New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Post-Practice Media Availability
Friday, November 1, 2013

What are your thoughts on this organization having a Ring of Honor starting with those three players (Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson, William Roaf)?
"I think it's fantastic. We travel to all of these NFL stadiums and you just see various teams that have that. It's a way of really honoring some exceptional players, and I think it's something that's special and not necessarily something that (happens) every year. I don't know when the next one is, but I think it's a very small group. The three that are in the first class are all three slam dunks. Well-earned and two of them are in the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame, (as well as) Archie Manning. I think it's fantastic. I think it's great for the fans. It's certainly an honor for those recipients and it's great to see it happen. Something like that, I think it's pretty special."

You could do a good job starting a team with those three? A quarterback, a pass rusher, and a tackle?
 "It'd be a good start. It'd be expensive."

If you do activate Jonathan Vilma, would it be Saturday or Sunday before the game?
 "Well I mean (it would be) no different than with another player. It's today, tomorrow, or you begin the next week. It can happen next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It could happen anytime prior to that last Monday. Pretty much normal protocol. It's not just as simple as making (the decision). It means a player comes off the roster too."

How beneficial is it to practice against Rob Ryan's defense in preparation for Rex Ryan's defense?
 "I think there are some similarities. I think there are some similarities to what we saw last week, being that (Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator) Coach (Mike) Pettine was with Rex in New York and yet there's a lot of nuances and a lot of things that are different. Each week the challenge for us often times is how they treat certain personnel groupings. Sometimes we'll see a team play base versus two tight ends, two receivers, and we might get nickel so we've just got to be flexible and understand that a lot of times we'll get some different looks than maybe we saw on tape because of a guy like Jimmy Graham or because of the receivers. It's just something that varies week-to-week. Great defenses have kind of followed everywhere he's been. You go back to when he was at Baltimore and then of course we played him in 2009, I think his first year with the Jets when they went to the AFC championship game. They're very physical up front and they get to the ball. They create a lot of problems for your protections. They do a very good job of moving around and creating a decision. Couple that with being on the road and crowd noise, those are challenges that we've got to be able to handle."

Is it unusual to you to have a family tree of coaching like the Ryans that have been so successful at this level?
 "Certainly Buddy's success is well known. I told you this: I grew up watching the Bears and watching his defense. I think the thing that's unique is (that they are) twin brothers and both are exceptional coaches and very competitive. I think that makes it a little different, but I think the family element…to grow up and their dad being a coach, they were around a lot of great coaches I'm sure. And yet when you study their pedigree, they've coached at the directional schools. Whether it's Tennessee State or some of these Oklahoma's, five syllable schools. They've traveled and they've ridden the bus. You learn a lot that way. I was fortunate at a young age to be at Indiana State, Miami of Ohio and San Diego State. You're really learning your trade during that time, and those guys have."

Do you like the banter going back-and-forth between Rex and Rob Ryan?
 "It's really been pretty limited this week. Just knowing how they get along and their relationship – they're twin brothers. I know there's a microphone ready and waiting, but I think that this week has been pretty calm."