Head Coach Sean Payton Discusses Cowboys and Bill Parcells
Doug Miller, NewOrleansSaints.com
Dec 4, 2006 – 4:06 pm
Q: Is it fair to assume that when the schedule came out you knew that this game would have special meaning for you?
Sean Payton: "Well, I think it happens a lot now. You guys have covered the team and me long enough to know now that he (Bill Parcells) was an important part of my coaching career. So, I am able to lean on him and my experiences with him. It's been valuable for me and it's not a new story and it's happened throughout the years, a coach going back to coach against a coach who was a big influence on his life. When the schedule comes out, it's a game on the schedule. What's most important is that you have two teams that are 8-4. That is what is most important."
Q: Does that add a new wrinkle to it?
Sean Payton: "That's the story, that's what is important. Two teams that have put themselves in a position, and I emphasize that, put themselves in position, to play for a ninth win and at this stretch of the season, that's what it is. For me, having just come from Dallas and having been there for three years under Bill, there is uniqueness because of the ties there. It was a great opportunity for me to coach there and the relationships you form with assistants there and the ownership there with Jerry Jones and his family and Bill. Those are a lot of people and a lot of friends that you'll always stay in touch with. They were good to me, my wife and my family, so the experiences we had there were wonderful and it was an important part of who I am and where I am now."
Q: What is the one thing that has made Bill Parcells successful?
Sean Payton: "I don't know that you can say that there is just one thing. It would be hard to say because there are a number of things. He is tough and I think he has a great grasp of finding the right buttons within each player to get them to play their best game and understanding that those buttons aren't always the same. And it's not just the players, but the coaches, the trainers, the scouts. Those are things that you observe right away."
Q: Are you personally excited to match wits with him?
Sean Payton: "I think as a competitor you are always excited to go onto the next challenge or the next game. But again, the whole matching wits thing sounds like 'Madden 07.' We are getting a team ready to play a game and a lot goes into that. There is a lot of respect for what he has been able to accomplish, certainly from my part. I think you try to go in and try to prepare and give your team that best chance and figure of what gives your chance and figure out what gives us the best chance each week. You do those things on offense and defense and in the kicking game. I know that is something that they'll do and focus on. So it's exciting to play in games like this. I said this probably six weeks ago: that when you start to win games then there will be another big game and if you continue to win another game, then there is going to be another game that is the biggest game of the year and then 48 hours after the biggest game of the year then there will be another biggest game of the year. So the next thing you know, you have played in seven of the biggest games of the year and this is an important game. It's an NFC team and it's a team that we feel, from watching the tape, is outstanding and they are a big challenge. The opportunity to get to 9-4 is the focus. Find a way to get the ninth win and that's what it is. So because of that, the game was moved for the television slot and because of that, we'll have attention around it and as players and coaches you enjoy that rather than the latter."
Q: Do you think that you will do anything differently this week because of your familiarity, and the familiarity that Coach Gibbs has, with Dallas, and that they have with you?
Sean Payton: "I don't know that you change anything specifically. That's a good question. I think that there is kind of a structure that you have in place defensively and you can tweak that and play with it a little on third downs and tinker with it some. But I think the mistake with that is to scrap that and go with something that is completely different from something that you haven't worked on. There are some things that you do defensively and that are what you do. It's not different than what we will see with Dallas and their defense. It's the same way on the other side of the ball with the offense. There are certain runs that you are going to get going into the game that you know you're going to get. Now, you may put them in a different formation or try to dress them up a little bit, but I think, by and large, that they have our plays or we have their plays, is, well, I mean all the tape is available, all the games are available. All the preseason, all the regular season, so you are able to study all of that and you say, 'Alright, this is what we have to stop or block.' So I don't think there is a lot to be made of that."
Q: What are your favorite Bill Parcells sayings?
Sean Payton: "Oh, I'd need more time. Shot, I may have started to use them myself now and say they are mine. He is very aware of the person, not just the player, but the person, the coach, the trainer. So his personality is engaging. People might say, 'Gosh, was he difficult to be around?' And yet he has the ability to make you laugh and be tough and all those things. But I can't recall specific sayings."
Q: What is it like to get motivated to play in a game like this? You know, the whole pupil trying to show the teacher thing?
Sean Payton: "Well, having been with him for three years, he gets up for the games. He and I aren't playing. He understands where his team is better than anyone right now. At this point in the season, his team has won a bunch of games in a row. He'll look at this game and have his team ready and that's what he does each week. By me coaching here in New Orleans doesn't change his approach or his motivation. His motivation is to win another Super Bowl, no different than mine is to bring a team to a Super Bowl and win a Super Bowl one day. Those are the goals you have: to get into the postseason and play for a championship and right now we are in the 13th week of the season of trying to take another step in that direction and I don't think his approach would differ based on who the coach is."
Q: Can you talk about Tony Romo and if you would have envisioned him playing as well as he is playing?
Sean Payton: "I have been encouraged and happy for him and the success he is having. He's worked hard at it. It hasn't been an overnight deal for him. The first job for him coming in was to find a way to make the roster. I think any free agent would look at it that way, then I think in year two you try to become the back-up. He spent a lot of his summers there in Dallas. He's worked extremely hard on his weaknesses and he takes coaching very well and he understands what they are trying to do in their system and he understands exactly what Bill wants from that position. To his credit, he prepared for the opportunity, not knowing when the opportunity was going to come. Here it has come and as someone who used to coach him, you get excited to see someone that you know has worked hard at this. His story of coming in as a free agent and then all of a sudden making the team and eventually becoming a starter is a good story. But he would say the same thing and Bill would say the same thing, it's still early yet. He's played in five or six games now and he's had some growing pains along the way, it wasn't an overnight thing for him. He played in preseason games. But each season his approach was to work on his weaknesses and to prepare and do all of the little things necessary. He is one of those guys that are always around a lot and that it's important to and those are the things that have helped him. He has a good arm and a quick release and all the physical things. He's playing well."
Q: Do you watch the Cowboys play more than other teams?
Sean Payton: "No. The only time we watch, aside from film breakdown, another team in our league play is the same time that you guys would. Last night I caught the second half of the Seattle game. Occasionally you might catch a prime-time game on a Monday night, maybe a little bit of this Carolina game tonight vs. Philadelphia. That being said, Dallas has been in a few of those games. That game at Carolina when Tony got his first start and they came back and won a big game there. But there have been a number of games they have played that I haven't seen. We will start looking at video today and tomorrow, but they have had a handful of prime-time games."
Q: Have you followed them more closely by reading articles on them more than other teams?
Sean Payton: "I think you keep in touch the same as you would with the rest of the league and the division. I think you focus more so on your own division and impact of how you are doing. I think its Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta, not in any order, but you keep track of them because you know it can affect you. But again, it's hard not to hear or see some of the things from a highlight perspective on some of the things they have been able to accomplish. They played Thanksgiving Day and we saw part of that game when they beat Tampa Bay. They are playing well and they have put together a string of games where regardless of who they were play, they were able to come out with a win and we know it's a big challenge for our team."
Q: What impresses you the most about the Cowboys?
Sean Payton: "They have great balance. They are one of the few teams right now, if you look at them statistically on offense and defense that are pretty much atop the categories. I think they can run the football, they do a good job of setting up the play-action pass and I think defensively they do a good job of making you work for any yards. They are physical on defense, they have good cover people and I am familiar with a lot of those players because a lot of them were there when I was there. They have put together one of the better defenses in the league right now and that's a challenge in itself and then you complement that one of the better offenses in the league, that's a challenge. And then to go on the road to play in the game, we will have our work cut out for us."
Dec 4, 2006 – 4:06 pm
Q: Is it fair to assume that when the schedule came out you knew that this game would have special meaning for you?
Sean Payton: "Well, I think it happens a lot now. You guys have covered the team and me long enough to know now that he (Bill Parcells) was an important part of my coaching career. So, I am able to lean on him and my experiences with him. It's been valuable for me and it's not a new story and it's happened throughout the years, a coach going back to coach against a coach who was a big influence on his life. When the schedule comes out, it's a game on the schedule. What's most important is that you have two teams that are 8-4. That is what is most important."
Q: Does that add a new wrinkle to it?
Sean Payton: "That's the story, that's what is important. Two teams that have put themselves in a position, and I emphasize that, put themselves in position, to play for a ninth win and at this stretch of the season, that's what it is. For me, having just come from Dallas and having been there for three years under Bill, there is uniqueness because of the ties there. It was a great opportunity for me to coach there and the relationships you form with assistants there and the ownership there with Jerry Jones and his family and Bill. Those are a lot of people and a lot of friends that you'll always stay in touch with. They were good to me, my wife and my family, so the experiences we had there were wonderful and it was an important part of who I am and where I am now."
Q: What is the one thing that has made Bill Parcells successful?
Sean Payton: "I don't know that you can say that there is just one thing. It would be hard to say because there are a number of things. He is tough and I think he has a great grasp of finding the right buttons within each player to get them to play their best game and understanding that those buttons aren't always the same. And it's not just the players, but the coaches, the trainers, the scouts. Those are things that you observe right away."
Q: Are you personally excited to match wits with him?
Sean Payton: "I think as a competitor you are always excited to go onto the next challenge or the next game. But again, the whole matching wits thing sounds like 'Madden 07.' We are getting a team ready to play a game and a lot goes into that. There is a lot of respect for what he has been able to accomplish, certainly from my part. I think you try to go in and try to prepare and give your team that best chance and figure of what gives your chance and figure out what gives us the best chance each week. You do those things on offense and defense and in the kicking game. I know that is something that they'll do and focus on. So it's exciting to play in games like this. I said this probably six weeks ago: that when you start to win games then there will be another big game and if you continue to win another game, then there is going to be another game that is the biggest game of the year and then 48 hours after the biggest game of the year then there will be another biggest game of the year. So the next thing you know, you have played in seven of the biggest games of the year and this is an important game. It's an NFC team and it's a team that we feel, from watching the tape, is outstanding and they are a big challenge. The opportunity to get to 9-4 is the focus. Find a way to get the ninth win and that's what it is. So because of that, the game was moved for the television slot and because of that, we'll have attention around it and as players and coaches you enjoy that rather than the latter."
Q: Do you think that you will do anything differently this week because of your familiarity, and the familiarity that Coach Gibbs has, with Dallas, and that they have with you?
Sean Payton: "I don't know that you change anything specifically. That's a good question. I think that there is kind of a structure that you have in place defensively and you can tweak that and play with it a little on third downs and tinker with it some. But I think the mistake with that is to scrap that and go with something that is completely different from something that you haven't worked on. There are some things that you do defensively and that are what you do. It's not different than what we will see with Dallas and their defense. It's the same way on the other side of the ball with the offense. There are certain runs that you are going to get going into the game that you know you're going to get. Now, you may put them in a different formation or try to dress them up a little bit, but I think, by and large, that they have our plays or we have their plays, is, well, I mean all the tape is available, all the games are available. All the preseason, all the regular season, so you are able to study all of that and you say, 'Alright, this is what we have to stop or block.' So I don't think there is a lot to be made of that."
Q: What are your favorite Bill Parcells sayings?
Sean Payton: "Oh, I'd need more time. Shot, I may have started to use them myself now and say they are mine. He is very aware of the person, not just the player, but the person, the coach, the trainer. So his personality is engaging. People might say, 'Gosh, was he difficult to be around?' And yet he has the ability to make you laugh and be tough and all those things. But I can't recall specific sayings."
Q: What is it like to get motivated to play in a game like this? You know, the whole pupil trying to show the teacher thing?
Sean Payton: "Well, having been with him for three years, he gets up for the games. He and I aren't playing. He understands where his team is better than anyone right now. At this point in the season, his team has won a bunch of games in a row. He'll look at this game and have his team ready and that's what he does each week. By me coaching here in New Orleans doesn't change his approach or his motivation. His motivation is to win another Super Bowl, no different than mine is to bring a team to a Super Bowl and win a Super Bowl one day. Those are the goals you have: to get into the postseason and play for a championship and right now we are in the 13th week of the season of trying to take another step in that direction and I don't think his approach would differ based on who the coach is."
Q: Can you talk about Tony Romo and if you would have envisioned him playing as well as he is playing?
Sean Payton: "I have been encouraged and happy for him and the success he is having. He's worked hard at it. It hasn't been an overnight deal for him. The first job for him coming in was to find a way to make the roster. I think any free agent would look at it that way, then I think in year two you try to become the back-up. He spent a lot of his summers there in Dallas. He's worked extremely hard on his weaknesses and he takes coaching very well and he understands what they are trying to do in their system and he understands exactly what Bill wants from that position. To his credit, he prepared for the opportunity, not knowing when the opportunity was going to come. Here it has come and as someone who used to coach him, you get excited to see someone that you know has worked hard at this. His story of coming in as a free agent and then all of a sudden making the team and eventually becoming a starter is a good story. But he would say the same thing and Bill would say the same thing, it's still early yet. He's played in five or six games now and he's had some growing pains along the way, it wasn't an overnight thing for him. He played in preseason games. But each season his approach was to work on his weaknesses and to prepare and do all of the little things necessary. He is one of those guys that are always around a lot and that it's important to and those are the things that have helped him. He has a good arm and a quick release and all the physical things. He's playing well."
Q: Do you watch the Cowboys play more than other teams?
Sean Payton: "No. The only time we watch, aside from film breakdown, another team in our league play is the same time that you guys would. Last night I caught the second half of the Seattle game. Occasionally you might catch a prime-time game on a Monday night, maybe a little bit of this Carolina game tonight vs. Philadelphia. That being said, Dallas has been in a few of those games. That game at Carolina when Tony got his first start and they came back and won a big game there. But there have been a number of games they have played that I haven't seen. We will start looking at video today and tomorrow, but they have had a handful of prime-time games."
Q: Have you followed them more closely by reading articles on them more than other teams?
Sean Payton: "I think you keep in touch the same as you would with the rest of the league and the division. I think you focus more so on your own division and impact of how you are doing. I think its Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta, not in any order, but you keep track of them because you know it can affect you. But again, it's hard not to hear or see some of the things from a highlight perspective on some of the things they have been able to accomplish. They played Thanksgiving Day and we saw part of that game when they beat Tampa Bay. They are playing well and they have put together a string of games where regardless of who they were play, they were able to come out with a win and we know it's a big challenge for our team."
Q: What impresses you the most about the Cowboys?
Sean Payton: "They have great balance. They are one of the few teams right now, if you look at them statistically on offense and defense that are pretty much atop the categories. I think they can run the football, they do a good job of setting up the play-action pass and I think defensively they do a good job of making you work for any yards. They are physical on defense, they have good cover people and I am familiar with a lot of those players because a lot of them were there when I was there. They have put together one of the better defenses in the league right now and that's a challenge in itself and then you complement that one of the better offenses in the league, that's a challenge. And then to go on the road to play in the game, we will have our work cut out for us."
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