New Orleans Saints Cornerback Marshon Lattimore
Video Call with New Orleans Media
Friday, December 4, 2020

The last two games against these guys, you have 17 sacks. I'm just curious when you're looking through all that, like, how well do you see the front and the back end working together on these sorts of things?
"The front and the backend work hand to hand, great coverage and great pass rush can't be beat. Great coverage is going to have him holding the ball. Our pass rush is too good for him to hold the ball. So, no, it'll just work hand in hand."

Natural follow up there. How much pride do you take in that when the secondary is locking down in coverage and allowing for the front end to get those sacks?
"That's what it's about, we work together. If we're doing our thing, it makes easy on them and vice versa. Of course, we want to lock everybody up. We don't want anybody to catch the ball. We don't want anybody scoring anything. When we're actually doing that and not allowing it, we feel great."

The other day Demario Davis was saying that he feels like the defense kind of goes as you go. When you're playing at an elite level, everybody plays at an elite level on the defense. What's that mean to you and do you kind of feel like it's the same way?
"I mean, that means a lot to me, because it tells me that I'm one of the leaders on the defense and everybody is looking at me to do what I have to do. Of course, I'm going to do what I have to do, and I want to, but when I have other people, like, telling me that we go as you go, that makes me want to raise my game to the next level. And it's just, corner is one of the hardest positions and I barely get targets, a few a game, so I try to affect the game in other ways, like tackling. Just big plays like that, any chance I get, I try to make a big play to get the squad going."

The defense as a whole has been playing with a lot of confidence these last few weeks and a couple of guys mentioned that around the Chicago game, you can kind of feel a shift in the vibe on that side of the ball. Is that when you saw it shifting, and how did you see it shift?
"Yeah, definitely. I feel like we just all turned up. It felt like everything was clicking, everything came together. Once we get that going then we'll go on a roll. Once we get everything clicking together, that's when we go on our streak. So I think it was the Chicago game."

For you personally, I know you had to pick in that game, made a couple other big plays. Did you kind of feel like that was when it clicked for you this season?
"Not really. I just needed to make a play. Yeah, so you could say that. I finally made the play I was supposed to make. Just the beginning of the season, it was a lot, but it was probably around that game, really. I just had to make a play, like for the game period. If somebody makes a play on me, I've got to come back. I've got to come back and get mine. It's never just somebody who's doing anything to me. I've definitely got to get mine back no matter what. It is the life of a corner though. Hardest position on the field to play. That's the life of a corner though, you've got to shake it off and get back to it."

I know corners have to have a short memory. But I want to test your long memory because I'm working on a story about the 2017 NFL Draft. What are your memories going back then? Did you have any idea the Saints were interested? Was that a place you and your agent knew you might end up back then?
"I didn't know. I definitely didn't know I was going to the Saints. I thought I was going to like five or six, Tennessee, or who was it? The Jets. Everybody kept saying that, but no, I did not end up going (that high). So when I didn't go there, I hit up Mike Thomas like, man, tell them to come get me because I'm ready. They grabbed me at number 11. From that point on, I just knew because I had Vonn Bell here. I had Marcus Williams in the second round, he got drafted here and I already knew him, Mike Thomas, I had Ted Ginn Jr. here and we are from the same high school so I just feel comfortable coming here. That is why we did what we did that (had immediate success) first year."

Is there a kinship between the guys in that draft class on this team because you have had such great, productive careers already?
"Oh yeah, definitely. The 2017 draft, we're trying to be legendary, we're trying to go down in history in the Saints organization and throughout the league. Me, Alvin (Kamara), (Ryan) Ramczyk, Marcus (Williams), Trey (Hendrickson), he's leading the league in sacks. We've been trying to contribute as much you can to the team so we can win. Everybody wants that Super Bowl."

Cam Jordan was giving you grief over dropping the interception in Denver. I was wondering if you've been looking for something to pick on him about since he keeps on doing that?
"No, not yet. I've got a lot for Cam, but not yet. I caught it, but it impacted the ground, it popped out. I'm mad though. That's two dropped picks, I'm mad, I can't believe it. I am supposed to be at three picks and only have one. I can't believe it, I'm going to get it back. It'll come to me."