and his was."

*(On how much the stats of the game matter) *"I said this earlier, it doesn't really have to be aesthetically pleasing to be effective and the key is winning."

(On how important it was to get this win after dealing with penalty problems the last few games)
"To beat a team like that it was real important, making sure we had the poise and all the things you need to have to win against a good team."

(On interaction with Jimmy Graham)
"I don't know that I saw him pregame so I guess it would be no interaction, but not intentional."

(On how much emphasis put on containing Jimmy Graham)
"He is coming off a big injury and he is moving around and there are certain downs where you are mindful of where he is, but you have some other guys that are explosive players, the receivers, so you have to be smart with how you are moving your coverage and who he is on. There are times when you have a linebacker on him, sometimes a safety, but I will be honest with you, it was good to see him running around healthy. Pete (Carmichael) and I talked a little bit about it pregame, he is just a special guy and I am glad to see him moving and feeling a lot better, 100 percent."

*(On Dannell Ellerbe's first action of the year) *"We will look at the tape. It is hard to comment right off the bat, but it was good to see him back in the lineup. I do not know how many snaps he had but it was good to see him playing. Every time I talk to my son during the week he asks me who the inactives are going to be and I cringe when I say Dannell Ellerbe because he asks when he is going to be back so finally this week I didn't have to give him his name."