TC: Good afternoon. The guy you'll add today will be (Hakeem) Nicks, who had a sore knee, so we held him.
Q: Same knee that's been bugging him?A: Same one that's been bugging him.
Q: Was he able to do anything today?A: He did nothing.
Q: How much of a concern is that moving forward?A: Well, it's always a concern, but hopefully it will subside and he'll be ready to go.
Q: Was there swelling to go along with it?A: He has a sore knee.
Q: Any update on Kenny Phillips?A: He was sore.* Q: Can you see improvements in New Orleans' defense the last three weeks?*A: Sure, more aggressive. The Atlanta game was a good example of that. Most recently, the Atlanta game. Atlanta won the game, but they were reduced in the amount of yardage that they obtained.
Q: How much of Steve Spagnuolo's footprint can you see on the Saints' defense?A: Well, you can see it, no question.
Q: What types of stuff?A: That's for me…You can see…Just remember when he was here, the way they played. That's what you start to see.
Q: When Spagnuolo was here, it took a little while to get going. Do you think it's the same thing down there?A: Well, I would imagine it's the same thing that took place there.
Q: What's your take on Roger Goodell in Time Magazine suggesting they may abolish kickoffs in the future?A: I wouldn't have any comment on it. I didn't see it, first of all. I'm sure that will be an offseason discussion.
Q: Thoughts on David Wilson's carries on Monday night:A: He runs hard. He ran hard and he showed that he can go in there and play, there's no question about that. He has learned, he has developed. We need that. We need to be able to count on a number of backs this time of year and really at any time.
Q: His assignments were on point?A: They were.
Q: Did you see the way Jacquizz Rodgers ran against the Saints last Thursday? Do you think Wilson can play a similar role?A: I did see that, yeah.
Q: How did Jacquian Williams look today?A: He moved well. He did. He practiced well.
Q: Are you more encouraged that he'll play this week?A: I think that would be a good assessment.
Q: With Kenny Phillips, is the difficulty deciding between resting him and only getting a few plays out of him?A: Well, there's other considerations, too. There's a workload at other spots and special teams and the way in which that plays out in terms of the number of snaps people get. There's a lot of considerations.
Q: Did he have a setback last week?A: I don't think it was a setback. Just something that he's dealing with.
Q: Is there any one weapon on the Saints offense that jumps out at you?A: No, I don't think you can do that. If you do that, you're exposing yourself to the other aspects.
Q: What'd you think of Keith Rivers' performance on Monday?A: He obviously did a nice job recovering the fumble. He played well, he did.
Q: Little rusty?A: Didn't appear to be too rusty.
Q: When Jason Pierre-Paul says that Drew Brees is an 'easier' quarterback to defend, do you agree?A: He's not in any way inferring that it's not a difficult task. I think what he's referring to is the number of assignments and particulars/specifics that the previous offense forced for all the defensive front, linebackers and safeties in terms of assignment football, point-blank. I think he's referring to that. Just the difference in styles; not in any way, that Drew Brees isn't an excellent player, because he wouldn't do that.
