Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Frank Reich
Conference Call with New Orleans Media
Thursday, December 12, 2019
When you see a game like last week's Saints-49ers game with them doing something that hadn't been done against the Saints defense do you view that as an anomaly or something you can use as a tool?
"You do pick up certain things. You're looking at the whole body of work, but you do look at things, so certainly you try to pick up certain things you can build on."
Your run offense has been one of the best in the league and the Saints before last week were one of the best in the league, how do you see that stacking up?
"That is kind of paramount in this game. How that will play out will be a big factor in the game. The Saints have been great against the run, very stout, athletic, the guys up front, the linebackers have been aggressive and downhill, safeties and nickel players who get involved in the box. Dennis Allen does a great job of scheming that up to cheat the coverage to get the nickel and the safety into the front to stop the run, so they do a good job of that."
The Saints put two starting defensive linemen onto injured reserve this week. Is that difficult to prepare for the unknown even though they've been rotating guys in and out all season?
"Like you said, those guys have been rotating. We have film on those guys anyways. It's no doubt, every team sees what it's like to lose a couple of defensive linemen. Both of those guys were really good players. But as you said, they're rotating guys who substitute that are good players. I'm sure they feel like us and most teams do, these backups are going to step in and do a good job. We're really focused as a unit on what we do and how we execute, running the best we can. We certainly know we are going up against a good front."
What's your view on Alvin Kamara since people don't know where some of the explosive plays in years past have been?
"I see a really versatile, smart, tough player. I really think highly of him. When he came out, I did a pretty extensive film study on him and his college career and had a pretty long and extensive interview with him coming out and was just impressed by him. I think one of the things that impressed me the most talking to him was not only how instinctive a player he is, but how smart of a player he is. He understands, with my experience with players like him that understand the big picture, they're just more instinctive and have the trait where they are extremely smart and understand what is going on. I think that's why he's as good a player as he is. With the explosive plays, it's easy enough to understand that sometimes some weeks and years they fall into your lap and then they're better under the long haul. But this is a an explosive player."
What do you think of some of the ways the Saints have used Taysom Hill this year and some of the positional flexibility he offers them?
"It's very intriguing as an offensive guy. I spent the offseason studying film of him. It's really a credit to Sean (Payton) and their offensive staff of how creative they get with him, but also a credit to Taysom, because he's such a unique player. You say let's guya guy like him. There aren't many like him. He's a unique player. I give the Saints and him credit. They don't overuse him and I think that's the key. You use him just enough. That's what keeps teams off-balance."
A couple times this year he's had to fill in where other offensive players have had injuries. In Week two when a receiver went down and last week when Jared Cook went down playing tight end and H-Back. Explain your view on the transition to these roles?
"When you have a player who quarterbacks trust, that's a big part of it. You need the trust to make it effective, otherwise you are just plugging a body in there. I imagine Drew (Brees) trusts in him implicitly in all those different roles, but also Taysom knows what to do and (has) the nuances of all these roles."
Monday night Drew Brees could potentially break Peyton Manning's all-time touchdown record. I was hoping that your careers overlapped, but you were done, but what's your perspective on his career from one former quarterback to another quarterback?
"He has set a new standard when it comes to accuracy. His longevity is impressive for a guy his size. He has been self-made, his work ethic to physically stay on top of his game is legendary. I know I worked with Chase Daniel in Philadelphia a little bit and just hearing Chase talk about Drew and some other people who have worked with him and know Drew well, I think he's one of those rare guys who really has set the bar high at the position. This is what the position is all about."
What are some of the inherent challenges of playing in a prime time game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome?
"Obviously that stadium, that team in a prime time game is one of the toughest environments to play in as a road team, so from the other side of the ball, it's fun and challenging. We played in Kansas City earlier this year, another tough environment and on the road. We draw from that experience. We are going against a very good team, hostile environment, already proven we can do it in that environment. You go in knowing you can do it, but you have to be on your team because it's a tough place to play."
