FOXBORO — Thanks to the Saints’ PR staff, here are a few highlights from their Q&A with the media after Tuesday’s practice with the Patriots:

Drew Brees
Can you talk about the atmosphere today? “It was a great atmosphere today. Obviously a ton of fans came out to watch practice. For us, it’s great to break up the monotony of training camp, always by yourself and that kind of thing and come up for the opportunity to scrimmage against somebody other than yourself and really a great team. There’s not a team that’s won more games than the New England Patriots over the last decade. To have a chance to be around them, watch how they work, compete against new personnel and a new scheme is good for both sides.”

Do you sense because of what’s happened, that there is an us against the world sentiment? “I didn’t know if I’d say it like that it’s us against the world, but were going to have a chip on our shoulder anyways. But, there’s no shortage of motivation to go out and play well this year.”

Do you admire how the Patriots played in 2007 when they were in a similar situation although not without a head coach? “No they didn’t, but they played well that year. They went out and almost won every game and obviously we hope we can put together the same type of result. Certainly it’s something we can look at where maybe this is something similar we are going through. You try to take a negative and turn it into a positive.

How much did the teams get out of this? “Obviously both teams are fresh because we’re just in camps. We just played in the Hall of Fame game, but really it’s the first preseason game for everyone here on Thursday night. To get out here and see the personnel they have, I love being able to compete against them, because that’s a tightly run ship. Coach (Bill) Belichick has done a phenomenal job since he’s been here obviously. They know how to work and win. It’s great to have a chance to compete against them.”

Did you have a chance to visit with Tom Brady? “Yes, I’ve known Tom since college. We played against him when he was a senior at Michigan and I was a junior at Purdue. Really since then we’ve crossed paths a few times playing each other, a few times in the offseason. We both spend some of the offseason in Southern California as well. I actually saw him this offseason. We worked out together one day. I have a great relationship with Tom, not only professionally, but personally. Certainly he’s one of the best if not the best of all time.”

Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Joe Vitt
Opening Statement: “It was emotional this morning.  Andy Reid is strong and his family is strong and everybody knows our thoughts and wishes are with him.  It’s always great when we practice against a class franchise like this franchise.  We got a lot of good work done today.  We got some first and second down, we got some situational third down stuff and then we got a two-minute drill.  We got good work today.  We’ve got a few nicks and bruises, but we’re okay and we’re looking forward to coming out tomorrow.”

A lot of attention is going to be about your new defense going against a really good offense, but that’s what you want, right? “Yeah I mean I said at the start of practice today, if you’re putting in a new defense, who better to go against than Drew Brees and then all of a sudden you’re going against Tom Brady.  Both those guys do a tremendous job of looking people off and getting you off your spot and fitting the ball in there.  The tempo is great.  The chemistry between him and (Wes) Welker is unbelievable, so you’ve got to have you’re A game.  This is going to do nothing but make us better.”

Is there anything you can learn from the experience the Patriots had and the season they had with going 17-0 after Spygate? “Let me just say this, number one – I made this statement yesterday and Sean (Payton) has made this statement – that this franchise that we’re going against is the Microsoft of our industry with what they’ve done.  Number two – in my era as a coach, Bill Belichick is the coach of my era.  He’s the Don Shula, the Bill Walsh of my era.  So they’ve had some adversity and have done a great job of handling it.  I’ve had conversations with Bill.  We know that our players are strong.  We’ve been through adversity before, but there’s really no comparisons as you’re getting out to these practices.  We’re trying to get better, both teams every day.”

Can you talk about how these tight ends are kind of the new era of tight ends? “They can run, they can catch, they can run routes, they can block, they can get to the edge and kill you, they can catch the deep ball, they can catch outside of the framework of their body, they’re all good dancers, they’re good cooks and they love kids.”

Has the intensity level changes in these joint practices as opposed to when you’re practicing against your own team? “The intensity of practice is the same for both sides.  We’re trying to get better, but we’re trying to get better being smart – staying up off the ground, making sure we have good fits and taking proper angles to the ball.  These are two teams that have won a lot of games over the last couple of years so that hasn’t changed.”

What’s been your approach about how you lead the team? “Our program is set.  I am doing what Sean (Payton) has established since ’06.  Our schedule is intact, the way we evaluate personnel is intact, the way we install is intact, our teaching progression is intact and our players don’t talk about it nearly as much as everybody here does to try to sell papers.  We’re trying to get better and trying to get prepared for the season.”

Saints Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo
Is it pretty obvious why this is a good thing for both teams? “Yes, the fans here are terrific. Of course I have a little bit of place for them because I’m from this area. It was great to see the turnout. My family’s here which is terrific. I think the two organizations from my standpoint of being new in New Orleans and having grown up with this one (Patriots) are two great organizations getting together helping each other and I think the players were terrific too.”

What is it like going against the Patriots offense while you are still trying to install a defense? “I’m not sure we’re ready to go against this offense from where we are right here. The one thing about Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels, they find ways to attack a weakness. You can only take away so many things when you present something defensively. Tom’s so good at it; it’s why we like competing against each other. It’s like a chess game out there. Certainly not as much as in a setting that you would have in a game. I think our players gain a great appreciation for a quality quarterback. We go against one every day in practice, but then you get somebody with different calls a different view. I’m looking forward to doing it against tomorrow.”

What do you think of controlling these types of tight ends out there? “You have to challenge. It’s funny what you’re saying because it’s not one there in New England. It’s two and they’re both really good. We had trouble covering (Aaron) Hernandez out there today. We only have 11 and they have 11. You can only double so many guys. You pick your spots, pick and choose. I’m sure when Tom sees a double somewhere, he goes to the other guy and has a guy that can beat a one-on-one, you have Wes Welker in there, Brandon Lloyd. They have teams that are going to play them. I’m hoping to play them, in a real game, because it would only be one to play them. I’m not so sure as I want to do that (kidding).”