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New Orleans Saints Running Back Mark Ingram

Post-Practice Media Availability

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Can you assess what you guys did on the ground in the first quarter?

"We moved the ball pretty well.  I picked up (a conversion) on a third and one.  We got down in the red zone and we wanted to score a touchdown, but we had to come away with a field goal.  I think overall we took some good things away from the game.  We had a lot of positives and there were a lot of things to learn from on the film.  We just want to keep improving and that's what it is all about."

Coach Payton said it was a sloppy performance on Friday night. Are you guys focusing on details in meetings?

"Yes, you just have to have guys that know where they are going when the huddle is broken.  They have to get lined up, get set up quicker, and know what they are doing.  It was kind of sloppy.  We had to have a guy on the field when there were 10 guys on the field or we were missing a wing on a punt, things like that.  Everybody has to be on the same page communicating on the sideline.  We just have to clean that stuff up, but that stuff happens in the preseason and that's why we have the preseason and training camp so we can clean that stuff up and get it all out the way each week."

How many plays did you guys do with an emphasis on the outside zone?

"I ran it one time and then I had an inside zone.  I had two, I picked up a third and one and it was an outside zone as well.  But I think throughout the whole game the offensive line blocked it well and all the runners ran the outside zone pretty effectively throughout the whole game.  I think it is paying off for us."

Do you think you guys are in a good spot?

"I think we are getting on the same page with it.  I think it was productive for us in all phases.  From the first quarter to the fourth quarter, I think we had some positive runs from the outside zone.  Obviously we can still get better at it, but it did well for us."

New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Preston Parker

Post-Practice Media Availability

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Obviously you got a chance to get in the end zone a pair of times. You've worked in order to get to that point and to get comfortable in this offense enough to get to that point, right?

"Yes. All the (wide) receivers work hard out here. Everybody works hard out here and it pays off."

What do you think your role will be going forward whether you role is on offense or on special teams?

"Going 110 percent on every team I play on. Any team they put me on I've got to show effort and play fast."

What did Sean Payton say to you today when he pulled you aside?

"He just told me to make sure I keep doing what I'm doing and going full speed. He just let me know to keep finishing and doing well."

The depth chart at receiver is pretty cluttered right now. To make the most of your chances and score two touchdowns, what does that mean to you?

"I just love the experience. To come out here with a bunch of good athletes from all over the world is just a good experience. I love being here. It's just a good job."

How much do you feel like your experience in playing in 27 games and catching 40 balls in Tampa Bay the last three years helps you? Do you feel like that helps you to be ahead of the game?

"I know that being in the game it helps with the pressure because you know that you've already done this. It just eases it just a little bit, I don't mean all the way gone because you're still trying to make the team, but it eases the pressure just a little bit."

Does it feel good after a game when Coach Payton doesn't say a lot of nice things but he says that you played an exceptional game?

"Of course it makes you smile. It's Sean Payton so you already know."

You've gone through what younger guys like Kenny Stills are going through right now as they try to figure out what NFL football is all about. Do they come to you with questions?

"Anybody with more than one year, they'll come to a vet. We just give them the most information we can so we can ease their minds and ease the pressure for them. We're just there for them no matter when it is, make sure we're there for the young guys and make sure they're learning and reaching their potential."

Coach Ellard says you do a good job of going to get the ball. How natural is that?

Just like when you wake up and know you got to go to work to pay the bills, I see the ball in the air and I go get it because I got to pay the bills so I just go and get it."

Going through the situation in Tampa Bay, coach Payton says you have a hunger for a job. Everyone has it but you've been through a different situation. Can you talk about your experience of being out of a job.

"The experience (of) going home (last year) was probably the longest I've been away from football. It gave me a reality check and let me know who I was. It made me cherish my job much more than I (ever) did before. I love the game now and that's the difference. You have to love the game. That's when the hunger keeps coming out every game and every practice. It just feels good."

What happened the last year in Tampa? You went from being an important part to seeing less time.

"New coaches came in and they decided they wanted someone else and they released me. I was good with their decision because that's how things happen in the NFL. I had to take it, go home and get a reality check. I don't blame them and I'm not mad at them. You just keep going and take the experience from Tampa and bring it here."

When the staff called from here was there any questions about what happened with your being let go in Tampa Bay?

"I didn't even need clothes. I just came up and worked out and went home. I spent time with my son and kept praying."

How long were you at home?

"It was too long, probably like six or seven months. I watched the NFL from the second game all the way to the Super Bowl. I had to deal with the people at home and that stuff. It was all a good experience. I learned a lot from what happened and I'm still learning."

Can you be the speed guy?

"I'm going to do whatever they ask me to do; I'm going to go get it."

New Orleans Saints Inside Linebacker Curtis Lofton

Post-Practice Media Availability

August, 11, 2013

You guys had a chance to break down the film today. What did you see from a defensive standpoint?

"It was positive. I think guys tackled well. We got off the field on third down and got pressure on the quarterback."

How about the negatives?

"I feel like we could have gotten aligned quicker. We were a little slow getting in and out of the huddle. We made up for that today. We came out, practiced in the situations, and finally got a good tempo."

When you are going from doing it out in practice to doing it out in the game, is it more difficult to get the alignment up because you are looking at a different offense as opposed to your own?

"No. I think it's easier because our offense gives us some difficult stuff (to face). (You face) Different motions, different personnel, (and) different formations. That makes us go through every check we have. Once we get to the game, it kind of makes it easier and slows it down a little bit."

What were you guys able to do after that first defensive drive to kind of settle in and play well?

"It's a new system. It was early on and I just felt like we needed to settle in and get the flow of the game. Once we did that we shut them down. They couldn't run the ball or pass the ball (as effectively). We got off the field and got (a) pass rush. There are a lot of positives but to say we have arrived is premature. We are far from that. We still have a lot of work to do."

Obviously when a quarterback is trying to attack a defense and you get him to check down you consider that a win. In your mind, working with the outside linebackers, when they are throwing those swing routes or flat routes is the goal sort of holding them to three yards as opposed to eight? What is the goal with that?

"That's the point of the defense. (We need to) Take away the big throws and force them to check down. We did a great job of that but when the ball gets to the check down, everybody has to break on the ball. We have to hold that to about three or four yards. That's what we are willing to give up. We need to do a better job of getting off the field."

New Orleans Saints Safety Kenny Vaccaro

Post-Practice Media Availability

August, 11, 2013

In your first taste of real life NFL action, how did it go for you?

"It was fun. I really thought it would be a little bit faster but I was prepared and it kind of slowed down in front of me as the game went on."

Why didn't it feel fast to you?

"Probably just coming from the Big 12 with their(up) tempo offenses. To get a breather between each snap was wonderful for me. I'm not used to that because in college it was just play after play after play with no huddle. It slowed down for me."

Where do you think this defense needs to go after what you saw on tape?

"I think we have a long way to go. I think that after that first drive, we played really well. We executed the defense, guys were hustling to the ball, everybody was tackling, everybody was physical, and I think we outhit them. Those were our main goals to just reduce the mental errors and to be more physical than them."

You look at your coverage on special teams with kickoff and punt coverage and how they struggled on Friday. You had a nice tackle inside the 10-yard line but then there was a penalty. Just talk about, as far as your special teams play, what you could get better at as a whole.

"I think we just had a lack of effort on film. We watched the tape today. I think we need to get down the field on our coverage units. We should want to play special teams. (It's) Not just offense or defense but special teams too because it's a very important phase of the game. I think we will grow. We are early in training camp."

What is the emphasis on takeaways this year considering the quarterback that you have in Drew Brees?

"We know that if we can get one or two takeaways in a game with a great quarterback like Drew (Brees), we can potentially win every game. We know that turnovers are a must and we are out to get them."

You have established yourself on this team in practice. How important is it to establish yourself against opponents even if it's in the exhibition season?

"Guys just want to see it during the game. I thought I was pretty physical during the game. Some guys can bring it to the practice field, but can't bring it to the game. I want to back up the way I practice and put it on tape. That's a big emphasis for me, to also contribute on Sundays (or) whenever we play."

What do you think is the biggest thing you bring to the table?

"I guess just my edge. I love football. I am very passionate about it. Even practice. I take meetings very seriously. I just take everything about football very seriously. I really won't slow down."

New Orleans Saints Defensive End Jay Richardson

Post-Practice Media Availability

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Talk about how crazy last week was with injuries and you being able to play different positions and see extensive time?

"It was a lot of fun. I came in as a defensive end and went from my two gap world with coach (Bill) Johnson. Things happen and guys get banged up, slide on outside, line up on the edge, and play some outside backer. It was a lot of fun, it's just good to be back out there. It's fun to start, obviously. I was just trying to make sure I was good in my drops and looked like an outside linebacker."

What are some of the challenges in having to play different positions like that?

"It's just football at the end of the day. But there are some subtle nuances with the outside linebacker stuff as opposed to a true defensive end or even a two-gap end. You have to understand a lot more of the coverages, space, (and) angles. Linebacker is all angles and timing, so it's just getting comfortable. I was about three days in on game day, but we're getting there."

Did you play both positions in Oakland?

"With the Raiders I was more of a true 4-3 end, but there were a lot of zone blitz concepts,  so I had to drop back a few times on a coverage here or there. With the Jets, I did the last week of the preseason with them and they moved me to outside linebacker for that last few days."

Do you feel just as comfortable?

"Yes, it's just football. It's just defensive end, but you're standing up this time. That's all."

What is the concept when you have that flat coverage?

"It's all discipline and eye control. You've got to understand that we are getting back to take any of the deeper underneath routes. You have to take the curl, the deep in cut, you have to make sure nothing goes right behind you. We're kind of giving up the little flat route. That's one of those things you have to just rally to and break on. It's kind of a bend but don't break type of feel. We're relying on angles and speed and help from our corners, and thankfully they're there for us."

You don't want to see anybody get hurt, but did you anticipate getting this kind of opportunity this early?Finish)

"You never go into a training camp knowing what's going to happen or what numbers are going to look like. You kind of just try to go in, play your butt off, and stay healthy. Whatever happens, happens. When opportunities arise, you just have to be ready and you have got to be focused and take advantage and have fun. Like I said, at the end of the day it's all football. You can't get too crazy, you just go out there and play your techniques."