New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Austin Carr
Video Call with Local Media
Sunday, August 30, 2020

What are your impressions of Jameis Winston and what qualities does he have that are different than really any quarterback you've worked with before in training camp?
"Jameis amongst many things is a bright light in the locker room, I would say. From day one, he was all smiles, shaking hands, getting to know his teammates. It felt like we'd been teammates for years already within the first week of just sharing the locker room with them and doing walkthrough together. He brings energy (and) joy. He brings happiness in a time that is one of the most grueling of our careers is training camp. So I think that just joy, playing the game and getting to know his teammates. Just something that disarms guys and that definitely, you don't expect initially,, a lot of guys try to get a feel out but but Jameis has just reached out to be friends to everybody and to get to know everyone right away."

We're asked some of your teammates what it's like being with him in the huddle and everyone just laughs. Is there something that happened to where that's the natural reaction from people?
"I don't know. It's just his demeanor in the huddle's very friendly. You do not feel pressure from him. You can feel these butterflies or this tightness in your chest and he gets in there and he's just, alright boy. This is what we are going to do. And sometimes you would pause, he's so engaged in disarming us, getting us comfy and getting us, vibing together. And obviously that comes with him picking up the playbook and he's been doing a great job with that. Yeah, I'd say his presence in the huddle's enjoyable."

You've spent three years in the same meeting room as Michael Thomas, what makes him tick and what makes him so consistent, intense and what he is?
"I'd say that that what you see in his game, day to day is the same intensity, the same effort, which is really hard to do. I think playing at a high level, a one day a week doesn't normally happen. You need to be practicing at that level every day. And that's what Mike brings. When we're practicing when shoot even in walk through his intensity, his focus his consistency. And his lack of tolerance for mediocrity. I think it's something that I definitely take from him and that we all sharpen from. Does he talk to you all about that or he just sort of a lead by example, type guy, definitely lead by example guy. It's understood you're in that room, going on four years for me, but you get that vibe from him you see that play out.

When we talked to him a few weeks ago, he was asked if he can even feasibly have more catches than last year and he said yes. Does that surprise you that he's approaching the season that way?
"No, I think this team is growth minded. Our room is growth minded. We want more yards, more catches all of us, right. And so that doesn't surprise me. It's the confidence that it took to do what he did last year. it's going to take the same kind of confidence this year to (have that production)."

Does he have an off switch? We all know that Drew Brees' competitiveness is legendary, no matter what he's doing. Is it the same with Thomas? Is it the same in the weight room, ping pong or anything else? I don't know if he takes time off to play ping pong, but does he ever turn that off?
"Yeah, I've spent a little bit more time with Mike after a game, when you're relaxing, when we might be hanging out. You're just chilling. Obviously, it's draining to play this game. So you got to find a rest and relaxation somehow. So yeah, we've kicked it in the past postgame at C.J.'s (Curtis Johnson) house just relaxing, maybe watching that night's games, enjoying some food and celebrating a victory. Yeah, that's when that's when things can get calmed down and really loose."

You've been back there a little bit with Deonte Harris on returns at practice? What makes him so special back there?
"Deonte's obviously quick, he's speedy, I think he's got really good vision. And he's got he's got confidence in himself as an athlete that I think you need to make some of the cuts and some of the moves that he makes. Those cuts he makes with conviction and those reads he makes he believes that his speed can get them where he needs to be so yeah, that's definitely a special part of his game."

You're in a rare club of guys who have played with both Drew Brees and Tom Brady, is there anything you can put a finger on that makes both of them so special after all these years?
"Obviously my time with Brees has been a bit more extensive. I'm usually asked this question and I immediately go to the competitiveness and the consistency on the field. At the end of the day they throw incredibly well. They are just accurate, they are gifted if anything. That is not the answer you are looking for but there is a giftedness to their game that I can't explain outside of our Creator giving him giving them some good gifts."

What does Emmanuel Sanders bring that maybe wasn't here before in your receiver room?
"He's a bit vocal that I think is a good thing. He stepped in and he knows he wants to lead by example on the field but also is willing to coach up the younger guys. He's also willing to speak up in film and give some advice and his competitiveness is definitely evident on the field too. And I think what he does bring is he raises the bar for just us to compete more. When you see him upset about losing a one on one or when you see him upset about not running the route the right way, that sets the tone for the for the offense and for the wide receivers that man we want to be good. We want the offense to flow through us and we want to be on (point) every time. So yeah, that competitiveness and that openness just to talk with younger guys. He is not caught up in it, any of his past or whatever he's there to be one of the guys and to sharpen everybody."