New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

Post Game Quotes – September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On the importance of getting the first team out there:

"Real quick, there are no updates on injuries. We will know more when we get back. We are proud of the way we found a way to finish that game. Certainly there will be some things we can look at to clean up, but that was a great team win. We came in with the mindset that we were going to win the turnover battle and we did that decisively. All three assets at some point really came through tonight and I'm real, real proud of us finding a way to come back out of there and pull this out. We're excited to get this win. We'll have a short week next week."

On K Garret Hartley's performance:

"He's done a good job for us. I'm just proud of the way he responded, he's a good kicker. That was a big play. Obviously the kicking he did earlier was big as well. The conditions were obviously windy and were a factor. That was good for him to respond though in two big situations."

On the special teams' performance:

"We played well. We came in, we talked all about turnovers, we talked about kicking. We had some big returns and I thought the coverage units were good as well."

On his decision to use up his time outs:

"Save one time out and use the others. They converted a third down and hopefully was trying to force them to punt into the wind."

On whether he felt good about his decision to use the time outs:

"Well based on our history I do."

On their decision to defer the ball:

"That's just part of the plan with the way the wind was blowing. We deferred and wanted to play that first quarter on the road with all that noise… We wanted to play that first quarter as much as we could in the far end zone."

On the 49ers Defense:

"It's good defense. The key was just to win the game. We didn't turn it over. I think it ended up being four or five turnovers to zero. We got a lot of respect for them. We just weren't going to turn the ball over, we were going to be smart. It was a good win."

QB Drew Brees

Post-Game Quotes – September 20, 2010

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers

On Coach Singletary's comments about stopping Brees and whether they stopped him:

"Well, we won the game and that's all that counts. Obviously, I think there were definitely things, just like there are in every game that you wish you would have had back or done a little bit differently, but the fact of the matter is we found a way to win in the end. They put together a pretty spirited performance both on offense and defense. Their home opener, they obviously wanted to come back strong after last week's defeat, but we found a way to win."

On the pass to WR Marques Colston that put them in field goal range:

"I obviously had a lot of confidence in throwing to Marques as I do with all our guys in critical situations. Obviously, he's a playmaker. It was just one of those plays where he's one-on-one, they are bringing pressure and you throw it up to the big man."

On confidence heading into the final drive:

"Hey, we've been here before, let's go do it again. We knew exactly what we had to do, just find a way to win. We've been here before, all the confidence in the world, no matter who's out on the field, whether it's offense that needs to come up with a  big play or defense coming up with a big stop, or special teams. We've shown that we can win a lot of ways. To be battle tested like this, just in the first two weeks of the season I think are going to serve us very well going forward."

On the gratification he feels that the team has been battle tested and can win in a lot of different ways:

"I think it's great and I think at the end of the season, the teams that are in the playoffs, the great teams that are vying for a championship are the teams that have gone through the season and won games like this. We were that team last year and I believe we are that same team this year. Obviously, continuing to find different ways to win. Defense, doing a great job of getting turnovers, setting us up, offense I was disappointed in our inability to convert a lot of those turnovers into big points. So to walk away from this game, having gotten five turnovers and only 25 points you say, 'Man, this is a 40 point night with all those turnovers,' but we got the W."* *

On the wind being a factor:

"I tell you what it was, it was hard to judge at times. Obviously, you know the direction it was blowing, but as far as how hard it was blowing at times, you felt like on deep balls, when it got high up in the air, it was really taking it like the one deep ball to [WR Robert] Meachem, I just felt like I kind of flicked it and it went about 70 [yards] and then as you are thrown into it, you almost prefer that because you knew what you were getting. When it was behind you it was hard to gauge. It is what it is. You deal with the conditions. I didn't feel like that affected us in a negative way. Obviously, you are conscious of that. Maybe it affects play calling just a little bit as far as when you are going to take your shots and that kind of things. Defensively, maybe it affects how you play defensively as far as bringing pressure and that kind of thing, but I thought we handled it well."

RB Reggie Bush

Post-Game Quotes – September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On the injury:

"I don't know for sure yet, I just know it hurts. It's just in the middle [of the leg] but we'll see what happens."

On the play that caused the injury:

"It was pretty windy, the ball was moving around a little bit when he punted it and at the last second it kind of shifted just enough for me to drop it. I tried to recover it and someone took my leg out. I don't know what happened or how it happened, I just got taken out."

On the difference between this year's start and last year's start:

"Everybody is giving us their "A" game; everybody's giving us their best shot and we're just finding ways to win. We can't be down about a win like this, playing a physical, tough team, they came out and gave us their best shot and we still found a way to win. That's what champions do. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into next week."

LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar

Post Game Quotes- September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On whether the turnovers were the key to the game:

"Absolutely, turnovers are a huge part of this game and that is something that we preach on around here. To cause turnovers and create turnovers and that is what we did today and it worked out for us."

On whether the 49ers were a different team tonight than from week one:

"They played well tonight. Week one was a different week. They came back and prepared well and were ready to play us and we had to come out and play hard and play tough to get this win."

On whether the 49ers play was surprising:

"We knew it was going to be a 12 round game and we were going to have to stick it out and win it in the end. That is what we did. This team is a real good team, they are coached well and play well and they play hard. All of us stuck together and we came out."

S Roman Harper

Post Game Quotes- September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On whether the big plays and turnovers were key to the win:

"Yes, at the end of the day, we were in a hostile environment. We are on the road and we just have to find a way to win. Today we caused timeless turnovers, clutch turnovers, tipped balls and different things like that. That is what kept us in the game today. Sometimes you are just going to find a way to win. Even if you are outplayed or something as long as you win on the scoreboard that is all that really matters."

On whether the victory was bitter-sweet after losing RB Reggie Bush:

"You don't want to lose him. I don't know exactly what happened I just saw him, I have no idea, but of course you don't want to lose him. He is too important to this team, too valuable of an asset to this offense and on the special teams."

On whether the two close wins are a concern as compared to last year's wins:

"Yea man you have to look at the team's that we have played. These are two very good teams. We had Minnesota who was second in the NFC last year and now San Francisco who a lot of people are picking to win the NFC West. For us to come out here and go 2-0 even in this tough environment and tough on the road, it was a really good win for us, a really great team win."

K Garrett Hartley

Post-Game Quotes – September 20, 2010

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers

On the kind of wind he was contending with on the final field goal:

"All night it was kind of swirling a little bit. Definitely in pregame warm-ups, then actually throughout the game, I felt like the wind was picking up even more and I knew it was kind of going to be a little right to left push on the ball. I thought I made good contact with it, then I heard the ball get tipped and I looked and the ball was still going and the ball was still going and I was telling myself, 'Go, go, go.' It was not the prettiest looking field goal, but three points is three points."

On what the five yard penalty did to him on the field goal:

"Here's my football knowledge. I actually thought it was going to be a 10 second runoff, but with the timeout call and everything that wasn't so and once I realized that we were going to get another shot at this, I said, 'Okay, head down and follow through,' and protection up front was great. It was great all day and the snaps and the holds have been on point and so I just kind of do my part and put points up on the board."

On Head Coach Sean Payton being in his corner all the way after his performance in the Vikings game and what it meant to him:

"Absolutely, after preseason, the way we were hitting the ball and to go out in the home opener and go 0-for-2 and all on me. Everything else was perfect except my kicking that night and right before we went out there and kicked it, Coach Payton came up to me, gave me a high five and says, 'Let's go home,' and here we are about to get on the plane."

FS Malcom Jenkins

Post Game Quotes- September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On his feelings as the game is nearing the end:

"The good thing is we practice for these situations all the time during practice, so we were kind of like this is what we work on all the time and we just had to remain calm. We have faith in our offense that they can get down the field with two time-outs and a minute and fifteen. It was plenty of time. We were hoping that they can get some points out of it and we can go back and defend and that will be that. It was definitely a good team win. We had to use every person on the team to win and I think it showed our character today."

On whether a win tonight in this fashion shows what championship teams are made of:

"Definitely, this is kind of a benchmark of how we play. Everybody is going to give us their best game and the 49ers definitely gave us a shot, but we finish and that is one thing that we work on every day in practice and we harp to each other in meetings. We put our signature on it as far as finishing the game."

On whether the Saints survived this game:

"To be all honest with you, we did survive it. We gave them a chance in the end to get us into overtime, but then at the same time we finished the game. The only stat that really matters is that we got the W, we won. We can take that and go to work on everything we did wrong. The 49ers are a great team. They ran the ball and did everything they had to do to keep them in the game. We can't take anything away from them."

G Carl Nicks

Post-Game Quotes – September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On the 2-0 start:

"There's no such thing as an ugly win. Me personally, I felt like we're a better team than we've showed the last couple of games, yet we're still 2-0 and capable of much more."

On the play of the 49ers:

"There was a lot said before the game but we respected the 49ers from the jump because we know what kind of a defense they have. A lot of people might say 'It's the 49ers, it's not supposed to be this close,' but we tip our caps to them for doing a good job."

On why the game might have been so close:

"We're used to putting up 30-40 points a game and we've only put up two touchdowns the last two games. We have to come together and hash this out as an offensive unit. Our expectations are so high from the last couple of years that anything less than 30 points is like we didn't do as good as we should have."

WR Courtney Roby

Post-Game Quotes – September 20, 2010

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

On the special teams battle:

"Everybody did a great job. They did an excellent job covering kicks and in the return game as well."

On the win:

"A win is a win and in this league, a lot of times you play against top talent. Monday Night Football is exciting and they were at home and played a great game so to come out of here with a win is definitely key."