Quarterback DREW BREES
On confusing the defense on the last play:
"We had gone through this play several times before. We had thrown the ball to C.J. [Spiller] just out in the flat when they had guys who were late getting lined up, and that was one where we had a vertical route called to C.J., and I felt like, if we caught them in man [defense] again, and there was any confusion, we could have a big play, and sure enough, we did. I just tried to get to the middle of field, get it to C.J., and let him do the rest. You know this, if C.J. gets behind anybody, he's the fastest guy on the field, so there's nobody who's going to catch him."
On that play being in the back pocket if they needed it:
"Yes. We had a lot of plays in the plan that put him in different positions to run or catch the ball whether it was short or vertical. Obviously, he's only been healthy for us for two or three games so, just the opportunity to kind of work him into the offense now and see what he can do is great."
On how he felt post-injury:
"I felt good. I felt good enough; good enough to get the job done."
On C.J.'s performance being crux of what he can do:
"You keep putting a guy in a position to try and utilize his strengths, and eventually, one hits. That's all about being patient; you're not just going to make a call and it's going to work every time. There are times where they are smart too. If he's drawing a lot of attention, then we can let somebody else go with it, and they can make plays with it. You just kind of pick and choose your moments. If they play that ball differently, then maybe that ball doesn't go to C.J. [Spiller] vertically, maybe that ball goes to Ben Watson or [Brandin] Cooks, so you call plays with maybe opportunities for everybody depending on the coverage and the matchup."
On short passing game being a reaction to what defense gave them:
"We are always going to take what they gave us. I felt like we were getting separation early, so the opportunity kind of hit us early to get it to some of these quick hitters. Obviously, we wanted to refocus in the second half and get back to the run game just to compliment what we were doing in the passing game. We only had ... six rushing attempts in the first half."
On dodging potential bullets from dropped interceptions:
"They were holding us on all of those plays. Sometimes the receiver is going to be there on those plays, and sometimes he's not because he's getting held. Sometimes that happens."
On going from missed field goal at end of regulation to game-winning play in OT:
"Obviously, we put the two- minute drive together to put ourselves in a position to hit a very makeable field goal. It was funny because, as that ball was bouncing off of the left upright, I just said to myself 'Alright, well this is not the way that God has intended us to win the game. He's got another plan, but I know we are going to win it.' As I was standing there, before we went out, I did kind of think to myself, and this rarely happens, but I did think to myself, maybe God intended No. 400 to be the one that wins this game. Thanks to C.J. Spiller, that happened."
On being aware of 400-TD milestone:
"I was aware of it. You try to tune a lot of stuff out, but kind of like the passing record back in 2011, you hear guys whispering, and then somebody kind of makes the mistake, just like in a dugout when somebody's got a no-hitter, saying 'Hey, did you know that it's the seventh inning and they don't have a hit on you?' I guess I was aware of it, and just kind of made that part of my thought process. I knew we were going to out there and win this game. Right when the play call came in out of Sean Payton's mouth for C.J., I thought 'This was it. This one is going the distance.'"
RB C.J. SPILLER
On getting more involved:
"It was a great team win tonight for us. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout that game. We kept fighting and kept believing, and we were able to get the win tonight."
On feeling like game-winning play was going to end the game when it was called in:
"When we called it and I lined up and saw that they were having a problem, I figured that there was probably going to be one guy to make miss. Fortunately, I was able to do that, and then I looked up at the Jumbotron and make sure there was nobody coming."
On being able to stay focused and motivated even with lack of touches:
"I'm always focused on staying in tune, because you never know when you are going to go out there. I wasn't worried about how many times I was touching the ball throughout the game. I was making sure to keep my legs loose, and I was also encouraging Mark [Ingram], Khiry [Robinson], and the other guys. I told them last night that there was going to be high and lows throughout the game, but we have to be able to put the bad plays behind us and just focus on that one play that's called in the huddle. That's kind of my mindset when I'm on the sideline, just focus on the play that's called, and then when I'm in there, just trying to execute."
On giving Drew Brees his 400th TD ball:
"I'm a guy who really doesn't read stats. Last night, I saw on TV that he was two touchdowns away from the 400 club. I knew he had that first touchdown to [Josh] Hill, so I ran up to him and said 'This is your ball, brother. You deserve it.' He's probably the best teammate that I have ever played with just from his work ethic, preparation, the way that he believes in his guys, as well as the way he goes out and competes. He deserves it."
TE BEN WATSON
On Drew Brees answering doubters with performance:
"I don't think he's worried about doubters. One thing about this business is that you can't be worried about doubters. I think Drew's concerned about helping us win a game, and that's what he did a fabulous job of doing."
On any difference in Brees' performance now and a few years ago:
"I've only been with him for a few years, but he seems to be the same guy to me. I don't have a very long history with him, but when I get here in 2013, I noticed that he was very dedicated to his craft. He's obviously one of the best. He studies very hard. He performs on Sundays, and he's one of the leaders on this team."
On Brees being hurt at all by lingering shoulder injury:
"I didn't see anything. He's coming off an injury, so there are probably some things that he may not be able to do as usual. He seemed to be fine. I haven't watched the film, and when you're in the game you're not always able to tell what's going on, but congratulations to him on getting that 400-touchdown milestone tonight."
WR BRANDIN COOKS
On his mind-set after the missed field goal:
"Our mindset was that we are going to get the ball and win the game. That's honestly what we were thinking."
On where he saw the last play:
"I think I was on the opposite side of the field. As soon as I saw C.J. (Spiller) catch the ball, I knew it was game over. "
S KENNY VACCARO
On getting the win:
"It was an overall team win. We all just piggybacked off one another. It was exciting."
On how big it was to get the first win of the season:
"It was big and will give us a lot of momentum. We need to win out. That's the goal and that's what we are going to do."
On his mind-set after the missed field goal:
"Keep fighting. Just keep fighting to get the offense the ball back."
On bouncing back after the fourth-quarter touchdown:
"We just keep fighting. We are close as a defense. We don't really bicker at one another. We knew that we would make a play."
LB STEPHONE ANTHONY
On his performance:
"Personally, I think I made some big plays when the opportunity presented itself. It was a great team win. The defense got stops when we needed them."
On recovering from the two big early running plays:
"We just needed to settle down. Then, we went out there and played."
On how the young players are coming along:
"I think they are coming along pretty good. We are still young, but we are going to continue to grow each week."
K ZACH HOCKER
On the missed field goal:
"There's no excuse for it. All I can say is that I will get it next time. It's one of those things where I had a great game. I made the two field goals and felt confident going into that kick. I looked at the sidelines and wanted to put a smile on those guy's faces. Unfortunately, it clipped off the left upright. It was just a bad ball. It was very unfortunate, but I am thankful that I am playing with a family here. On the sideline, Drew (Brees) connecting with C.J. (Spiller) was awesome to watch. It's unacceptable, but thankful those guys have my back out there. You never want to miss whether it's a 60-yarder or a 30-yarder. It's just one of those things where it didn't go in."
On the punt:
"I'm called to fill in whenever Thomas (Morstead) goes down. They called my number Thankfully, I was able to go out there and get one good punt. My job is to make field goals too. I'm going to do everything in my power to make the kicks that I can. Next time I'm going to get it."
