Super Bowl XLIV: Saints vs Colts l February 07, 2010 l 5:28 PM CT

Fast Fact

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON ON ....

(On the importance of Drew Brees’ comfort during the game and how they will achieve that) “Well I think the flow of a game is important for a quarterback. You try to look at the defense that you’re getting and try to get some rhythm for him. He’s a guy that can get real hot early and I look at it as a coach, our coaches look at it, as certainly an objective of ours. Sometimes it’s through intermediate throws, sometimes a screen, sometimes a throw down the field. Just having the right balance and mix is important, but I do think that (comfort) is important in any big game.”

(On how the team has handled the Super Bowl week) “We’re on our normal schedule. There are a few little nuances just in regards to the bus logistics. This event here is a little different. We’re in meetings right now. But this is something that we’ve done before in regards to travel and relocate. Our London game last year; Houston in the pre-season this year; with (Hurricane) Gustav last year we relocated to Indianapolis. You know, you set up shop in the hotel much like you would at training camp. You get your meetings established, you get your itinerary established and you try to stay in routine. Those are things that are important.”

(On the game against the Dolphins and how it was a turning point for the team) “Well just in regards to the game, you know, as the season goes on you find yourself playing with leads, playing with deficits, and certainly in that game we fell behind, didn’t play too well early and Miami did a great job. We kind of hung in there in the second half and made a few plays, got some turnovers and capitalized on them, and that ended up really making the difference and giving us a chance to win. All those things, I think, build confidence and you hope to draw on those things in the post-season. Certainly that was a handful, one of a handful of games where we fell behind and battled back and were able to overcome some early mistakes.”

(On the city of New Orleans and the team rebuilding together) “The relationship with the fans I think is unique. This is a city that really has been very close to this team through a lot of hard times. After Katrina, when the Saints were able to get back and play in the Super Dome, certainly there was some symbolism that evening. I think playing good football and giving them something to be proud of is important. With as visible as many of our players are in the community, and many of them are just because of the logistics of where they live, I think all of those things make it positive and make it pretty special.”

(On how he has grown as a head coach since his first training camp) “Well, I think you’re learning all the time. I think that certainly, just as we ask our players to improve, study, hone their skills, the same has to be expected of us. There’s certain experiences that are hard to simulate, maybe, and each year, something – something maybe little, something maybe big – comes up, and you deal with it and reflect back sometimes at the end of the season. You try to look at ways where you can improve as a head coach. I think that’s the nature of teaching – at least good teaching – so that’s something we try to pay very close attention to.”

(On what a Super Bowl victory would mean to him personally) “You know, one of the things that you talk to your players about, an accomplishment like that almost binds you forever as a team, a coaching staff. More important than any of the celebration or any of the other things that go along with winning a championship, I think that in itself is pretty significant.”

(On if there’s a danger of getting too wrapped up in trying to play for the city of New Orleans) “Well, I think throughout the course of the week and by game time, I don’t think when we meet or talk, there’s any of this, ‘We’ve got to win one for the city’ speech. In other words, I think that’s just a sense, a feeling that exists or permeates really throughout the course of the year or throughout the course of the players’ time here. That sense of or that feeling of, ‘This is pretty important to everyone,’ and they remind us daily how great the fans are. They remind us daily how important it is to them. So that being said, I think games like this come down to the execution, the details. Players will be excited to play. All the little things that really allow you to win games and all the little things that potentially could cause you to lose games, and I think they understand that.”