OAKLAND RAIDERS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
Opening Statement:
"Obviously, this was a disappointing end to the game. There was the period in the fourth quarter where that momentum swung a little bit. They had a quick score, and we had settled for a field goal. We were able to respond with a score, but in the end, we were not able to play well enough to finish the game. I thought our guys fought hard, and credit Oakland, because those guys came with some big plays down the stretch. Of course, that two point play for the win was huge. One thing that I mentioned to them is that we are in a race with everyone else from week one to week two to really get on this tape and make the corrections that we need to correct before we get onto the next game. I think we will do that, but nonetheless it's disappointing to end up like this today."
On Craig Robertson pass interference call late in fourth quarter:
* *"Honestly, it's hard for me to see that one from my angle. I'm not going to start the season off complaining about the officials. We have to play better, however, because that's just one play and it's a fourth down call. We have to be able to get off the field. I didn't agree with it, and yet, this crew had been calling a pretty tight game for the most part. In the end, I honestly just didn't have a good angle on it."
On the uncatchable component on that call:
"There's a lot of components to it, but again, we have to be able to overcome some of those."
On Oakland going for two:
"It's late in the game and it's a high-scoring game, so it wasn't unexpected. I kind of thought that was the direction they would go, considering how they had moved the ball in the fourth quarter. If you looked at that quarter, we were having trouble stopping anything, and on the road, in a game like this, I probably would've done the exact same thing."
On Wil Lutz's performance:
"We're obviously going to have to look at the film, as we had one [field goal] that was blocked and (it) still goes in, but I like this guy a lot. He is going to be kicking long after I am coaching here. He's really talented. There are obviously going to be some bumps along the way, as there will be for any of the rookies that played tonight. One thing about him that's encouraging is that, at the end of the game, he's got the leg to give us the chance there. I can't really tell from the angle, but I think he just missed it wide left. He's got a bright future here. He'll be kicking here a long time."
On Delvin Breaux's injury:
"Anytime you lose a guy like Delvin [Breaux], there's an element to it. Josh Hill going out of the game took away some of those two tight end packages we were hoping to be in, but it's what you get used to. You're constantly paying attention to matchups and how they change to determine what you can do."
On Offensive Line play:
"We will have a chance to see the tape, but the one thing we said going in was that we couldn't allow 52 (Khalil Mack) to become a force in this game. He's a very talented player, and they've got some great pass rushers like Bruce Irvin, so we spent a long time in the preparation for just handling the edge. The first sack fumble was just a play where we held onto the ball too long, and our protection was still good there. After that, I thought we blocked pretty well, and again, when we see the tape, we will have a better idea of how everyone did individually."
On Defense struggling in 4th Quarter:
"Just watching the game like you had, obviously that momentum shifted, and I think that their long run hurt us, along with a few other plays. There will be a lot of things for us to look at and correct when we get to watch the film, but I don't want to jump to a conclusion and just give an answer before we get to see everything played back. There's a point where you have to dig down and get off the field, and we had a chance on that fourth down play, but we weren't able to do so. From then on, you're just hanging in there, and we didn't make enough plays. One thing we do know stats wise is that we didn't have any sacks on the quarterback and we weren't able to create a turnover, which is one of the things that you're going to have to be able to do at some point if you want to play good defense. Look, in a game like this, conventional wisdom would point to the defense, but I would say that we didn't score enough offensively. That's how the game was being played today, and we didn't do a good enough job of that. We had a chance with a kick return after the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to get in good field possession. That's a big penalty with how much time is left in the game. They kicked it deep, and we got it to the 21 or 22-yard line. That's an opportunity where I'm expecting us to be around the 30 or 35-yard line and get in good field position to start the drive, and we weren't able to take advantage of that either. There will be a number of these things that we will correct when we look at the film."
On Pete [Carmichael] calling some of the plays:
"Yes, he did call some plays today, and we have worked like that together for a long time now. He has the headset to the quarterback, so yes, he absolutely called some plays, and we will continue to work like that."
On receiving core having a good day:
"Those guys stepped up, and they had a lot of bump and run coverage. We got behind their secondary a lot, especially when Brandin [Cooks] scored. Willie [Snead IV] made some big plays inside, and Michael [Thomas] had some good plays as well. There were a number of guys that had good performances today, and yet, we just didn't make enough in tonight's game, and that's the thing that is disappointing and frustrating. We have to quickly get some of these mistakes covered and get ready to go to next week."
