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New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Conference Call with Local Media
Monday, December 9, 2013

There was a play in the game where you had a penalty in your favor from Carolina and you chose to accept the play instead of taking the first down, was it just a matter of liking the play you just had?

“Yeah, I am trying to think. I remember the call and I saw it from a spot standpoint with the yardage we ended up taking rather than the first and five. You can go back and forth. I think typically we would accept the flag and back up a little bit as opposed to the three yard difference. We ended up having to punt on that series. I know the sequence you are talking about.”

Is it nice to be back on a normal schedule this week?

“Yes, I think our players look forward to it. I know we do from a preparation standpoint. Today we will spend a good majority of the day on St. Louis as well as all day tomorrow and start back Wednesday with a good practice. So, yes to answer your question getting on that schedule is helpful for them especially this late in the season.”

Can you walk us through the progression of the young defensive line?

“I think number one, we have a good rotation going. It is hard to play 60 snaps in there. Cam (Jordan) and our starters are in good shape but we really believe in getting a rotation and I said this last evening, those are earned sacks when you get a guy like Cam Newton, he is a gifted player, but he is a strong sack. If you can get a hand on him you can kind of arm tackle his waist or his leg, along with (him) being elusive. I thought we contained him really well. I thought he held on to the ball at times, struggled with his progressions, and forced some throws. I think that is a credit to how the guys up front played.”

How satisfying was it to see your team get back to playing the way you feel like they should be playing?

“Any time you have a tough loss the next game can’t come quick enough. You want to get back on track. I thought we did the things necessary to win and I thought it was a good team win.”

Can you talk about the play of your secondary last night and how instrumental their play contributed to the number of sacks last night?

“I thought it goes hand in hand. I thought we did a good job of keeping the players in front of us number one. I mentioned the big plays that Carolina has the potential of hitting you with where they get behind you on defense in the passing game. They do a good job of running the football and you can all of a sudden get consumed with forcing the run and there is a Ted Ginn or a (Brandon) LaFell, Steve Smith, splitting your secondary. But I thought we kept the ball in front of us. I thought we contested a lot of throws, broke up a lot of passes and that was pleasing. I thought overall it all goes hand in hand and I think there are coverage sacks just like there are hurries that help the back end.”

Read more: Sean Payton's Monday Review