Rams’ Peters, Payton downplay gumbo beef

Thousand Oaks, Calif. — Marcus Peters stood at a podium Wednesday 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, 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."