New Orleans Saints Defensive Tackle David Onyemata
Video Call with Local Media
Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Now that we're more than halfway through the season, how have you seen Trey Hendrickson kind of grow into the player that he is now?
"I've been saying it for years, it's not the first time. It's just actually him being out there and getting the opportunity to actually show what he brings to the table. So it's been really huge just seeing him perform at the level he's performing right now."

Do you feel like right now you're playing the best football of your NFL career?
"I just go out there and play ball. I don't think about think about that."

Would you say things are feeling more comfortable or they're coming to you differently this year? Are you seeing the field differently? I mean, has there sort of been anything that you can feel different about your own game this year?
"It's just being in the right position I would say. I go into games with the same mindset and that hasn't changed ever since I first got here."

What stands out to you when you see Marcus Davenport play about his power and just his bull rush when he hits that? What stands out about the power and explosiveness to his game?
"He's got all aspects. He's got the power and he's got the finesse as well. So I think it must have been during training camp or one of the practices where he actually blew one of the tackles out of the window so actually seeing it, it's special."

When you're watching film of yourself these past few games, is there anything that stands out to you that you've done well or an area maybe that you think, "Alright, I wish I would have done that better?
"There's always going to be things to correct. You can never have a perfect game so I go into meetings with a mindset to correct certain things and that's the approach I take towards it."

But is there an area that you feel like, "Alright, well, these last few games I've really been succeeding at this?
"I think it's been the same I guess."

When the defense was maybe not performing up to y'alls standards early in the season, was there still like a sense of confidence that you guys were going to kind of write that, especially with like some of the situational stuff with red zone, third down all that stuff?
"Definitely. The group he went into training camp with and the way we practiced during training camp, we just had to get back to that level. The first couple of weeks weren't it, but this last couple of weeks it's been showing."

Why do you think that is?
"I don't know why. It's just from my point of view you know the people you have on defense and you know what they bring to the table so I never question it."

When Drew (Brees) went out last year and with him possibly missing some time out, as a defense last year did you guys take it as a responsibility to step up and do you feel that same responsibility now to kind of help out and carry some of that load if he were to miss time?
"Every week you have got to step up. If we can play a game where the offense isn't on the field and if we can keep teams from scoring points, that's kind of how I see it."

I was just curious if you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts on here are in America, having an extraordinary football season as a young, college educated Nigerian when all of these youth movements are going on in your home country against the SRS I guess and all these things. I mean, is this a strange time to be looking at what's going on among people your age at home from abroad?
"It's not. It's about time for there to be a change back home. Just me growing up there me seeing everything like, in person, it's gotten to the point in life where things have to change and it has to start with the government and all that back home."

Is it is it weird though for you to be over here watching it from afar? Or do you think that that would be something that you would have been involved in or would want to be involved in if you could?
"Definitely because I think about it as like a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to actually some have change we made back home because if not, things are going to remain the same way and it might take another hundred years or something for there to be a change. So definitely, if I was back home I'd definitely be a part of that."