New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cameron Jordan
Conference Call With Local Media
Monday, October 12, 2015

New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cameron Jordan
Conference Call With Local Media
Monday, October 12, 2015

Have you gotten a chance to look at the tape of yesterday's game? If so, what was your takeaway from it as far as how the defense played?

"I think we did a lot of great things in the first half. We were worried about the tempo and I think we matched it quite well. That being said, I think in the second half they made some adjustments, and did a little bit more outside zone runs on us. That is something that we need to address. It is something that we have (looked at) and will continue to move forward with."

With a game on Thursday, do you almost wish you guys could analyze this past loss a little bit more or are you glad to be able to kind of bury it and move on?

"Initially, you always implement the 24-hour rule for your loss. I am surely glad that we have a chance to redeem ourselves come Thursday against an in-division opponent."

Have you had a team meeting yet today and if so, what was the mood like?

"No, we didn't have a team meeting. We had our individual (position) meetings just to break down film and start up on Atlanta. There were a lot of good things that we did in the first half so that is something that we talked about. We are also harping on the things that we let go in the second half. That is something that can't happen, especially when we're trying to hold on and finish strong. That is something that the team will address and something that we're moving forward to examine."

I don't know if you remember back to last year at Carolina, it was an extremely short turnaround from a Sunday night game to a Thursday night game on the road. It was probably one of the team's games of the year, as far as complete play on both sides of the ball. Do you have a sense on why that might be? Everybody talks about the short turnaround, but can there be advantages to them?

"The advantage is that you don't harp on what happened in the prior week as much because you don't have the time to. You just focus strictly on the game ahead. That is something that has proven to help us and I am hoping that it'll do the same this year."

You're talking about so many good things but you still trailed at half time, and ended up losing pretty big in the second half. What did you learn from the tape? What did you see that you didn't do well and how do you intend to correct that?

"What we didn't do well is we didn't wrap up and finish tackles. You have to really hone that in. There are some other things that I am sure coaches will talk about. What it comes down is that we had a chance to make some pretty good plays and just didn't get off the field, whether that be (because) of minor details and not having penalties on those plays, and then wrapping up on tackles. There are definitely some things that need to be harped on and focused on. There is a short turnaround so we don't have too much time. We have to prepare for this Thursday game."

As a captain this year, do you feel like you need to take it upon yourself to bring the team in to talk to them?

"Right, we're doing everything that we can to get things right. It is just something that we have to deal with. We have to focus on tackling better, wrapping up and knowing everybody's assignments. That is just something that we're definitely molding towards but it is not like we have so many weeks to get it fixed. We only have 16 weeks to show everything that we have so we have to get things done in a faster pace. We're in the flow right now so as we all know, it's definitely a critical time. That is something that you can't stress enough. "

What do you take away from all of the defensive penalties this year? Do you put that on the fact that there are a lot of young guys playing? Is it a focus issue?

"You can't just say it's because of the young guys or because it is a focus issue, or something like that. This is the NFL and we're facing elite talent every week. With that being said, we have to do better and focus on us as a core, the veteran guys that are playing, to help lead everybody on the field. We all have to step up and have better play."

Have you had a chance to look ahead at Atlanta? Have you done actual prep work on that?

"We just started on it today but the offense is quite efficient. You have Matt Ryan who is doing a great job of getting the ball out, which is protecting a lot of deficiencies that you may even see on the line. You've got Devonta Freeman who is showing up each and every game. He is definitely making a name for himself. That is something to be aware of. You have Julio Jones and of course you all know about Roddy White. We know the team well so it is something that we have to prepare for the next three days."

Does playing the Falcons on a short week help you stay within the moment and stay focused, other than thinking of the implications down the road?

"I don't know anything about implications or what it is going to do for us in the playoff run, or what it is going to do other than this week, we need to win. My mentality has always been just to focus on the week ahead. That is the most important game, so come Thursday is my most important game. I couldn't tell you the outliers of chance of what the end-of-season results are going to be. I know come Thursday our team will be ready and we'll be ready to take the field to try our best to get this win."

What is your self-review? In this particularly game or just in general this season, what do you wish you were doing more consistently?

"I have to lead our d-line better. We're getting pressure on the quarterback but we're not getting enough pressure on the quarterback. I have fallen off a couple of sacks. I have also been evaded a few times. That is personally frustrating. We get a sack last night that gets negated by a penalty. That is something that you have to focus on. That is something that you have to put on yourself to do more. I have to do more. That is pretty much all I've got. I have to perform better."

It sounds like you guys are saying that you are doing so many things right but are not getting the results you want. It sounds like you want to do the same thing but expecting different results. Is that wrong?

"It is all about taking the good things and also harping upon the bad things. It is trying to get back to focusing on details (and) correcting what we've done wrong. If we correct our bad mistakes then our whole game would come together. That is definitely not doing the same thing and expecting different results. It is doing what we've done good and then it is increasing that upon erasing what we've done bad. We've done a lot of bad things in our games. There have been a lot of things that we definitely need to change. Every game we tweak something but it is not enough. At this point, you've got to look at the bad things and try to harp on them as much as you can, but with this week being what it is, it's just a short week. I don't know how much you can change in three days."

What are some of the challenges just dealing with the guys' morale the way that this year has gone so far, and then coming off of last year? How do you approach that?

"Sitting at 1-4, I have been part of teams that, whatever our record was, it's a completely different feel. There are a lot of young guys with a lot of hope. There are a lot of older guys that see that there are bright spots, and that there are just plays that we didn't capitalize on. Guys aren't harping and negative right now. We're playing with passion and we're playing our butts off. At the same time, we're not capitalizing on plays that we should. We're missing some minor details and that is something that you can't be proud of. Going forward, we have the chance to rectify a lot of this."

Do you tend to downplay the numbers, like when they compile 519 yards and win by 25 points? Do you think, in the NFL, the numbers can be misleading or is that particularly upsetting in any way?

"What is misleading about 39-10? Nothing is misleading about that. That is something that we have to improve upon."

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New Orleans Saints Running Back Mark IngramConference Call with Local Media AvailabilityMonday, October 12, 2015

Could you describe the mood in the meeting rooms and does playing the Falcons in such a short turn around help you get ready for the game?

"Yeah, man we just have to watch the film, see what we can improve on and we have to get ourselves ready for Thursday since it's a quick turnaround. (Atlanta is a) Good division opponent so we have to put that behind us and play them on Thursday."

Would you rather have a quick turnaround after a game like that or would you prefer more time?

"(It) Doesn't matter, (we have a) 24-hour rule win or lose. We are fortunate enough to be able to play Thursday, instead of a Sunday game, and still take that 24 hour rule. (We) Will be ready to play Thursday."

Is there any challenge to not letting a loss linger into a short week?

"Yeah, but like I said, (we have a) 24-hour rule, win or lose. You can say that, but we have to come out and have a good week of practice and have a good week of preparation so we can go out there Thursday and put ourselves in the best position to have success."

What hasn't been working and what do you need to do to get your yards per carry average up?

"We all just need to improve. Every single one of us. The whole entire team, the offense, everybody. We all have a hand in it and we all have to improve and get better at it."

What do you see on film when you study this Atlanta defense?

"They're flying around. They're playing together, creating turnovers, creating big plays. They're flying around making things happen."

Are you frustrated?

"No, I'm good. I'm not happy with our start of course, nobody is, but I am confident in the players that we have in the locker room. I feel like we all stick together and we're going to push through this. It's not the start we wanted, but I'm not frustrated by any means. I have confidence in our team."

How are you able to maintain such a positive tone while the team is struggling?

"Because all we have is each other. Everybody else is going to talk bad about us and criticize us, but all that matters, if we're going to do anything good, is that it's between us. We will all have each other's backs and we're trying to push each other through it."

How big of a swing is it when you have to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown?

"Yeah, we have to find a way to score touchdowns. Anytime you score in the red zone it's good, but touchdowns are always better, especially in a close game like that. You have to be able to score touchdowns, you have to be able to punch it in when you get that close. We have to improve on that."

Can stats be misleading? Does it feel like this offense is one of the best in the league?

"I know that we have the playmakers and the offense to be one of the best offenses in the league, but we just have to continue to be consistent, everybody be on the same page and make plays when it's time to make plays. We just have to keep working. We know what we're capable of and we know we have talent. We just have to continue to get on the same page."

Is the positive attitude universal or have veteran players recognized when to keep guys in check?

"We just try to uplift each other, even when some guys are down. Just try and encourage each other and be positive because if you're negative it will stay negative. The only way to improve is to stick together. That's our main thing. Stick together and not let everybody else break us up."

In your five seasons, was yesterday the worst day you've had with this team since you've been in the NFL?

"I don't think so. We've had a couple blowout losses. It wasn't the worst, but we've had a couple bad losses."

Can you think of one in particular?

"I remember St. Louis. I remember going to Denver, Dallas last year. So we've had a couple blowout games. Play bad, but we we're in that game for majority of the game. We had a shot, but things went the wrong way after halftime."

Are you guys aware of any reports about possible coaching changes and how does that impact you? Does anyone discuss that you.

"You always hear murmurs and things. You just try and pay attention and take it one day at a time. I haven't heard anything from anybody. It could just be reports, but all we can do is focus on what we can focus on and that is Atlanta. That's what we're preparing for."

From your first year to now has Coach Payton's demeanor changed? Has his coaching style changed? Is he still the same guy he was?

"I think he has been pretty consistent, in my time here, with his coaching style and his philosophy."