New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees*
Local Media Availability
Wednesday, November 2, 2016*
Winning this week would accomplish your goal of being a better road team correct?
"It is the next opportunity, going to the west coast so we will handle this appropriately, as far as getting out there and getting ready to play this game. I would expect a great week of preparation. It is the next game, but it's also the next step in our development as a team, so regardless of who we are playing it's about our execution, it's about our ability to take another step forward."
What has happened on the road that hasn't happened at home?
"I would just say the execution hasn't been as good and as we sort through that, which you know we spend a lot of time on that recently. I feel like we've made emphasis where it needs to be made and we're practicing that and we fell like the execution will be better as a result of it."
Are the last four games a representation of what you think this team can be?
"We want to see constant improvement and we know that there is evenflow in every season, but we don't want to be one of those teams that's really good one week and then not so good the next week. We want to constantly be trending upward. We want to constantly be making improvements and that doesn't mean that every game is going to increase the amount you win by, because each game presents new challenges and it is what it is, but bottom line is we know the areas that we know we can get better (in) and I think we also know that's just the next step in our development, so there is a great sense of urgency around here. It's kind of the philosophy of maybe you would be in at the very beginning of a season from week one to week two. Where you know the amount of improvement you have to make and that's where you need to show your greatest side of improvement and I feel like that sense of urgency is at that level going into this week and that's really kind of the way it's been the last few weeks, in regards to continuing to stride forward."
Do you sense there is a difference in attitude because of the recent success?
"I mean it always feels better when you win and it's easier to overlook things when you win. When you lose you obviously come in the next day and everybody feels terrible and you really take a hard look at the film and I could have done this differently, could have done that differently. After you win you turn on the film and I think human nature (makes) you look at it and say we still did enough to win, it didn't get us beat, maybe just don't pay the attention that it deserves. I think you are constantly fighting human nature in this business and that is you probably overreact when you lose and you underreact when you win and we just want to make sure that we're not that team that's up and down, win, loss, win, loss because we fall in the trap of human nature. We want to constantly be trending upward and improve."
Do you block out everybody saying the 49ers are 1-6?
"I don't even pay attention to it. I mean I don't, I turn on the film and I look at the defense and say what do we need to do to attack this defense. They have a lot of good players on that defense. They fly around and they've made a lot of plays, so that's what I see. I know the challenge that we have ahead of us and again this league each and every week you have to be at your very best. There is no bye week besides your actual bye week in this league. Everybody plays hard, everybody plays to win and we know that we need to have our best performance to get a W."
What have Zach Strief and Jahri Evans done for the right side of the line?
"I think they are doing great and there are a lot of years between those two guys and a lot of years together and don't discount that. That's important when you have that type of continuity and trust. I guess it would be similar to the quarterback and receiver relationship where you just have the time on task and you have so many experiences together that if it's happening we've seen this before or we have been there before. There is no position on the field like the offensive line, in regards to continuity and communication, relationships and man just what those guys have to do together. Honestly, those two have been in the best in the business for a long time together now for a long time, right next to each other on the right side."
What is your relationship like with (San Francisco 49ers head coach) Chip Kelly?
"I have met Chip Kelly on a few occasions. I really like him in the times that I've been around him. He's a guy I have admired from afar back to the Oregon days just with the style of offense that he runs. We played their division last year when he was with the Eagles. We played the NFC East. I found that we watched a ton of film on him. You are evaluating their offense as much as you are their defense that you are playing. I have always thought that he has done a great job. He seems like he'd be a fun guy to play for and that would be a fun system to play in."
Kelly mentioned that you guys got together during Super Bowl week and talked a lot about offense; how often during the offseason do you bump into coaches like that and talk about offense?
"I'd say the opportunities are probably slim. There are not a whole lot of opportunities where we actually have a chance to talk (about offense). Plus, in a lot of cases, there is a lot of competition, especially with someone in your division. I respect him as a great offensive minded coach in this league. As things come up, it could be a question about some concept or some bit of offensive football knowledge in general. I am always thirsting for information and knowledge as it pertains to just understanding the game better or maybe a way that it can help my team."
It is such a familiar pattern with you guys where you have had these slow starts and then you muster what it takes to get to .500; have you tried to figure out how to sustain that and not just have to get back to .500?
"My goal is not to get back to .500. My goal is to win the next game. Next week it is going to be the same thing. There is no more important game than this week. I don't think we've had our best performance yet. I am striving for that. I am waiting for that. I am excited about the evolution of this offense and this team. Each week I feel that we learn something new about us, in a good way. That is why I get excited to step on the field each week, is just to see what steps forward we can take this week."
Was there anything you learned from the past seasons where you didn't get past that next step?
"I'm really just focused on what is ahead of us here. Any time you falter, you can probably say that it's a number of different things. You can say that you were looking too far ahead, you weren't focused on the task in front of you or you were just distracted and you were worried about other things besides just the challenge that was right in front of you. A lot of it is the personality of the team too so what type of guys you have. Do they understand the nature of this league and what is going to be required of them week in and week out? I would say that we have assembled the right type of guys. I would say that this team is different than the teams from the past, and from the past two years especially."
On the field, do you see the same quarterback when you look at Colin Kaepernick?
"I haven't seen any of their offensive tape this year."
Do you feel vindicated in any way in how it has come around (because you were so positive)?
"No, because the job is not done yet. There is still so much work to be done. I am still striving for perfection or as close as we can get to it. I know you'll never reach perfection. I just feel like we're building something here, different than the last few years. I feel like we've got some pieces in place now that are here for the long-term. We've got a great opportunity and so I am really not worried about what our record is and I am not worried about the record of any other team that we play. All I am focused on is how good can we be this week and how can we continue to build on that as the season goes on. We'll count them up at the end and see where we are at."
