Sean Payton: Benching C.J. Spiller was game-plan decision

METAIRIE, La. -- Sean Payton gave a vague explanation Monday for the New Orleans Saints' decision to bench running back C.J. Spiller in Week 1.

Essentially, the Saints simply preferred Travaris Cadet in their runner/receiver role.

“It was just one of these games where we knew Cadet was gonna have a big role in his position. And it really just came down to the numbers,” Payton said. “It’s really one of the challenges with six running backs on the roster. So a lot of it was for our game plan.”

When asked if that was a negative sign for Spiller’s progress, Payton said, “No, listen, I think we’ve seen the progress. It was just that game and how we were gonna approach that game with our personnel…