Quarterback DREW BREES
"I would just say there's just not a large margin for error on both sides of the ball right now. We're just not quite doing enough to get the job done right now. When I look at us offensively today, I felt like we moved the ball well. We certainly put up a lot of yards. On that first drive, you're down there inside the 1 ... and you'd like to be able to get a touchdown right there. You'd certainly like to walk away with points but you'd like to get a touchdown - that really sets the tone for the game. There were two throws in the red zone that if I had made better throws, we would have had touchdowns instead of field goals. Obviously, the interception return - that's seven points for them. It's really just bad luck - you get wrapped up just as the ball's coming out of your hands and it kind of deviates the throw a little bit, it's behind (Jimmy Graham) and it's intercepted. This is a game of inches and split seconds. Unfortunately, a lot of those haven't gone our way this year, especially the last three games. We've got to accept what's happened but remain undeterred in regard to our direction for this team, this program. Winning cures a lot of things; it certainly makes you feel better about yourself and what you're doing. It's no fun to lose; it's no fun to be 4-7. You worry about the things you can control - let's get better this week and let's get a win."
"I think as a professional, as a competitor, you want to go out and play great. You have to have the mental wherewithal and toughness to move past bad plays and put those behind you. It's the team that makes the least amount of bad plays that wins, not necessarily the team that makes the most amount of good plays. Unfortunately, we've been in situations where on both sides we've allowed those things to take place."
"We had a close one against San Francisco that went to overtime. Last week was kind of a weird game with so few possessions. Again, we're not super efficient in ways we know we need to be - red zone, specifically. I talked about the ones tonight. We get nothing on that first drive and two field goals. That changed the complexion of this game. It really changed the complexion of the San Francisco game. I can just point to that specifically and say that would be a difference-maker for us offensively - red-zone efficiency."
Did previous loss send team into a tailspin:
"No. That was a hard-fought game that could have gone our way. I sure wish it would have gone our way. That game did not result in the next game."
On playing Baltimore and Pittsburgh coming off byes:
"More time gives you more time to game plan. That allows guys to get rested and healthy. Certainly, coming off more time is a benefit, but we don't control the schedule. That's just the way it goes sometimes. You've got to show up for work.
"There's no more important game than the next one. Regardless, it should very much remain the focus. Whether everybody thinks you should win or everybody thinks you should lose, that shouldn't matter within the locker room. If we continue to do things right, good things are going to happen.
"We've got a great group of guys. We've got a great mix of young talent and veteran leadership. For some of us who have been here a long time, to have this type of stretch is very disappointing. It's not what we like to put out on the field in front of our home fans. But then again, it is the National Football League. There's no guarantees. The team that goes out and makes the fewest mistakes and executes the best wins."
Safety KENNY VACCARO
"I've got to give credit to Baltimore. They played well. I am looking forward to watching the tape."
On why it was hard to stop the run:
"I don't know right now. I haven't watched the tape. We've got to get it fixed though."
On the penalty against him after his altercation with Steve Smith:
"He is just a competitive player. I made a tackle. He stiff-armed my helmet off. I am not going to back down, but at the same time, I can't get stupid penalties. It was a thing where I am not going to back down. It's just the way that it is. He is a grown man. I'm a grown man."
Linebacker DAVID HAWTHORNE
On not playing well enough to win:
"We didn't win enough battles to win the game. We didn't win the game. We've got to go back to the basics. It is basic fundamentals, get off blocks, make plays."
On the team needing to stick together:
"It is our job as a team to pull together and not pull apart. That is what we are going to do. We are going to stick it in there (and play hard). Everything that we want is right there in front of us, we just got to keep grinding."
On if he is worried about the 4-7 record:
"I'm not worried. I just know that there is a sense of urgency to get better, to improve, and to come out and put together a complete game. That is something that we haven't done. It's a race for us to get better."
Cornerback KEENAN LEWIS
"Every game that we come out, it is something new. Sometimes we have problems with the pass. Sometimes we have problems with the run. Sometimes we have a problem with both. We have to fix everything."
On still being in the hunt to win the division:
"I'm not even worried about the hunt. There isn't a hunt when you are at 4-7. You have to look past that. You've got to worry about winning the next game. There is no such thing as a hunt when you are 4-7."
Tackle ZACH STRIEF
On the losing streak:
"If you look at two of these games, I think that guys have played hard. I don't think that the team necessarily played poorly. We are just not finding ways to win. We are finding ways to lose. It's on us. There are no excuses. It's extremely disappointing. …To lose three at home is disappointing. We've got to keep working. There is still stuff in front of us."
