THREE WINS IN PRE SEASON | SEAN PAYTON INTERVIEW | August 25, 2024

just some overall observations um I liked our energy again I um I thought uh even the guys that weren't necessarily playing um were into the game uh that's encouraging um look you can pick any number and it's going to kind of give you the stat line when you score on defense you're you're going to have some success I think we had two takeaways we protected the ball um so overall I was pleased with how we finish this preseason we'll get a lot of look a lot of film look on some guys um and then we begin that process the next two days um relative to the roster yeah Sean um stum one drive and a touchdown Zach had four scores with three touchdowns both those guys look good I was going to say how do you uh go about will there be a lot of discussion debate um evaluation listen there'll be discussion on all these guys but uh those guys both look good um do you have an update on uh deari matthys and no I think uh the I do uh the images were real positive so I don't think it's anything significant um that that's good news the timing on those just at this point I have no timing I wouldn't give them to either coach you've talked about how winning is a habit and you've got to build that in the preseason especially with a young group how important is it to kind of have bu look I I said it to him afterwards you you know um don't ever get tired of how it feels you know to to win and and Grant it we're substituting groups and we're needing to get different groups evaluated and yet we still want to win um and I felt the energy I think anybody was on the sidelines uh that part of it encouraging you know I um the guys that aren't in recognize how important it is for the guys that are in and uh that's what you want from your team Sean kind of a more philosophical question when you have veterans that you may be releasing in any given year do you try to get those guys you know notice sooner so either there's a trade or so they can hit the street and maybe have a chance to get on someone's 53 does that factor I don't think today tonight tomorrow morning change the the League's plenty smart enough to um it's never easy this process and uh it is what it is um I've been in it myself a number of times forly as a player I can remember being real naive up in one team thinking they were going to start me and I went in and I got cut and I couldn't believe it um I think that um look you have the 53 you have the practice squad there there's um there's paths for decisions and and part of it is managing the roster so George and I have met oh the better part of the last couple weeks each week relative to where we're at with certain decisions uh I think we have a good handle on it in terms of that how much strategy goes into when you think who who you can get down to the practice squad and who might get picked up that's managing the roster that that when I use that term coach what did Zach do well today in your mind and will finances play a role in all the decision with the no I just heard it on the radio we're not no no we've got enough money to um I I I understand the question um we feel comfortable with those three quarterbacks I think I've told you already I see the three of them making it all right so all right back to the first question um look I we we had some impressive throws the one the one shot play you know in the hole to Brandon and then I mean he's got a live arm down the field I thought um he threw it away when it wasn't there there were a couple sacks but overall you know we moov the ball you're trying to measure hey how's the offense doing when he's in there um man plenty of time on the play clock enough time to get in and out of plays if we need be and I think you know he's had the better part of the last two and a half weeks really I mean you guys have seen his practices coach what do these next 48 hours for you look like and how much time is spent on your roster compared to other available players that might be out there um yeah meetings in the morning players come in then tape um meetings again with George um there may or may not be some early uh waivers and then Tuesday by two so a lot of tape and then to the second part of your question there's projected cuts from each team and but our ability to look I I I think um paying attention to that wire is important and we've historically had success that's where we found tesm Hill you know midnight 1:30 in the morning whatever time it was we're looking at one player and you start looking at something so hopefully we've got a good area or good foundation Rel relative to you know who it is that becomes available and and there's there's a handful of positions we might have more of an interest in if they were to unfold that way so that's a lot in a short period of time I I I understand that but if we're doing our homework correctly um we should be on top of that uh coach uh both lavel and Justin made some plays today at inside linebacker just as a whole how would you assess that competition this summer um well there's been three of them all competing you know and uh there's been some ups and downs I think overall um you know those guys have been grinding I grabbed leel I I thought he had two bad plays and and kind of got on him and and then of course he ends up with the interception I I I think those guys have been competing they're they're they're playing well in the kicking game I think instinctually they have to come along a little bit more coach is there anything uh oh sorry Sean over here is there anything in particular that surprised you specifically about this preseason or did things more or less go the way that you expected well things never go how you expect overall I I um did anything surprise me during the pre-season um I don't know if there were any surprises I I I would say I'm encouraged um with the not only the rookie class relative to the draft picks but some of the new players came in that were signed in free agency and then overall the makeup and chemistry of this team um I would say it's entirely different from a year ago and so that's not a surprise but it's something you notice you feel um and that's encouraging Sean uh Brandon Johnson sure picked a good time to have his I guess best performance of the preseason what have you seen from him because it seems like he just finds the end zone year after year yeah listen I I can't I I mean I I was encouraged I thought he did a great job you know he made some big plays he's a big Target he's he's a great worker um and you know again one of those guys it was great to see him have some opportunities um a lot of those guys stepped up viril had some key key receptions bandies had a good camp I mean um we knew it at the start of training camp that that position group was deep and then I think you all got to see actually how deep it was um there's some tough decisions there was Brandon Jones uh was he going to play I he was out there he was never going to play nope okay all right thank you guys