NEW ORLEANS SAINTS COACH SEAN PAYTON

"You're encouraged when you can win a game like that and feel like despite not playing your best football you came away with the things you needed to do in the end late n the fourth quarter to get the win. That's encouraging and that's a good thing. That's a good team we played today, that's a real good team we played today. We handled some of the setbacks, some of the turnovers, some of the injuries, some of the big plays, and just kept our composure. We fought in the second half and did the things we needed to. I thought in the first half we looked a little like the '67 Saints. I was encouraged and proud of the way we fought back."  

"You find ways to win and certainly you can find ways to lose. It's just not dumb luck. That's happened to us early on in the process; we lost some tough games. We hung in and did enough good things. We'd be foolish to go in tomorrow and not look closely at some of the mistakes we made and some of the things, all of us, coaches included, myself included, could do differently to improve on and make those corrections. That's encouraging. You're going to have some hard-fought wins and we were able to get this one."

(on Jimmy Graham rebounding after the mistake with the 2nd INT) "I'm hard on him because we, all of us, himself included, think he is a special player and he came back and he really rebounded and made a ton of big plays. It wasn't just him early in the game I could go on and on here, myself included with just poor rhythm with play calling, we had some turnovers, we gave up some play defensively. I thought he kicking game early was solid and really for the most part we did a real good job (kicking). I thought we played better in the second half; that was obvious. We had to deal with a few guys going down, Olin Kreutz early on, then Zach Strief."

(on Brian de la Puente) "He gets some (reps) with the scout team. He's that backup guard/center. He's a smart player; he's versatile. That backup interior lineman has to be able to play both positions. He did a good job."

(on depth tested at OL/LB) "It was close to getting hectic. It didn't. That's the challenge with 46 (active players) on game day. At that point, at linebacker and offensive line, we were in a position potentially to be scrambling a little bit."

(on the emotions of Steve Gleason being here) "I'll keep that brief because I think it goes without saying. It was great to see him and his family. He's an inspiration to all of us, that whole locker room. A lot of these players hadn't known him that weren't here, and then a handful of us coaches and players were here. It was great to see him around and see him involved. He spoke to our team last night and did an outstanding job. We gave him a game ball today afterwards. It's tough."

(on the sequence starting the 2nd half turning the game around) "It certainly was important. I thought the turnovers early hurt and the turnovers that we got later on obviously helped us. You saw the momentum shift. That was important."

(on the 2-point conversions) "We always wait till the middle of the fourth quarter; we never go for two or look at that chart in the third quarter, regardless of the score. We start paying attention to it in the fourth and if it's a game that's fairly high scoring. I know we were well past the halfway point in the fourth. We converted on both and ironically they were both similar plays, and Lance (Moore) did a great job of getting open and Drew (Brees) made two good throws. That was good to see."

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS PLAYERS

QB #9 DREW BREES

(on Steve Gleason) "We've had a lot of emotions in the last 24 hours, going back to last night. A lot of this, with us wearing throwbacks, the fifth-year anniversary (of the re-opening of the Superdome), Steve Gleason's blocked punt – which might be the most significant play in the history of this organization. All those who have had a chance to be around him and know him, he makes you a better person. This was special, but none moreso than for Steve Gleason.

"If you do things the right way, good things are going to happen. We'll get an opportunity. We found that string of opportunities there in the second half and cashed in.

(on Texans) "We're very familiar with them, and them with us. We spent a lot of time playing  against them, practicing against them. We were just competing. Both sides wanted to win that game very badly.

(on Lance Moore) "I trust Lance a lot. I've got a lot of confidence in him. In every play design, there's a primary receiver. There happened to be a lot of those going to Lance at the end of the game.

(on going no-huddle in 4th quarter) "We wanted to establish the run, establish a physical mindset. We went up and down the field and really cashed in on some plays in (the no-huddle).

(on Jimmy Graham) "Jimmy is a young player who's continuing to grow. The sky's the limit for him. I love the fact we can have something happen on the field that's negative, and instead of him getting down, he comes back and makes a couple of huge catches. That tells me a lot about Jimmy Graham the person. He wants me to be able to trust him and have the utmost confidence in him, which I do.

"There's a lot of times and a lot of details that go into the passing game. As long as my guy does what he's supposed to, the ball's going to be there. I'm going to turn that ball loose 100 out of 100 times to Jimmy Graham. The time we spend together, that's what you call chemistry. We're building that chemistry.

WR #16 LANCE MOORE

(on his touchdown catch) "Drew (Brees) and I were just on the same page. It's something that we work on a lot in practice. He made that back shoulder throw. The defender was having pretty good coverage. The defender didn't see the ball and I did."

(on him getting a lot of receptions at the end of the game) "Sometimes the game kind of works like that. I don't know how many catches I had in the first half, but it wasn't a lot. Sometimes you need someone to give your team a spark and I'm a fiery guy. I have a sense of urgency about me and I want to make plays. I bring enthusiasm out there and it was an awesome game to be a part of."

RB #28 MARK INGRAM

(on his first NFL touchdown) "The line did a great job of blocking. I just made a good read, cut back and tried to get in. It was a big touchdown. I think the team did a lot of great things today. We still have a lot of things that we need to improve on. The team fought hard and never quit. It says a lot about the character of this team."

(on being patient) "I just do whatever it takes to help the team win. That's really what it is all about. As long as the team is winning, then I am fine. If I get the ball four times or 24 times, then it's all about the team winning. Everybody has a role on this team. I just want to go out there, make plays and help the team win."

TE #80 JIMMY GRAHAM

(on his touchdown pass after interception) "It was my mistake. After the play Drew (Brees) came to the sideline and told me that he was going to keep coming to me because he trusted me. He told me he had faith in me. That meant a lot to me especially being a young player."

(on his mistake on the interception) "It should have been a big gain. I just had a quick memory lapse of my assignment. I just have to be ready all of the time. It was definitely my fault."

CB #33 JABARI GREER

"I think the first three quarters, they had some key third-down completions. We were resilient in the red zone and we were able to get off (the field) on third down in the second half.

(on INT) "We were in a defense that allowed us to do some adjustments. They ran a certain route that when they run that route, we're able to undercut it and make some plays. We got some pressure up front.

"It just happened. Fortunately, I was able to capitalize for my teammates and put us in a position to score. I just happened to be there.

"They scored 33 points, so our offense did a great job of capitalizing. When it was our turn, we had the resolve to stand up and make plays. In the end, we said enough was enough. They (Texans) did a good job. We weren't able to stop them completely, but we were able to make the plays when we needed to.

"You never have a perfect game, you never have a perfect quarter, you never have a perfect series. You have to be able to watch film and be critical of yourself. This game shows you so much and it gives you so much. When the chips are stacked against you, be resilient."