Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Greg Schiano
Conference Call With New Orleans Media
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
What are your impressions of the Saints defense?
"I think they played well on Sunday and I was impressed with not only the scheme, but the new additions and the way guys played. I know there were some guys injured, which makes it even more impressive."
What are your thoughts on Drew Brees?
"I have (the) utmost respect for Drew. I think he is constantly a professional, (in) the way he handles himself, the way he runs the show down there. It's quite a challenge when you are trying to defense him and his offense. He is so good at so many things. I just got done talking to our media about it, they want to know what makes him so good, I said, take your pick, whether it's knowledge, ability, playing games with the defense, he really has a handle on that position. He is consistent. When a guy comes out and does it game after game, year after year, that consistency is rare."
Do the injuries on the Saints defense make it hard for you to game plan against them?
"I don't think so. I think Rob (Ryan) is very much established in what he likes to do defensively and you can see how he adjusts things when there were some injuries, (and) how he adjusted a little bit. He is a brilliant defensive mind and I think he's got those guys playing and believing in him. We have our hands full there. We didn't exactly light the world on fire Sunday against his brother's defense. We need to get better for sure, that's an obvious statement, but that's where we are."
Do you see the same kind of defense in the Saints as in the Jets?
"There are similarities, obviously they come from the same tree, but two things come into play, some tweaks and changes over the years and then also personnel. Any good coach is going to fit the scheme, the philosophy is the same, but they are going to fit the scheme with the personnel that they have. I think both Rex and Rob (Ryan) have done that in both of their defenses."
How does Carl Nicks being out affect the running game?
"You have to remember that we played game seven on (in 2012) without Carl. I can't really say that's an excuse for not being able to run the football, we just didn't get it done. It affects us, if we can get Carl back healthy, it will affect us in a good way. He is dominant run blocker as well as a very good pass blocker. I don't know what is going to happen. He was limited today. He did some things, so that's good, that's more than he has done. This is really going to play out as a day to day thing. We will figure it out at the end of the week."
How has Josh Freeman performed in your eyes?
"I don't think it is just Josh, I think it's our whole offense. We need to just need to be more consistent, get in a rhythm and perform up to our capabilities. We have a lot of loose edges, frayed edges. We have to get everything cleaned up. And for whatever reason, it shouldn't be, but it is and that's life and we have to get it cleaned up and shine it up a little bit because we are not far off, but the part that we are off is critical."
Can you talk about the progression of the secondary?
"I think they are getting better as a group. We added some key parts in Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis. Mark Barron, who returns, he is a better player by far than (what) he did at the end of the season last year. Leonard Johnson is better player now for us. Johnathan Banks, a guy that we acquired in the draft, he is playing better than a rookie. I think there is a little bit of a chemistry brewing back there and this will be the ultimate challenge. The Saints are going to try and move the ball down the field so we really have to be on our best game to have a chance."
Can you talk about how the Saints skill position guys seem to be in tune with Drew Brees?
"There is no doubt about it. When you talk about (Jimmy) Graham, (Lance) Moore and (Marques) Colston, and you interject (Darren) Sproles in there, there are so many weapons that Drew Brees uses. I think one of the most impressive things is how he gets them all involved. People ask if you think it's a conscience decision, I do think it is. I think he understands, not only the defensive scheme and offensive scheme, he understands human nature. I think he does a great job with all of those weapons and we need to make sure we have a plan that tries to, we aren't going to stop Drew Brees, but hopefully we can contain them. That's our plan, try and not give up too many big plays. I know they are going to get some, that is the way they play, but we will see."
What went wrong against the Jets that you want to improve upon on your running game?
"Well, we need to block better, number one, then we need to run the ball a little bit better, but I think until we block better, I can't really judge the running. We need to be able to throw the ball better when we are faced with an uphill running situation. When I say that, they out number us and it's a little bit like slamming your head into a wall at some times, but if you can't make them pay, they are going to keep doing it. If you make them pay in the pass game, then you can run them out of it sometimes. That's probably our biggest challenge, but to do all of those things we need to take care of the little things. We aren't missing on the big, big things, we are missing on the little things, little details and that is my responsibility as a head coach. I'm not getting that communicated or done correctly and we have to find a way to do that. That's the plan and we are going to go out there and try and do the best we can at it, but the clock is ticking and we know that."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Josh Freeman
Conference Call With New Orleans Media
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Can you talk about how the way last week's game ended was a tough one?
"The way we look at things, we lost in dramatic fashion. We re-evaluated the next day, looked at film and picked the game apart. When we came in today, we had energy, guys were bouncing around and we were making plays on the field to be excited about the opportunity to compete against a great team like the Saints."
What did you see in the Saints defense against the Falcons?
"The Falcons have a really good offense and a lot of weapons. For me, this is the first time watching this (new 3-4). They get after it. They play with a lot of intensity and a lot of passion. Up front, the front four do an awesome job putting pressure on the quarterback. The defense when it came down to it at the end of the game, they made plays."
From 2009-11 the Saints played some 3-4. Is this a different version of a 3-4?
"Every coordinator has their own way of doing things. Almost half the teams in the league play a 3-4 and they're all going to be different. Yes, they are a little different."
With this being your contract year and the way last year went, how much pressure do you think you're going through this season to establish yourself and earn a second deal with Tampa?
"Honestly there's no added pressure. I'm preparing all week with my friends and teammates, just trying to find a way to prepare. Really the moment is all that matters."
Is getting Doug Martin going important?
"The running game is going to fine. The Jets have a pretty good front seven. They stayed base a lot of the time. They made some things happen up front with twists and different stunts. Sometimes that can happen in the first game of the year playing a team, you face so many multiple stunts, different pressures and different coverages, it's not that crazy. We would have liked to have run the ball better and thrown the ball better. We were trying to get the offensive line in a rhythm. I think those guys will do just fine."
How tough has it been to miss a lot of Carl Nicks?
"Everyone says it hurts if you don't have him, it hurts, hurts, hurts. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't matter. Guys get hurt. Guys go down. Obviously Carl is an important player. When he's ready to go, we will be excited. He's a great player, a leader. It stinks with the injury and the stuff he's going through."
