How long do you see Drew Brees playing tomorrow night?

“We talked about it as a staff last night and we are going to share it with our players tonight, but it will be more than last week. It won’t be a significant amount, but he will get some more playing time, that whole first group will.”

Isn’t it usual for the first group to play the most in the third preseason game?

“That’s true, but we are treating this as the second preseason game.”

Have there been any players that have surprised you at all?

“Well, just look at the receiver position, Andy Tanner has done a nice job for us. We have a good group of running backs. Marcel Jones, an offensive lineman, is training well for us. There are a number of guys that we feel confident about.”

Are you concerned about Chris Ivory’s fumbling? Is he just not tucking the ball the right way?

“It is something that needs to be emphasized to him everyday. It’s not acceptable and we just have to keep coaching it. I think that would be the main thing, but running back coach Bret Ingalls is doing a great job with him emphasizing it in meetings and working with it and we have drills that work it everyday.”

How would you describe the continuity of the offense with everything that has happened this offseason?

“I would say at this point we want to see a little more consistency, but Drew Brees is Drew Brees. He is obviously going to lead this team. I am going to miss Sean Payton throughout the whole year.”

How much is tomorrow night about finding that balance of pass versus run instead of evaluating the players you need to see to make your roster decisions?

“I would say this game is more about seeing guys in a position, some young guys in a position to see if they make the plays. So how much we are paying attention to how much is run, how much is pass, it’s getting certain guys opportunities.”

Does it surprise you the way Travaris Cadet has been playing?

“I think we feel good about it, both carrying the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s a guy that’s going to get some work and a guy we are going to be looking at for the next couple of weeks.”

What do you need to see out of Joseph Morgan tomorrow night?

“Some consistency. When he receives some opportunities, he needs to make the plays in the game.”

What are you looking for out of a third tight end?

“I would say that inline blocker is what we are looking for. We feel good with Jimmy Graham. Jimmy has made a lot of progress in that part of the game as far as becoming a complete guy. David Thomas is a guy that we can move around, but there is a battle going on for a third spot, maybe a fourth spot, we don’t know. We are looking for a guy that can bring that to the run game.”