New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. 
Conference Call with Local Media Availability
Monday, January 8, 2018

What did it mean for you to have such a big game against a team that didn't bring you back last offseason?

"It was very important for me to show them what they missed. It was a blessing for us to see them three times in a row."

What is it like being a fullback (Zach Line) and doing all the dirty work yesterday being able to score a touchdown for his hard work?

"It is always great. Zach came on our team and he's been welcomed with open arms. He does a lot for the team and to go out and get the couple catches that he had and the touchdown, it shows the type of guy that he is and the system we have to be able to go out and get a guy like that who wasn't there in week one."

What did you think of Sean Payton's dance moves in the locker room?

"I thought that was great and right on time. It just shows you the type of family that we have around here and everyone feels close enough to do whatever. Everybody is backing everybody up. No matter if it is dancing, playing on the field, offense, defense, special teams, training room, media (relations), whatever it is, we are all in it together."

How different are you as a team now as opposed to week one against the Vikings?

"I believe that we are different. They're playing at a high level. We're playing at a high level. We didn't know what we had in store when we came out of this deal at the beginning of the year. We messed around with a lot of options and a lot of different players and different things like that. As the season went on, we kind of found our mojo and who we are. We have just been going on from there."

How rare is it to see a high school produce three NFL players and what makes Glenville different than other high schools?

"It's a blessing to have two other guys from my high school on the same team with me. It's very rare to get them in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams), but it just shows that that my father is producing a lot of good players up there, no matter if we've won national titles or not. We keep just showing that the inner city is a great place to be and a good place to come from and we all are just coming out and showing (everyone) who we are."

Did you have the season you envisioned when you signed here in New Orleans?

"Oh yeah definitely. Being able to play with a Pro Bowl quarterback like Drew Brees and a Hall of Famer and all that comes with that guy, being able to show the world that I had the same talent as any receiver has out there. That was my goal and it just shows it wasn't a fluke in Carolina and I'm still the same guy."

What was it like when the passing attack had to step up yesterday since the Panthers were able to stop the run?

"We just had to go out there and roll with the punches and yesterday was an example that it doesn't matter who or what or what's going on you just have to play and have fun with what doing what we do and just as well I love to see guys run it in. I (still) love to see our guys catching and going in. It's a hand in hand type of situation."

New Orleans Saints Linebacker Manti Te'o
Conference Call With New Orleans Media
Monday, January 8, 2018

What sticks out about the season opener against the Vikings?

"We lost. That is the only thing that sticks out and the only thing I really remember. It gives us that extra motivation and that extra fire to come out on Sunday."

How different is their defense since then, not just personnel wise but execution and attitude wise?

"We are a lot more confident. We have been playing together for a while now. We kind of know the strengths and the weaknesses. We know how to play together and where people are going to be. We are a lot more confident and we are a lot more confident in each other and we are a lot more confident and comfortable in the scheme. To go from week one to where we are now. Week one we are relatively a young team as far as experience goes and time together. We've gone through a whole season now so we're definitely a lot more weathered, I'd say. We've had our ups and downs throughout the season and whenever you go through that throughout the course of the 16 week season it definitely helps you identify who you guys are as a team and as a defense. I think we kind of know who were are and what we can do and what our strengths are and things we need to work on."

What is it going to be like this week breaking down this team with a different quarterback and a different running back?

"It is like us. They had a certain identity week one and now they have kind of grown into their own identity now. I don't expect to see the same team that we saw week one and I know they don't expect to see the same team they saw in week one too. I can't really tell you. I haven't looked at the film yet, but I will look at it later on today. I will be able to tell you more about who they are and their identity. But as of now, I'm not really sure. Obviously it is a formula that has worked. That is why they have been the number two seed in the NFC so obviously it has worked for them."

You said after the Panthers game, losing in that position (to the Buccaneers) was the best thing for you guys because it was a wake up call, what do you take away from a hard-fought win like yesterday?

"It's just something that we're grateful for, the win. It wasn't a perfect game. It was a classic playoff Wild Card game. Two good teams going at it and competing and we just made more plays than they were able to make. That's usually what happens in a game. The team makes more plays comes out with a victory so I'm just glad that a lot of guys stepped up and made those huge plays when we needed them to. On both offense and defense in the end and in the kicking team. Just guys stepping up and making plays. That's what we're going to need going forward. We're going to need guys to step up and make those plays and that's basically what you can take from it. We have another opportunity each week. You win and you go on or you lose and you go home and I don't think this team is ready to go home. All the success we're going to have on Sunday is going to be a result of what we do during the week. We understand that. We're going to have to prepare and it just gets better from here on out as far as the competition, as far as what's on the line. We'll be ready for it."

There was a video clip of Sean Payton showing off some dance moves in the locker room after the game last night, what did you think of his dance moves?

"It is pretty good. That is the thing about coach, he knows how to get his guys to rally. He knows what makes this team go. He knows how to pick us up. He knows when we are riding a little too high and we need to take some humility. That is a good quality of a good coach. That's just him being him. Taking advantage of the moment, living in the moment. We just won a big game, a playoff game against a really good team. It was just a good way for us to see our coach. It kind of builds that energy and that culture that we've been talking about and create that atmosphere. Let's just always remember what we play this game for and that's to have fun and go out there and play with the guys next to you and to compete and to win. That's definitely seeing him and the various moves he had let everyone relax and let loose and enjoy the moment."

How surprised were you that he could get down like that?

"Honestly, I jumped in right after that so I didn't really get a good look at the moves that he had. I know you saw from the clips that the whole team was in there and I think that's the best thing about it is the whole team was in the middle of the locker room and having a good time and celebrating together because we understand that that was a good team win. I wasn't really paying attention to anybody specifically, just the whole team as a whole so I couldn't tell you his certain moves that he had. But I know coach can throw down on the dance floor though."

Is Sean the most emotional coach you ever played for?

"I think every coach is emotional. I think if you're not emotional you just don't care. Definitely coach, he just loves what he does. He really enjoys it. And he tells us that he spends more time with us than he does with his own family and that's the case with all the coaches and that's the case with all the players and so we spend more time together as a team than we do with our own families and that's a huge sacrifice that we all make to play this game but it's a sacrificial win and that's why we talk about football being a family. It definitely is that and a team that can actually can become that is usually a team that will see success. But coach he just has so much love for this game, so much love for this team and for this city. You can see it in how he coaches. You can see the amount of hours he puts in and the attention to detail that he has on the field and every aspect of the game. I definitely have not had a coach (like him), he is so detail-oriented. He knows everything. He knows things and pays attention to things I never thought of before. There's no fooling him, in my opinion. He's on everything. I am just glad that he gave me the opportunity to come here and play for this great team and this great city. Yesterday was a great experience for me personally. To see a city rally around a team like New Orleans rallied around us last night. It definitely showed us who we play for and what we play for, it's for the city and for each other. To create that atmosphere, that's dope. Like I said it comes from our head coach and just his energy for this game and this team."