Think Payton doesn't have a sense of humor? Guess again. The Saints' head coach sent DC Gregg Williams a treat at breakfast Tuesday morning in response to what Williams said about "remember me" shots on Peyton Manning.
"The poor waiter came over to the table at brunch (Tuesday) morning and gave me two big jars of peanut butter, saltine crackers and a glass full of sand to wash it down with," Williams said. "Maybe if I took all that stuff down, I might be able to keep my mouth shut and not say something at media day that will haunt him all week long."
Saints Injury Report: No injury report was given on Wednesday morning.
The Saints changed up their schedule Wednesday. Originally scheduled to practice Wednesday morning and then meet with the media afterwards, the NFL changed it up to where the Saints had meetings during the morning, met with the media, then went to practice at the University of Miami.
When asked about RB Reggie Bush, Saints HC Sean Payton said, "A player like Reggie, they're juniors first off so they're younger in their development. ... Clearly, players that come to you as juniors have that much more growth potential." Still, Payton said Bush has been a vital part of the Saints' success.
Payton is close to former coaches Bill Parcells and Jon Gruden. And while he certainly talked with both of those Super Bowl winning coaches, they're not the only ones he talked to looking for advice. "I've talked to a few guys who are close to me and a few guys who are not so close," Payton said. In other words, he's doing everything he can to make sure the Saints come back to New Orleans with a win.
While we've heard Payton talk about the team's training camp days in Jackson, Miss., he was asked about it once more in Miami. "These things grow like legends but it was tough. We wanted it to be physical and it set the tone for what this program was about," Payton said.
QB Drew Brees has known Colts QB Peyton Manning since Manning's first year with Indianapolis. In fact, he remembers exact games he saw, including a Monday night game against Jacksonville. "After that, he would call me occasionally during the season to give me encouragement," Brees said.
TE Jeremy Shockey recalled New Orleans' game against Miami in which the Saints came back from a 24-3 deficit to win. It was a sign of the team's resilience this year. "I've said this before - I've been on ball clubs that would have been like, 'We're down by a lot of points and we'll play it safe,'" Shockey said. "We went out and finished the game."
LB Scott Fujita said he hoped the team made it to Miami for a somewhat unusual reason other than being in the Super Bowl. Fujita said this completes his journey of playing in every city in the league. He missed the game earlier in the season with a calf injury and didn't make the trip.
The offensive linemen were all enjoying them Wednesday during the open media session. OG Nick Leckey and LG Jamar Nesbit were both laughing as LG Carl Nicks had a stream of reporters talk to him about various topics. When one young lady left the table, both Nesbit and Leckey started joking with Nicks, who responded, "It's just natural."
Also seen during the media session, both RB Reggie Bush and DT Anthony Hargrove were swarmed by reporters. Bush is a natural - he's New Orleans' closest thing to a Hollywood star. But Hargrove is a different story as people continue to find out how he made it back into the league after missing a year because of a league suspension.
New Orleans will practice Thursday and Friday at the University of Miami. The Super Bowl is set for Sunday, Feb. 7 with kickoff set for 5:25 p.m.
