New Orleans Saints center Erik McCoy
Conference call with New Orleans media
Monday, Dec. 14, 2020

Looking back at the game yesterday, the team gave up five sacks, what were some of the issues that you all had with the Philadelphia front four?
"I mean, they're a really good front four. And plain and simple, we went out and we didn't play well. Like you said, we gave up five sacks and we didn't give Taysom (Hill) the time he needed to get rid of the ball. And we didn't execute like we should have."

Is there any particular area that you guys identified that is something that you really want to get corrected this week?
"Obviously, we have to be better in pass protection. But we didn't have the urgency that we needed in the first half. And that put us down early and put us in positions that we didn't want to be in, which led to us doing some things that we did not necessarily want to do. Yeah, just really getting better and being more solid in our pass protection."

Yesterday you had Nick (Easton) leave the game, just how tough is it to adjust on the fly like this every single week?
"I mean, it is what it is. Cesar (Ruiz) has game experience, he's gotten better as the year has gone along. Just staying on the same page is a big deal. I played with both of the guys and I'm comfortable with both of them. We just have to play better."

You mentioned the slow start in the first half. Do you guys kind of identify what led to that or what kind of snowballed into that?
"I would just say we didn't have that sense of urgency that we needed. That's something that, we're going to watch the film, we're going to correct. We're going to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

What's the immediate mind-set coming out of a game like that, it's been a while since you guys have had to react to a loss?
"Yeah. I mean, it sucks. But, it gives us a chance to go back and re-evaluate, re-evaluate the tape, re-evaluate our practice. And just make the corrections that need to be made and move forward, you know, 24 hour rule. We're going to be over it and we're going to be pushing on to the next team."

Are you surprised that you all didn't have that sense of urgency when you think about what was at stake as far as that No. 1 seed?
"Yeah, of course. It's disappointing. But honestly, it all just comes down to execution, upfront, we have to play better. We always say that it starts with the offensive line. That's true, we didn't have our best game yesterday and I would say that the sense of urgency starts with us. We have to be better."

When we evaluate Taysom Hill, obviously, we can look at that performance. What have you seen from him in his growth and development in that role? In four weeks in the huddle? Certainly in a game where you were playing from behind for the first time, those kinds of intangibles?
"Yeah, I would just say that he's a guy that has a ton of confidence. His confidence is unshakable. You know, no matter how many times he gets hit, no matter what happens, he gets back up, he's on to the next play. And he's ready to go forward. And I feel like, we really saw that yesterday, getting down early, to give him a chance to really show who he was."

Is that anything that has grown in four starts or he had that right away from the first one?
"I would say that he's had that, but it's even grown since then. Just seeing his confidence, be boosted no matter the situation. And really trying to provide a spark for the offense coming in and out of the huddle."