Payton credits players, staff for overcoming injuries in 2017

METAIRIE – Despite ending the season with 20 players on injured reserve, the Saints got within one painful play of reaching the NFL’s version of the Final Four.

“The thing I was most proud of this year – I thought our guys did a good job of handling some of the injuries,” Saints coach Sean Payton said Tuesday at his season-ending news conference, “and a lot of different guys playing that weren’t initially getting those reps in training camp. The coaching staff did an outstanding job of getting those guys ready to go.”

Payton chose not to discuss the status of 39-year-old quarterback Drew Brees, whose contract has an automatic void provision due to kick in.

“We’ll get to you when it’s time,” Payton said, “but today’s not the time.”

Payton and Brees, however, do appear closer to being in position to win a second Super Bowl than at any point in the last five years – not just for themselves, but for the other players, coaches and staff in the building.

“You know sometimes you’ve seen something or eaten somewhere and you want to take a friend, and you get just as much enjoyment watching them eat that meal or watch that show?” Payton asked. “You want to be in a position to let others experience it.”

One of the big reasons for the Saints’ improvement in 2017 was a rookie class that included a pair of Pro Bowlers, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and running back Alvin Kamara.

“I was encouraged with this class we drafted, with the process and how we did it,” Payton said. He also singled out some of the undrafted rookies New Orleans brought in, including defensive back Justin Hardee and quarterback Taysom Hill, both of whom had a significant impact on special teams.

In terms of where the Saints will look to improve this offseason, Payton was not specific to any one area.

“We’ve got to look at every area we can improve as a team. Every area,” Payton said. “That requires passion, energy, effort and commitment. That’s something we’ll evaluate closely in the offseason.

“I think there are a lot of things we’ve got to get better at. We’ve got a lot of work to do in a lot of areas. There’s nothing promised.”

The Saints’ staff will get to some of the offseason tasks this week before the coaches head to Orlando next week to coach the NFC team in the Pro Bowl on Jan. 28.