Transcript of New Oreans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' postgame press conference:
Did you get tired of hearing you can't win on the road?
Yeah. And I'll be honest with you it had zero factor in the way that we played today or a couple weeks ago when we went to Detroit or anything else. I know that's the storylines need to be created and everything. We do understand our road record over the last seven or eight trips but we just know if we come out and we execute and we start fast we finish fast and we execute in between we'll win a lot of football games. And we just haven't done that especially on the road, but I feel like the last couple of times we have continued to get better and better and if you want to call it breaking the seal, or whatever you want to call it, we just call it another win. A great team victory all around. Great execution on both sides of the ball. Guys making plays when they need to make plays, and just a great team victory.
The turnovers and not converting early drives
I think again that's just … adversity is going to come at some point in the game. We don't know when but we preach starting fast and I felt like we did. But unfortunately, we go down and we get the pick and then the fumble as we are driving, but we are moving the ball the whole time. So you are sitting here going ok obviously we can't do this because it's giving them momentum and good field position. It sort of forced us to play the game inside of our 10-yard line to start for about the next three or four drives but we knew if we just kept plugging away and thinking about execution, thinking about balance, then we would be able to score some points and sure enough we did.
Have you enjoyed the running game developing lately?
Mark's been real consistent; the O line has done a heck of a job. We've done it in spite of not having any true backs here the last couple of weeks. Pierre and obviously those guys are a big part of what we do, but Mark has carried the load and has come in and done a great job when his number has been called. Certain things in the passing game, which then if we can have success there, then it complements the run. It's when our offense is at its best.
The fourth-and-goal play
It was just one of those like, "hey, if we get the look then great. And if not then we can always call a timeout and talk about it." But it looked like it was there and so I went for it.
How important are the big plays at the end of the half?
Oh it was huge. Anytime you can score in a two-minute situation, especially at the end of the first half then you have all of that momentum going into halftime. And it wasn't just a field goal, it was touchdown with three seconds left, so kind of one of those last plays before we kicked the field goals and that's a four-point swing there and that's a lot of momentum. So you come in 14-0 but now we are still preaching each drive being the most important one of the game and forget the 14-point lead you know it is about winning the second half as well and so that is what matters.
Jimmy Graham's health and is he 100%?
I know it's day-to-day with the injury. He is a tough guy and so he has had to play through a lot here over the last few weeks and he's done it magnificently and I think as the weeks go by he will continue to get healthier and healthier and he will start to feel better. You wouldn't know just by watching him play but I know there are times when he is hurting in there and he's still battling in there and that's just the type of player that he is.
On punter Thomas Morestead
Listen, he's the leg. I mean to be honest with you during the course of the game I'm not thinking a whole lot about where is Morestead going to put this punt. I'm focused on what are we going to see from the defense and how are we going to tackle it when we go back out there or what are the things we need to do. You just kind of worry about the things that you can control. But it's nice when you see one of those booming punts go back and pin them inside the 10. You kinda say if our defense comes up with a stop here then we are going to get good field position. He can be the secret weapon. That's for sure.
Adjustments late in the half or halftime?
Yeah, we stopped turning the ball over. Those were the changes. Because we were moving the ball, again. On the road, Thursday night football, they are hyped up… all that stuff. We go right down the field. And then unfortunately get the tip pass that comes back to a D-lineman, of all things, and then we get the ball back deep in our territory and we drive it all the way past the 50 and then all of a sudden the ball comes out. So two mistakes that we try to avoid and a little bit of bad luck but in the end, you still have to press on and find a way to move the ball and you know if you don't convert it to points, it's going to be a long day so we have to get rolling here and we did.
Knowing when to take a sack
Both times the ball came out was when I was throwing. I threw the ball away a lot too. That's just being a quarterback in this league, that's managing the game. That's knowing when to avoid the sack and avoid a seven-yard loss, especially on a first and second down that does a lot for your third down opportunities. Your third down numbers. So I don't care about the incompletions, I'm more concerned about how do we continue drives? How do we put ourselves in favorable third-down situations?
