Head Coach Brian Daboll

DABOLL: Normal Wednesday for us. Talk about Saints here. (New Orleans Saints Head) Coach (Kellen) Moore, a fast riser in our profession. Outstanding quarterback at Boise State. A lot of records there. Gets in the league and has done a great job. He started as a quarterback coach and has been a coordinator at three different spots. Most recently with the Super Bowl champions. I've known Kellen for a little bit. Really good man. Good football coach. He's had his team competing hard. They've had three games, I'd say very competitive games. One game that got away from them in Seattle. But three competitive games. Two at home, one score games that came down to the wire and two-minute drives, one with eight seconds left when they had a chance to tie it. Great throw by (Saints' quarterback Spencer) Rattler to (tight end Juwan) Johnson. A fourth and two that ended up getting sacked in San Francisco. But right down to the wire. They played Buffalo last week. Seven minutes or so left in the fourth quarter at a really tough place to play, it's a one-score game. Really explosive running back to me where it starts with (Saints' running back Alvin) Kamara. Dynamic in every sense of the word. Fast. Vision. Can take it the distance. Can catch the ball. Can run routes. He's been a very good player for a long time. Use action game off of that to try to create some explosives and downfield throws to the receivers, who are very talented. (Chris) Olave, (Rashid) Shaheed, a tight end that can run. Four first round picks on the offensive line with a second-round pick playing center. So, I think Rattler, I've known Rattler for a bit. Went to his high school when I was at Alabama. One of the top recruits in the country. Timing, rhythm passer, accurate and has good athleticism. Can make plays with his legs. Run him on some runs. He's good on scrambles.

Coach (Brandon) Staley coming in there to be the defensive coordinator. A couple veterans on the defense with (Saints' defensive end) Cam (Jordan) and (Saints' linebacker) Davis (Demario), who I think have been really good players for a long time. They've got a good defensive scheme. Two, three really good returners. The guys that I mentioned before. (Kendre) Miller, (Saints) running back, number 5 there. He's also productive on offense. So, they've had three really competitive games that have come down to the fourth quarter. The game out at Seattle, that kind of got away from them a little bit. But it is a tough place to play. Tough environment to play in. Need a good week of practice here.

Injury wise. Going to be three players that aren't practicing today. (Defensive lineman) Dex (Lawrence) is sick, that's the reason why he won't be here. (Guard Greg Van Roten) GVR has got a vet day, and then (running back Tyrone) Tracy won't practice. He's getting closer, everybody else will be doing something.

Q: Are you going to start the clock on any of the guys on the reserve list?

DABOL: I don't think so this week.

Q: Did Dex play sick Sunday?

DABOLL: No. What's your definition of sick?

Q: Much less than 100% physically.

DABOLL: But he played pretty good though.

Q: On draft night, how much were the Saints a team you were worried about in terms of either taking (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) at nine or trading up from 40 ahead of you guys when you were eyeing Jaxson?

DABOLL: Focused on this week right here. Got a big week ahead of us. Make some improvements in a lot of areas. Talking about four months ago.

Q: How did (tackle) Andrew Thomas feel?

DABOLL: Good.

Q: What do you look forward to seeing out of (wide receiver) Jalin Hyatt, (wide receiver) Beaux Collins, those guys with the opportunity that exists now without (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers)?

DABOLL: Those guys have been working hard. They're out here for a reason. I expect them to know what to do and go out there and do it at the highest level they can do it.

Q: Jaxson's played in a lot of loud stadiums in the SEC, but this is kind of a different field sometimes, the Superdome. Talk about the challenges he's going to have to face this week.

DABOLL: Offensively, we're going to have to do a good job of communicating. From getting the play in, to Jaxson communicating to whatever snap counts we choose to use relative to how the sounds are there, which is usually loud. You simulate it and try to do the best you can here at practice, but it's definitely one of the keys in terms of being able to communicate and operate and stay on track and eliminate some of the pre-snap things that when you play in a dome stadium that's loud like this. So, we're going to work at it out here, blasting it as loud as we can, and just make sure we're on point with our communication.

Q: Does it make it harder to go no huddle when you're in an environment like that?

DABOLL: I'd say it varies. Whether or not we do much of that this week, it was something we thought we could do last week a little bit, but I'd say just playing in a loud environment stadium is a challenging thing offensively. Calls, snap, there's a million different things that come into play. We had our walkthrough a few minutes ago and you could hardly hear during the walkthrough, and that's what we do throughout the week.

Q: You've been here for (outside linebacker) Kayvon's (Thibodeaux) whole career. How high a level is he playing at now? Assuming you think it's one of his better stretches, what do you attribute that to?

DABOLL: Kayvon's been a pro since he's been here. He's done everything we've asked him to do. I think (outside linebackers coach) Charlie Bullen has done a really good job with him, but give credit to the player of how he approaches things, the way he practices, how he studies tape, his effort on game day, his unselfishness to play different spots for us. He's really had a good start to the season for us.

Q: How big an opportunity, obviously Malik is not here, how big an opportunity is this for Jalin Hyatt? He didn't produce much last year, hasn't done that much early this season. How do you view his role now and how big an opportunity is it?

DABOLL: We'll see what it ends up being. He's worked hard since he's been here. He's worked hard these first few weeks of the season. Whether that's on the look team, whether that's taking reps with the ones during practice. He's doing everything he can do to be as ready as he can be.

Q: Do you have to pull back at all reps-wise with Jaxson of Sunday?

DABOLL: Nope.

Q: Were you part of the meeting with the NFLPA the other day?

DABOLL: That's the NFLPA meeting, players only.

Q: One of the topics that was discussed, the turf versus grass debate, do you have-

DABOLL: I wasn't in the meeting, I'd say-

Q: Do you have an opinion on that in general, not even specifically about your stadium, but would you prefer all games on grass?

DABOLL: We're getting ready to play the Saints, so that's where my focus is.

Q: You mentioned Tracy's going to be out today, you only dressed two running backs last week. What went into that decision? Do you have (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) as a backup? How do you account for that?

DABOLL: I think we did what we thought we needed to do relative to the other areas of the team, too. The special teams. (Cornerback) Tae (Banks) was back there for us returning, did a nice job for us. It's something we've been working on with him for a while. I thought he did a really nice job with it. We'll see where we're at here this week. Those two guys have done a nice job for us in terms of (running back Cam) Skatt and (running back Devin Singletary) Motor. We just did what we thought we needed to do relative to the roster composition of the team and special teams and areas like that.

Q: Is Dante Miller somebody- If there is an open spot, he had a pretty good preseason, so fans are like, oh, he should get the chance. Is there a chance for him if there is a roster spot?

DABOLL: Yeah, we'll talk about that throughout the week. He did a good job for us. He does a good job for us on the look team. He got show team player of the week last week for his efforts and the things that he's been doing. Again, those are conversations we'll have throughout the week and we'll do what we think is best.

Q: What's the key to trying to slow down a player like Kamara?

DABOLL: All hands on deck. He can take it. He can cut one way and cut all the way back. He's such a skillful player and fast and has good vision. We need population to the ball. We need to do a good job of playing good up front and controlling the line of scrimmage and making sure we're gap sound. Even then, he can make plays and you're like, oh man. And he's a tough cover out of the backfield, too. He's been that way for a long time. Dynamic. They get him the ball. I would assume they're going to try to get him the ball a bunch. We're going to have our work cut out for us of playing good team defense on a player like that. Again, four first round linemen. A center that is playing really well. It'll be a good challenge for us.

Q: You had mentioned the other night about (outside linebacker Brian) Burns and just how he left it all out there. Just in terms of where he is with his game, I know we talked this summer about being comfortable and being more comfortable, but what you're seeing from him, I know you have a lot of talent up front, but just in terms of what he's been able to do for this team, it seems to be exactly what you...

DABOLL: Yeah, and he's done it since OTAs. The effort that he's displayed out at practice, the leadership, not just the vocal leadership, but how he goes about his business. I'm not surprised with some of the things that he's done this year because he shows it out here every day, and he's done it since OTAs. He's had a really good camp. I just remember showing a bunch of clips with him over and over every day of this is the type of effort and the standard that we need to play with, and we're going to need to continue to get that from him. He gives everything he has every game he's out there. He's a talented player, and again, we need him to be that way for us.

Q: I mean, different guys bring different things in that room, right? You have the young talent, (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter). You mentioned Kayvon. When you have a player, it's not to say that those guys aren't working, but when you have a guy like Burns and you can flip the tape on and say, this is how you work. I've got to imagine as a coaching staff, it's one of those, be like this guy.

DABOLL: Absolutely. When you have veteran leadership that play at a high level and compete and finish with effort and strain down in and down out. I mean, that's playing on special teams. If you need him to play on special teams, punt block, whatever it may be, that's always good to have those veterans that display those qualities in all those rooms.

Q: You mentioned your relationship with Rattler.

DABOLL: Yeah, just a trip out there to this high school.

Q: What about your history with their backup quarterback, Tyler Shough? Obviously you did a lot with him this offseason.

DABOLL: Yeah. I think he's a good player, has good athleticism. He has his own story and his own journey, but I had good visits with him leading up to the draft. I think very highly of him.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: How are you feeling coming out of that game?

DART: I feel great. I feel good. I'm excited for this week.

Q: What are you most looking forward to improving from your first start to the second start after looking at the film with coaches?

DART: A little bit of everything. I think expectation-wise, I think you just have the thought that you're going to execute at the highest level and you're going to do this and do that. I felt like there were a few things that I could have cleaned up. It was good to see that on tape and definitely trying to implement things that I didn't play to my best ability at and just try to correct those things.

Q: The Saints were obviously in the quarterback market in the draft too. What was your pre-draft stuff with them? Did you have a private, a visit, 30? What was your contact with the Saints?

DART: I met with them multiple times. (Saints head coach Kellen) Coach Moore was great, (Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) Coach Nuss was great too. Definitely had a good relationship with them during the whole process. Excited to be on the field.

Q: Is there any chip on your shoulder that they didn't pick you at nine before the Giants had a chance to?

DART: I think that there's always a chip on your shoulder any time that something like that happens. But, I'm just going to go out there and play as hard as I can.

Q: When you were sitting there on draft night and they were on the clock, did you think you might get a call? Did you have any inkling one way or the other?

DART: I felt like my visit with them went good. So, you kind of have thoughts in your head during the draft of what options are really realistic, and I definitely felt like that was a place that could have panned out. But things didn't work out that way.

Q: Now that you're here, how do you think your experience has gone so far with the Giants?

DART: I love it here. I love it here. There's not a place that I'd rather be. I love just how passionate people are here outside of the facility, within the facility. I kind of like the attitude that the East Coasters have and it's a lot of fun. I've loved it.

Q: What stood out on tape that you want to improve on?

DART: I think just be a little bit cleaner with my footwork in the pocket. Just be a little quicker in my progressions maybe, and there are definitely a few sacks that I felt like I could have gotten the ball out of my hand and probably just thrown away. Those are the kind of things that stood out to me.

Q: How quickly did you have to go from being bummed about (wide receiver) Malik's (Nabers) injury to sort of moving to what life's going to be like after him? What do you think it's going to be like now, not having Malik out there?

DART: Well, you definitely can't just replace a player like that. He's one of one. Just his talent and his ability. But we've got a lot of good guys on our team. It was definitely really hard. I think it's hard just when you see somebody that you really respect, you have a really good friendship and all that, go down. During the game, it definitely hit us emotionally just as a team. Our prayers are with him and we're constantly just trying to look after him during this time. But we've got a lot of good guys and guys who are going to be willing to step up, and they have to step up. Going into this next game, just trying to get on the same page with everybody and being able to execute at the highest level.

Q: Did you play in any dome stadiums in college?

DART: Yeah, I did.

Q: Can you lean on that experience going into the Superdome, or is this a whole different experience trying to prepare for that?

DART: I mean, every college has an indoor facility, too. A lot of practices, especially at Ole Miss, throwing in there. Then I had several games where I played indoors, especially bowl games. The ball comes out better in those environments. So, just excited for it.

Q: As far as the crowd, though, how is that different compared to an outdoor field for you?

DART: I played in the SEC, so I played in a lot of really loud places. Obviously, this one that we're walking into is notoriously one of the loudest in the league. So, we've got to definitely be prepared and have to communicate to the best of our ability. We try to do a really good job at practice of creating sound. Not all the time can you implement exactly what it's going to be like, but you just try to prepare that way.

Q: How did you feel the day after the game? When you went back and looked, did you think, okay, there are some spots where maybe I shouldn't take this hit? Or how did you sort of look back afterwards?

DART: I felt like some of the sacks that I took were kind of the biggest ones hit-wise that I felt like I could have avoided. I felt like in the open field, a lot of them were on third down, so I'm not going to slide before the sticks, I'm going to try to get the first down. I don't really regret any of those decisions that I made.

Q: What about the stiff arm at the end of that long run?

DART: Yeah, maybe that's not the smartest with my throwing hand. I didn't really like the way he was looking at me. (laughter)

Q: What was your physical recovery like the last couple days? How different was it compared to other weeks?

DART: I mean, I ran the ball a lot in college, so there were definitely times in college where my body felt it after games. And I think any time you're just – it's just football. You're not always going to feel 100% after the game. But we have a really good training staff here. We have a lot of assets that we can use to make sure our bodies are ready for next week. These last few days have been really crucial for me in making sure that I'm on the right track and feeling 100% for Sunday.

Q: You've got the tape on. You've got the tights on. Is that something you're just managing?

DART: I always wear compression sleeves on my legs and whatnot, so, that hasn't really changed anything. But I'll be good to go.

Q: What have the last few days been like for you just in life. After that game, you had a lot of focus on you and attention. How have you handled that?

DART: Yeah, it was good to have my family here. It was fun to spend a little bit of time with them. Obviously, it's a better feeling walking out each week to a win. I feel like that was good for the locker room and for the guys. But at the same time, it was just one game. We've got a long season and that's just kind of how I view it. Don't make it anything bigger than what it is. It was just one game, and our mindset has to be to win every game that we play.

Q: So how do you make it two games?

DART: Just have the same mindset each and every week. We've got to be able to have the competitive mindset to expect to win and just try to create situations where maybe we face a little bit of adversity in practice and just go through that. But I think it's really just the habits you try to create each and every day to build that momentum and if you make a mistake, clean it up on the very next play and get things right.

Q: Some of the guys last week were just getting to know how you like to prepare for a game. Some of the receivers were talking about your calls, that you called at night. 'Hey, what do you think about this?' I'm curious, after Sunday, did it validate your preparation going into week two? Do you think that the guys now expect what they saw from you last week rather than wondering what they're going to get from you last week?

DART: Yeah, I think it was a good week for us to kind of get used to how everybody on the offensive side prepares and communicates with one another. That's one thing that I really take accountability for is making sure that everybody's on the exact same page of really just trying to see the vision and see from my perspective, and I want to see from their perspective. It's constant communication throughout the day, just from watching film. I think that we have a lot of really mature guys who prepare the right way. It's definitely a good spot to be in when we can communicate.

Q: What's your relationship like with (tight end) Theo (Johnson) and what kind of confidence do you have in him?

DART: I love Theo. He's a stud. He's a guy that comes to work every single day and works at his craft very diligently and consistently. When you see a guy like that, you definitely have a ton of respect for him. We've built a really good relationship off the field as well. I'm just excited for him and I's relationship to continue to grow. He's going to make a lot of really big plays for us this year.

Q: What was your phone like after the game and what have these last few days been like in handling all the other stuff that comes with it?

DART: I try to just stay off of it. Like I said, my parents were in town, so I was able to just spend time with them. I think that was really just my focus. When you're a long way from home and you don't really get to see them a lot, it's good to have them. I haven't really checked it that much, to be honest.

Q: How do you balance carrying over the momentum of the first win for the team into the next game with staying sharp and focused on the next game?

DART: Like I said, it was just one game. Our expectation and thought process is to win every game that we step in. You can't make it anything bigger than what it is, and you've got to prepare the right way. I think that's kind of been my message to everybody in the locker room. We've got to come to compete every single day.

Outside linebacker Abdul Carter

Q: How much does (defensive lineman) Dex (Lawrence) help as a pass rusher now that you've been out there with him a few more reps?

CARTER: Yeah, every time you look at him, he's probably getting double teamed. So that leaves a one-on-one for us. So, I try to take advantage of that. Hopefully try to draw some double teams for me so I'm leaving him one-on-one so he can rush.

Q: What has (outside linebacker) Brian Burns meant as a leader for you guys in that group and what he's done on the field and helping you guys?

CARTER: He means a lot. Ever since I got here, like in training camp, you see the way he practices, the way he goes about his business. It all shows up in the game, so we look up to him a lot.

Q: Abdul, you've talked all about the first three weeks, no win, no satisfaction for you. Did Sunday feel different?

CARTER: Oh yeah, for sure, but we've got to move on from Sunday. We've got to focus on this week, focus on practice today, practice tomorrow, getting ready for New Orleans.

Q: When you watch yourself on film from Sunday, do you see the things that you've been working on week to week? Does that give you even more confidence than what you've had as to where your game is growing?

CARTER: Yeah, I take pride in getting better week in and week out, so each week I watch the tape. We obviously watch the tape as a defense, as a unit, then just find the little stuff that we did bad on and improve on it for the next week.

Q: How critical are you of yourself?

CARTER: I'm critical, not too critical. Obviously, I know what I can do, I know what I'm capable of. Just got to correct the little things.

Q: When you went back and looked at the tape and you saw what the four of you guys did, you, Burns, (outside linebacker Kayvon Thibedeaux) KT, and Dex, does it kind of excite you seeing on tape, like this is what the potential week can be after last game?

CARTER: Yeah, we had a good game, but like I said, we've got to move on, we've got to be consistent, we've got to work hard at practice today, work hard at practice tomorrow, and just keep being consistent week in and week out.

Q: Does it make you excited to build on that potential, though, to do that work?

CARTER: We already know what we're capable of, so us going out there and doing that, that's what we're supposed to do. That's our standard, so we know that. As long as we stop the run and be able to rush the passer, we know what we can do.

Q: How much does this (wearing Oregon gear after beating Penn State) hurt?

CARTER: That's all good. We're going to get it back at some point.

Q: At some point this year?

CARTER: You never know. We'll see them in a playoff, so we'll see what happens.

Q: Is that courtesy of Kayvon?

CARTER: Yeah, this is Kayvon.

Cornerback Paulson Adebo

Q: When your pass rush is performing that well, obviously you guys played well at the back end too.

How good can this team be?

ADEBO: Yeah, definitely helps. On the back end, just knowing that you have a lot of pass rush that can get to the quarterback and affect them and speed up the quarterback's time clock and just really make them uncomfortable back there. So always pass rush and coverage on the back end, always work in tandem. So definitely having those guys up front helps us out a lot.

Q: How different will it be on Sunday because it'll be quiet when you're on the field. They're used to it being loud when you're playing home games there. How loud is that place? It's kind of known for that.

ADEBO: Yeah, it definitely gets louder in the dome. It can get rocking. Obviously, it just depends on, I think, what kind of season they're having. Obviously, the fans feel like they have something to cheer for. They're going to be a little bit louder, more people will show up. But definitely a fun stadium to play in for sure.

Q: Anything different with (New Orleans Saints' quarterback Spencer) Rattler in another year, different coordinator, different offense that you saw from him last year?

ADEBO: Yeah, Rattler, I mean, he's a good quarterback. I think going into his second year, he looks a little bit more comfortable. So, they're doing some good things with him, and I also got to see him every day in practice, so very familiar. Great arm talent, I mean, can make all the throws. I think just kind of the journey of a second-year quarterback, still trying to fine tune some things. But it definitely has a lot of potential.

Q: Forget for a second that it's your former team. It's also the stadium, if I'm correct, where you broke your leg, right? That happened at home. Any emotions about, you're going to be on that field? Look how far you've come since then?

ADEBO: Not particularly, I think I'm kind of past that. But definitely, it's a stadium that I've played in a lot of times. So, it definitely will be kind of unique to be out there, and I'll have family there too, so that'll be a fun time.

Q: I just had meant, like lining up on that field, like the last time you were on that field, you were down, and you know.

ADEBO: Yeah, yeah.

Q: The idea of how big this game is, coming off a win, and now obviously you guys get a chance to put two in a row together. Does that add to the significance here?

ADEBO: Yeah, I mean, anytime you can stack wins, I think that's really big in this league. So definitely trying to build off our first win that we had, and trying to get on a streak going into this next week.

Q: The turnovers, obviously, you guys made such a big deal in the offseason, and also you created that turnover chest and everything. You got a couple and returned them into the five last game. Could you feel how big a difference that made?

ADEBO: Yeah, absolutely. I think that was really a key difference, and last week compared to the first couple weeks, where we had opportunities to maybe make some of those plays, and those types of game-changing plays definitely affect the outcome of the game, so the more we have those turnovers, it'll help us.