Quarterback DREW BREES

On Pierre Thomas today:

"He's outstanding. He's everything that you want in a teammate not only on game day but throughout the week. His work ethic is professional. He's there whenever we call upon him. He can be your two back heavy downhill runner. He can be your nickel picking guys up in protection. He can catch screens. He can pick up check downs. He can do it all. He's been here for a long time. He's one of the best all-purpose backs in the league. He's been doing that for a long time"

On Khiry Robinson's performance:

"He was tremendous. It obviously all starts up front. The offensive line battled. As tired as our guys were, we wore the defense down. I think it was just a battle of wills at that point. Our guys controlled the line of scrimmage and allowed Khiry to put it to them. He was the hammer.

On overcoming the interceptions:

"The first two shouldn't have happened. You just have to know the situation. We are going to take chances. The one at the end (of regulation) was third and 12. They were playing man and we were going to try to hit a big play.

"We gave them the shift in momentum at a point in the game I thought we had it fully grasped. It's that balance of us having the ball at the end of the half. It's a situation where we should get some points. Instead, we gave them the opportunity to give them points. It's 13-3 at the time. Maybe we going into the half up 16-3 or 20-3. They shouldn't get the ball back and get this sudden burst of momentum. They scored a touchdown. Those can be big swings in a game. I think most importantly is the way that we responded back. We are going to stay aggressive and stay confident. We just have to know that the opportunities will come."

Running back PIERRE THOMAS

On the importance of the win:

"It was very big. We wanted to have a win going into the bye week to put our hopes and spirits up. That's what we did."

On the screen passes today:

"The screen worked for us. It's been awhile since we used them. Sean (Payton) called it at the right times. It just hit for big yards."

On priding him himself on consistency:

"I guess you can say that's my gift. I don't have the top speed like some of these guys. Consistency is my gift and what I bring to the table. It helps me out and it helps this team out."

Tight end BENJAMIN WATSON

On doubts down 11 in the fourth quarter:

"There were no doubts. You keep playing and you trust that the defense will get you the ball back. We ended up tying it up and wining it in overtime. We would have rather won in regulation. We played a good football team today. It was a hard fought battle."

Safety RAFAEL BUSH

On the defensive turnaround after giving up the lead:

"It's just the ebbs and flows of the game. They are going to make plays. We just had to keep our composure and continue to play. That's exactly what we did."

On the importance of the defensive series resulting in a safety:

"That whole drive was very big. We had them pinned down there inside their 20. They had a few flags that went our way. That sack was great. It definitely gave us a boost of energy and we needed it. It came at the right time."

On watching the last drive:

"It was great. We were prepared to go back out there if need be. Our offense did a great job. Khiry (Robinson) had a heck of a run. We sealed the deal."

JUNIOR GALETTE

On responding after the 24-0 Tampa run:

"We emphasized finishing. We've got to finish. That's what we did."

On Khiry Robinson's game winning touchdown:

"He just went into beast mode. That was just beast mode. We see it all of the time in practice. That's just what he does. The kid has been working hard."

On Patrick Robinson's interception:

"That was huge. We were happy. That was a huge momentum shift for us when Patrick got it."

On the safety:

"Cam (Jordan) and I just worked together. We came through because we needed that big play. We made it happen in a big situation."