**
**
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
On the way the defense played:
"We did a good job of contesting the throw, keeping the ball in front of us and not allowing a big play. Third down numbers were really good."
On Alvin Kamara's redemption following fumble in the second quarter:
"We had a good drive there in the second half. I thought it was very important. We rushed the ball well today. The guys up front did a good job. I thought that drive was significant and I thought that (Alvin Kamara) and Mark (Ingram)handled it well."
On sprint down the sideline during Alvin Kamara's 33-yard touchdown:
"I was kind of fired up. Today I was just fired up."
On Alvin Kamara's abilities:
"He's got good vision and good balance. Ball security we've got to get better at, but we will. He was able to keep his hand in the ground and keep his knee from going down and get a big run."
On the Mike Evans fight:
"(I didn't see) a lot good. I know it went to New York to look at. If there's not an ejection in that situation than I don't know when there's supposed to be one. (Mike Evans) was a little angry."
On overall impression of the offense:
"I thought we rushed the ball well. I thought we handled the line of scrimmage. We made enough plays in the passing game so it was good."
On rookie defensive back Justin Hardee and overall impression of this year's rookie class:
"We are trying to play the best guys. A lot of them are younger guys and some of them are more experienced. I think with each game you are hopefully getting better as a team. There are still a number of things we need to get better at. We have got to be able to catch a punt in the second half without it being a fire drill, but I am encouraged with some of those young guys. We are not really to send them to the Hall of Fame just yet, but the guys are competing. We are receiving a lot of production out of this group and that is encouraging. We're going to need all of these guys. I like the level at which they're competing and the way they're playing."
On having Drew Brees as a locker room leader to the young guys:
"I think we've got really good leadership throughout the locker room. When you start winning games you start wanting to play for each other instead of play for yourself. I think that's always the challenge in today's game. I like that. We talked about that earlier this week."
On talking to Marshon Lattimore after the Mike Evans incident:
"I felt like we had pretty good control of our players. We've always prided ourselves in that. It's no different than parenting."
On the fan impact throughout the season:
"It has been fantastic. The crowd has been outstanding.It's exciting. It is our job to go out there, perform, and play well. We feed off of it. We had a second quarter here were we knew in this four-game stretch that we were going to have three of four (games)at home. Fortunately, we were able to take advantage of that."
On the message the team received from 108-year-old World War II veteran, Lawrence Brooks,Saturday to the team's walk-thru:
"(It was) Outstanding. What is amazing is his health. He talked a little about how they kept ice (cold) before there was refrigeration and he shared some stories with the guys individually. It was a great visit Saturday. He is right here from New Orleans. We always have some different people visit on Saturdays. This one was special."
On Alvin Kamara's impact on the offense as a receiver:
"I think it helps. It's a plus. It's one of the things we saw on film that we thought we would have a vision for. Both he and Mark (Ingram) have versatility and I think that's important as a runner."
On Drew Brees' efficiency today:
"I thought it was good. I thought he did a good job. We had some key drives. He's really smart with the football. I thought it was really good."
On the trick play on the kickoff return:
"Not a lot (went) well. We did not work on sitting out there for thirty-five seconds and letting everyone see the alignment, but that is on us as coaches. We didn't do a good enough job managing that timeout. It was a longer timeout, so that was a dud."
