Sean Payton feeling good about Saints rookies, team conditioning

The questions are obvious.

How are the new players fitting in with precious little time to learn a system? What kind of condition is the team in? Which position is hardest to step into in the first year? Is it hard to prepare for an opponent with preseason video to look at? What about the progress of some key veteran players?

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton had a chance to address these and other questions Wednesday with the media.

How has the indoctrination of the rookie class gone thus far without the benefit of an offseason training program?

“I think it’s gone pretty well,” Payton said. “We went through a week and a half of walk-throughs and meetings so you’re giving them basically the installation schedule. Today was the first time where essentially we put helmets on. It was pretty much again a walk-through but a little bit more practice structure, if you will and I feel like this young group is doing good.”

Is there a position that is harder to learn than any other for the first year in a new system?

“Certainly, there’s a challenge for every first year quarterback,” Payton said. “Just with the volume of information and what they’re doing. I’ve found over the years that there are players that are smart enough and pick things up well enough to play at a lot of different positions and conversely, there’s some players who require more time.”

The turnover margin remains a huge factor in the success of any team. The Saints took great care of the football in 2019 and won 13 games. It was a topic of discussion at a team meeting Tuesday night.

“Last year, offensively, I think we had eight total giveaways which I think had never really been done before relative to a full season,” Payton said. “We’ve taken it away defensively but the point in the meeting last night was here’s how we’ve fared over these last three seasons and coincidentally or maybe not coincidentally, here’s where we fared in the turnover game plus or minus each of those seasons. It’s still one of the most important elements to our game.”

How different and challenging has it been to adjust without an offseason and without a preseason?

“It’s a little bit more like the college preseason,” Payton said. “We still have a good month, month and change before we begin play. We’ll create scrimmage situations. During the course of certain practices, we’ll make sure that we’re getting the fundamentals of tackling and pad level and all those things that you need to correct in preseason games. It will just come a little bit more from our practices.”

While position players are in close quarters at the Saints facility in Metairie in some cases, that is not the primary concern for Payton. There are fiberglass dividers in the locker room.

“We’re relying more on what’s taking place outside the building prior to coming here,” Payton said. “We’re testing daily. No news is good news. No positive tests yet. We’re at 80 (roster size) and yet we don’t ever take that for granted. More than anything, we’re trying to follow the protocol and guidelines, not only in the building but away from the building.”

Does the lack of a preseason make it more difficult to prepare for the season opener with Tampa Bay with no preseason video to study of the Buccaneers?

“To some degree, I think so and yet for us and Tampa, there’s not a lot of turnovers in the coaching staffs,” Payton said. “Obviously, with Tom (Brady) now being the quarterback in Tampa Bay, there will be some things that will be different. Personnel is really the thing that you see that’s different.

“Both teams have an influx of rookies, an influx of some veteran free agents and how that will impact the game and how those people will fit in and what roles they’ll have, those are the things that a little bit unique and to some degree, I think present every year. I think that it will be a little bit more challenges for the clubs with new coaches.”

Payton that he believed in Alex Anzalone’s ability to be very productive if healthy and that his most recent surgery went well and also said he believes Marshon Lattimore has already proven that he is among the top corners in the league. Payton also said that Marcus Williams has good instincts and can turn the ball over but has to work on and get better at tackling.

“I think he, himself, would say that,” Williams said.

The Saints are happy to have veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham, whom they signed recently, on board.

“We feel like he gives us some flexibility and experience,” Payton said. “We’ve only had him out on the field for a short time because he had to go through the on-boarding process. I think he’s someone that will give us some versatility. I think it’s going to be important he helps us in the kicking game. I think he’s athletic and he can run. Once we get the pads on, we’ll get a better feel first hand, up close to see him as a player.”

Payton also feels that having a quality staff is a huge plus for the Saints.

“I feel like we have a number of coaches on this staff that are going to be head coaches one day,” Payton said.

There are those coaches that Payton knew and worked with before they came to the Saints and those who he did not work with previously.

“To have guys that you are familiar with, that understand what we’re valuing as a program and how we want to approach our work week, they’re not just guys maybe that I’ve worked with before. Some I hadn’t worked with. I feel like we have a very talented staff and it starts with just their ability to teach and communicate and have a passion for what they do.”

Are the Saints in the kind of condition that they normally would be in at this juncture?

“I’m happy with the body weights and where a lot of these guys are at,” Payton said. “Certainly, there’s that adjustment to getting in football shape when you’re putting the pads on and really beginning to prepare to play and that’s coming up here this next month.”