”I think mainly at this point of the season my concern is, again coming off our second Monday night game, I’m always just careful about where you team’s at and go right back out just because the schedule says you’re supposed to go back out,” Saints head coach Sean Payton says of the reason to wait a day before having a full practice. “I just want to pay close attention to where we’re at from a health standpoint and I think we can practice a little bit, do a little bit more late in the week on Saturday then we might normally do.”
Wednesday it was clear that Payton and his players have moved past their solid win over New England, and moved on to the 3-8 Washington Redskins, a team that’s beaten the Saints the last two times they’ve met.
“This is a short week, and we’re going to Washington a place that’s been a tough place for us to play. This is a team we haven’t beaten really,” Payton says. “We played them in ‘06 and lost and we played them last season and lost.”
Another clear message being delivered and adhered to by the team , is to disregard talk of an undefeated season and remain focused on the “one game at a time” approach. “It’s basically one game at a time. We don’t need to pay attention to our record. Every week we’re basically 0-0. We’re just trying to get that one win,” says defensive end Bobby McCray. “Then next week we’re going to be 0-0 again and try to get another win.”
Payton has a tough task this week in not only getting his team’s physically ready to play, but also making sure his team doesn’t suffer a hangover from their big win on Monday night. Several players on Wednesday in the locker room said they are well aware that Sunday carries with it the label of a trap game. “The leadership on this team is too good to allow for us to take a little bit of a lull, and become complacent, and not look at this game as our next big game because it is. The Redskins are playing better as of late. We’re going there, they’re playing in their home stadium so you know they’re going to play well. They’re playing against a team that they’re trying to give them their first loss, so there’s many factors for us to be up for this game or be prepared,” says safety Darren Sharper. “Our coaching staff is going to definitely not let this be a lull game or let this be a trap game. We don’t believe in that type of thinking, of having a trap game. Each game is a big game for us around here.”
Part of that leadership includes three former New England Patriots that were a part of the 2007 team that went 16-0. “A goal is to play good every game and try to win every game. You never say ah we just want to win 12 games this year. We just want to win 13. You want to win them all, and right now we’ve done a good job we’ve won all our games,” says cornerback Randall Gay, a member of the undefeated Pats team from two seasons ago. “This is the time of year where you really have to focus in. It’s going to get tougher, because everybody wants to knock you off. Like a Washington. Their record is not showing that they’re a good team. If you really look at their team, they are a good team. The same team that beat us last year.”
Winning all if not most of the team’s remaining five games might be a must if the Saints want to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Minnesota is just one game back of the Saints at 10-1, that loss coming to Pittsburgh, an AFC opponent. What it means is if both teams wind up with the same record, the Vikings would win the tie breaker, since a Saints loss would come to an NFC opponent.
“Obviously I think it’s in the back of our minds, I think we would be lying if we said it’s not, but at the same time our mental focus, or main focus has to be the next team, the next game. We can’t worry about what Minnesota does becuase we don’t control that. We don’t control if they win or lose,” says running back Reggie Bush. “All we can control is what we do on the field. So that’s what we have to focus on, but obviously at the same time it’s going to be on the back of your mind, you going to know that hey they are kind of on our behinds right now, but we can’t control that.”
BUMPS AND BRUISES
Since the team did not have a practice, Payton did not inform the media of injuries or player’s status for the upcoming week. Running back Reggie Bush in the locker room on Wednesday said he feels good and understand Payton’s decision to hold him out of Monday night’s game. “It’s a certain level of being smart to this whole thing. You just have to know that it is a long season and there’s going to be bigger games coming up,” said Bush who would have like to have been on the field against the Patriots.
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