New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Video Call with New Orleans Media
Friday, November 6, 2020

Are you optimistic that Drew Brees and Michael Thomas will be able to play on Sunday night?
"Yeah, we'll see. You know, I thought we had a good week of preparation. And we'll wait until game day."

Is it unreasonable, whenever Mike (Thomas) comes back, unreasonable to expect him to just seamlessly drop into the offense? Or is this something where you kind of have to work him back in there?
"Yeah, look. Anytime a player's been out, there's a (process). You don't just ever put him in a game with 60,70 straight plays. So, there's a process."

As far as Emmanuel (Sanders) and Mike (Thomas), I think have only been on the field, maybe 40 snaps or something like that this year. Is there like a level of chemistry that those two have to have together? Or does that not really matter?
"Yeah, I think we're good. I don't see that as a chemistry issue or any issue."

The defensive line had you rotating David (Onyemata) and Sheldon (Rankins) in and out. With Sheldon being injured, does that change the rotation there? Like, will David maybe get more snaps or give more chances to some of the young guys?
"Probably. Look, probably a little combination of both. Obviously, Sheldon is a big part of what we're doing. Other guys will step in. You have your base package and then you also have your third down or sub rush package. So it can affect both."

I know like Shaq Barrett hasn't had a lot of sacks this year, but seems like he's still pretty active in the backfield. What makes him kind of difficult over there?
"Here's what I see. I see someone who bends well and plays with power. I think he's a really good athlete and so, that athleticism is generally what you see with a good pass rusher. He can turn, he can stop and kind of redirect. He can get out of trouble if he gets in trouble initially on his rush. All of those things. And I think overall, these guys have done a real good job of hurrying the clock in the quarterback's head, pressuring the quarterback, whether it comes with a four-man, five-man rush or even more. They give you a lot to work on."

And kind of in the same vein, you protected the ball really well in week one, but they've been forcing a lot of turnovers since. What makes them good in that regard? Like how important is that going to be this week?
"Well look, generally speaking, you've got a real good rush. And you've got back end players that can cover and have good ball skills. So that combination's difficult. They are doing a great job of taking the ball away."