METAIRIE, La. -- We’ve been hearing for days now about New Orleans safety Darren Sharper going against Minnesota, his former team, and Brett Favre, a quarterback he probably knows better than anyone.

Does that really give the Saints something they can tap into? Well, it depends on whom you ask.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton tried to downplay that possibility during his Wednesday press conference.

“We have so much film now at this point," Payton said. “You get enough tape work done on the looks both teams do with regards to the kicking game, offense and defense. So, really, most of the game plan, all of the game plan is really based on all the evidence on tape and what you've seen from a video standpoint. Other than that, I think often times much is made of that and it's really insignificant."

When asked basically the same question about Sharper, New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma gave a totally different answer.

“Yeah, he's definitely the guy we're going to go to to try to get the tips on their offense," Vilma said. “I know that (quarterback Drew Brees) is going to talk about the (Minnesota) defense, and get anything that we can, the little edge. At this point, we have two very good teams that are going to play each other, and whatever little edge you can get to help you win, that can make the difference in the game."

Truth is, I think Payton and Vilma were both giving fairly accurate answers from their points of view. Can Sharper provide some helpful tips? Sure, and that happens around the league all the time when players go against a former team. But it probably won’t make much difference unless the Saints totally haven't done their homework.