Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Postgame Quotes
Saints Quarterback Drew Brees

Was the noise at all a factor to the delays and the pre-snap penalties?

* *"No, I didn't feel like it was. We had our silent cadence going like we normally do anytime on the road. We were flinching a little bit too soon on occasions. Those were costly. Penalties killed a number of drives and put us into situations where we could've been in much more manageable situations. Overall, I feel like we were good on third down. We were nine of fourteen and kept a lot of drives going by making some big conversions, the ones that we didn't were because of penalties. We are to blame for that. We knew going up against a team like the Chiefs, with what they do offensively with ball control, time of possession, and being super efficient, we knew our execution had to be at a premium. Unfortunately those penalties were costly on a few drives. I felt like throughout the game we moved the ball well and were pretty balanced in regards to the flow. On our scoring drives, the flow was really good, and on the ones we didn't get points, it was either because we turned the ball over or we had penalties that killed the drive. That can't happen against a team like this in this type of environment. We got what we deserved."

What did you see on the pick?

"Could have been better ball placement for Willie [Snead], I could've put the ball about a foot more to his right, but unfortunately it was one of those unlucky things where the ball gets tipped, it's up in the air, it hits off Willie's helmet, and it gives time for another guy to come over that's in the right place at the right time and return that for a touchdown. That gives them seven, and we are on our way to getting what we think is seven points inside the ten-yard line, definitely three points, so it's a 10-yard swing. At the end of the day we lose by six points. It's a 10-point swing that determines the game.

Do you ever consider using timeouts in the third quarter or early in the second half and taking the penalty, or is there a habit you call a timeout when you see the clock running down?

"No. It is depending on the situation. We lost two challenges, so we lost timeouts on those. Then, I called a timeout on third down when it's third and five. That's a critical situation in the redzone. You don't want 3rd-and-10. Yes, I am going to use the timeout. At the end of the day, you wish you would've gotten up to the ball and gotten the thing snapped, but there was confusion on their part on that play. It was one of those that would have affected the play, so you have to allow things to transpire and then all of the sudden the clock is down so you have to burn the timeout, that is what they are for."

On the success of opening drives

"You spend a lot of time and diligence coming up with a game plan and obviously to start the game, we talk about what starting fast does for the team and momentum. I feel like historically we have been good in that regard. You really have to be great with your execution and inevitably you probably have to convert a few third downs. It's all of those things wrapped into one."

How tough is it to swallow a loss like this where you meet every category, but the turnovers are a factor?

"I think about the Atlanta game this year too where we gave them fourteen points on that occasion. Today, there was a ten, maybe fourteen-point swing. When you look at the final score, put everything else aside, that's the determining factor in the game."

How challenging is it that you guys play these tight games, with single digit losses, do you worry about this team?

"No I don't. Number one, it's better than getting blown out. Number two; we know that we can compete with anyone, anywhere. We have won two of these and last four. I still feel like we are an ascending team and are getting better. You have to understand what will get you beat. We have 10 regular season games left, I think we can go the whole time without turning it over, but if you do turn it over it's not like the day is over. We can overcome anything, but we have to understand the odds go against you when you get pre-snap penalties, when you put yourself in third-and-long situations, when you turn the ball over and give them points from short field. We understand that."

Talk about Michael Thomas' progression "He is getting better and better. We are continuing to open up the playbook for him and find ways to utilize him. Everyone is involved and had big contributions today. I love the group, the whole group, not just the wide receiver group, all of those co-position guys. I feel like everything at times today, was really in concentrate. We put together some really nice, long drives. We opened up the second half with sixteen plays that took up nine minutes. That's good stuff. You like big plays but sometimes you have to grind them out. Kansas City did a nice job making us earn everything. Unfortunately, those two turnovers and a couple pre-snap penalties doomed us today."

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