The New Orleans Saints have entered the team's bye week and after reviewing the film from last Sunday's win against San Diego, the players were given the week off to rest and prepare for the remainder of the regular season.
"The reason that it's a good time for a bye week is that it's a time after five games for them to rest and get their bodies to heal and come back stronger," said Offensive Line/Running Game Coach Aaron Kromer. "These last few games, they played extremely hard…we just need to carry that momentum into the next week when we get back."
The Black and Gold picked up their first win of the season against the Chargers on Sunday and will look to build on the primetime win.
"We have to carry this momentum over to getting another win and then another," said Kromer. "We're happy that we got the first win but we're definitely not satisfied with where we are."
The Saints' passing attack leads the National Football League through the first five games while putting up 326.8 yards per game through the air. The team ranks fifth in total offense, averaging 402 yards per contest and 5.8 yards per play.
Once again, the Saints have been one of the league's best on third down, ranking tied for fifth while converting 46 percent of the team's third-down attempts.
The defense has not had as much success to this point under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who is in his first year with the organization. Spagnuolo has seen steady improvement from his defensive unit through the first five games as the players become more familiar with the system.
The defensive unit recorded five sacks against San Diego and forced two turnovers, an interception by S Roman Harper and a sack/forced fumble by DE Martez Wilson who recovered the ball as well.
"I'm proud of the way the defense played (against the Chargers)," said Spagnuolo. "I want to enjoy the win, but I think we all realize that we still have a long way to go defensively. We'll focus on what it is that we need to correct."
The players now have a rare opportunity to have a few days off before beginning preparations to face to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road on October 21st. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the team is ready to battle back from a slow start.
"It's the start of something good and we need to keep our focus on improvement each which," said Kromer. "We're definitely on the rise and we need to keep it going."
