Saints Coach Sean Payton's opening comments:
"I thought, obviously, it was a good win for us. It's a division opponent. We felt like they (the Bucs) were playing well. When you watch them on tape this year, it's noticeably different in a lot of areas. That's a credit to Bruce (Arians) and that team. We felt like we knew that we were going to be in for a tough game. Fortunately, we did enough things to win."
On if the team focused on shutting down the Tampa receivers:
"Obviously, those guys are catching a lot of balls. I thought that we did a good job disrupting the passer. It was going to have to be with some seven-man and also with some eight-man fronts, because they are a patient running team; and, we knew that, so it was going to have to be a few different looks. I thought that Marshon (Lattimore) played well. I am going to look at the tape. Conversely, offensively, we knew that we were playing a real good run front, so we were going to throw it a little bit more early on. We were efficient doing that and made enough big plays to get a lead."
On if this was Teddy Bridgewater's best performance:
"I would agree. He got into a rhythm. I just felt like we did a good job protecting for him. We got the ball down the field more. A bunch of different guys made plays. I was happy to see some of the longer throws and the way that he played."
On if Teddy Bridgewater and Michael Thomas have spent more time working together in recent weeks since Drew Brees got hurt:
"There is a ton of practice that goes into long before we even get to a game. I don't know that there is anything behind the scenes. I just think that there is a preparation element. When you play quarterback in this league, the attention to detail is significant. I know that he plays close attention to that. He will stay after practice and work with certain guys. We work a lot of different combinations."
On if this is the type of performance that the team expected from Bridgewater when they signed him:
"I felt all along, and I think our players (felt) the same way. It's hard in this league to win if you don't have talent at that position. We did enough good things today around him, guys were making plays outside. Like I said, we blocked him well. It's a (Tampa defensive) front that's difficult to run on. I think that we made our attempts and managed to rush for over 100 yards. (We) won that battle. It was encouraging."
On if Jared Cook's success today was part of the game plan:
"Part of it. We liked the matchup in man (coverage). We felt like we could get him the ball. The touchdown that he makes early on was good to see. It was a good throw and catch. We've just got to continue to get him more opportunities. That's on us."
On the team being able to get multiple players involved on offense:
"We knew that we were going to see some man coverage. They (Tampa) do a good job of mixing up the looks. Then, it was just trying to work (to take advantage of) the individual matchups. They had an injury at corner. That kind of moved some guys around. It was good to see."
On the team's defensive play:
"I thought that our third down numbers were good. If you look at, defensively, what we did third down-wise (was good). The rushing numbers were good. And, for the most part, we eliminated big plays. It was a good formula."
On the good play of Marshon Lattimore in recent weeks:
"He has been a good player for us since he's been here. I like his length. I like his competitive nature and how he prepares. I think that he has really good ball skills. It's not (just) like the last few weeks (that he has played well). He draws a tough matchup each week"
On how much the crowd noise can help the team:
"I think that it is very important. One of the first advantages for offensive football is the snap count. To some degree, that gets reduced or eliminated (when the crowd is loud). I think that it's real important."
On Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara throwing balls:
"They are both talented players. It's a situational call. It's good that it worked out."
On is Marcus Davenport's play is ahead of schedule:
"There is no schedule. He's a young player that we feel like is playing better and better. I was pleased to see the production that he had. I thought that we had really good pressure on the quarterback."
On limiting Mike Evans' production:
"When you face a player like that, you know that you are in for a challenge, especially a player we know in the division. I'm sure there are a number of things (that factored into that). Coverage was good. I am sure there are a handful of things that we will see on tape."
