TOPIC: Marcus Peters stood at a podium Wednesday

THOUSAND OAKS Trevon Wesco Jersey , Calif. (AP) — and spoke about his respect for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints. He insisted his feisty comments about the coach two months ago had been misinterpreted and blown out of proportion by controversy-hungry fans and media.And then his coach popped up in the back of the room.“Let me get some of that soup!” Sean McVay yelled.One way or another, gumbo will be served at the NFC championship game.As the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams began their preparation for Sunday’s showdown, Peters and Payton downplayed the importance of what occurred during and after the teams’ first meeting at the Superdome this season. The cornerback and the coach expressed a warm mutual regard and no hard feelings from November.“We’re trying to play a game,” Peters said Wednesday. “We ain’t trying to talk about no gumbo. We can talk about all that stuff afterward.”Still, here’s the backstory on the Creole kerfuffle, for those with an appetite:New Orleans beat the Rams 45-35, with Drew Brees shredding Los Angeles’ secondary for 346 yards and four TDs while handing the Rams their first loss of the season. In particular, receiver Michael Thomas appeared to dominate his matchup with Peters, who acknowledges he had a poor game.Afterward, Payton acknowledged the Saints had targeted Peters because they liked the matchup with Thomas — a bold statement to make about a former Pro Bowl cornerback. That drew the attention of Peters, who responded sharply back home in the Rams’ locker room.“Tell Sean Payton, keep talking that (stuff),” Peters said at the time. “We’re going to see him soon. You feel me? Yeah. ‘Cause I like what he was saying on the sideline, too. Tell him he can keep talking that (stuff), and I hope he sees me soon. You feel me? Then we’re going to have a good little, nice little bowl of gumbo together.”Peters is a personable athlete and an aggressive competitor. He is also an interesting character who isn’t afraid to let people know it — and that’s something of a rarity in the frequently buttoned-up Shareef Miller Jersey , corporate world of professional football.Peters says his comments weren’t meant “to be disrespectful or anything like that. I was (ticked) off. I didn’t have the game that I wanted to have.”Before McVay made light of the situation with his shout, he put it in perspective.“I think it was all in good fun,” McVay said. “I think there’s a competitiveness that exists. There’s a lot of dialogue that goes back and forth when you have relationships or you have history with people. I think Marcus was having fun with it, and I know that he has a whole lot of respect for Coach Payton and the Saints.”Payton also was asked about the interplay repeatedly Wednesday, but the veteran coach only repeated his respect for the Rams and their volatile cornerback.“I’m a huge Marcus Peters fan,” Payton said. “A lot of it was friendly banter, but he’s a tremendous player, a real talented player with dangerous ball skills. He’s someone that you have to know where he’s at all times.”Peters repeatedly refused to indulge in trash talk or any additions to a budding rivalry Wednesday, and he explained exactly why.“I see y’all trying to make it to be something that it’s not,” Peters told reporters. “All respect to Sean Payton and what he does. Like you say, before, during the game, things happen, but I just love the fact that he’s a competitor.”In fact, Peters and Payton might be kindred spirits of a sort.Payton is well known as an enthusiastic presence on the sideline, where he screams at players on both teams Zach Brown Jersey , berates the officials and sometimes even gestures at the opposing coaches. Over the years, he has made a choke sign at Devonta Freeman, mocked the Minnesota Vikings fans’ signature clap and had animated postgame interactions with fellow coaches including Dirk Koetter, who got slapped on the chest rather aggressively.The gumbo date might not happen, but what occurred in the teams’ first meeting should have reverberations into the playoff rematch, where fellow star cornerback Aqib Talib will be back alongside Peters after missing the first meeting with an injury.Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore thinks Peters should be much more concerned about Thomas than Payton — and Peters undoubtedly agrees.“He still has to guard Mike at the end of the day,” Lattimore said. “You can do all the talking you want, but you still have to go out there and guard him. The last time, (Thomas) went for 211 (yards). You still have to go out there and get the job done, no matter how much you talk. That’s no dis to him or nothing like that. That’s just with anybody. I like Marcus Peters’ game, but you still have to go out there and play. That’s why I don’t really talk too much.” OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — During a busy offseason, the Baltimore Ravens put a high priority on fortifying a secondary that last season played a huge role on the top-ranked defense in the NFL.First-year general manager Eric DeCosta offset the departure of safety Eric Weddle by signing six-time Pro Bowl standout Earl Thomas. DeCosta also provided nickel back Tavon Young with a three-year extension, retained over-30 cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith, and signed free agent cornerback Justin Bethel.Throw in 2017 first-round pick Marlon Humphrey and six-year pro Tony Jefferson, and it would seem as if the Ravens have a secondary capable of being among the best in the league.“I’ll tell you one thing: The standard is high for those guys Devin Bush Jersey ,” coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday after the first session of the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp.Given that the Ravens lost linebackers Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Za’Darius Smith to free agency, the defense’s hope of carrying on the franchise’s tradition of excellence likely depends on the guys on the back end.“We’ve got a lot of resources committed to the secondary,” Harbaugh said. “We value coverage. We think it’s important with the way we structure our defense. We love having those guys back there.”Carr has played 11 seasons in the NFL and has never missed a start, a streak of 176 games. A regular participant this spring at OTAs, he can’t wait for the season to begin.“We’ve got a lot of talent in this backfield, a lot of guys who have made plays throughout their careers, and new guys who are rising,” said Carr, who shed the braids that protruded from under his helmet for the past five years.The Ravens, like every team, focus first on stopping the run. Tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce form a sizable duo up front, although Pierce’s weight proved to be an issue Tuesday; he was told to leave the field shortly after the team stretched.“He’s not ready to practice, from a safety standpoint, for his own health,” Harbaugh said.Jimmy Smith Diontae Johnson Jersey , on the other hand, reported in excellent shape. With nine seasons behind him — all with Baltimore — the 31 year old made certain his stamina and strength would not be an issue as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract.“When you’re young, you eat chicken wings, hot wings, pizza. You go out and play a game and it’s no problem,” he said. “The older you get, you start to actually feel like one candy bar kind of slowed me down today. You have to pay attention to that, but when you’re young you don’t really notice it.”Smith and the rest of the secondary expect to be noticed during the 2019 season, when the Ravens strive to reach the playoffs for the second year in a row after a three-year hiatus.“(Owner Steve) Bisciotti believes in us. Our coaching staff and the people upstairs, they believe in our secondary,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of vets back there and we kind of have to be the driving force for the defense since we are the ones with the most experience.”Thomas, like Smith, is a nine-year veteran whose athletic skill is supplemented by the ability to provide experience and leadership.“He’s a dog. Very passionate,” Smith said. “I can tell he’s going to bring a lot of energy to our team.”