New Orleans Saints Defensive Tackle Shy Tuttle
Post-Practice Media Availability
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Does the Titans offensive scheme look significantly different without Derrick Henry at running back?
"Derrick Henry is a big factor but they can run and they are still pretty good running the ball. We have a challenge and are excited."

Your familiarity with Adrian Peterson and is it hard to believe that he is still doing it and you guys are still tackling him?
"That's AP. He's one of the better running backs that came through here. Hard work, it shows how much work he put in. Props to him."

How do you work to contain Ryan Tannehill more than you did Matt Ryan?
"Once we have the opportunity we need to take advantage of it. Of course we would like to pick up our game more."

Do you pay attention to what's happening outside the building with Odell Beckham Jr. and his free agency?
"Not really. That's the offense and I'm defense. It would be cool if he came."

Is there a lot of talk about that in the building among players?
"That's for the people upstairs. We have the Tennessee Titans now, so that's what we're worried about."

How much pride does your room take in your run defense, consistency and those statistics week in and week out?
"We pride ourselves in stopping the run, making others one dimensional, most important at the wins, screw all the stats. We'll do whatever it takes for the team to win."

Since you played football at Tennessee do you have any family or friends coming to the game?
"I have some friends coming to the game. It's close to home kind of."

New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Marquez Callaway
Post Practice Media Availability
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Do you want to say anything about Tre'Quan Smith that he wouldn't want shared?
"Y'all are lame for posting that (laughter). We already had our discussion, we had our little heated battle in the receiver room. So we worked it all out."

What is the conversation in the receiving room about, I guess the lack of consistent numbers receivers are putting up in this offense. What do you put your finger on to give more production?
"Honestly, it can't be put on nobody but us. There's nobody out there running routes and getting open but us. That has to be all on us. We push each other, defense pushes us. And that's all we can do. With things not working out in our favor, like you said, with the lack of numbers going up, all we can do is go out and play the next play. So we're aware of that. I mean, we're hard on ourselves more than anybody. So we're aware of it. And we just try to go and do what we can."

How much is the idea of getting open part of the issue? I mean, we can obviously see when passes aren't completed, but the ones that aren't thrown? I mean, has that been something you guys have been pointing to this year that guys need to get more open?
"The offense is designed to go where the playmakers are, and if we can't get the ball to the playmakers we can't get open. So if defenses are going to play us (with man coverage), that relies a big part on us getting open and catching the ball. Trevor (Siemian) stepped up and made some great throws, and we've just got to come down with the ball. I mean, we've got no excuse for it. It's just something we've got to work on. I think that's what this week will be big on, us getting familiar even more with Trevor or whoever is going to be back there and just clicking on Sunday."

How much of that is part of your game this year? Where do you rate your ability to get open? How satisfied or unsatisfied are you with that?
"You can always get better every week. I'm not happy. I'm sure the other receivers aren't satisfied with how they have been playing. But like I said, I can't speak for them. For myself, I know I can always get better, whether that's being more disciplined with watching film, being more disciplined with being more patient or speeding things up, more preparation on my end."

Sean says we'll do some things to scheme or play call better. Is that something you guys feel like is necessary. Do you feel like what's been there is sufficient enough? Or do you look forward to him, I guess adding some new wrinkles?
"Anything that we can use to our advantage helps us tremendously. Whether that's Coach (Payton) adding, whatever he's saying he's doing, or that's us, on our end, watching more film or being more prepared, but any advantage we can use we'll take it. I guess, I can speak for everybody, offense and defense, whatever advantage we use or can get, that's what we'll use."

What do you think about the possibility of having Odell Beckham maybe coming here to the Saints?
"Well, everybody knows who he is. He's not no little name anywhere. We get it more from the fans than anybody else, trying to do our part to get Odell. But Odell's smart, he's going to go where he feels like he's most wanted. He's from Louisiana so everybody wants to come play for his home team. And we'll take him, and we're never going to deny anybody, but this week, if he comes then great. If he doesn't come, then that's great as well, we've got to work on getting prepared for Tennessee."

Just as a guy who's watched him, I'm sure you've seen him the last 10 years, what do you think about this game? How do you view it?
"Odell is a great player, even for his size he's great, whether it's speed, getting open, catching the ball. Obviously, everybody sees the plays, and it is just a great person to be around. I've never met him or been around him, but his football character and his character personally, everybody has their different views and I'm not going to go off (them) because I don't know him. So until that day comes when I can meet him I can't really judge him on that."

On the separation, you mentioned preparation, watching film, what advantages can you get from watching film and is that area where you feel like personally you could do better?
"I mean, what is this week 10? Week nine? It's film for 10 weeks, and everybody has, for now everybody's got data, everybody's DNA and reputation is on film. So whether it's press, off, the small details that they do, how they play things, there's hundreds of routes ran on them, same ones we run. So just watching it from the last game to the first game we play, see if anything's changed, anything's happening, just things like that."

The Titans have forced like 12 turnovers in the last six games. How important is ball security for your team this weekend? Do you see anything on film that they're consistently doing to cause those turnovers?
"Right, their defense has been playing lights out. Watching film on them we see everything from the interceptions to aggressiveness to punching the ball out. Sean (Payton), of course, has been preaching it and our receiver coach (Curtis Johnson) has been preaching it. So we know it's a big thing that's going to either make or break us. So every time before we start the meeting we work on ball security and in the room, whether we're punching at it or just have the ball in our hand and having somebody knock at us, but it's been crucial for us to take care of the ball. And that's what we want to do this week."

This may sound like a dumb question, but how do receivers go about it if they've got issues, if they're dropping a ball or the hands aren't right, like how do you go about fixing that? Is that just technique and working on hand placement? Is that reps with quarterbacks? How do you go about fixing it?
"I mean, in the league, if you're a receiver you can catch. I mean, you wouldn't be in the league if you can't catch. So it's not a catching thing. It's more detail, more focus, I think focus is the biggest thing and getting used to everything that's going good. Trevor, throws different from Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston throws different from Ian (Book) so everybody's different. So just being on the same page with them, and just being more focused."

What have been your impressions with Jackrabbit (Malcolm Jenkins)?
"Jackrabbit, he's been playing good as well. We notice him, you can see him all on film, whether how they play him and all the other DBs or how they play. So focusing mainly on Jackrabbit, I don't think that's what we've been focused on. We've been focused on how they play cover two, how they play man. Are they bailing, are they zone, are they cutting on the over routes. Just seeing the details that they play and have shown? And I mean, who knows? We could go out and they play a whole different scheme, but just what they've shown on film and how we've been watching it, that's kind of what we're going on."

Do you guys hear the outside noise? I mean, I know you're focused on the game, but with social media, it is what it is in this world we're in. Do you hear any of that? Is it human nature to be bothered by it at all by fans or criticisms?
"Of course we hear it. I mean, it's not like we don't see it. If they say they don't see it, I highly doubt it. But people are gonna say what they want to say, people are going to do what they want to do. We've just got to be mentally strong, mentally focused, because they're not in here with us, they're not on the field with us. They're not in meetings with us, they're not doing the things we're doing. It's just outside noise talking on something that they don't know anything about. That's how we look at it. Like, we just go out there, do what we can do. We play for each other. We play for the team, that's on the field. I mean, everything else is like you said, outside noise."

Does it help when your head coach comes out, and we talked to him last week, and he's talking about how much you loves your room? And how much confidence he has. I assume that helps?
"I mean, yeah that helps knowing that the head coach trusts us. That's what ultimately it's all about is trust. I mean, if they don't trust us we wouldn't be here, now the thing is moving forward, how can he trust us even more? What can we do for the quarterbacks to trust us even more? So our biggest thing is getting to know each other in that way so we know why we're doing what we're doing."

Back to his original question. I mean, you're all human, right? So how do you take care of yourselves? Like how much of a priority is your mental health when you've got people talking sideways on social media?
"Mental health is important. I mean, I think it's over half of the battle because this job isn't for everybody, not just on the body, but on your brain. Especially for the quarterback, I don't know how the quarterback can do it, they're getting pressured, getting rushed by big 300 pound linemen and still got to go through progress and still got to make the Mike calls, still got to do things. So just being out there and knowing that, I think knowing each other's why and knowing each other as a person is definitely better than the football person because if you know that, then you're definitely going to do a little bit more extra for that person. I think that goes with anything. We talk about all the time, how are you doing? How's your head? How's your mental? How's the family? How's everything else? Trying to get your mind off of football because this is stressful. Like all the criticism, all the outside noise, the yelling at. You hear it. Human nature, you hear it, but the biggest thing is, what are you going to do? Is it going to stop you or are you going to let it affect you? I look at it, I see it all the time, every day, you see some DM talking about you suck, we hate you, cursing you out and things like that. And are you going to let that affect you or are you going to keep it moving? So just how you view it and how you go about it basically determines it."

People actually DM'd you that?
"You'd be surprised."

Do you block them or do you just let it go?
"I don't really look at it. I might look at it and be like, 'Okay, keep going.'"

Is it worse at this level than it is in college?
"That's a great question. It's going to happen wherever you go. You're going to do something people do not like, do something people like. And they're going to say what they want to say. You do what you want. It is social media. Everybody is big on social media. So I just see it, laugh about it and keep going because I do not care. You can say what you want, it's not going to affect me. If you know me or don't know, you know nothing is really going to bother me, especially words, like I don't care. It's just wasting time and energy."

New Orleans Saints Linebacker Demario Davis
Media Availability
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

What does it mean to you that you're the New Orleans Saints nominee for the Salute to Service award?
"It is a tremendous honor. I have a lot of family members that have served in pretty much all of the branches: The Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force. I have had family members, including my dad, do multiple tours. The military means so much to our country. Those are real life, everyday heroes that put their life on the line so we can be free. This award is a tremendous way to recognize, honor, and praise those individuals. So, this is a tremendous honor and something I care about deeply and take very seriously."

Did you know Odell Beckham Jr. from your time in New York? Do you want him to sign with the Saints?"I never played with him as a teammate, but he's been one of the most dynamic players in the league. I do not know any player on any team that does not want to play with great players. I trust our organization. They do what they feel is best for our team, so I know they're going to do that to put us in a position to win. I trust them above anything. In short, I love to play with other great players, and he is certainly a great player."

How important is it when attempting to sign other players is it to make sure the team culture and winning culture stay the same?
"That's what our culture is exactly. A winning culture. Our culture is based on winning from top to bottom. That's the most important thing in our building. It's how we get those wins that's most important. It's our process with the way we approach the week in our details through that process. I think it's focusing on what's in front of us. We have the Titans this week and those are the details we are focusing on. We do not have the luxury of worrying about anything else. Anybody who likes to win, we hope that is attractive to them. In these times right now, we do not have time to get caught up in all of that. We have to stay locked in on our process and our details. That's why we win."

Would you agree that New Orleans is a more intense environment than other places in the NFL?
"Yeah. Once you get into our practices and the way we practice with our attention to detail, that takes a toll on you mentally and physically, especially when people get here in training camp or the offseason or earlier in the season. Sometimes our practices are more physical then. Even in week eight it's a mental grind. Understanding situationally what you get each week and the tweaks we make in our meetings and having to take those out to the practice field quickly. I've been in other organizations and it's not like that everywhere. It takes a little bit to adapt to when you first get here, but I think people quickly understand a week or two in is, 'oh ok, this is why they're successful'. We have to continue to press into those details and make the process even better if we want to continue having success."

How impressive is it to see Adrian Peterson still in the league?
"When you look at running back and how physical that position is with the amount of miles they have to run and the toll their bodies take at the same time, for him to still be running strong at this point in his career speaks to him and how talented he is and how much of a pro he is. Teams still want him in their locker room, and it speaks to how well he takes care of his body. You're looking at a first ballot hall of famer. Kudos and respect to him."

Does Tennessee's offense look different without Derrick Henry?
"They are a very talented, well-coached team. Coach Vrabel has those guys playing very hard. You can tell he has built a very physical team, offensively and defensively. That is their MO. Any time you want to be an attacking, physical team and run the ball, you can't just do that with one guy. Even though they have one of the top, if not the best, running back in the league, you still have to have other guys that can get the job done. They have good running backs by committee and guys who can come in and get the job done. They have explosive receivers as well and a really good offensive line. They present a lot of challenges. Not to mention, Ryan Tannehill is playing at a very high level and keeping the offense in good situations by making smart decisions. He lets it fly when he needs to. So, they present a lot of challenges. It's a well-built team and you've seen the success they've had over the last few years. It speaks to how well they're coached and the players they have at multiple positions."

How much did it mean to you for Jameis Winston to show up to your event the other night despite being injured?
"You know, the one thing I've said over and over about Jameis, and other people will echo it going back to his days at Florida State and Tampa Bay, is that he is one of the greatest teammates ever. It's not even close. I think it comes from how much he loves the game and how much he loves his teammates. He's got one of those personalities that makes him a joy to be around. None of us expected him to be there but he still showed up and wanted to be a part of it. You appreciate stuff like that. Long after this game is done, with as many highs and lows as football brings, it's the brotherhood of the locker that will always be most appreciated. It's like a fraternity. When you talk to the guys who've left the game and retired, they all say the same thing, 'you never forget the brothers you played the game with, the bonds from the locker room, the camaraderie'. It's moments like that, him showing up to the event, that's something I will never forget. It meant a lot to me and my wife. He's just a great teammate and (it) speaks to who he is in the midst of the adversity that he is going through. When someone loves the game as much as he does and it is taken away, that is a hard thing. You will never see that when you see him. You will never see him talk about that and express it, he will always have a smile on his face, but I know there is pain on the inside. You learn a lot about people when they have success, but you learn the most about a person when they go through adversity. I think it speaks to the character he has and that's a brother for life."

Did you grow up a big Titans fan?
"I was a huge Titans fan. I was disappointed watching the Rams beat them in the Super Bowl, falling one-yard short. I grew up not necessarily a Titans fan, but a Steve McNair fan (cousin). All those guys: Eddie George, Kevin Dyson, Frank Wycheck, I was locked in. We were all watching for them to win the Super Bowl, but they fell a yard short. But, yeah, that's family."

Why were you disappointed to see one of the greatest linebacker plays of all time with Mike Jones?
"I was an offensive guy back then. Yeah, that was crushing."

What attracted you to Steve McNair?
"That was my first cousin. When you have a relative playing in the NFL everybody in the family was paying attention to everything that was going on with him. Growing up in Mississippi, he was the closest thing to Jesus. That name, Air McNair, he could do it all. He could run and throw. In college, he was breaking all kinds of records and he could do no wrong. But it was even more so the person he was off the field that was amazing. He did so much for the community and area of Mount Olive that he was in and throughout the state of Mississippi. Anyone that knew him would talk about him more as a person than as a football player. So, he did so much for so many different people. As a kid, I was watching that, and it was inspiring to me. He's a big reason why I had the goal to make it to the league."

Have you found that teams are not as committed to the run when facing this defense given their strength there?
"I don't think we have played a team yet that was not committed to the run or abandoned it midgame. All of the teams have tried to run but they haven't had much game success. As coaches, you go to what's working for you during a game and obviously that (running the ball) hasn't been working. For us, that's where our detail has to be better. We need that same mentality in all areas. When you're able to make teams one-dimensional, you have to be able to take out whatever else is coming. When we do that, we're very successful. When we don't that's when we still leave teams in the game. That's where our details, not just being on top of the run, but understanding what passes we're getting and play-actions we're getting as well."

New Orleans Saints Guard/Tackle James Hurst
Media Availability
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

What are your impressions of Jeffrey Simmons?
"(He's a) Great player, run and pass. He can do everything, you know, he's been a force really all season long. So you know, we got a big challenge in him and we know what kind of player he is and we got to rise to the challenge and you know, take care of him."

The Titans have forced a lot of turnovers, how important is focusing on ball security this week and are they doing anything specific that stands out to you?
"They're doing a great job. Forcing fumbles is such an intentional thing, I think occasionally you might wrap a guy up and the ball comes out. But what they've been able to do recently has been pretty impressive. They're getting the ball out, all over the field, a bunch of different guys have been able to do it. So it's something that we're aware of and in any game the turnover battle is so crucial and we know that and we just got to protect the football, in air and carrying the ball on the ground."

You talk about your favorite coffee shops, do people know who you are, do they want to talk about Odell Beckham coming here?
"I feel like everyone's talking about that, right? I haven't had that personally yet. So we'll see if that picks up here soon."

What do you think about the possibility of Odell Beckham coming here?
"He's a great player, any team he goes to you have a player like that, it's going to attract a lot of attention. He has obviously made incredible catches in his in his career. So, I don't think too deeply about those things. I just leave it to the people upstairs. I know that they'll handle it and put our team in the best situation to win games."

Is Mark Ingram II the same player he was when you played with him in Baltimore?
"Same player and the same player I heard about first time around in New Orleans. Contagious energy, loved to be around him, he's always got juice. He's always bringing guys up, bringing guys alongside him. So it's great to have someone like that and obviously, you know, he's making a lot of plays on the field as well. So it's a big boost to the locker room and to us on the field."

How do you fix all the holding penalties the offense committed last week?"Yeah, you just have to try to see it from the refs point of view, you have to try to understand why they throw the flag, when they throw the flag and what you can do better. And it's basics of football at the end of the day for us, you know, hands inside player breaks away, you know, we let go and some things, you know, it's bang, bang happens real fast and sometimes you really feel like you can correct them. So you just go back and look at them, each one as an individual play and see what, if anything, you can do better to avoid that in the future."

Do you feel like last week was an anomaly?  "Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think that we've had guys that have played a lot of football, and that hasn't been, I don't think anyone's MO. So yeah I think having the penalties we had, it was unusual for us and a problem. I mean at the end of the day, it's a problem, you can't have those penalties. We killed so much momentum multiple times and that really resulted in the type of game that we ended up playing."

Would you say that when you watched him that those seem justified were maybe repeating yourself or you looking at going back?
"Yeah, I mean, it's easy to concern yourself with you know, well why did they throw it or feeling like I did what they said I did, but at the end of the day, you know, they're not picking up the flags. So trying not to waste energy on, I guess complaining or living in the past and just moving on and talking to the refs. They're good about talking with us about (calls), hey, this is why I threw it. This is what I saw and you just adjust, you adjust on the fly, you understand what they're seeing what they saw and make sure that it doesn't happen again."

What is your impression of the Caesars Superdome now that you have the crowds in the stands?
"It is awesome. It is electric, the best environment I played in, just having those people (screaming). The Who Dat chants unbelievable, love it, love every part of it. We just got to win those games at home for sure."

How crazy is it that Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara and Adrian Peterson will be involved in the same game years after playing with each other?
"It's crazy, I saw they picked up Adrian and that guy's been doing, I don't even know what year he's in now, but he's been doing it forever as far as I'm concerned and still at a high level. So it's crazy to have all three of those guys, you know, on the same field playing and still making the impact that they're making."

With the two close losses at home and the injuries the team has faced, just what does that say about this team and the outlook going forward?
"I think there's a lot of hope, you know, those losses, I think there are two different losses in the way that the games kind of played out. The Giants, kind of led the whole game and we didn't put it away, you know, we had them where we wanted them and had a lead late, but we're just unable to put them away. And then this past one, really we weren't moving the ball, we weren't doing a whole lot, the majority of the game and then kind of caught a little fire there at the end. But at the end of the day, it's kind of a, you know, the Falcons (game was) a little too late. And then the Giants, it's you have a chance you have them where you want, you got to put them away. So there's two different lessons that think that we've learned from those. But they're both losses and so we've tried to, pick up those lessons and bring them with us. And what we learn from those games, it's going to play a big part down the stretch of season."

Any thoughts on just the fact that you're your 4-1 outside the Superdome heading into this week is that what you would have expected?
"No, I don't think so. Yeah, I think if you tried to predict that it's probably not what you'd look at. But I think that just says how tight the NFL is, you know, a team might be 1-15 team and a team might be 15-1, but it's any given Sunday, these are all NFL players and everyone's coming to get a win. So if you don't show up, or get lazy or comfortable, you are going to be exposed and I think you see that every single year for sure. So I think the records, home and away it's something we already know, it's the NFL, you got to show up and perform or you're not going to win."

What's stood out to you about Sunday evening's film from the from the Titans/Rams game?
"Well, I mean, shoot, kind of seemed like they had their way. It was very impressive, impressive showing particular by their defense. And I think it shows that this is going to be a huge challenge for our offense. We know that it is a great defense, they have got a great front. They made a lot of plays and turn the ball over so they've been doing a lot really well lately and it's exciting to play in these situations. You got a challenge and it is up to us. I am speaking about the O-line. I guess it is up to us to go out, get the job done and help the team win and that's exciting to have that kind of opportunity."