New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cameron Jordan
Conference Call With New Orleans Media
Monday, December 1, 2014

Can you talk about the defensive effort yesterday and bouncing back after three disappointing games?

"Really this whole week we put an emphasis on the defense stepping up, everyone just doing their job and not really doing more than we needed to. A lot of plays that we've tried to create have ended up going the opposite way. It really was about staying home, focusing on every minute detail and honestly getting after it. I think we did decent enough job to come out with the win but at the same time there is still a lot more room for improvement."

Did you hear about Sean Payton's comments after the game where he said his relationship with Rob Ryan is outstanding?

"Honestly I did not even get to hear his comments. I know that they are coaches and of course they're in tune with the game and things can get heated just like teammates can get at each other. The most important thing is that they communicate, discuss things and move on and it sounds like that's what they did. I don't have the full scoop on that but Coach Payton is very passionate about the game, and so is Rob (Ryan), so when you get two passionate people I'm sure they're bound to have words."

What is the worst thing you can remember a coach or teammate saying to you or that you said to them? How soon is it forgotten?

"It dissipates rather quickly. Everybody understands from athlete to coach that within a game you're going to be quite intense within the game so things happen. What you have to realize is that it's a part of the game and you just have to keep pushing forward. And the next day, if not during the game, come out and talk about it, realize where you could have gone better and just go on from there."

Anything you can remember where you were playing and got chewed out?

"Of course. In high school my dad was one of the football coaches. There have been plenty of times where I probably tested the father-son relationship within the coach-player relationship. That just teaches you early on that in a game you have realize you are talking to another person and you have to carry your temperament about you. It is all life lessons and you move on from there."

Do you think the team let up after the wins against Green Bay and Carolina?

"Our biggest thing right now is definitely finishing games and I am just glad we pulled that one out. There were a lot of positives from that game, a lot of negatives from that game, and we are going to learn from our negatives. The biggest part is we got that win and we finally finished."

What did the defensive line do in particular that was important to containing that offense?

"As a defense I think we stepped up our game, not just the defensive line. Everybody paid attention to detail and was really focused and got stops when we needed to get stops. They still ran the ball quite well that first quarter but we became more of a stout defense for the last three quarters until the last couple of drives. That's what really matters, the team coming together, the cohesive bond of knowing that we have each other's backs."

Did you figure anything out in particular that game that you can carry forward or did you just have a really good game?

"You have to enjoy when you receive a mismatch and you have to take advantage of all opportunities presented to you. I think there were still some missed opportunities left out there on the field, I just broke down film and I've got to correct a couple things. So I am excited for next week and honestly I am not even worried about yesterday's game because that was what it was, yesterday's game."

Carolina hasn't won a game in two months but as the division has gone this is their last shot at making the playoffs. What kind of effort do you expect out of them?

"I was going to say, it's a division game. We know them, they know us. It's a survivor battle every time. I don't know what standings we're at, I don't know what standings they're at, I know that we have to get this win. Carolina is going to come in and, of course, you've got Cam Newton that you have to be aware of. We have to do a great job of keeping contain. I think we've done a decent job of keeping contain this whole year with the mobile quarterbacks we have faced. We've faced most of the mobile quarterbacks in this league and we've done a decent job of containing them and that's just what we have to do going in to this game."

When you talk about containing mobile quarterbacks, can you give some examples of things you thought you did well?

"As a d-lineman you are always going to put it on yourself to try and keep contain. And then when you have great interior push from the defensive lineman like Akiem Hicks, Tyrunn Walker, Brodrick Bunkley who is now out, Brandon Deaderick, you just have to rely on your interior guys to really push that pocket and not allow any quarterback to escape through and I think they've done a great job so far this year."

How much do you think Ben Roethlisberger was impacted by being hit on the hand?

"I don't know. I would he was affected, but those last two drives he looked perfectly fine to me."

Junior Galette said last week that with a young secondary it's up to the defensive front and line to lead the way. Do you agree with that? Particularly in this matchup, is it important for the pass rush to set the tone when playing Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers?

"Wholeheartedly. When you're young at one position that means you've got to take leaps and bounds in the next position. It's part of a defense so it has to rely on an entire defense, it can't just rely on one position group. We've just got to keep excelling and getting better every week. Going in to this game, of course I want to start off with the d-line putting pressure on Cam (Newton) and at the same time keeping him contained, and let the linebackers and secondary cover who they need to cover and we'll come out with this win again."

What can you say about your interception and how you created that? How much of that was instinctive and how much of that was training?

"Both. I've done it a couple of times in practice  over the past couple of years, never got a chance to do it in a game, finally got the right bounce off the hand and luckily I had enough awareness to just track the ball immediately and made a decent play. I thought I was going to score, I thought I was going to score."

How do you rate your return after the interception? Should you have scored?

"No, apparently there was a tackle still on me, so whatever."