SmashMouth

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said he had butterflies in his stomach as he waited for kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

But the moment that gave him the biggest lump in his throat had nothing to do with the game.

Watch The Video of Steve Gleason

Payton felt it when standing next to former Saints player Steve Gleason at midfield Sunday. The Saints recognized Gleason, who is battling ALS, before the game, and invited him to join the pregame "Who Dat?" cheer alongside Payton.

Payton alone would have been enough to draw a big cheer after his return from a season-long suspension. Together, the duo drew a standing ovation.

"He is a guy that has been so close to this program and epitomizes, when we came in 2006, of a player that worked extremely close and was very dedicated," Payton said. "So, to be out there and enjoy that with him was special."

ALS, a disease that causes paralysis and has robbed Gleason of his voice, hasn't changed his personality or his focus at all, Payton said.

"I saw him afterwards and he shot me that text and the computer voice came on and said, 'You almost dislocated my shoulder.' That's just him," he said. "He hasn't lost a bit at all. His mental focus and all of that is in great shape.

"It was pretty emotional just being with him."

Saints defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who was watching from the sideline during the cheer, also felt the effects.

"To see what it meant to his fans and everybody, it was unreal," Hicks said.

Run game: The Saints preached commitment to the running game many times during training camp. Sunday's results didn't quite reflect that, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

The Saints were fairly balanced between run and pass attempts. Brees completed 26 of 35 passes for 357 yards, while Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram combined to rush 26 times for 76 yards.

The bulk of the yards came from Sproles and Thomas. Ingram carried the ball nine times for 11 yards, gaining most of his total on a 7-yard run in the second quarter.

However, Ingram also had several runs for negative yardage, including a fourth-down carry when he was pushed back for a loss.

That fourth-down call in particular was something Payton wished he could have back.
"There were two or three plays that I looked at and it is always this way, the other play I was considering, I'm frustrated I didn't run," he said. "They made a good stop. We didn't get the yard that we needed. At times we will run a sneak, but I didn't in that situation."

Payton said the run game had some "frustrating snaps," but noted it wasn't necessarily the fault of one person.
"There are some snaps where we are close, and yet it takes all 11 guys," he said. "We were close in some areas, and yet we still have to work on and clean up a number of things to improve it."

Quote of the day: "We helped our team win. We didn't win in spite of the defense, we won because of the defense. And that's a good feeling going forward." -- safety Roman Harper

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