New Orleans Saints Running Back Latavius Murray
Video Call with New Orleans Media
Monday, November 23, 2020
You guys have been playing extremely well defensively these past three weeks. How much pressure does that take off an offense when the defense gets the stops and forces the turnovers continually to put the offense in position to be successful?
"It helps out a lot. It makes our offense's job a little easier but also when we're getting the ball back and they're (defense) getting off the field without a score, we'll be hard to beat. If we're able to play that way, complementary football, we'll be okay."
Did you guys feel that you were imposing your will in the run game down the stretch yesterday?
"Yes, the run game is a mentality and yesterday I felt it was a physical game. We definitely wanted to impose our will. We want to do that every week, but yesterday for sure, just what the gameplan and how the game was going. We had some opportunities to have a physical finish to that game."
One of the more productive games was by you yesterday for you in all-purpose yards with your receiving performance. Was there anything that you were seeing differently yesterday that allowed you to succeed or was that kind of how the game unfolded?
"Yes, that was how the game unfolded. I think it's how it unfolded. The two catches out of the backfield, one was a screen play, one was a checkdown. I think I made the guy miss on one. Obviously I'd like to build on that and that's how you're able to make these plays, making guys miss and kind of turning a short gain into a longer gain. You have to continue to build."
How much pride do you take being able to help out in the passing game as it's not something you were totally asked to do a lot prior to coming here?
"I think for me, it's just playing winning football, doing the things you have to do, getting yards after the catch and making people miss, catching the ball when it's thrown to you, picking up protections, protecting the ball, just playing winning football is what I felt I've done throughout my career and I've always tried to get better. When I'm catching the ball out of the backfield, obviously my objective is to catch the ball and then try to turn it into a bigger play. I want to be an outlet and try to get the ball down the field when I get my hands on it."
You guys had another offensive lineman go down when Andrus Peat suffered a concussion, it seems like when it's happened this year with linemen getting hurt you haven't missed a beat. How important was the performance of Nick Easton and Cesar Ruiz yesterday with Taysom Hill's first start?
"When you look at it, we haven't really a had a full, completely healthy team maybe with the exception of one game, so that is how it is. That's how this game is and how it's going to be. Guys get hurt. Guys go down. I think everyone here is going through the process, the preparation during the week, so when a guy does go down, everyone is attuned to the gameplan and what's happening when they take the field. That's huge, because injuries happen and we will definitely have to continue to overcome it as we finish out the season."
On the offensive line, how confident are you guys with the way they're playing with you as a running back. How confident are you running behind them?
"I've had a lot of confidence since day one in them and that doesn't change. Again, it's about the team in the building. A team that you can improve on and go after what we want to go after."
Talking about different pieces, can you talk about Michael Thomas yesterday?
"Michael Thomas is one of the best receivers in the NFL and I think because of the injuries early on this season, some people may have had some doubts about that. We haven't. He just went out there and showed it again yesterday."
Can you talk about the confidence that the team had in Taysom Hill yesterday?
"No one was different. We're all here to adjust. We're all here as part of a team, as part of something bigger than our individual self. No one was different. Everybody knew that they had a job to do and they were here for a reason, so I think everyone took that to the field on Sunday and we'll continue to do that. If a guy goes down or it doesn't matter what happens throughout the course of the season, we have to be ready to go. The opponent is looking to win. Do everything you have to to come out on the other side."
