**New Orleans Saints Linebacker Demario Davis

Video Call with New Orleans Media
Monday, September 7, 2020**

What is special about Leonard Fournette when you watch him.
"(He's a) really good back. Really runs the ball hard, can get in and out of his breaks, can do different things in the passing game as well. Just a force to be reckoned with in the game. He can handle a load of 20, 30 carries a game and can absorb a lot of blows and keep running hard. Those are tough backs to deal with."

Would you describe him as sort of an old school kind of running back or a throwback kind of running back just because of exactly what you just said? There's not a lot of guys like him. Would you agree with that?
"I don't know about that. You have generally had, for the length of the game, you have had guys that were more power backs, speed backs, more receiving backs, some all-around backs. Just because he's big, I think a lot of people would think that he's just a power back, but he's much more in line with an all-around back."

Just considering that you used to be in the division with him, what's the most difficult thing about going up against a Tom Brady led offense?
"One thing about Tom is his preparation is just second to none. The attention to detail, the knowing different formations, knowing different tendencies, knowing how to get his offense in the right play at the right time, knowing how to stay poised. It's no accident he's one of the best ever do it. And you can tell that goes from his preparation, how he takes care of himself. How he stays poised under pressure. Just being able to see the game and having so much experience in the game, you're not going to really surprise him with too much stuff."

Have you decided on a name or a slogan that you're going to put on your helmet for week one?
"Yeah, I kind of know what I'm planning to do. We have got something kind of planned as a team. We're going to kind of keep that under the radar for now until you're ready to roll it out."

I was also going to ask you about Tom Brady, but could you just add to that what's maybe a specific example of one of the most impressive things you've ever seen him do on the field while you were going against him?
"I don't think I've seen anything unique that nobody else has not seen. The thing you give him the most credit for is what he does in those fourth quarters when the game is on the line. Walking to the line of scrimmage, being able to get his team in the right play, best play call for their offense, having a good understanding of and anticipation of what the defense is going to do. Going against a quarterback that can see the field that well, has that much awareness, that much experience is always going to be a challenge. Fortunately, we get to go against somebody just as good at doing that in our preparation and so I think we get as good a look of it as a defense that anybody else can get."

Obviously, without preseason games, I was just curious how eager you are just to actually hit the field and play an actual game?
"Man, it feels like forever ago since we played a football game and so much has happened since the last game and now it's just refreshing to be able to get back on the field and turn it loose. So (I am) definitely excited about it."

What's the challenge of facing a guy like Rob Gronkowski? I know it's a new team for him, but what's the challenge facing a guy like Gronk?
"For as long as he's been in the game, he's been one of the best to do it. He can run every route on the route tree, great catch radius, great routes, very smart, very savvy. Having the chemistry he has with a quarterback like Tom Brady just makes it even more of a challenge. (He is) Definitely one of the best to ever do it. And so you have got your hands full."

Is this a week where you guys have kind of got to be ready to change and adapt on the fly maybe more so than other weeks just because there's so much unknown about how they're going to operate and what they're going to do?
"Yeah, it's a challenge, but for us as players, we're able to stay pretty simple. We just take the game plan that our coach puts together for us and they show us different tendencies based on personnel and different groups and what they like to do. We just kind of take the game plan that our coach puts in front of us, it helps to keep it simple for us as players. I think the coaches do a good job of understanding how to blend when it's a quarterback coming from a different team, different offensive coordinator, things like that to make sure we're preparing as best we can."

How different does this year feel just going into it with all that's been going on? What do you do to try to make it as normal as possible?
"That's a good question. I think first it is knowing that this year is different, is going to be different. There's no way around it. I think it's always about just perfecting your process in the midst of adversity. No matter what's going on around you, you've got to be able to find a way to quiet the storm and find your process. And lock in on that and let the rest take care of yourself. All you can do is control what you can control and what's outside of your control, you've got to leave that to the man above and keep on pushing."

You guys seem to have gotten the better of your own offense a lot of times throughout camp and make some plays on them. How much does it help on seeing an offense as good as your own and then preparing for one like the Bucs that has almost as many weapons?
"Yeah, I'd put our offense up against anybody. So when you get to go against the offensive line that we have and you get to go against guys like Alvin Kamara and Jared cook, Mike Thomas, Drew Brees, Emmanuel Sanders. When you've got a group like that and you're going against (them) day in and day out, I feel like, and then you're going against great offensive minds like our offensive coaches, you get as good a look as you can get. I don't know how much more that somebody else can do that's going to surprise us."