Sean Payton: Approach is still the same without Drew Brees

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The Saints will head into the 2021 with a new starting quarterback for the first time since the 2006 season and no one knows exactly what the offense is going to look like without Drew Brees at the helm.

It will be some time before we know whether Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will be anointed as Brees’ successor in New Orleans, but head coach Sean Payton said on Tuesday that he doesn’t expect the team’s process of preparing for the season to be altered by the change at quarterback.

“The approach is still the same though,” Payton said, via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “We’ve got a good core group of young, talented players that have won a lot of games and have experienced that taste of the postseason. I think you build your team around that. Is there an elevated level of excitement? I think it’s the same. As a coach, you owe it to that roster to work hard and put them in the best position to have success.”

Payton said earlier this month that the full impact of Brees’ retirement wouldn’t be felt until the team begins doing football work, but it’s clear that he wants to keep the disruption to a minimum as the Saints head into the 2021 season.