Saints head coach Sean Payton spent some time talking about Rams cornerback Marcus Peters on Wednesday because of Peters’ response to Payton saying it was “fine by us” that the Rams had Peters cover Michael Thomas in the regular season meeting between the teams.
Thomas went off for 211 yards in New Orleans’ 45-35 win and Drew Brees threw four touchdowns against a Rams defense that was missing Aqib Talib. The veteran corner was on injured reserve with an ankle injury at the time, but he’s back in the lineup now and Payton thinks that’s a big deal for Sunday’s game.
“Well I think it’s significant,” Payton said, via the Rams website. “I think there’s a leadership element -- a guy with a ton of playoff experience, he’s been in the postseason, he’s an extremely, extremely smart player, and you see that on tape. ... He’s got real good ball skills as well, he’s got size, he can play press, he can play off in their zone coverages. I think anytime you have a starter back in your lineup, that’s a good thing.”
The Rams gave up 205 passing yards per game with Talib in the lineup this season. They allowed 61 more yards when Talib was out of action, which makes a pretty good case for Payton’s feeling that the change is a significant one for Sunday.
